UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As she wandered around Krause Innovation Studio in Chambers Building, Gabriela Richard watched her students display projects ranging from a KIBO robot visitors could program as part of a maze challenge or rearrange as part of a storytelling experience to a laptop computer with Scratch coding that projected an interactive, spoken word project.

There were many more projects on display at Richard’s LDT 824 graduate-level “Making and Education” course’s Maker Faire on April 8. Richard, assistant professor of education (learning, design, and technology), said the course covers topics from physical/digital tools and high- and low-tech maker activities to online learning, content creation and participatory culture.

“They learn not only educational theory, but how people learn in and out of schools, in informal and interest-driven settings, and how to effectively support, scaffold and design for meaningful and inclusive learning,” said Richard, the course creator.

Traditionally, maker learning opportunities were designed specifically for out-of-school settings, like camps or after-school programs, according to Richard. “The course gets students to think really deeply about the different aspects of learning and how different tools, systems or activities can be designed or harnessed to inform learning, help learners make important interdisciplinary connections, such as between STEM and the arts, or become critical consumers or creators,” she said.

Anna Kim, a science education graduate student who helped design the KIBO activities for the faire as part of one of their assignments, said she’s always been interested in computational thinking but was concerned because it’s typically related to computer science and programming, something that’s often too complex for younger learners.

“When I found this making and learning course, I was very excited because [it covered things like] KIBO, which is actually developed for younger learners who can still learn about computational thinking and learn coding and algorithms, which is really important for computational thinking. So … I got inspired,” Kim said.

Richard said since first offering the class in 2017, it has attracted students from the Learning, Design and Technology (LDT) program (in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems) as well as other departments, including Curriculum and Instruction, and she has also had local teachers and Humphrey Fellows take the course. “I think the majority of our students are really interested in understanding how we can design tools, activities and environments that are supportive of learners and their whole ecology of learning,” she said.

“With the curriculum and instruction students, we tend to get a lot more students who are oriented toward K-12 education and finding ways to design for formal learning environments or after-school clubs. We have occasionally gotten some students from other colleges, like IST, and some Humphrey Fellows who want to start programs in their countries, or want to look at how they might integrate certain aspects of making as part of their research or practice.”

LDT graduate students Chris Reeves and Charlie Keith worked in a group that designed the interactive spoken word station, which was conceived of by Reeves to go along with the group’s musical theme for the faire. “One of my goals is to eventually create stories and poems and print-maker activities that go with formal education,” Reeves said.

Keith described how they used the Makey Makey, a maker kit which can turn anything conductive into a keyboard or mouse, to control the spoken word project. The physically interactive aspects of the activity involved a system they created where a circuit wire was attached to conductive popsicle sticks (covered in foil), which, if touched prompted reactions from their digital spoken word scene, including different characters moving and saying the corresponding word on the stick, such as “beautiful,” “love,” “realist,” “patient” or “identity.” Visitors could also change the code or add words to those featured on the sticks and record their own voices to add to the evolving poetic experience.

“We’re just creating spaces for students to explore their own creativity and explore different elements of culture and technology in ways that they might not have been familiar with prior,” Keith said. “Helping students understand that whatever is available to them, they can use to the fullest and in different ways.”

Richard, who also designed LDT 110, “Making with Art and Learning Technologies,” said the LDT 824 Maker Faire is an opportunity for students to reflect upon what they learned and apply their understanding to the design of activities and experiences that not only engage but are inclusive for a wide and diverse audience. During a prior assignment, for example, they learned a technology or maker activity and designed a learning experience for their peers. With this assignment, they needed to consider how they could be more inclusive of a broader and potentially more varied audience.

“You're not designing for your peers who might have a certain background with technology or be a certain age, the idea here is to really reflect on your practice and how can you widen or diversify the kinds of learning experiences you design for a larger audience of people, not only different ages but different levels of experience, different backgrounds and different interests,” she said.

“This encourages students to be purposeful in the design of meaningful exploratory learning activities that consider a variety of entry points. This is a Maker Faire, so we’re really thinking about how we can harness some of the potential for deeper engagement or discovering interests and connections through messing around, experimenting and exploring.”