This study examines a mixed methods experiment, evaluating the impact of 3D printing on Occupational Therapy student's self-reported technology efficacy levels, before and after an educational module focused on 3D printing technology. Utilizing free and online software and university owned 3D printers, students were challenged to create client…

Using tangible models to help students visualize chemical structures in three dimensions has been a mainstay of chemistry education for many years. Conventional chemistry modeling kits are, however, limited in the types and accuracy of the molecules, bonds and structures they can be used to build. The recent development of 3D printing technology…

3D design software is a commonly used interactive learning tool in STEM education. It is generally believed that 3D design can effectively train students' spatial thinking and engineering design abilities. There have been many theoretical and practical achievements in the application of 3D printing education, but the evaluation of 3D design is…

This paper reports on a case study of two elementary school students with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD) (ages 10 and 11) using augmented reality (AR), digital and physical modelling in mathematics class. MLD students worked on modelling geometric shapes (cubes, cuboids, squared pyramids, and octahedrons) and forms (polygons) by…

This article condenses five years of professional development based on Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) integration principles, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Principles to Actions (2014), and ISTE Student and Teacher standards to give a launch point for teachers and teacher educators to integrate 3D modeling…

Physical molecular models have played a valuable role in our understanding of the invisible nano-scale world. We discuss 3D printing and its use in producing models of the molecules of life. Complex biomolecular models, produced from 3D printed parts, can demonstrate characteristics of molecular structure and function, such as viral self-assembly,…

Students often approach biochemistry with a degree of trepidation with many considering it one of the more difficult subjects. This is, in part, due to the necessity of making visual images of submicroscopic concepts. Molecular interactions underpin most biological processes; therefore, mastering these concepts is essential. Understanding the…

3D printing technology has an enormous potential to apply to chemical engineering education. In this paper, we describe several designs of 3D printed mesoreactors (Y-shape, T-shape, and Long channel shape) using the following steps: reactor sketching, CAD modeling, and reactor printing. With a focus on continuous plug flow mesoreactors (PFRs, i.d.…

Too often our students submit incomplete homework that is disorganized, unclear, and nonlinear. Typesetting with LATEX, although time consuming for those new to the software, strengthens communication by forcing organization and proper notation required by the precise, formal language of mathematics. In this manuscript we report on a study of 42…

Advances in 3D printing technology over the past decade have led to its expansion into all subfields of science, including chemistry. This technology provides useful teaching tools that facilitate communication of difficult chemical concepts to students and researchers. Presented here is the use of 3D printing technology to create tangible models…

While the changing nature of design activity is a topic supported by a range of popular and academic publications, the role that design tools have taken in that change is less well studied. The tools used in the trade, both by industrial designers and mechanical engineers, have undergone a rapid transformation in the last fifty years. The research…

Just as the cost of high quality laser printing started in the tens of thousands of dollar and can now be purchased for under $100, so too has 3D printing technology started in the tens of thousands of dollars and is now in the thousand dollar range. Current 3D printing technology takes 2D printing into a third dimension. Many 3D printers are…

With the rise of personal desktop 3D printing, a wide spectrum of educational opportunities has become available for educators to leverage this technology in their classrooms. Until recently, the ability to create physical 3D models was well beyond the scope, skill, and budget of many schools. However, since desktop 3D printers have become readily…

3D printers are a way of producing a 3D model of an item from a digital file. The model builds up in successive layers of material placed by the printer controlled by the information in the computer file. In this article the author argues that 3D printers are one of the greatest technological advances of recent times. He discusses practical uses…

This article explores how rhetorical myth can be used as a tool for persuading employees to accept change and to maintain consensus during the process. It defines rhetorical myth using three concepts: "chronographia" (a rhetorical interpretation of history), epideictic prediction (defining a present action by assigning praise and blame…