3D Scanning and 3D Printing has found its new bff – guess who? The students in their virtual classroom

Disaster is a laboratory for innovation. The Global Pandemic is such a horrific crisis that it has changed the face of education forever. With millions of students across the world forced to stay home, and shutdowns likely to continue for another year, how do we find a way to provide them with the best possible education that bridges the need for mentoring, peer interaction, team work and social distancing?

Yes, Virtual classrooms! But, that’s a far cry from providing the stimulation that physical touch and feel of classroom apparatus provides for! And, therefore the need for 3D Scanning and 3D Printing!

3D Scanning and 3D printing services have revolutionised the process to create a physical object from existing models and digital design. Its potential to contribute to student’s intellectual growth in the virtual classroom setting is great. How? Tesseract, one of the most sought-after 3D printing companies in India gives out three reasons on how 3D technology can drive a fun-filled, engaging and highly productive virtual learning.

• By Encouraging creative thinking and active learning

“Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status”, said Ken Robinson.

While there are many ways to unleash creativity in students, the means to aiding it reduces in the context of a virtual classroom. The ability to visualize something is far more if the students can relate to the concepts through physical objects. According to the Dual Processing theory developed by Social Psychologists Richard E. Petty and John Cacioppo, learning happens better when students are exposed to both verbal content and physical exploration with actual models.

This is where 3D Scanning and 3D Printing can be of great help. Say a child in Grade 6 is learning about the anatomy of the heart in the virtual classroom. The teacher could simply scan the lab model and send the file to students who could 3D print it at his home! This not only makes the child’s concepts clear but allows him to think and visualize in terms of how actual heart surgeries are performed.

• It enhances Collaboration and Teamwork

Making 3D models fosters innovation and problem-solving skills in assignments where students have to develop new tools or products. Such a kind of collaborative activity builds students’ teamwork skills.

3D printing can be easily integrated into projects, group work, and case-based learning. Research also shows that 3D printing has resulted in an overall increase in enthusiasm towards school and learning.

For example, rather than individual projects, assigning students in a virtual classroom into groups and giving them projects that require sequential development will increase their participation through the conception, design, and execution of their projects. Team members can 3D Scan an existing work, build on design, exchange thoughts on improvisation, try different models and use different 3D printing filaments to 3D print them in their own homes without affecting the project outcome.

• Facilitates Learning of Different Subjects

The applicability of 3D scanning services can cover a gamut of subjects in the fields of Science, Art, Engineering, Fashion, Interior Design, Architecture, Music and Mathematics.

Whether you want to learn how to build the structure of a building, or create a prosthetic limb, develop a musical instrument – 3D scanning and 3D printing allows you to solve real-life problems in a highly convenient way in the times of virtual learning.

For example, how would a student of archaeology learn about rock-cut edicts without being able to visit sites in the times of the pandemic? This is where the museums could send their 3D scanned artefacts to the archaeological institutions of learning for students to study in-depth!

3D printing technology is indeed bridging the gap between the physical and the digital worlds. From the perspective of growth and development, future designers, engineers, doctors, and artists, 3D Scanning and printing is a boon, making it possible for every student to dream bigger and better.

Tesseract, one of the best 3D printing companies in Mumbai strongly believes that learning should never stop. If you too want to add life to your virtual classrooms, get in touch with us now!