Tabarés, RaúlBoni, Alejandra2022-04-19Tabarés , R & Boni , A 2022 , ' Maker culture and its potential for STEM education ' , International Journal of Technology and Design Education , vol. unknown , no. 1 , pp. 241-260 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-021-09725-y0957-7572researchoutputwizard: 11556/1452Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.During the last decade, different values, tools and practices promoted by maker culture have been adopted in formal educational settings with the aim of reinvigorating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Higher education institu tions (HEIs) have also engaged with maker culture to explore its potentialities regarding education, entrepreneurship and innovation. However, these collaborations with various stakeholders are not always smooth and educators need to deal with significant challenges that arise in these engagements, despite the problem-solving learning opportunities that they can offer their students. This paper presents the results of a case study that dealt with these issues through the establishment of an open and collaborative learning ecosystem (OCLE) between different educators, students and external stakeholders. The empirical work was based on thirty-three semi-structured interviews across four countries, eight focus groups and a final participatory workshop. The study argues that maker culture can offer several potentialities for pushing forward an integrative vision of STEM education as well as other disciplines from social sciences and humanities. An emphasis is placed on how tertiary education can benefit greatly from the adoption of OCLEs and how these communities of practices can encourage an education oriented to meeting societal chal lenges. The paper also warns that these kinds of interventions face significant organisa tional challenges in HEIs that demand significant institutional recognition and support to overcome this organisational resistance.201290472enginfo:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccessjournal article10.1007/s10798-021-09725-yMakerspacesSoft skillsSTEMMaker cultureExperiential learningMakerspacesSoft skillsSTEMMaker cultureExperiential learningEducationGeneral EngineeringSDG 4 - Quality EducationProject IDinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/OD&M Erasmus + Programme/575063-EPP-1-2016-1-IT-EPPKA2-KAinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/OD&M Erasmus + Programme/575063-EPP-1-2016-1-IT-EPPKA2-KAFunding InfoThis work has benefited from the funding received by the OD&M Erasmus + Programme of the EU under Project Number: 575063-EPP-1-2016-1-IT-EPPKA2-KA and project PID2019- 107251RB-100 granted by MCIN/AEI/This work has benefited from the funding received by the OD&M Erasmus + Programme of the EU under Project Number: 575063-EPP-1-2016-1-IT-EPPKA2-KA and project PID2019- 107251RB-100 granted by MCIN/AEI/http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85128356961&partnerID=8YFLogxK