Teaching with 3D Technology: Teaching with 3D Technology

3D technology can be used to to add an experiential learning component to courses where students have difficulty visualizing theories or calculations. It's also a great way to incorporate project-based learning to a course with any kind of design element. Instructors can also use 3D technology to make their own teaching tools or replicate rare artifacts. Below are some examples of how resources in UNO Library's Innovation Lab can be incorporated into various areas of study. 

Anatomy/Biology/Medicine: Anatomical model making, printing cross-sections and fossilized bone structures, building an organism, body part or animal with working moveable parts (ex: articulated hand or foot), create detailed replicas of rare plants, animate internal functions, applications in medicine and orthodontics with wax and plastic 3D printers

Anthropology & History: Create historic reenactments (green screen), oral history interviews (green screen) or reproduce rare artifacts

Art: Scan and recreate art pieces for study, create a 3D model of your own drawing, create a face with pieces for the mouth, eyes and eyebrows that can be moved and synced to sound (animation)

Chemistry: Make 3D printed molecules, atomic representations of elements, create removable atoms to help students understand various reactions, 3D line-angle representations of elements, print custom lab-ware (requires specific 3D printers)

Earth Sciences, Geography & Urban Studies: 3D mapping, creating scale models of existing cities, structures or neighborhoods

Engineering: Design bridges or other load-bearing structures, or parts for structures, (ex: balsa wood bridge), design a puzzle comprised of three interlocking separate objects, design your own Mr. Potato Head with base and modular pieces to attach to the base, design a marble run

Marketing: Design a product that solves a problem, print the product (3D printer), design print advertisements (Digital Media computers) and shoot a tv commercial for the product (green screen). 

Math: Add dimension to areas where students have difficulty visualizing physical objects, represent numbers and symbols with objects in the physical world, (ex: lattice structures, hyperbolic paraboloids, Hilbert cutes)

Physics: Miniature wind-powered fan, balloon-powered race cars, 3D printed egg-drop protection devices