Paper short abstract:

This ethnographic study explores tensions in SEAD (Science, Engineering, Art, and Design) research and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) initiatives that result from a need to reconcile openness, design thinking and creativity with demonstration of positive impact.

Paper long abstract:

As interdisciplinary research and teaching in SEAD (Sciences, Engineering, Arts, and Design) becomes increasingly widespread within American universities, researchers, administrators, and educators are under pressure from their institutions, funding organizations, and collaborators to evaluate and communicate the quantifiable benefits of their work. This is particularly evident in educational initiatives in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), which, despite developing earlier than SEAD, have become a recognizable and highly publicized ally of the SEAD movement. Drawing from participant observation in several university-based STEAM contexts, including week-long "Maker Camps" for middle school students, this paper discusses what the emphasis on measurable impact means for the SEAD movement, and for STEAM initiatives in particular. Maker Camps invite students to spend two days learning about ideation techniques, basic circuitry, 3D design, and kid-friendly programming languages from university faculty and graduate students. The students then use this knowledge to design, construct, and play their own electronic musical instruments. Frequently, tension develops - for both the camp participants and the facilitating researchers - between demonstrating the desired outcomes of the camps and cultivating a free and open environment. Educators and researchers work to provide a space for learning where discovery and failure are encouraged, but they are also required to demonstrate progress, impact, or improvement. Thus, contrary to researchers' stated goals, cultivating creativity at times threatens to become an instrumental goal of institutional assessments.