By Invitation Only: The role of personal relationships in creating an inclusive makerspace environment

Abstract

This paper was reviewed and presented at the International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces (ISAM) 2017, Paper No. 102.This paper explores how students first discovered Semaphore Studio307, an academic makerspace, and the role that personal relationships played in encouraging them to both enter and continue participating. To do this, this paper demonstrates the effectiveness of active, personal invitations in encouraging inclusivity and discusses the challenges presented by relying too heavily on this recruitment method. Finally, this paper also provides a method outline for ethnographic research in academic makerspaces