Initial Thoughts on Makerspaces in Student Affairs Grad Prep

I had the honor of serving on a panel addressing the Technology professional competencies at NASPA yesterday with Josie Alquist, Paul Brown, Ed Cabellon, and Lisa Endersby. As a panelist, I offered my perspective as a graduate preparation program faculty member. While addressing a question about what can/should be done in master's programs to help future student affairs educators develop their tech competencies, I mentioned my interest in exploring virtual makerspaces as one potential avenue for that development. We didn't have time to dig into specifics of any ideas, so I offer this post in hopes of sparking conversation of what virtual makerspaces for student affairs preparation could look like.

First off, some background about makerspaces. In general, these are physical spaces in which individuals and teams can create with technology. Devices such as 3D printers, project boards (e.g. Arduino boards), robotics kits, and piles of Legos are at the ready for exploration and experimentation. Spaces like this are found in K-12 schools around the globe. Some schools offer classes with designated times to use the makerspace, while others have maker clubs. In a future post, I will share links to some things I've read about varied approaches to makerspaces in K-12.

The more I read about makerspaces and the maker movement, I see a common thread: encouragement to experiment and tinker. It's all about problem solving. With each piece I read, I wonder about applying the concepts and underlying principles of makerspaces to graduate preparation for student affairs. There was an article in Wired in 2015 in which the author address the question of do we need to push people to learn to code? The answer, according to the author, is maybe not:

"Teach them how to identify and understand needs, as well as how to visually express logic. Teach them how technology works, so they can understand the realm of possibility and then envision game-changing innovations. And then create an environment where they don’t even have to think about writing code — where building great apps is as easy as using iTunes. Just drag and drop." 

This is where the promise of virtual maker spaces lie for graduate preparation in student affairs. We need spaces where students can manipulate things, to explore the ripple effects of a decision, or series of decisions. Imagine a simulator of some kind where a graduate student assumes some administrative role, and is presented with a scenario. As time advances, decisions have to be made, and each decision has the potential to impact one or more parts of the simulation. What could make this a virtual maker space is to have a framework that the student builds upon to construct each scenario. A simulator (or sets of simulators) are just one possibility for a virtual maker space aimed at professional preparation in student affairs. 

If you follow what can be an echo chamber of student affairs on social media, you might get a sense that there are some big gaps between what grad programs are providing, and what new professionals are seeing in the field. As I've stated repeatedly in multiple venues, the master's degree as professional preparation is the starting point for learning. But, I do recognize there are gaps, and as a graduate faculty member, I have a responsibility to think critical about opportunities to help address those gaps.

I don't have a background in coding, computer science, or anything closely related. I'm a faculty member who is excited about possibilities. I would love to get feedback, ideas, and thoughts on how to make it happen (assuming we should make something along these lines happen).