Maker Lab 3: School lab

STEAM Teaching & Learning ESM 503, Fall 2026

Key words: STEAM, Maker Lab, Constructionism, 3D printing, laser cutting, LEGO robotics, microbit, arduino

Description

floorplan of a maker lab

In the “school lab” students are challenged to conceive of and design their own STEAM workshop, which they co-teach for the public as a workshop at the MIXI lab during our STEAM mini conference. To create their workshop, they will practice backwards design to develop and execute an effective lesson, including assessments of learning. Developing a specialized workshop allows students to solidify expert-level mastery of specific aspects of the maker lab; teaching these skills to an authentic audience helps them reflect on the knowledge they’ve acquired in the previous labs while practicing the lab-based pedagogical techniques which they’ve previously experienced as students.

Course Goals

schemata for a robotic dog The student will be able to:

Class Information

Instructor:

Meetings:

Required Textbook

There are no required textbooks for this course. Students should opt out of the Panther eBundle Course Materials program.

Class Schedule

Module Date Topic
1 Sep 02 Robotics, Creativity, & Roots of Maker Education
2 Sep 16 STEAM Teaching
3 Sep 30 Design Thinking
4 Oct 14 Pitches
5 Oct 28 Studio/Materials list
6 Noc 11 Workshop Critique
7 Dec 09 Rehearsal
8 Dec 17 Conference

This course is organized into 8 2-week modules. Each module consists of an in-person meeting in the Maker Lab and an online week.

Everyone must meet for a final public conference on Monday December 17.

This is a hybrid course with some in-person meetings and some online meetings. Mostly, we will meet in-person every other week, but see the schedule above for details. Online weeks will be oriented around completing course readings and working independently or in teams on assignments. There will not be synchronous Zoom meetings for online weeks.

In-person classes will feature discussions of course readings, group working sessions, and maker lab activities. Towards the end of the term we will focus on developing your STEAM workshops.

You must complete the readings for the current module before our in-person meeting.

Sessions

Module 1, Sep 02

Read:

In class:

Module 2, Sep 16

Read:

  • Needles, T. (2025). Part 1: STEAM Fundamentals, In, Steam power: Infusing art into your stem curriculum. International Society for Technology in Education. [Adelpi Library link]
  • Gerstein, J. (2019). Chapter 8: Integrating Maker Experiences into the Curriculum. In Learning in the making : How to plan, execute, and assess powerful makerspace lessons. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. [Adelphi Library link]

Module 3, Sep 30

Read:

Do:

Come to class prepared with your topic presentation. You will have exactly 5 minutes to present your topic. See assignment details below.

Module 4, Oct 14

Do:

Come to class prepared to pitch your workshop. Everyone presents your their own pitch (5 minutes + Q&A).

Module 5, Oct 28

This will be a full studio session. You and your partner must come to the session with a plan for your workshop. You should use the studio time to test out materials and techniques (e.g. what settings do you need for the laser cutter? is there a sensor that you can use for your micro:bit project?). If there are things you know you will need for this session, let the instructors know and we will try to pick it up.

At the end of the studio, you need to create a full material list including quantities, costs, and links. Materials that are hard to find or require extra time will be purchased now.

Module 6, Nov 11

In this session you present your full workshop plan and receive feedback from the class and instructors. During studio time you will incorporate feedback and update your workshop plan and materials list. Materials will be sent for purchasing at this time.

Module 7, Dec 09

You will present the core of your workshop and participate in other workshops. We will create a schedule where several teams are presenting at the same time. As a participant, you will give thoughtful feed back to the presenters. Plan for a 30 minute version of your workshop. In terms of supplies, if they are limited or expensive, you can have the entire group work on one set of materials.

At the end of this session you will submit the final title and abstract for your workshop.

STEAM Mini Conference, Dec 17

You absolutely cannot be late or miss this session. If you need special permission or to make plans, do it now.

The conference will have two simultaneous workshop sessions where participants choose which workshop to attend. While you are presenting, you will not be able to attend other sessions. When you are not presenting, you must attend one workshop. Come early to get set up your room (we can’t all be in the maker lab) and gather materials.

Grading & Assignments

Assignment Points
Participation & Attendance 15
Topic presentation 15
Pitch 15
Critique 15
Demo 15
Final Presentation 25

Submitting portfolio assignments

Everyone should have an online portfolio that they began in Maker 1: Design Lab. If you do not, you can create a new one in Google Sites. See assignment details for what you should submit in your portfolio.

Participation & attendance

One of the tenets of this class is that learning is more vibrant when we work on it together. Collectively, we will work to develop new understandings of the potential and challenges of maker education. In our labs, we will work to design and test new curricular projects. This cannot happen if you do not attend class, are not prepared, or arrive late.

