2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Academic makerspaces are often framed as informal learning spaces to support innovation as through student centered communities of practice. While prevalent in both higher education and K-12 settings, it is only recently that research in these spaces explores student support and interactions. Academic makerspaces have the ability to support or not support students on a spectrum; meaning there are instances and reflections from students where they share feeling excluded and instances where they share feeling included and practices that support a sense of belonging. This research is part of a larger NSF funded project that explores interactions within engineering makerspaces; specifically between university staff, student staff, and undergraduate students. One key component of supporting students in the space is the intentional and purposeful hiring of student staff. Student staff in academic makerspaces support peer to peer learning opportunities as well as day to day management. Over the course of three years at a minority serving institutions, this research explores best practices and lessons learned for recruitment and hiring, training, and supporting student staff in engineering makerspaces. Data analysis of student staff interviews, university staff interviews, and observations inform practices that can be incorporated to support the important innovators in these spaces- the students.