The National League for Nursing (NLN) fully embraces makerspaces. A makerspace, in the simplest of terms, is a common space where learners of all ages come together to explore and discover new ideas (Dunn, 2019; Edutopia, 2018; Makerspace for Education, 2019). Maker movements first began in 2005 with the launch of the MAKE publication (Dunn, 2019). Through a grassroots approach, the movement celebrated the first organized Maker Faire in 2006 in the Bay Area of San Francisco. New York City soon followed. These two events combined welcomed 200,000 individuals who assembled to participate in hands-on activities and learn new skills (Make, 2020). In 2014, the White House, under President Obama, hosted the first ever White House Maker Faire (White House, 2014), designed as a forward-looking showcase of individuals exploring and creating new forms and new technologies.
Although makerspaces have been in vogue for the last 15 years, their presence in nursing education is rare. Nursing Education Perspectives first wrote about makerspaces as early as 2015 in the Emerging Technologies section, authored by then NEP section editor Dr. Diane Skiba (2015, 2016a, 2016b). Skiba discussed makerspaces as one of the Horizon Report's 2015 and 2016 emerging technologies (Johnson et al., 2015). Over the past year, the NLN has been working to operationalize innovation using a maker mindset (Dunn, 2019). This is an intentional process of exploration that encompasses 1) thinking ahead, 2) unblocking ideas and ways to innovation, 3) creating and disrupting to bring about change, and 4) embracing transformation as a continuous way of working. One could say that, simply stated, a maker mindset is grounded in the diffusion of innovation (Rogers, 2003).
Thinking Ahead is all about seeing the future. As nurses and educators, we begin with the end in mind. With a future mindset, cues emerge around us. Those cues form patterns. We begin to assemble the patterns and discern how they work together. These patterns turn into strategies that move us closer to achieving a goal - thinking ahead to envision another future and creating strategies to get there!
Unblocking ideas involves dialogue. Good dialogue embraces a curiosity mindset. Curiosity is at the heart of critical conversation that includes opportunities for discussion of experiences, seeing problems, relating facts, and enjoying ideas. As nurses and educators, we are masters at orchestrating the possibilities. Coming together to fearlessly dialogue about possibilities unblocks thinking and enhances a maker mindset.
Creating and disrupting to bring about change is alive and well in nursing education. Evidence in nursing education research (Hayden et al., 2014) focused on the use of simulation and debriefing as a teaching strategy to enhance student learning has been a positive disruptor that has brought immense change to how we educate and prepare our future nursing professionals, not only in our simulation laboratories but in our classrooms as well (Waxman et al., 2019).
Embracing transformation is necessary to operationalize a maker mindset that engages opportunities to create meaning. As educator meaning makers, we transform the way learners see and use content. The ability to engage the mind to make meaning lies at the heart of what Dewey (1958) would identify as great education.
Today's learners are seeking transformation. Through NLN makerspaces, we are envisioning and creating resources and programs for faculty that will continue to transform teaching and learning. Recognizing the recent quick and swift pivot to online remote teaching and learning across the country, the NLN reached out to a small, select group of emerging contemporary educators to form the NLN Faculty Makerspace Strategic Action Group. The group convened in March 2020 to provide recommendations on an NLN Makerspace for Nursing agenda. Exploring and defining faculty development needs to educate the next-generation learner was a central theme of the meeting and a new paradigm for the role of the nurse educator. As new faculty and more senior nurse educators engage in excellence in teaching and learning, the continued development of online and virtual products is necessary to both enhance faculty skills and expertise and meet the needs of this contemporary generation of learners. Our goal is to create a national nursing education professional development arena with emerging leaders in nursing education pedagogy to thoughtfully and intentionally build modern, innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
Skiba, in her 2015 column, wrote, "Wouldn't it be great to have MakerSpaces as a part of an NLN meeting? Thinking about the collective creativity of educators to solve nursing education issues" (p. 266). Thank you, Dr. Skiba! As 2020 unfolds, stay tuned to the exciting makerspace opportunities that will unfold at the NLN.
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