Dr Rob Rouse

Lecturer

School of Education

r.rouse@uq.edu.au

Researcher biography

Dr. Rob Rouse is a Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Queensland. Broadly, his research focuses on supporting teachers enacting innovative and integrated hands-on instruction while making the best use of their school makerspace.

Prior to completing his Ph.D. in Learning, Teaching, and Diversity at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College, Rob taught chemistry at a performing arts secondary school in New York City as a member of the New York City Teaching Fellows.

Rob has expertise in maker education and in designing integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning environments. In addition, Rob has a track record of partnering with informal and out-of-school STEM education organizations to provide pre-service and in-service teachers with a variety of learning opportunities suitable for students, educators, and families.

Rob is also the former Director of the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Maker Education Project, a project he co-founded with colleagues from SMU's School of Engineering. The mission of the SMU Maker Education Project was to support educators implementing high-quality maker education activities in their own school makerspaces. Much of this work was supported using the project's mobile makerspace, the MakerTruck.

Publications

Book Chapters (2)

Journal Articles (10)

Conference Papers (11)

Book Chapters

Torralba, Juan and Rouse, Rob (2024). Doing mathematics in a school makerspace: Representing proportional reasoning through designing digital homes. The contribution of mathematics to school STEM education. (pp. 151-169) edited by Judy Anderson and Katie Makar. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-2728-5_9

Higginbotham, DiMitri and Rouse, Rob (2020). Barriers to inclusivity in makerspaces. Re-making the library makerspace: critical theories, reflections, and practices. (pp. 153-166) edited by Maggie Melo and Jennifer Nichols. Sacramento, CA, United States: Library Juice Press.

Journal Articles

Rouse, Rob, Fox, Jared and Dubin-Thaler, Benjamin (2024). Best Practices for STEM-Focused Mobile Instructional Spaces. Connected Science Learning, 6 (2), 82-92. doi: 10.1080/24758779.2024.2328447

Rouse, Rob and Rouse, Amy Gillespie (2022). Taking the maker movement to school: A systematic review of preK-12 school-based makerspace research. Educational Research Review, 35 100413, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.edurev.2021.100413

Rouse, Rob, Rossi, Dara and Miller, Dustin (2022). Using human-centered design to enhance the guest experience at the Dallas Arboretum. Connected Science Learning, 4 (3).

Stout, Jodie, Rouse, Rob, Malesic, John and Krummeck, Katie (2022). Chicken-centered design: fourth graders experience design thinking in the barnyard. Science and Children, 37-43. doi: 10.1080/00368148.2022.12291750

Rouse, Rob, Krummeck, Katie and Uribe, Olivia (2020). Making the most of a makerspace: a three-pronged approach to integrating a makerspace into an elementary school.. Science and Children, 57 (6), 31-35.

Gillespie Rouse, Amy and Rouse, Rob (2019). Third graders' use of writing to facilitate learning of engineering concepts. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 56 (10), 1406-1430. doi: 10.1002/tea.21581

Rouse, Rob and Gillespie Rouse, Amy (2019). Engineering Encounters: Authors and Engineers. Science and Children, 56 (6), 58-63. doi: 10.2505/4/sc19_056_06_58

Krummeck, Katie and Rouse, Rob (2017). Can You DIG it? Designing to Support a Robust Maker Culture in a University Makerspace. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 8 (1), 98-111. doi: 10.14434/ijdl.v8i1.22702

Chin, Curtis D., Laksanasopin, Tassaneewan, Cheung, Yuk Kee, Steinmiller, David, Linder, Vincent, Parsa, Hesam, Wang, Jennifer, Moore, Hannah, Rouse, Robert, Umviligihozo, Gisele, Karita, Etienne, Mwambarangwe, Lambert, Braunstein, Sarah L., van de Wijgert, Janneke, Sahabo, Ruben, Justman, Jessica E., El-Sadr, Wafaa and Sia, Samuel K. (2011). Microfluidics-based diagnostics of infectious diseases in the developing world. Nature Medicine, 17 (8), 1015-1020. doi: 10.1038/nm.2408

Lii, Jerry, Hsu, Wern-Jir, Parsa, Hesam, Das, Anshu, Rouse, Robert and Sia, Samuel K. (2008). Real-time microfluidic system for studying mammalian cells in 3D microenvironments. Analytical Chemistry, 80 (10), 3640-3647. doi: 10.1021/ac8000034

Conference Papers

Rouse, Rob and Torralba, Juan (2024). Culturally relevant making: creating ofrendas to explore Día de los Muertos. Australian Technology Education Research Conference (ATERC), Sydney, NSW, Australia, 27-29 November 2024.

Torralba, Juan and Rouse, Rob (2024). Doing mathematics in a school makerspace: representing proportional reasoning through designing digital homes. 15th International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME-15), Sydney, NSW, Australia, 7-14 July 2024.

Rouse, Rob (2023). Upskilling teachers: Using makerspaces as educational places. Australian Makerspace Symposium, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 30 November - 1 December 2023.

Rouse, Robert (2022). A Systematic Review of Pre-K–12 School-Based Makerspace Research. 2022 AERA Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA United States, 26 April 2022. Washington, DC United States: AERA. doi: 10.3102/1882617

Rouse, Rob and Torralba, Juan (2022). Transforming a makerspace into a breakerspace: performing dissections of everyday objects with STEM teachers.. International Symposium of Academic Makerspaces, Atlanta, GA, United States, 6-9 November 2022. Atlanta, GA, United States: Georgia Institute of Technology.

Rouse, Rob, Torralba, Juan, Krummeck, Kathryn and Higginbotham, DiMitri (2020). Engagement in Practice: The SMU Maker Education Project. 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference, Online, 22 - 26 June 2020. Washington, DC United States: American Society for Engineering Education. doi: 10.18260/1-2--34538

Torralba, Juan, Rouse, Rob, Krummeck, Katie and Crum, Rickey (2020). Affordances of immersive design challenges in academic makerspaces.. International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces, Stanford, CA, United States, 3-5 August 2018. Stanford, CA, United States: International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces.

Torralba, Juan and Rouse, Rob (2019). Developing an engineering identity through immersive design challenges in academic makerspaces: A qualitative case study. 2019 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Tampa, FL, United States, 16-19 June 2019. Washington, DC, United States: American Society for Engineering Education.

Rouse, Rob, Krummeck, Katie, Higginbotham, DiMitri and Crum, Rickey (2018). Extending the reach of academic makerspaces into K-12 schools: delivering maker-based instruction with a mobile makerspace.. International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces, Stanford, CA, United States, 3-5 August 2018.

Rouse, Rob, Krummeck, Katie and Crum, Rickey (2017). University makerspaces as workplaces for K-12 STEM educators. International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces, Cleveland, OH, United States, 24-27 September 2017.

Krummeck, Katie, Rouse, Rob and Crum, Rickey (2017). Designing to support a maker culture in a university makerspace. International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces, Cleveland, OH, United States, 24-27 September 2017.