Embedded Files
This page houses all of the learning artifacts created as part of the research and reflection process for Bee's ETEC 580 Directed Study course requirements. These learning artifacts have been included on this website to provide additional context and are not part of the formal proposal for the future of the HIVE as a Hub in Arts.
Makerspace Tours in the BC Lower Mainland
Makerspace Tours in the BC Lower Mainland
As part of my research for this proposal, I conducted an environmental scan of six makerspaces and creative design labs in the BC Lower Mainland to explore different models of operation, ethos, and community engagement. This critical reflection paper, written for ETEC 580, summarizes my key takeaways from the makerspace tours, and how they informed the vision for the HIVE and creation of this proposal site.
Makerspace Tour Database
Makerspace Tour Database
This Notion database contains all notes, photos, and impressions from my tours of six makerspaces and creative design labs in the BC Lower Mainland. It includes an overview of each space, details from their websites, and any available online reviews. This research served as the foundation for my critical reflection paper (above), helping to identify key themes, operational models, and gaps that informed the vision for the HIVE proposal.
Since part of this research was to understand the initial impression of each makerspace from a perspective of inclusivity and feeling welcomed in the space, I've featured a photograph of the entrance to each of the six makerspaces toured as the cover image in this database. Three makerspaces had their doors closed with key card access only (HATCH Makerspace, UBC Mechanical Engineering Student Makerspace, Emerging Media Lab), one had a storefront with physical steps leading to the door with no accessible access (MakerLabs), and two had their doors physically open to either the street or hallway they were located (FabLab Vancouver, Langara College Makerspace).
Mind Map: Visualizing the connections
Mind Map: Visualizing the connections
This visual mind map captures the early stages of idea generation for the HIVE, mapping out key themes, potential directions, and conceptual frameworks that shaped the development of this proposal.
Master of Biomedical Visualization and Communication
Master of Biomedical Visualization and Communication
As part of a previous ETEC 580 Directed Study / Problems in Education course, I developed a proposal for the forthcoming Master of Biomedical Visualization and Communication (MBMVC) program, under the supervision of Dr. Keri Ewart from March to July 2024. The MBMVC program is an interdisciplinary professional graduate program that will be offered by the Faculty of Arts and builds upon the success of the Certificate of Biomedical Visualization and Communication.
Since then, the MBMVC program proposal has received a green light for development by the Arts Dean's Table. In January 2025, the BMVC_V course code was approved by the Arts Curriculum Committee (ACC) and the first foundational course in the MBMVC curriculum—BMVC_V 511: Design Fundamentals for Biomedical Visualization—was conditionally approved by the ACC with minor revisions.
The BMVC_V 511 course syllabus is important supplemental material for this current ETEC 580 Directed Study / Problems in Education course, as it provides an example of how Arts courses might engage meaningfully with the proposed Hub for Innovation, Visualization, & Experimentation.
The proposed design of the HIVE as a Hub in Arts integrates and enables various pedagogical approaches such as Vygotsky's social constructivism, Dewey's progressive education and pragmatism, Papert's constructionism, Kolb's experiential learning, and Siemens' connectivism. BMVC_V 511 was designed with the HIVE as one of the course settings; the course's 3D labs, where students will build spatial awareness and learn how to "think in 3D" through hands-on maker challenges, are meant to be held in a co-creative, collaborative design space like the HIVE. We hope to collaborate with the many departments in Arts to facilitate new opportunities for learning-through-creating in various disciplines.
Version last updated January 2025.
Version last updated January 2025.
