Pratt Passport

Makerspace Access and Tool Training System

The goal of this project was to standardize the required training for certain tools to be accessed in Duke University's many makerspaces. This system should not only set a high standard of safety for all tool users on Duke campus, but also encourage and empower them to learn and exercise new engineering skills.

The focus of the Pratt Passport was on the higher-risk tools available in easily accessible campus makerspaces, such as the laser cutter, the acrylic bender, the miter saw, and many others. The body of this project is comprised of extensive written documentation detailing appropriate setup and operation procedures, videos demonstrating the best practices for using each tool, and assessments to check users' proficiency.

This project was made available as a course on Canvas. Its usage is required for all undergraduate Engineering students at Duke (starting with the Class of 2028), but it is also available to all students, staff, and faculty at the University. It currently has over 1,200 active users.

Duration

May 2023 - May 2025

Team Size

6

Technologies

Canvas, Badgr, Adobe Premiere Pro

Technical Details

All the written training materials and assessment materials were written collaboratively over Google Docs. These mainly focus on the most important practices for using the tools safely, and on how to proceed if something goes wrong during its operation.

The training videos were recorded using the tools in the makerspaces, and were overlayed with scripted audio recordings. The graphic designs were elaborated on Canva, while the video editing itself was done using Adobe Premiere Pro.

All of this content was migrated onto Canvas, where it was made available to any Duke student, staff, or faculty member. Using Badgr, which is Canvas' integrated credential tracker, users can complete the certification steps, and show their credentials to lab staff to show proficiency, allowing them to use the corresponding tools in the makerspace without direct supervision.

My Role

I spearheaded the development of this project, elaborating and thoroughly documenting what should be contained in each training module, and how to add or modify training modules inside the Canvas course. I also wrote all or most of the training material for the laser cutter, the miter saw, the circular saw, and the soldering iron.

After working on the project for a year, I earned the position of Project Lead, and had the opportunity to assemble a team of undergraduate lab staff to continue developing new training modules.

Rodrigo Bassi Guerreiro