The Boundary Object of a Makerspace

Abstract

To enhance research based interdisciplinary collaboration, the theoretical perspective of ‘Boundary Object’ was used in this article to analyse how Makerspace is a shared site of collaboration in an elective course. The study explores in practice the transitional space between institutionalized and research based higher education in relation to the free maker movement. This was driven by a pedagogical need to study how student motivation related to personal and professional interest can be maintained in a free space of learning in a formalised coursework. The theoretical model of Boundary Object was suitable to visualize a triad of interplay by i) informational artifacts; ii) their related practices; and iii) the concepts of epistemological premises of artifacts, practices, and their intersections. The study shows these concepts in a real-life context of establishing an elective course at a University and how the makerspace concept has both challenges and potential in coordinating interdisciplinary studies and how to make it professionally relevant. Despite some challenges the elective course was created as a new shared space for people with different motivations. The study demonstrate how such an elective course can contribute positively to student life, seen in a both professional and social perspective; it can strengthen inclusion, a feeling of belonging, study enjoyment and interdisciplinarity skills in a professional setting. These qualities form a value based conceptual framework, with success criteria that can enable essential student skills for the 21st century; creativity and collaboration for sustainability.

Mapping the landscape of Makerspaces in higher education: an inventory of research findings

“…The studies in the category “Assessing Impact of Makerspaces in Higher Education Teaching and Learning” seem to shape new paths in the field, exploring the multi-layered affordances of student’s engagement in Academic Makerspaces in relation to the impact on various competencies, such as problem analysis and solving, teamwork, investigation and entrepreneurial skills (Haji and Filippi, 2018). In addition, research experiments acknowledge its potentially positive contribution to values such as the sense of belonging and study enjoyment (Berg et al , 2020). However, the study of the existing literature demonstrates that the existence of such spaces is not enough to guarantee participation, because it requires a lot of effort and encouragement to be used, especially from teaching personnel.…”