Skip to Main Content
Mount Royal University

Library

MRU Maker Studio Maker Competencies

MRU Maker Studio Competencies

Creative thinking / innovation

  • Curiosity and exploration
  • Initiative and motivation
  • Self direction

Problem identification, definition and solving

  • Define the idea, question, and/or problem
  • Critical thinking

Research & Idea generation (ideation)

  • Information literacy
  • Analytical skills
  • Garner input from stakeholders and peers
  • Research precedents
  • Brainstorm a variety of ideas
  • Decision making and solution identification

Environmental Health and safety practices

  • Understand and employ safe practices on equipment and materials
  • Wear personal protective equipment when appropriate
  • Learn and promote safety precautions
  • Environmental impacts and sustainability

Technological literacy and technology skills

  • Tool and technology specification for project viability
  • Research various equipment and materials to determine limitations and suitability for a specific application
  • Choose the most appropriate tools and materials (physical, digital, and conceptual)
  • Digital literacy and confidence in technology

Prototyping

  • Determine fabrication methods and best processes
  • Specify functional requirements for prototype, minimum viable product and finished product
  • Entrepreneurial mindset
  • Use prototypes to convey ideas visually

Iterate design process

  • Take calculated risks, embrace trial and error, and learn from failures
  • Test prototypes using a variety of testing research methods to gather prototype feedback and input from stakeholders and mentors
  • Rework design to include insights from feedback
  • Revise and modify prototype design over multiple iterations
  • Adaptability and flexibility
  • Resilience

Project planning and management

  • Identify project constraints
  • identify who the relevant stakeholders are
  • Set actionable and measurable project goals, milestones, performance indicators and requirements
  • Time management
  • Decision making
  • Analytical skills
  • Documentation of work and version control

Teamwork and collaboration

  • Collaborate with others with diverse experiences and perspectives and transfers knowledge to others
  • Solicit advice, knowledge and skills from experts and others
  • Communicate respectfully and clearly with team members and stakeholders
  • Achieve team goals commitments and recognise responsibilities
  • Practice accountability both personally and with team members
  • Appraise contributions to the success of the team
  • Interpersonal/social skills
  • Leadership

Social, cultural, environmental and economic stewardship

  • Express awareness of diversity and inclusion when identifying unmet needs
  • Consider sustainability when making, including upcycling and recycling materials
  • Scrutinize the ethical implications of making

Interdisciplinary and transferable skills

  • Recognize and cultivate transferable skills
  • Transfer knowledge, skills, and methods of inquiry across disciplines and activities

Ethics

  • Understand intellectual property rights and protections
  • Respect the intellectual property rights of others
  • Examine the potential viability of both proprietary and open source systems to adopt/adapt

References