Makerspace Makes a Positive Impact on Learning at College of the Canyons

 The Makerspace lab at College of the Canyons is equipped with various hand tools and state of the art technology to assist students with learning soldering skills, 3D design, printing and scanning, laser cutting and engraving, robotics, Raspberry Pi/Arduino (small computers) and CNC router capabilities. A Makerspace has opened at both the Valencia and Canyon Country campuses.
Makerspace comes to the College of the Canyons
The College of the Canyons is currently participating in the State-wide Community College Chancellor’s office “CCC Maker” grant initiative. COC is contributing to the statewide Community College Community of Practice for Makerspaces around the state. In addition, COC is actively working with regional K-12 schools and industries around the Santa Clarita Valley to form a consortium of Makerspaces in the valley.
Inspiration for the COC Makerspace
The Makerspace project was inspired from the directive of the Chancellor, Dr. Van Hook, due to the need to implement new ways of teaching in the STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics) areas. Supporting the inspiration is a national movement to integrate teaching, learning, and engaged activities done in a collaborative way that will ultimately lead to greater student success and job placement.
CORE Values of the COC Makerspace
To sustain the COC Makerspaces at both the Valencia and Canyon Country Campuses, a set of essential CORE values was established early on. The CORE values involve the Creativity (the ability to create and innovate), the Opportunity (by having the space, resources and support), the Relationship (involvement with other peers and faculty), Entrepreneurial (the ability to create something new and to move it from concept to reality), and Skill Building (the ability to try something new and/or develop skills with tools, technologies, and processes). These efforts are being closely linked to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to support start-up innovation, too.
Skill Building in the COC Makerspace
As a collaborative space for the engagement and creation of STEAM-related projects, the COC MakerSpace supports “skill building” by providing tools, a safe lab environment, educational/training support, and information on techniques for MakerSpace consumers in a robust and engaged work environment.
Community and Student Involvement
Makerspace is evolving and is intentionally designed to foster student, faculty and community involvement, robust teaching and learning, and deepen learner engagement in a robust, engaging environment that provides support in terms of resources, technical assistance, the physical space, and collaboration. To date, we have offered discussions and hands-on experiences in Raspberry Pi/Python programming, Robotics, and “3D Printing for Instructors” (YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/zf0_sZikgKk ). We also offered a student-MakerFaire in late-October, 2016 entitled “Eco-Zombie Robot Challenge” where students teamed up and competed with robots. Future topics include a student-MakerFaire entitled “The Hydro Ape Challenge,” An Introduction to Drone Technology, and a guest-speaker event that explorers what it is like to be a computer programmer.
Ron McFarland, Ph.D., is the Dean for the School of Applied Technologies.  For more information, you can reach him vi email: ronald.mcfarland@canyons.edu.