Dear Ball State Maker Community –
The ECAP Makercorps team is launching a new strategy to craft timely and specific manual making and digital fabrication short course offerings based on student interest.
Your Essential First Step: Complete the Interest Survey!
Your feedback is the foundation of this entire system. Please complete the Makercorps Interest Survey now if you have not done so already:
[Direct Link to Interest Survey HERE]
If you have already completed the survey, thank you! Please continue reading below.
Introducing the Makercorps Course Loading Zone
The Makercorps Course Loading Zone is a newly developed system designed to match student demand with faculty and resource availability. By using initial survey feedback, we are opening this live system to the entire Ball State Maker Community to refine our offerings. The justification and mechanics of the system are as follows:
The Challenge and Our Solution
Typically, a short course requires a minimum of 10 confirmed students to launch. While initial survey responses show strong general interest, we need to pinpoint specific courses/times that are most likely to fill in a given semester.
Our Solution: The Makercorps Course Loading Zone is a live, shared spreadsheet that lists the potential short course offerings, professors, and time slots in a given semester.
Action Required: Confirm Your Interest
If you are interested in taking a short-course, we request that you review this spreadsheet and indicate your commitment level.
- Review the Spreadsheet
View the Makercorps Course Loading Zone [LINK TO SPREADSHEET HERE]. - Confirm Interest
Next to any course you are highly likely to take (90% probable) if it were offered, enter your name. - Understand Commitment Guideline
We only ask you add your name if you are 90% certain you would enroll if the course is launched.
IMPORTANT: This is NOT a Final Registration
Please understand this is an expression of intent, not a final course registration. You are welcome to add your name for multiple courses, even if their schedules overlap. This helps us gauge demand across the board.
How the System Works
- Visibility: The spreadsheet will show a running tally of “Highly Probable” entries, giving you real-time visibility into which courses are gaining the necessary critical mass (10+ students).
- Course Launch: Once a course reaches sufficient critical mass, the Makercorps Team will finalize the professor, time, and room.
- Notification: We will then send an email notification to all students who are “Highly Probable” for that specific course, confirming the official course listing and registration instructions.
This process will significantly increase our ability to offer these courses and allow us to plan for multiple sections, additional teachers, and facility needs in the long term.
Managing Expectations
While we aim for success, please be aware that certain factors may still prevent a course from running:
- Faculty Constraints: A professor’s availability may change, or they may ultimately choose to teach a different course with high demand.
- Logistics: Room or resource availability may shift.
- Enrollment Fluctuation: Students may ultimately not register, causing enrollment to drop below 10.
We appreciate your understanding that this may sometimes result in a necessary course cancellation. We are implementing this system to minimize these outcomes and maximize your opportunities.
Thank you for partnering with us to explore these possibilities.
Sincerely,
The Makercorps Team