Abstract
Higher education presents students with many opportunities for educational advancement, but not all encounter these opportunities equally. Academic organizations, rooted in structural racism, perpetuate cycles of perceived failure that can prevent students from receiving the encouragement they need, which can result in inadequate career and societal preparation. Not all students benefit from traditional education in the same ways, and when they must all meet the same criteria, then, it is difficult for some to meet their own learning needs and goals based on their own definitions of success. Innovation spaces, such as makerspaces, within academic libraries, have a particular ability to help level the playing field and add equity value to both the classroom and lifelong learning. This chapter delineates current equity issues and provides managers of innovation spaces, especially those in academic libraries, with methods for recognizing opportunities for developing and marketing spaces and services to promote success for every student, both within the classroom and outside of it.
TopHigher Education Makerspaces, Libraries, And Deia
In recent years, there has been a surge in the development of makerspaces and other innovation spaces on higher education campuses. These spaces facilitate various levels and types of hands-on creation and nontraditional work in the realms of making (crafting, prototyping, and more), digital scholarship, video and audio, data visualization, gaming, collaboration, and more. Along with these spaces comes a concept often termed a “maker mindset,” coined by Dale Dougherty (2015) of Make Magazine, which is commonly acknowledged as a mode of thinking in which a person feels comfortable taking risks that may fail, taking agency in exploring possible creative solutions to problems, and thinking critically about nontraditional tasks, projects, and ideas. Though the term comes from the work associated with makerspaces, it can be applied to all types of innovation spaces, due to the similar nature of work that occurs throughout. This definition will be applied throughout this chapter.
However, much of the time, people assume that a maker mindset is innate or easy to learn, but that is not the case for everyone, particularly for those with past experiences in failure, disappointment, embarrassment, or trauma. There are many students who have simply moved through their academic careers in ways far from an ideal trajectory. Some have arrived at their higher education institution without much encouragement. Some have come from schools with less funding and therefore potentially fewer opportunities than their current counterparts. Some have been bullied and feel uncomfortable deviating from anything straightforward, while others may have a disability and cannot use much of what is available. Some cannot understand how to apply their skills and abilities to what is available. Some have been told that they are underperforming or they are concerned about their grades., and more. These students are often ignored by their educational institutions. Alternatively, there are students who enter and are deterred from using the spaces for reasons that will be covered later in this chapter.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Positive Failure: An appreciation of and willingness to fail first in order to learn from one’s mistakes.
Historically, Typically, or Intentionally Excluded or Exploited Communities: Current terminology is used in place of terms such as “minorities” in order to call attention to the oppression and active injustices perpetrated upon these groups, rather than suggesting that their struggles are due to passive states of being.
Innovation Spaces: Spaces that provide tools, technology, services, and expertise for users to engage with ideas, creation, and collaboration.
Makerspace: Areas that facilitate various levels and types of hands-on creation. They typically feature crafting items and low- to mid-tech machines, such as sewing machines, 3D printers, and laser cutters, but can veer into specialty machine shops, depending on the need and location.
Intersectionality: A term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 to refer to how a person’s many identities converge and is often applied in politicized environments.
Privilege: The advantages one has based on the identity and social groups they belong to.
DEIA: Refers to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, this is a common acronym used when Accessibility, an often-forgotten aspect of inclusivity, is also valued.