You will be given two participation grades, and each time it will be the average of the instructor’s assessment and your self-assessment. The self-assessment is straightforward, you will assign a numeric grade (0-15 for participation 1, 0-10 for participation 2) and a brief statement explaining your criteria. Your criteria will not exactly match my criteria, as we all value different aspects of learning. Here are the things I am looking for:

  • Preparation: You have completed the assigned readings and are ready to discuss them.
  • Respect: You are actively engaged in the class discussion and activities, including listening to others and sharing your own ideas. In team projects, you respect deadlines and meeting times, and don’t add to the stress and workload of your teammates.
  • Risk taking: In some ways, deep learning is always uncomfortable. Full participation means you are willing to take risks and make mistakes. It also means that you go beyond the minimum requirements and shared materials to help us push boundaries together. You will approach projects with an open mind and try to recognize your own biases and preconceptions.
  • Attendance is required for all in person classes. The only excused absences are in keeping with the University’s policy: illness or other documented emergency.
  • Work/school obligations are not an excuse for absence or lateness. This includes any coaching, club, professional development, proctoring, or other obligations.
  • Attendance grading:
    • for each lateness less than 10 minutes you will lose 1 point on your final grade
    • for each absence or lateness more than 10 minutes you will lose 2 points on your final grade
    • if you miss more than 3 of the total 8 in person classes, you may be asked to withdraw and repeat this course
    • The final “mini conference” on Tuesday May 13 is absolutely mandatory. Please make any arrangements necessary to be present for this meeting.
soldering workstation
a maker's workstation

Topic Presentation

Before you start designing your workshop, you will identify the area that you want to focus on. This will include specific content area, specific STEAM/maker techniques, and the specific audience. You will create a 5 minute presentation for class where you cover:

  1. why this topic matters
  2. a quick summary of scholarly research around teaching this area
  3. STEAM/maker techniques you think are a good fit for teaching
  4. best practices for those techniques (either from scholarship or professional publications)
  5. a biography and list of resources

Post your presentation in your portfolio.

STEAM Workshop

The major outcome of this studio course is the professional development STEAM workshop that you create with your partner. This will be developed in several stages:

  1. Pitch: everyone pitches their own workshop idea. Only after your pitch is approved by the instructors can it be considered for a final workshop.
  2. Critique: you and your partner will present a more fleshed out concept for a workshop to the class and instructors for feedback. You will demonstrate/prototype core aspects of the lesson.
  3. Demo: you and your partner will do a 15 minute demonstration of your workshop prior to the public conference. All materials and procedures should be ready for this demo. You will be able to fine-tune your workshop after the demo.
  4. Public presentation: you present your workshop at the STEAM mini-confernce to an audience of peers, faculty, professional colleagues, and NYC high school guests.

The course culminates in a public mini-conference where you will lead a 60 minute workshop. Workshops will be co-taught (2 per team). If we have an odd number of participants, one group can have 3 people, or one person can present alone. There will be no other teams of 3 or 1.

The audience for the conference will be STEM teachers (your peers and others like you), Adelphi faculty and staff, MIXI alums, students in the PhD in Learning Sciences, grad students from other universities, and high school students invited to attend.

Workshop requirements:

  • demonstrate a deep knowledge of one of the techniques of the maker lab and steam education
  • address a hard pedagogical problem, related to your academic subject (i.e. aligns with standards and goals of the field) Explicitly identify where this workshop could “fit” in the grades 7-12 curriculum
  • design a workshop that is engaging and effective at meeting your goals
  • organize and present an effective session applying the principles of learning

See the 2024 STEAM Mini Conference Program

sketch of wooden froebel blocks

Workshop Pitch

Although this is a pair project, everyone will design their own workshop pitch. The pitch will be a 5 minute presentation where you share your idea for a great workshop. After hearing and discussing all of the pitches, we will form teams of 2.

For the pitch, focus on:

In your portfolio:

Critique

For the critique, your team will present the first draft of your lesson. This will not be the full 60 minute session, but you will walk us through the key aspects of your workshop. For items that are not ready (because they need to be built or ordered), we can role play and use low fidelity prototypes.

In your portfolio: (after the critique)

Demo

The demo is a rehearsal for your live presentation. You must have all materials prepared and ready. You will lead the demo the same as you will the live conference presentation.

In your portfolio: (after the demo)

Workshop

You will present your workshop and be observed by course instructors and other Adelphi faculty, school partners, K12 students, Fordham doctoral students and other guests who attend. In addition to the quality of your lesson and the materials your produce, we are evaluating you on the effectiveness of your presentation and ability to perform as an instructional leader and coach.

Adelphi University Services, Policies, and Regulations

Student Access Office and Disability Accommodation

If you have a disability that may significantly impact your ability to carry out assigned coursework, please contact the Student Access Office (SAO) at (516) 877-3806 or send an email to sao@adelphi.edu. The staff will review your concerns and determine, with you, appropriate and necessary accommodations. Please allow for a reasonable time frame for requesting ASL interpreters or transcription services.

Reasonable accommodations are available in online classes for students with a documented disability. Please note that due to the nature of online courses, some accommodations approved for on campus classes may not apply. If you have a disability that may significantly impact your ability to carry out assigned coursework, please contact the SAO at (516) 877-3806 or send an email to sao@adelphi.edu. We will review your request and determine with you appropriate and necessary accommodations.

