The Santa Clara University Maker Lab: Creating the Lab, Engaging the Community, and Promoting Entrepreneurial-minded Learning

Many universities across the country are leveraging the Maker Movement to establish Maker Labs on their campus and incorporate them into their educational program. This paper describes the implementation of a Maker Lab at Santa Clara University and several community engagement programs that exploit the use of this Lab to support educational outreach, industry partnerships, and adult education. It also describes how the use of a Maker Lab can be used for more than simply supporting a review of manufacturing techniques and the physical realization of design projects. In particular, Maker Labs can be integrated into academic programs in more sophisticated ways in order to support Entrepreneurially Minded Learning (EML). The paper reviews relevant EML learning objectives and how these can be addressed through use of a Maker Lab in the context of a product innovation course, a single course-based learning module, and extracurricular activities.