See also: BMVC_V 511 Syllabus Appendix
References
References
Andrews, M. E., Borrego, M., & Boklage, A. (2021). Self-efficacy and belonging: The impact of a university makerspace. International Journal of STEM Education, 8(24). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-021-00285-0
Boccardi, A., Szucs, K. A., Ebuenyi, I. D., & Mhatre, A. (2022). Assistive technology makerspaces promote capability of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Societies, 12(159). https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12060155
Bosse, I. K., & Pelka, B. (2020). Peer production by persons with disabilities: Opening 3D-printing aids to everybody in an inclusive makerspace. Journal of Enabling Technologies, 14(1), 41-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JET-07-2019-0037
Fitzsimmons, K. (2020). Making space for all: Ensuring gender equity in educational makerspaces. The Journal of Educational Thought, 53(1), 7-24. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27128288
Gilbert, J. (2017). Educational makerspaces: Disruptive, educative or neither? New Zealand Journal of Teachers' Work, 14(2), 80-98. https://doi.org/10.24135/teacherswork.v14i2.232
Government of Canada. (2024, June 27). Learn about the skills. https://www.canada.ca/en/services/jobs/training/initiatives/skills-success/understanding-individuals.html
Hable, B. W. (2025). Maker music: Constructing musical knowledge in educational makerspaces [Doctoral dissertation, Boston University]. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/maker-music-constructing-musical-knowledge/docview/3152464435/se-2?accountid=14656
Higgins, E., Oliver, Z., & Hamidi, F. (2025). Supporting campus activism through creating DIY-AT in a social justice aligned makerspace. ACM Transaction on Accessible Computing. https://doi.org/10.1145/3715965
Hira, A., & Hynes, M. M. (2018). People, means, and activities: A conceptual framework for realizing the educational potential of makerspaces. Education Research International, 2018(1). https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/6923617
Hynes, M. M., & Hynes, W. J. (2018). If you build it, with they come? Student preferences for makerspace environments in higher education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 28, 867-883. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-017-9412-5
Jung, Y. J., Munyao, M., & Abbas, J. (2024). Investigating strategies for inclusive public library makerspace for youth with disabilities: A case study [Poster presentation]. Proceedings of the 87th Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Calgary, AB, Canada. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.1153
Keune, A., & Peppler, K. (2018). Materials-to-develop-with: The making of a makerspace. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(1), 280-293. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12702
Kurti, R. S., Kurti, D. L., & Fleming, L. (2014). The philosophy of educational makerspaces: Part 1 of making an educational makerspace. Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 8-11. https://www.proquest.com/magazines/philosophy-educational-makerspaces-part-1-making/docview/1548230083/se-2?accountid=14656
Kye, H. (2020). Who is welcome here? A culturally responsive content analysis of makerspace websites. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.7771/2157-9288.1190
Konstantinou, D. , Parmaxi, A., & Zaphiris, P. (2021). Mapping research directions on makerspaces in education. Educational Media International, 58(3), 223-247. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2021.1976826
March, L., Arnsberg, E., Melo, M. (2022). Social media representations of makerspaces. Journal of Learning Spaces, 11(2), 57-71. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1373127
Melo, M. (2020). How do makerspaces communicate who belongs? Examining gender inclusion through the analysis of user journey maps in a makerspace. Journal of Learning Spaces, 9(1), 59-68. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1253902.pdf
Melo, M., & March, L. (2023). By the book: A pedagogy of authentic learning experiences for emerging makerspace information professionals. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 64(2), 142-158. https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2020-0046
Melo, M., March, L., Hirsh, K., & Arnsberg, E. (2022). Description framework of makerspaces: Examining the relationship between spatial arrangement and diverse user populations. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 74(5), 506-516. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24741
Melo, M., March, L., Hirsh, K., & Arnsberg, E. (2024). Vibe check: A 360-degree enumeration of the common features of a university makerspace. TechTrends, 68, 211-222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-023-00919-w
Melo, M. M., & Rodney, R. (2023). Space invaders: First-time users feel like intruders in the makerspace. Library & Information Science Research, 45(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2023.101264
Morado, M. F., Melo, A. E., & Jarman, A. (2021). Learning by making: A framework to revisit practices in a constructionist learning environment. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(3), 1093-1115. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13083
PR Newswire. (2019, December 5). California Community College maker initiative releases makerspace impact publication for educators: Free digital publication describes how educational makerspaces are preparing students to thrive in an innovation economy. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2321359548?pq-origsite=summon&accountid=14656&sourcetype=Wire%20Feeds
Resnick, M. (2020, June 3). Designing for wide walls. Medium. https://mres.medium.com/designing-for-wide-walls-323bdb4e7277
Sweeny, R., W. (2017). Makerspaces and art educational places. Studies in Art Education, 58(4), 351-359. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45426861
Timmons, T. D. (2020). Underrepresented populations in educational makerspaces: The voice of African American female students [Doctoral dissertation, University of Miami]. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1586349847069158
Tomko, M., Alemán, M. W., Newstetter, W., Nagel, R. L., & Linsey, J. (2021). Participation pathways for women into university makerspaces. The Research Journal for Engineering Education, 110(3), 700-717. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20402
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