3D Printing in VET Erasmus Project

Project Title

3D Printing in VET

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Even though 3D printers have been around for almost 30 years, the recent rise of low-cost printers has led some to proclaim the onset of a new industrial revolution. Schools and libraries all over the world are bringing these powerful tools to students in classrooms and dedicated “makerspaces” where they are accompanied by other fabrication tools. For example, China is putting 3D printers in each of its 400,000 elementary schools. In the U.S., are adding 3D printers into schools at a good rate, particularly into CAD programs, but also into traditional art and social studies classrooms and even business programs.
If 3D printing is starting a new industrial revolution, it is well on its way to revolutionizing teaching and learning as well. The result of bringing these tools into classrooms is a rekindling of the powerful pedagogy of hands-on learning. As 3D-VET project demonstrates, 3D printing leverages hands-on learning to deepen our educational approach to traditional educational subjects.
Equipping learners to understand the application and potential of this new type of technology will be important to helping prepare them for a world in which similar technologies will be increasingly commonplace, particularly in STEM contexts.
3D printers are gaining popularity internationally across education. So far the technology has been restricted largely to Design and Technology (DT) classrooms. There is considerable potential, however, for them to be used within a range of educational subjects, for example to enable links to be made between mathematics, design and physics in a similar way to, for example, ‘sound’ enabling links between music, physics (wave properties), biology (hearing) and engineering (concert hall design).

In recent past years, inception of 3D printing has reached to reality and growing fast with pace to develop new technologies for almost all fields. In Greece growth of 3D printing technology and its application in multiple areas for the benefit of society is often limited by various users. Globally, 3D printing on larger scale is used to empower educators and learners in order to create more effective ways of learning and to perform better with 3D printed models in classrooms. This project addresses the increasing need of use of 3D printing technology in educational environments and discuss numerous examples of the same field already applied in Europe.
3D printers have a powerful role to play in the classroom. In addition to strong curricular connections to modern standards, these machines support 21st century pedagogies that not only engage students in their present learning but teach them how to be “tinkerers” in learning the rest of their lives. Schools and training institutes wishing to introduce 3D printing technologies into teaching of STEM and design subjects need to factor in time required to train teachers and embed new approaches to teaching. This allows teachers starting from a lower base of expertise in 3D technologies adequate time to reflect on the various possibilities and to work with other teachers to develop and implement their ideas.

The project highlights the need for good quality upfront training of teachers when introducing new technologies including teaching approaches, and effective use of 3D printers in education. And will do so by providing a competitive training programme specialised for the VET teachers and educators, based on international experiences. The training programme will support teachers and educators to acquire the knowledge, skills and competencies needed for the use of 3D printers on several educational subjects being taught in VET sector.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 237108 Eur

Project Coordinator

KEKAPER-REGION OF CRETE-LIFELONG LEARNING, EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT DEPARTMENT-DEVELOPMENT DIRECTION RETHYMNO REGIONAL UNIT-REGION OF CRETE & Country: EL

Project Partners

• Escola Técnica de Imagem e Comunicação Aplicada
• European Education & Learning Institute
• CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE PER LA PROMOZIONE DELL’EDUCAZIONE E LO SVILUPPO ASSOCIAZIONE
• INERCIA DIGITAL SL
• KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FUER TECHNOLOGIE
• WYZSZA SZKOLA EKONOMII I INNOWACJI W LUBLINIE
• UNIVERSITA TELEMATICA INTERNAZIONALE-UNINETTUNO