Sierra College Exemplifies Possibilities of Access and Equity Through Partnerships and Outreach

“Whether on campus, in the makerspace, or in the community, we encourage people to join, learn, grow, and make a better life for themselves. We don’t give up on people.”
— Heather Lincoln, Creative Consultant for Sierra Makerspaces

Sierra College is unique among the CCC Maker community colleges in that it includes three campuses (Rocklin, Truckee, and Grass Valley) spanning four Northern California counties, covering roughly 3,200 square miles. What’s more, not only do the Sierra College campuses feature their own mini makerspaces, but the institution has successfully formed partnerships with three pre-existing community makerspaces — Hacker Lab, Curious Forge, and Truckee Roundhouse — to create an impressive network of possibilities.

These partnerships exponentially multiply offerings and access for Sierra College students, as well as create a viable bridge between students, local maker communities, and area industry. Perfectly in line with the Sierra College motto of “esse quam videri” (“to be, rather than to seem”), this network of makerspaces is showing what’s possible when a college embraces and supports the local maker ecosystem. By virtue of covering such a large and diverse geographic region, one of Sierra College’s main focal points has been offering hands-on learning opportunities to the entire range of student and broader community demographics.

Shared Passion of the Makerspace Team

The core makerspace team at Sierra is entirely comprised of people who deeply believe in the transformative potential of makerspaces, making them passionate and empathetic advocates. Team leads Steve and Louisa Hunter, who bring a combined 80 years of experience in professional and educational hands-on fields, have been involved in the Maker Movement long before the CCC Maker Initiative and are fervent proponents of the benefits of experiential learning. Steve Hunter explains how years ago, “School boards canceled our vocational programs because they were expensive, had high liability, and required lots of space. Now we have generations who haven’t had hands-on experiences through their education. It’s not natural or conducive to good learning process. Human beings didn’t learn life skills without related kinesthetic activities. Curriculum-based kinesthetic activities must be brought back into the classroom at all levels.” And makerspaces are natural bridges for this.

Learning through doing has not only been shown to yield deeper subject understanding, it’s also proven effective for students who might not otherwise be engaged or succeed. Hunter notes one math course at Sierra that integrates building and experimentation to teach math concepts. For example, second order quadratic equations are taught using the construction and launching of catapults. The class, which was specifically designed for at-risk students who’ve never been successful in math, has an exceptionally good completion rate because of the level of engagement. Hunter explains, “Because it’s hands on, because it can be related to something students see every day, it makes sense to them and they progress through that class in a much more successful manner.”

Denise Bushnell, a full-time faculty member in the Business and Information Technology departments, grew up in an entrepreneurial family with a father who was a self-taught inventor and engineer. She shares, “I saw the need for a shift in the way that we do education, and we have such an opportunity in the community college environment. It just made sense to me.” As the chair of the Career Technical Education Committee, which is part of the Academic Senate, Bushnell has been an ardent evangelist for makerspaces.

She adds, “From a faculty perspective, being able to offer students opportunities that traditional education doesn’t provide and give them options and abilities that they may not have considered is important. To see them blossom because it’s different and tactile and they have something to show for it is really what it’s all about. I just want to see us moving this forward because I think we’ve just scratched the surface of what we can do.”

Makerspace creative consultant Heather Lincoln, who helps faculty and students become familiar with the makerspaces and get comfortable using the tools, credits the makerspace for the inspiration to finish her degree. She shares, “The makerspace team encouraged me to finish a goal that I hadn’t made a top priority. Joining the makerspace made me part of a bigger picture. I could just be an artist and make things by myself, and that’s fine. But being part of this team has really made me stick with it and encourage others to get into the whole maker mindset.”

Makerspace student ambassador Sebastian Romanet was studying mechatronics at Sierra College but was planning to drop out and attend trucking school before he was introduced to the Hacker Lab makerspace. The community helped him realize his talents and pursue his passions (read his personal essay on page 44). Romanet shares, “This is the kind of place that I’ve always imagined, where I could go and experiment. When I was a kid, nothing like this existed, so it’s good to know that it’s here now and I can do something to help make it.”

As an ambassador, he does outreach to students and faculty, visiting classes to spread the word about the makerspaces’ offerings. He notes, “I get to see the whole process, from the first time I see a student in a class I visit all the way up to seeing them in the lab working on something that they’ve created, inspired and motivated. It’s all about showing people what’s available and that it’s okay for them to try.”

