As the awareness of the 3D printing technology grows around the world, more and more schools are now offering 3D printing courses for students and even educators. The rapid adoption of 3D printers, polymer and metal alike, is an indication of the focus on teaching this new technology to students of all age.
This means that schools want their teachers to be educated in 3D printing so that they can teach the technology to their students.
To cater to this segment of students and educators, companies are offering targeted 3D printing courses. Manufactur3D brings you a list of the most popular 3D printing courses for students who are eager to learn the technology and for educators who want to teach 3D printing in their classrooms.
3D Printing Courses for Students & Educators
MakerBot Education
Incorporating 3D printing into the curriculum is a significant undertaking. Because it is an evolving technology, educators must also keep up with it. As the technology is new and ever-evolving, new educators may struggle to create a quality 3D printing curriculum. As a result, integrating 3D printing into schools becomes a significant challenge.
This is where MakerBot Education comes in handy. MakerBot Education is a 3D printing certification program offered by MakerBot, a Stratasys company and manufacturer of desktop FDM 3D printers. It provides a plethora of tools to assist students and teachers, whether they are new to 3D printing or are experienced with the technology. The only drawback is that the resources are focused on MakerBot 3D printers and supplies.
MakerBot has two types of certification programs: those for students and those for educators.
For Students
The MakerBot Certification Program is an online training program that teaches middle and high school students about design thinking and 3D printing. The certification modules feature 3D printer operator, Design thinking, Applied Design Thinking, and Design for 3D Printing. This is one of the best 3D printing courses for students with a great curriculum.
The content created by design educators and 3D printing professionals. Students learn the fundamentals of 3D printing and design, as well as how to improve their creativity, design thinking, and problem-solving skills. Students gain confidence in using a MakerBot 3D printer, applying learned skills to real-world applications, making strategic design decisions, and creating high-quality prototypes using advanced 3D printing techniques.
For Educators
The MakerBot Educator Program is a community of outstanding educators who use 3D printing technology in novel and inspiring ways. These are the educators who work hard to push the boundaries of educational possibilities by incorporating new and creative technologies into the classroom, such as 3D printing. These educators provide constant feedback to MakerBot in order for it to create high-quality educational content and recognize outstanding projects and works completed in the classroom.
Tinkerine Platform
Tinkerine offers self-paced courses that have been curated and delivered by 3D printing experts. Tinkerine has simplified learning 3D printing by breaking down the courses into bite-sized videos that can easily fit into any busy schedule. The progress is automatically saved, so even if a video is interrupted in the middle, it can be resumed where it was left off.
These courses are designed for all types of users, including students, makers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. Some of the courses available include common FFF materials, Intro to Fusion 360, 3D printing technologies, 3D Slicing, Reverse Engineering and many others. Students can also find a few Free courses to get started with the learning process and also assess the content quality and delivery.
PrintLab
PrintLab is a UK-based Startup that aims to educate educators by providing online 3D printing lesson plans. Lesson plans can be purchased by educators, schools, and even parents. PrintLab Classroom is a web-based platform that combines 3D printing lesson plans with a nationally recognised teacher training program. The program is aligned with a number of standards in a variety of subject areas and encourages students to create assistive technology, reusable packaging prototypes, hands-free virus remedies, and other projects.
The PrintLab team is constantly creating and publishing new and exciting lesson plans to keep kids up to date on technology and its capabilities. It is now available in more than five languages around the world, including Spanish, Dutch, and Polish.
The company offers a 7-day free trial to new customers who want to see how the lesson plans work before deciding whether or not to purchase.
PrintLab provides 3D printing courses for students via schools, makerspaces, and STEM businesses.
Learn by Layers
Learn By Layers is another UK-based Startup that develops 3D printing courses for students and also to help educators gain access to high-quality educational resources. Instructors can learn 3D printing and understand how it works, how to teach it to their students, and what works best with children.
Learn by Layers offers CAD Lessons, coding lessons for 3D printing, and courses on specialized design applications such as Onshape and Fusion360 in addition to the 3D printing curriculum. The courses are available not only for students in schools, but also for those who are homeschooled.
Learn by Layers offers a variety of plans for both students and educators. Educators and schools can purchase the 3D printing curriculum to use in their regular classrooms. It also offers homeschool teachers’ subscription plans. This is a niche offering that none of its competitors are targeting.
About Manufactur3D Magazine: Manufactur3D is an online magazine on 3D printing. which publishes the latest 3D printing news, insights and analysis from all around the world. Visit our 3D Printing Education page to read more such informative articles. To stay up-to-date about the latest happenings in the 3D printing world, like us on Facebook or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
