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Arts & Communication Fostering belonging through STEAM education

range of technological skills, particularly in 3D printing. Funding
However, the project does not focus on advancing
students’ coding skills for 3D printing. Instead, students None.
used the visual coding platform Tinkercad, which served Conflict of interest
as an accessible tool for building 3D objects. For future
3D projects, educators might consider incorporating more Sheng Kuan Chung is an Editorial Board Member of this
advanced software, such as Blender, which provides greater journal but was not in any way involved in the editorial
control and functionality in managing the 3D printing and peer-review process conducted for this paper, directly
process. In addition, to extend the impact of this project, or indirectly. Separately, other authors declared that they
organizing a community game night could be a valuable have no known competing financial interests or personal
opportunity to engage the broader community and further relationships that could have influenced the work reported
foster a sense of belonging. in this paper.

8. Conclusion Author contributions
Conceptualization: All authors
This research advances our understanding of how STEAM
education can transform traditional art appreciation Investigation: All authors
courses into dynamic spaces for community engagement Methodology: All authors
and technical innovation. Across the lens of board game
design, we have demonstrated that when creative projects Writing – original draft: All authors
are anchored in community narratives and supported by Writing – review & editing: All authors
technical resources, they can simultaneously strengthen
students’ sense of belonging and develop crucial Ethics approval and consent to participate
interdisciplinary skills. The success of this project suggests Not applicable.
a promising model for integrating maker culture into
general education curricula while fostering meaningful Consent for publication
connections between academic institutions and their Not applicable.
communities.
The study’s findings point to several emerging Availability of data
directions for STEAM education research and practice. Not applicable.
Future investigations should explore how similar projects
might be scaled across different institutional contexts Further disclosure
and how they might be adapted to serve diverse student All student names are pseudonyms to ensure anonymity.
populations. In addition, researchers should examine The authors appreciate the technical and material support
the long-term impact of such projects on students’ provided by the university Makerspace, which made this
professional development and community engagement project feasible.
after graduation. Most importantly, this work challenges
us to reimagine how universities can serve as catalysts for The STEAM board game project was featured in
community connection while preparing students for the The Daily Sentinel, a local newspaper in Nacogdoches
technical and creative demands of contemporary society. County, with the article titled “Art Appreciation
Students Use Technology to Design Board Games with
By demonstrating the viability of combining technical Nacogdoches Landmarks” on May 7, 2024. The media
skill development with community storytelling, this report can be accessed here: https://www.sfasu.edu/
research contributes to an emerging framework for about-sfa/newsroom/2024/art-appreciation-students-use-
STEAM education that prioritizes both social connection technology-design-board-games-nacogdoches.
and practical innovation. As institutions continue to evolve
their approaches to general education, the insights from References
this study offer a valuable roadmap for creating learning 1. Hetland L, Winner E, Veenema S, Sheridan KM. Studio
experiences that resonate beyond the classroom walls. Thinking 2: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education.
New York: Teachers College Press; 2007.
Acknowledgments
2. Bers MU. Blocks to Robots: Learning with Technology in the
None. Early Childhood Classroom. New York: Teachers College

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 13 doi: 10.36922/ac.4437