Comprehensive Outreach and Event

The Sierra College makerspace network turns the phrase “build it and they will come” on its head. Instead of building full-scale spaces from scratch for each campus, partnering with pre-existing area makerspaces enabled them to tap a readily available resource, complete with ties to the local community. And instead of waiting for the community to discover the network, the makerspace team developed a robust outreach plan that features a wide variety of events — including ones that are multi-generational, student-focused, and geared toward faculty professional development — to appeal to the broadest audience.

Everyone is encouraged and welcome in the makerspaces, and that’s reflected in everything from the marketing material to the most valuable asset: the people who work in the spaces. As Lincoln notes, “The people involved are very intuitive, and they’re ‘people people’ so we see attributes in people they don’t necessarily see in themselves, and we draw them out.” She explains that oftentimes people don’t see themselves as makers or have confidence that they can participate in the activities going on in the makerspaces. One icebreaker technique used is to create small projects for newcomers to tackle so they’re not overwhelmed by the volume of tools in the space.

Professional Development for Faculty

Mathematics professors Katie Lucero and Lynn Harrison-Benavidez developed and led a three-day professional development workshop at Hacker Lab, to introduce faculty and staff to the concept of making and the offerings of the space, so that they may consider how to incorporate hands-on projects in their curricula. As Steve Hunter points out, “You don’t want to shove maker activities down somebody’s throat who has never experienced maker activities and expect that they’ll see the light as to how it will help their students. That doesn’t work.”

Instead, the first two-thirds of the seminar were spent doing fun projects that
participants got to take home with them, lowering the barrier to entry and creating a sense of ownership. Hands-on activities progressed from familiar, analog projects like making candles to learning how to use the laser cutter. Only on the final day were they asked to develop a hands-on activity that would help their students learn. The results were impressive, with faculty from a wide range of disciplines coming up with an array of activities. A member of the History department, for instance, developed a fabric
collage project representative of clothing from the Colonial Era. Faculty Maker Nights are also well-received, and the intentionally relaxed, informal atmosphere encourages participants to feel at home in the space.

Multi-Generational Events for the Broader Community

To appeal to the broader community beyond students and faculty, the makerspaces host large-scale, all-ages events open to everyone. Holiday-themed making sessions, such as Spooktacular, as well as Family Maker Night — where the space is set up with a multitude of maker stations as an invitation to do projects — have been quite successful.

Another big draw has been a collaboration with the Arts Council of Placer County called “Reinvent the Runway” which features a runway show of community-made fashions crafted of reclaimed materials. And outside of the makerspaces, hosting exhibits at the Rocklin Mini Maker Faire, Maker Faire Bay Area, and the Maker Show at Truckee Roundhouse helps to inform the
community of the possibilities that await them at the Sierra College makerspace network.

Beyond hands-on experiences, yet another way that Sierra makerspaces have supported equity and diversity is by hosting a symposium of women in
STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) fields. During this illuminating panel discussion, 11 women of varied backgrounds, cultures, and professions shared perspectives and experiences. The common underlying thread is that they’re all makers. When students see themselves in a mentor or role model associated with making, their view of what’s possible shifts.

As creative consultant, Lincoln helped kickstart a Girl Scouts program in the makerspaces, developing curriculum for the Girl Scouts to get exposure to making and earn skill badges. She shares, “I’m proud of the inspiration I’ve been able to give people. What I’ve enjoyed most is seeing someone’s eyes light up after they get a concept or move past a hurdle, when they were hesitant to consider themselves makers.”

Final Thoughts from the Field

Having hosted events and experiences for all ages, the Sierra College makerspace team sees the importance of exposing the youth to making from an early age and aims to take their programming further. Lincoln notes, “I’d like to bring this down a generation and start integrating more kids’ programs into what we’re doing. I’ve seen the impact with the Girl Scouts program, and how excited kids get with the whole making prospect. This programming is essential so that by the time these kids get to college, they’re already in that mindset. We can also have the college students integrating with the younger generations and see what kind of making we can get done.”

Be sure to check out the Sierra College profile video:

This article first appeared in the CCC Maker publication titled “Makerspace Impact: Implementation Strategies & Stories of Transformation” (2019).