Maker Education: Assessment, Documentation, and Sharing With a Wider Community

Abstract

Makerspaces and the learning and teaching associated with them have become a growing area of interest in K-12 education, especially with respect to student engagement in STEM. While the benefits of maker education in schools have been studied, little empirical research has been on how to assess K-12 student learning through making. In this paper, the authors address this gap by examining the research question: How do educators assess the learning experience in maker education? We took a sample of 4 different non-profit and in-school STEAM programs in Ontario, Canada and carried out a qualitative case study. We conducted interviews, observations, and document analysis. The findings revealed that authentic assessment practices were used at each research site. Further, sharing the learning experience with the wider community beyond the classroom benefited the students and teachers in the programs as well as students and educators both local and outside the programs. This study sheds light on the nature and benefits of assessment and documentation in makerspaces.