Makerspaces on Campus

Radford University in Radford, VA, has developed an ecosystem of MakerSpaces to empower faculty and students create the objects of their imagination. Spaces available include:

  • The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) New Media Center
    THE CITL represents a base of operations for the convergence of media, design, making, outreach, innovation, research, and creativity-driven teaching and learning.
  • The Department of Design Make Lab
    The Design Makerspace was built to give design students an outlet to realize creative ideas in physical form. The spaces and equipment are used primarily by students in interior design, fashion design, merchandising, and design management.
  • The Peery Makerspace
    The Peery Makerspace grew out of a crossdisciplinary faculty Maker movement, and is an anchor for the university’s Makers living-learning community. Faculty from the Colleges of Visual and Performing Arts, Science and Technology, and Business and Economics are the leaders in this initiative.

In California, California Community College (CCC) makerspaces are creating and sharing a model to fuel job creation and strengthen regional economies. With the CCC Maker Initiative, the goal is to prepare students for STEM/STEAM careers. California Community Colleges are building makerspaces, faculty are embedding making into curriculum, and employers are providing internships. The CCC Maker Initiative is funded by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, Workforce and Economic Division under the Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy framework.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management October 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Amazon Expands Lockers to More Than 500 College, University Campuses

    Amazon recently announced that its Locker Network now totals more than 750 locations at more than 500 college and university campuses around the United States, according to a company news release.

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars