Planning and facilitating digital fabrication activities, where students engage in creating tangible artefacts with digital technology, requires knowledge on both technology and pedagogy. Currently, most of the studies see facilitators of digital fabrication activities as technology experts and there are only few studies regarding them as educators. There is not much discussion from the learning sciences point of view, considering what are the requirements to enhance learning in the activities. To fill these research gaps, this paper aims to provide theoretically grounded practical suggestions of how the facilitators may contribute to improve students’ learning in digital fabrication activities based on learning science propostions. The aim of this study was to explore, how Fab Lab facilitators and school teachers can design digital fabrication activities to support students’ learning. We explored the current practices in Fab Lab Oulu from the two perspectives: considering novice students’ learning and scaffolding ill-structured problem-solving. We suggest that the facilitators may improve students’ learning by taking into account their background and current learning processes, applying instructional scaffolding, and supporting teachers involvement to take active role in the activities.

1. Introduction
Supporting Fab Lab facilitators
to develop pedagogical practices
to improve learning in
digital fabrication activities
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru
FabLearn Europe 2019
Oulu 29.5.2019

2. Introduction
Digital Fabrication in Education – Research GapsIntroduction
• Lack of focus on Fab Lab/ makerspace instructors -
focus mainly on students and teachers.
• Fab Lab/ makerspace instructors are considered as
technology experts, not as educators.
• Few studies from the learning sciences and
teachers’ point of view.
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

3. Theoretical
Framework
Scaffolding
• A process that “enables a child or novice to solve a problem, carry out
a task or achieve a goal which would be beyond his unassisted efforts”
[Wood, Bruner and Ross, 1976, p. 90].
Novice learners
• Limited or non-existent experience
• Human cognitive architecture
Ill-structured problem-solving
• Working on complex, ill-defined, open-ended, and real-world problems
• Unspecified aspects, unclear goals, insufficient information, and rarely
having single correct solution [Ge & Land, 2004].
Theoretical Ideas from Learning Sciences
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

4. Research
Questions
What identifies ill-structured, open-ended
digital fabrication activities?
What kind of needs for scaffolding exist in ill-structured,
open-ended digital fabrication activities?
How can Fab Lab facilitators and school teachers design
digital fabrication activities which support students’ learning?
Aim: Explore, how Fab Lab facilitators and school teachers can
design digital fabrication activities to support students’ learning.
RQ 1
RQ 2
RQ 3
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

5. Methods
ParticipantsResearch Context Researchers’ Role
Students 7th-9th grade
School teachers
Fab Lab facilitators
Internships in Fab Labs
University courses
Fab Academy
Fab Lab Oulu
2-Years Ethnographic Case Study
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

6. Results
Methods Data Collection and Analysis
Data analysis II
Data collection
Data analysis I Data analysis III
Theory- and
data-driven
Internships
University Courses
Fab Academy
Transcribing
Coding
Focus group
Interview II
Facilitators
Focus group
Interview I
Teachers
Observation
Informal interviews
Field studies
10-11/2016 02/2017 03/2017 05/2017 03/2017-02/2018 07/2018
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

7. What identifies ill-structured, open-ended
digital fabrication activities?
In the context of Fab Lab Oulu
• problem-solving activities that incorporated
hands-on experience
• no predesigned or proposed topics
• no premade structure or schedule
RESULTS
for RQ1
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

8. What kind of needs for scaffolding exist in ill-structured,
open-ended digital fabrication activities?
RESULTS
for RQ2
Current facilitation of the activities remarked:
Needs for defining learning goals and providing instructions
Needs for instructional designing and structuring, and
scaffolding the activities
“I think one week is
a bit too short for all the
things our students need
to learn, and I believe if
we were given more time,
our students would have
been able to achieve
more things.”
- Fab Lab Facilitator
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

9. How can Fab Lab facilitators and school teachers design
digital fabrication activities which support students’ learning?
RESULTS
for RQ3
Impediments that affected to the effectiveness of
the activities:
Teachers were not familiar with Fab Labs and digital
fabrication activities
The facilitators did not know students background and
existing knowledge
Lack of collaboration between Fab Lab facilitators and
teachers
“These kids are bit too
young, they did not
have mathematical
background and
they didn’t remember
what is pi.”
- Fab Lab facilitator
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

10. The Essential Elements
of Designing
Digital Fabrication
Activities to Support
Students’ Learning
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata &
Jari Laru, FabLearn Europe 2019,
Oulu 29.5.2019
Discussion

11. • Consider students’ background
• Consider appropriate learning content
[Applebee 1986, as cited J. Foley, 1994; Daniels, and Hauer 2007]
• Reserve enough time for critical thinking,
decision making and reflection
Discussion The Essential Elements of Designing Digital Fabrication Activities
to Support Students’ Learning
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

12. DiscussionDiscussion The Essential Elements of Designing Digital Fabrication Activities
to Support Students’ Learning
• Make goals and process clear and visible
to students
• Support creativity, critical thinking and
reflective working of students’ through trials,
errors and iterations
• Consider adequate instructions of the
processes (especially novice students)
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

13. 3. How can Fab Lab
facilitators and school
teachers design digital
fabrication activities
which support students’
learning?
Results IIIC
ResultsDiscussion The Essential Elements of Designing Digital Fabrication Activities
to Support Students’ Learning
Teachers knowledge of students,
such as students’ background and
current learning processes, are beneficial to
plan and implement the activities.
[Kangas, Seitamaa-Hakkarainen & Hakkarainen, 2011]
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

14. Results & DiscussionThe Essential Elements of Designing Digital Fabrication Activities
to Support Students’ Learning
• the facilities
• technical help
• learning goals
• responsibility on
facilitating the activities
Discussion
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

15. Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata &
Jari Laru, FabLearn Europe 2019,
Oulu 29.5.2019
The Essential Elements
of Designing
Digital Fabrication
Activities to Support
Students’ Learning
Discussion

16. The role of Fab Lab facilitators is less studied earlier
Fab Lab facilitators may improve students’ learning
• consider students’ background and current learning processes
• apply instructional scaffolding
• support teachers involvement to take active role in the
activities
Limitations of the study
• Small sample size, cannot be generalized
• However, long-term study and multiple data sources
Summary To improve learning in digital fabrication
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

17. Testing and evaluating new activity design
Fab Lab team including both
technological and pedagogical experts
to design and implement learning activities
for students and teachers in collaboration.
Investigate, how does new activity design
affect in applying digital fabrication activities
in formal schools.
Future Work
Kati Pitkänen, Megumi Iwata & Jari Laru FabLearn Europe 2019, 29.5.2019

18. Follow the project in ResearchGateFuture Work
DigiFabEdu –
Digital Fabrication and Fab Labs in Formal Education
https://www.researchgate.net/project/DigiFabEdu-
Digital-Fabrication-and-Fab-Labs-in-Formal-Education
Kati Pitkänen: kati.pitkanen@student.oulu.fi
Megumi Iwata: megumi.iwata@student.oulu.fi
Jari Laru: jari.laru@oulu.fi
Thank you!