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How Stratasys Software Can Help

“Back to school” is going to be very different for students and teachers this year. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, teachers are challenged to brainstorm ways to teach students in the safest way possible.

For additive manufacturing teachers, this situation is extra challenging since this subject requires a great amount of collaboration and hands-on learning. Below, I offer a few tips to help additive manufacturing teachers and students prepare their 3D printing labs and curriculums for continued learning.

Keep the Creative Juices Flowing

It’s understandable that if students aren’t able to go into the 3D printing lab, they might feel less than inspired to design models or parts. To get the creative juices flowing again, encourage students to participate in design and/or 3D printing challenges outside of the classroom.

GrabCAD, for example, runs monthly design, aerospace and 3D printing challenges. Just this past month, we hosted a NASA challenge where participants were asked to design a common restraint and mobility aid system that works in four gravity environments.

Students might see class assignments a little less thrilling this year, but external projects for well-known institutions are sure to keep their spirits up. You can check out all of our hosted challenges at GrabCAD Challenges.

We also recommend looking into any of these challenges:

Utilize 3D Printing Management Software

If students aren’t able to go into the 3D printing lab, that doesn’t necessarily mean 3D printing has to stop all together; with the right 3D printing management software, teachers can coordinate student print jobs.

GrabCAD Shop for instance, is a great tool for teachers to utilize during this pandemic. By using the web-based application, students can submit all of their print jobs and project documents over a secure server. The teacher or lab operator then simply reviews all of the projects and can collaborate with students using the “operator dashboard.”

 

When projects are approved, teachers can then send parts to print with the new GrabCAD Print integration. This workflow encourages social distancing as everything is done in one, secure web platform. All that is required is for one person to go into the 3D printing lab to pick the parts up!

And that’s not all. GrabCAD Shop is FREE for all schools for the rest of 2020. Learn more about GrabCAD Shop for Schools.

Take Advantage of the Increase in Webinars

COVID-19 has forced everyone into a new “virtual reality.” And this new learning curve has been especially hard on teachers who are challenged to transform their traditional syllabus into one that is Zoom friendly.

But teachers, take a break where you can with the exorbitant amount of webinars that are being released on a daily basis. Stratasys in particular has released weekly Stratasys Webinar Sessions teaching viewers what 3D printing can do.

Other great resources to check out include:

Keep Learning and Teaching

And when class isn’t in session, take advantage of the books, shows, movies and podcasts that are available on your favorite topic:

Teachers, what other activities are you doing to keep students engaged this fall? Students, what would help you navigate this new learning process? Share your comments below!

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