Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine a cohort of educators’ perspectives of a semester-long, maker-based university course. Design/methodology/approach - This qualitative study utilized participants’ weekly and end-of-semester written reflections to illustrate participants’ perceptions of a semester-long university course focused on the role of maker principles and technologies in a variety of educational contexts. Findings - Participants’ perceptions of learning following the semester-long maker experience viewed learning as a more collaborative experience, and noted the benefits of a classroom community that arose from the collaboration. Originality/value - This study adds empirical research to the literature base on the use of maker tools and strategies in formal educational environments. While other studies have examined similar environments, they tend to focus on short-term, single experiences. This study followed the development of educators’ perceptions of a maker-based learning experience over a longer duration of time. Findings of this study provide a research-based foundation for teacher educators to build upon when developing maker-based learning activities.