University Libraries

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Student Counseling Center

The Student Counseling Center (SCC) provides confidential and professional virtual mental health counseling services, resources, and referrals to support the academic and personal success, health, and well-being of Adelphi students without additional charge. Counselors are available to help students cope with a variety of stressors and personal issues that may interfere with their academic and personal experiences. The SCC also supports students who may be feeling suicidal or in crisis. To schedule an appointment, call (516) 877-3646 or email scc@adelphi.edu. If you need immediate assistance, walk-in services are available during the fall and spring semesters Monday-Friday, 9:00 a. m.–5:00 p.m. Additional information can also be found at .

Need support when the SCC is not available? For 24/7 emergency counseling, referral, or assistance, please contact:

Center for Academic Support and Enrichment (formerly the Learning and Writing Centers)

Website: http://adelphi.edu/case Email: CASE@adelphi.edu
Phone: (516) 877-3200 Location: Nexus 132

The Center for Academic Support and Enrichment (CASE) offers programs and services—like individual tutoring in writing and subjects across the curriculum, small group study sessions, academic coaching and targeted workshops—that help students explore, deepen and extend their classroom learning. Support programming focuses on establishing foundational skills and techniques of studentship, like time management and note-taking. Enrichment services develop higher-order critical thinking skills and problem solving skills inherent in both abstractions and applications of curricular study. Contact us via email, phone or via eCampus to review our full slate of real-time (in person and remote) and asynchronous services. These are included in your tuition, so you’ve already bought them! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to supercharge your college experience. Many services require reservations, especially late in the semester. Reserve a spot on our scheduling portal and/or join the self-directed virtual CASE LAB. Get on the CASE, and take your Adelphi experience to the next level.

Generative AI (GenAI) Usage Policy

Definition of GenAI:

Generative AI refers to a class of artificial intelligence techniques that create new content, such as text, images, or music, by learning patterns from existing data. These models use machine learning algorithms to generate novel outputs based on input data.
ChatGPT is the best known example of GenAI, along with Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini, but tools like Quillbot and Grammarly also use GenAI technologies.

Students’ Responsibility:

Students must ensure they understand the tools they are using to complete course assignments. By handing in work, students are accepting responsibility for following all University and course policies concerning academic integrity and will be reported for violations.
Turnitin’s AI detection software returns a score reflecting the percentage of text that is likely to have been generated by AI—it does not determine whether that text was generated by tools like ChatGPT from a prompt or by tools like Grammarly from existing text. Therefore, students who regularly use Grammarly and similar tools should ask permission from the instructor beforehand and should save versions of their work by using Google Docs or by enabling MS Word’s version history feature. Doing so will provide a record of each stage in the process of completing the assignment.

The Adelphi Honor Code

“The University is an academic community devoted to the pursuit of knowledge. Fundamental to this pursuit is academic integrity. In joining the Adelphi community I accept the University’s Statement of Academic Integrity and pledge to uphold the principles of honesty and civility embodied in it. I will conduct myself in accordance with ideals of truth and honesty and I will forthrightly oppose actions which would violate these ideals.”

Code of Academic Integrity

The Code of Academic Integrity prohibits behavior that can broadly be described as lying, cheating, or stealing. Academic dishonesty or violations of the Code of Academic Integrity include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Fabricating data or citations
  2. Collaborating in areas not approved by the professor
  3. Unauthorized multiple submission of one’s own work
  4. Sabotage of others’ work, including library vandalism or manipulation
  5. Plagiarism
  6. The creation of unfair advantage
  7. The facilitation of dishonesty
  8. Tampering with or falsifying records
  9. Cheating
  10. Other forms of academic dishonesty

Copying and pasting from any source into your assignments or exams without quotation marks, citations and references, constitutes plagiarism. Students are expected to produce and submit original work and to cite all sources appropriately. Unauthorized collaboration on any work, or the presentation of someone else’s work as your own, is plagiarism. Content generated by an Artificial Intelligence third-party service or site (AI-generated content, e.g. ChatGPT) without attribution or authorization is also a form of plagiarism. Unless explicitly stated, artificial intelligence-based technologies, such as ChatGPT or word mixing software, cannot be used to generate responses (partial or otherwise) for student assignments or exams.

If you are unsure about what plagiarism or another form of academic dishonesty are, please reach out to me to discuss it as soon as possible. An allegation of an academic integrity violation of this section may be referred for further review and could result in disciplinary action.

Student Course Evaluations

During the last two weeks of the class, you will receive notification, via email and eCampus, that the course evaluation is available for your input electronically. Your feedback is valuable and students are strongly encouraged to respond. Please be assured that your responses are anonymous and the results will not be available to the instructor until after course grades have been submitted after the semester ends.

Religious Observance Policy

Adelphi University welcomes diversity in its community and respects various religious observances. Students who anticipate being absent due to their religious observance are required by Adelphi University to notify their professors at the start of the semester. This will allow faculty to take these observances into consideration in light of their course exam and assignment schedules. Students absent from class, clinical experiences, practice, labs, etc. on those days, after prior notice to the professor, will not be penalized for any exam or assignment deadline missed because of those absences. Students must contact the instructor to work out suitable arrangements for make-ups or other satisfaction of academic requirements. Adelphi’s Exam/Assignment Absence Policy can be viewed here.

Attendance Policy

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