Digital, localised and human-centred design makerspaces: nurturing skills, values and global citizenship for sustainability

Abstract Maker Majlis, based in Qatar, was the first manifestation of a localised human-centred design makerspace in the Arabian Gulf region that went digital during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a coalescence of three broad ideas: human-centred design thinking, sustainability and Islamic values. Th...

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Main Authors: Ikram Sellami, Hira Amin, Ozcan Ozturk, Alina Zaman, Seda Duygu Sever, Evren Tok
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-02-01
Series:Discover Education
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00413-w
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author Ikram Sellami
Hira Amin
Ozcan Ozturk
Alina Zaman
Seda Duygu Sever
Evren Tok
author_facet Ikram Sellami
Hira Amin
Ozcan Ozturk
Alina Zaman
Seda Duygu Sever
Evren Tok
author_sort Ikram Sellami
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Maker Majlis, based in Qatar, was the first manifestation of a localised human-centred design makerspace in the Arabian Gulf region that went digital during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a coalescence of three broad ideas: human-centred design thinking, sustainability and Islamic values. The digital makerspace hosted 229 participants from 25 countries. This paper aims to outline this platform and its programs and preliminarily assess their capacity to develop twenty-first century skills based on participants’ survey results of their learning experience. In doing so it also explores more broadly the role of informal digital makerspaces as a non-traditional educational approach in education for sustainable development. Overall, the findings indicate multifaceted positive benefits of these programmes on participants’ learning experiences, citizenship values, personal development, and holistic growth with ethical and social values. The participants valued the human-centered design and mentoring aspects of the programs for enhancing creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Moreover, the programs promoted global citizenship by enabling collaboration across different backgrounds, and nurturing qualities such as confidence, self-respect, and respect for others. This research underscores the potential of digital makerspaces to serve as innovative educational models that support lifelong learning as well as the implementation of digital civics pedagogy.
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publishDate 2025-02-01
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spelling doaj-art-61d8be507c0b452abbba3b2f5c3b28902025-08-20T02:48:30ZengSpringerDiscover Education2731-55252025-02-014111710.1007/s44217-025-00413-wDigital, localised and human-centred design makerspaces: nurturing skills, values and global citizenship for sustainabilityIkram Sellami0Hira Amin1Ozcan Ozturk2Alina Zaman3Seda Duygu Sever4Evren Tok5Hamad Bin Khalifa UniversityHamad Bin Khalifa UniversityHamad Bin Khalifa UniversityHamad Bin Khalifa UniversityCarnegie Mellon University in QatarHamad Bin Khalifa UniversityAbstract Maker Majlis, based in Qatar, was the first manifestation of a localised human-centred design makerspace in the Arabian Gulf region that went digital during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a coalescence of three broad ideas: human-centred design thinking, sustainability and Islamic values. The digital makerspace hosted 229 participants from 25 countries. This paper aims to outline this platform and its programs and preliminarily assess their capacity to develop twenty-first century skills based on participants’ survey results of their learning experience. In doing so it also explores more broadly the role of informal digital makerspaces as a non-traditional educational approach in education for sustainable development. Overall, the findings indicate multifaceted positive benefits of these programmes on participants’ learning experiences, citizenship values, personal development, and holistic growth with ethical and social values. The participants valued the human-centered design and mentoring aspects of the programs for enhancing creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Moreover, the programs promoted global citizenship by enabling collaboration across different backgrounds, and nurturing qualities such as confidence, self-respect, and respect for others. This research underscores the potential of digital makerspaces to serve as innovative educational models that support lifelong learning as well as the implementation of digital civics pedagogy.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00413-wDigital makerspacesDigital civicsDigital citizenshipEducation for sustainable developmentLocalisation
spellingShingle Ikram Sellami
Hira Amin
Ozcan Ozturk
Alina Zaman
Seda Duygu Sever
Evren Tok
Digital, localised and human-centred design makerspaces: nurturing skills, values and global citizenship for sustainability
Discover Education
Digital makerspaces
Digital civics
Digital citizenship
Education for sustainable development
Localisation
title Digital, localised and human-centred design makerspaces: nurturing skills, values and global citizenship for sustainability
title_full Digital, localised and human-centred design makerspaces: nurturing skills, values and global citizenship for sustainability
title_fullStr Digital, localised and human-centred design makerspaces: nurturing skills, values and global citizenship for sustainability
title_full_unstemmed Digital, localised and human-centred design makerspaces: nurturing skills, values and global citizenship for sustainability
title_short Digital, localised and human-centred design makerspaces: nurturing skills, values and global citizenship for sustainability
title_sort digital localised and human centred design makerspaces nurturing skills values and global citizenship for sustainability
topic Digital makerspaces
Digital civics
Digital citizenship
Education for sustainable development
Localisation
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00413-w
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