Finding Evidence of Learning: Assessment in Fablabs and Makerspaces

Finding Evidence of Learning: Assessment in Fablabs and Makerspaces

When: Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16

Where: Room 108 (SAT) and Room 101 (SUN) – CERAS Building, Stanford

Who: Yoav Bergner (New York University, New York, NY, USA)
Sam Abramovich (SUNY Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA)
Marcelo Worsley (Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA)

What:

Well­-grounded theory and boundless enthusiasm may support educational Fab Labs and Makerspaces, but teachers and practitioners must be prepared to articulate evidence­-based arguments about the learning and growth outcomes that occur in these spaces. The challenge is that Fablearners tend to be progressive in their thinking about self and community development and inclusive in their conceptions of relevant skills, abilities, competencies, and attitudes. These may span technical competency, STEM skills, and computational literacy, but also problem solving, collaboration, self-­regulation, disposition, and agency. Can formal assessment structures really address such a broad array of objectives? We think so! This workshop will be an opportunity to share some thinking about historical and current assessment research, elicit ideas about learning claims and varieties of evidence from practitioners, and start a community discussion on both practical and pedagogical considerations for how an assessment tool can uncover and support learning in Fab Labs.

Workshop schedule:

1. Talk – Introduction to Assessment (10 Minutes)

• Assessment basics. Background history of progressive pedagogy and educational testing; contemporary thinking about validity, reliability, generalizability, comparability, and fairness; evidence­-centered assessment design; and reasoning with ontologies.

2. Small Group Discussion and Report Out (15 Minutes: 10 Minutes for Discussion, 5 for Report Out)

• How do you approach assessment in Fablabs?
• What is the most valuable process/method for you to determine if someone learns in a Fablab?

3. Talk – Whose job is assessment? (10 Minutes)

• Standardized assessment, classroom assessment by teachers, peer­ and self­-assessment.

4. Small Group Discussion and Report Out (15 Minutes: 10 Minutes for Discussion, 5 for Report Out)

• What do you think are the biggest challenges for Assessments in Fablabs?
• What should go into a ‘universal’ assessment for Fablabs?

5. Talk – Using Assessments (10 Minutes)

• Instrumenting and aggregating data collection, from portfolios to sensor-based analytics.

6. Small Group Discussion and Report Out (15 Minutes: 10 Minutes for Discussion, 5 for Report Out)

• What tools do you wish you had for assessing learning in a Fablab?
• What should a Fablab assessment tell people about the learner?

7. Whole workshop discussion (15 Minutes)

• Explanation of our Project (Yoav)
• Goal-setting for future work and collaboration