H2020Индивидуална стипендия2019–2021

HACKIT · Hacking your way to IT expertise: What digital societies can (and need to) learn from informal learning in hackerspaces

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2019-09-01 → 2021-08-31
Финансиране от ЕС: 183 455 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF

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Накратко на български

Неформалното обучение в общности от ентусиасти, като например работата с 3D принтери и програмиране в т.нар. hackerspaces, е в центъра на анализа. Разбирането на тези процеси помага за справяне с недостига на ИТ специалисти и неравенството между половете в сектора.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Hacking your way to IT expertise: What digital societies can (and need to) learn from informal learning in hackerspaces

Hackerspaces and makerspaces are communities of technology enthusiasts, bringing together – as some members put it – ‘fellow geeks.’ As a group, members usually rent a physical space to share not only their enthusiasm about technology and (digital) crafts, but also access to workshops and workstations, electronics and machines like laser cutters or 3D-printers. Misleadingly, the terms ‘hacker’ and ‘hacking’ are predominantly associated with cybercrime. This is regrettable because hackerspaces are perfectly legal homes to socially responsible, resourceful, skilled communities. HACKIT therefore counters common misconceptions concerning ‘hacking’ by emphasising the educational, social value and the ingenuity of practices taking place at hacker and maker communities. The principal investigator Dr Annika Richterich set out to advance our understanding of how individuals acquire information technology (IT) expertise and engage in innovation in informal, communal environments. IT skills, such as coding, are crucial for economic growth in the European Union (EU). But shortages of IT professionals are still faced across all EU countries, with women being especially underrepresented in IT professions. These issues impede the competitiveness of the European IT sector and prompt questions about its inclusiveness. To develop effective, inclusive educational policies and initiatives addressing this IT skills shortage and gender gap, we need answers to pressing questions: Why, where, how, and by whom are IT skills trained? The relevance of informal and voluntary learning for IT professions is important in this context. Yet, empirical, particularly observational research on IT learning in informal environments is largely missing. HACKIT has helped to tackle this research gap, by conducting a digital ethnography of hacker- and makerspaces (HMS), with a focus on communities in the UK.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

HACKIT will advance our understanding of how individuals acquire information technology (IT) expertise in informal learning environments. IT skills, such as coding, are crucial for economic growth in the European Union (EU). But it is estimated that there will be a shortage of 900,000 IT professionals by 2020. Women are underrepresented in IT professions in all EU countries. These issues impede the competitiveness of the European IT sector and prompt questions about its inclusiveness. In order to develop effective, inclusive educational policies and initiatives addressing this IT skills shortage and gender gap, we need answers to pressing questions: Why, where, how, and by whom are IT skills trained? The relevance of informal learning for IT professions has been emphasised in this context. Yet, empirical, particularly observational research on IT learning in informal environments is largely missing. My project will tackle this research gap by conducting a digital ethnography of ‘hackerspaces’ in the United Kingdom. Hackerspaces are key examples for informal IT learning environments: they are physical places where community members engage in activities involving coding and electronics. Misleadingly, ‘hacking’ is predominantly associated with illegal acts, but hackerspace members actually pursue legal, innovative IT practices. By ethnographically approaching hackerspaces, I will realise three main objectives: First, with participant observations, I will investigate how individuals acquire and cultivate IT skills in hackerspaces. Second, through interviews, I will examine which factors (de-)motivate members’ IT learning. Third, I will detail how my study can inform educational policies and initiatives fostering IT expertise in Europe. Overall, while I will investigate how hackerspaces function as facilitative environments, I will likewise examine factors of in- and exclusion relevant to informal IT learning, especially regarding minority groups.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX · BrightonКоординаторОбединеното кралство