Teaching at the Makerspace
Proposing and running a class.
Proposing a Class
Members teaching members
Members teaching members is one of the best parts of Waukesha Makerspace. The most popular classes have been run by regular members sharing something they know.
You do not need to be an expert. If you know something well enough to show one other person, that is a class. If you just got started and figured a few things out the hard way, there are members who know less than you and would love to learn from you.
What counts as a class
Almost anything. Some ideas:
- Joinery, or cutting curves and shapes on the band saw
- MIG or TIG welding basics
- Sewing machine basics, the embroidery machine, or leatherworking
- 3D printing setup and slicing
- Soldering
- Cleaning and maintaining a machine you know well
- A piece of software you use, like Fusion 360, LightBurn or Inkscape
- Anything else you have been tinkering with lately
Keep it small and simple
- A class can run anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- It can be one on one, or you showing a handful of people.
- No slides or handouts required. Pick one thing, show how you do it, and answer questions.
If you want to build something reusable, see Writing a Syllabus Others Can Reuse.
Getting your class on the calendar
There are two ways:
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Add it to the events calendar yourself.
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Email admin@waukeshamakers.com with:
- the topic,
- a rough length,
- how many people you can take,
- a date or two that work for you.
An admin or board member will set up the event page for you.
Once it is listed, see Volunteer Runbooks: Promoting an Event to get the word out.
Not sure your idea is "enough"?
It probably is. Email admin@waukeshamakers.com, ask in Discord, or grab a board member at the space. You can also mention it during the "Teach a Skill" part of the monthly open house.
Instructor terms and materials fees
How instructors are compensated and how materials fees work is not written down yet. See Instructor Terms and Materials Fees.
Instructor Terms and Materials Fees
This page will explain the terms for teaching at Waukesha Makerspace: whether and how instructors are paid or credited, how class fees and materials fees are set and collected, who pays for consumables used in a class, and how fees are handled for members and non-members.
This page is being written. The board owns this gap: it needs to decide the instructor terms and materials fee rules before they can be published here.
Writing a Syllabus Others Can Reuse
A class does not need a written outline. But if you write one down, another member can teach your class when you cannot, and the class can run again and again. The Fusion 360 Basics and Practical AI outlines in this book are good models; this page describes the pattern they follow.
Put it in two parts
- An instructor outline: everything the person teaching needs.
- A student handout: a one or two page take-home card with the key steps, shortcuts or habits, so students can repeat what they learned at home.
What a reusable instructor outline includes
- The basics up top: class name, length, level (for example "complete beginner"), and any prerequisites. Leave the instructor and date blank so anyone can use it.
- A class flow at a glance: a table of sections with start times and durations, so the instructor can check the pace during class.
- Before class: what students must do in advance (install software, create an account, bring a laptop) and the text of the email that tells them. Send it about a week ahead and again the day before.
- Section by section: for each section, the key point to make, the steps to demonstrate, and a short practice moment for students.
- Common mistakes to head off: the places students usually get stuck, and the fix for each. A table of "problem, cause, fix" works well.
- Instructor notes:
- a before-class checklist (projector, loaner equipment, props, a finished example),
- pacing tips, including what to cut if you run short on time and what to add if you have extra,
- how to handle a student who cannot or will not do a step.
- What to learn next: a short list of next topics and good outside resources.
Write it so it stays true
- Avoid details that go stale. Do not tie the outline to a date, a specific group of students, or product prices. If something in the class depends on menus or settings that change often, add a note telling the instructor to check them the day before.
- Use the shop's own rules. If the class touches equipment, point to the tool's SOP page and say that the class does not replace a check-off. Check-offs are recorded in Journeyman (https://journeyman.waukeshamakers.com).
- Write plainly. Short sections, numbered steps, and the words you would actually say.
Publishing it here
When your outline is finished, ask a knowledge base editor to add it as a new chapter in this book (outline and handout as separate pages). Drafts stay in Google Docs until then. See Editor's Handbook: Writing for the Knowledge Base.