Challenges

The Luddy School at Indiana University has a network of four makerspaces which are used by IU Students, Faculty, and Staff for research, class projects, and more. The then 3-hour, in-person orientation required to use these makerspaces was resource-intensive and presented logistical challenges for persons who have busy schedules. Finally, these makerspaces feature a wide variety of tools with varying degrees of hazard.

Solution

We created a 2-hour, self-paced training which covers the information from the Makerspace Orientation. This training focuses primarily on best safety practices while using medium to high hazard tools in Luddy Makerspaces.

Results

By implementing this self-paced training, student technicians are freed up to engage in more individualized coaching and feedback of makerspace users. This flipped classroom approach is a better use of organizational resources than the previous in-person method of presenting the same information again and again at different scheduled times.