Multi-Converging Educational Program for Design with the usage of 3D Printer: Targeted for Middle School Students

1. 1. Research Background and Objective

Demand for utilization of 3D printers which affects today’s clothing, food and shelter as well as our overall industries is increasing in educational field today. 3D Printing technology can be utilized as a tool for creating innovative business models, educational methods, and also can be utilized as a groundbreaking tool to materialize an idea into a product. As a result, schools and companies are conducting 3D printing education on their own, and 3D printing related departments and courses are being established in domestic schools today for integrated creative education for the highly gifted. However, the sad truth today is that our domestic 3D printing education still only focuses on the assembling of 3D printers and 3D modeling tools.

Kainat (Kainat, 2017) mentioned that application of 3D printing technology is necessary for a better understanding of elementary and basic education (Lee, Y. C, 2015). Through the verified result of testing for creativity of the inventive educational program with the usage of 3D drawing and 3D printer, he has concluded that 3D printers increase creativity in elementary students. The result especially showed the effect of enhancing openness, fluency, and flexibility among the sub-factors of creativity. Also, the result from verified results of the creativity test, of comparative group showed a significant difference in the level of creativity improvement compared to the comparative group of general inventive education which was tested simultaneously. The factor which showed the most significant difference among the sub - factors in creativity was fluency.

In the case of the UK, 3D printing is adopted and applied in UK’s formal education to help the students age 10 and over to grasp the method of actualizing their creative ideas and imagination through 3D printing (ZD Net Korea, 2014). Currently, many research centers and groups in UK are studying active utilization of 3D printing technology in design and art contexts in higher education (Walter & Devies, 2010).

However, Korea’s educational program implemented today is still insufficient in developing a multi-converging program which is designed organically for the theory, principle and practice of 3D printing. Therefore, in this study, we have developed a converging educational program for design with the usage of 3D printing to verify educational effectiveness. We will find out how to use 3D printer as a multi-converging education program for design targeted for middle school students, will establish the concept of creative thinking ability which is being emphasized recently, and present the direction in which the school education needs to go about in education program for design using 3D printing technology.

1. 2. Research Scope and Method

To develop a multi-converging educational program for design targeting middle school students, this research has analyzed the characteristics of design education for middle school students and has developed 16 design educational sessions using 3D printing. In order to verify the effectiveness of the developed program, indexes were constructed and mock classes were given to the actual middle students with a total of 16 session plans developed. After examining the effectiveness through pre and post evaluation, it is the scope of the study to find out how to utilize 3D printer as a program in multi-converging education for middle school students.

Table 1

Research Flow Chart

2. 1. Multi-Converging Education for Design

As the 21st century digital society arrived in course of time, patterns of education are transforming accordingly. Ever since STEM education of the US has been introduced to Korea in 2012, many educational institutions have been carrying out multi-converging education in accordance with the characteristics and educational ideology of each institution. In addition, because the study of multidisciplinary approaches in the field of education has become a hot topic, the curriculum for a multi-converging education for design is emphasized in the quest for knowledge based problem solving. For this reason, it can be seen as the means to learn the expertise of individual studies through the research in which the students actually participate in and to solve the limitations of inter-disciplinary areas. Therefore, through the experience of multi-converging education for design, it is possible to obtain a unidirectional problem solving ability as well as a more integrated problem solving ability and also be able to combine collaborative thinking ability (Seo, I. S, 2017).

In this research paper, I have developed a 3D printing usage as a design educational program as a part of the multi-converging education system to enhance middle school students' creativity. A 3D printer refers to a machine that produces 3D objects based on drawings that a 2D printer prints. The principle of a 3D printer is to divide a three-dimensional shape into small planes and analyze it, then build a three-dimensional model by stacking layers one by one with a thin film. There are four stages of modeling using a 3D printer. The first step is a design process for designing an idea and form. The second step is a 3D modeling process for creating the thought image as a 3D drawing. The third step is a 3D printer output process using a 3D modeling drawing. Finally, the post-processing process that polishes and colorizes the surface of the produced molding.

This 3D printing has potential as a means of multi-converging education. The educational significance and potential of utilizing 3D printing are as follows. (Choi, H. S & Yoo, M. R, 2015) First, it provides an opportunity to express abstract knowledge physically, thereby enhancing the knowledge understanding. The abstract concept of the student can be described by the modeling software and by actualizing the concept physically through the new media, the possibility of utilizing the concept can be enhanced. Second, it provides design based experience in designing algorithms and adjusting parameter values in 3D modeling process. This has the potential to improve information science thinking while expressing creative ideas as a modeling software. Third, it is not limited to use the existing materials in the physical computing education that integrates software and hardware, but it is possible to utilize hardware produced by the student with 3D printing. In other words, by sensing external information with a microcontroller such as Arduino and making a model through 3D printing, the student himself can create an object that responds to external information.

2. 2. Characteristics of Design Education for Middle School Students

The school is where potential future professional designers and potential consumers coexist. If you take a look into the 2009 revised curriculum of 11 kinds of middle school art textbooks by the 2009 they are divided into the areas of experience, expression, and appreciation. The field of appreciation does not include design, and even in the field of experience and expression, the textbooks that throw philosophical and ethical questions about 'for whom design is for, where it is used and how it is made' can only be found in a few cases. Also in the expression area, it is only organized into designing conditions such as purposefulness, economics, practicality, aesthetics, originality, and division of visual, product, and environmental design, contents for each division, and production training. It is difficult to deny the fact that the practice of design education in the art education field was an education concentrated for designers and designers who are focused in the producer position. (Park, M. R & Ahn, J. H, 2003)

Table 2

Classification of Design field in Middle School Art Textbooks

The purpose of carrying out the free period school plan for the middle school students announced by The Ministry of Education (2013) aims to: First, provide opportunities where the students will self-evaluate and develop through the experiences of searching for their own dreams and talents in which they will be exploring, aiding and designing their aptitudes and future. Second, it transforms knowledge and competitive education into a self - directed learning and future - oriented competence (creativity, personality, sociality, etc.). Third, through changes in public education and restoration of trust, provide the students a happy school life. Basic direction of the policy is to promote career based education through the concentrated career lessons and experiences provided by the free period plan. elementary school (recognizing a career) - middle school (searching for career) - high school (building a career). The development of multi-converging education programs using 3D printing can be applied to the free period of middle school, which can improve creativity, problem solving ability and design ability. It is possible to expand thinking ability by searching design related occupation by investigating changes in future life in free period system, and to be able to design 3D product related to future job as a result. By searching for future living conditions and investigating design related careers during free school period, one can not only expand cognitive thinking but also design a molding relating to possible future career as an outcome which will be a good model for a multi-converging education.

2. 3. Introduction and Application of 3D Printing Education

Newly emerging system and paradigm spread out faster through internet and social network due to the converging of technology in diverse fields. The openness and the sharing brought by these not only break the barriers between studies but also the barriers between industries. The openness and sharing of the Internet and social networks also lowered the barriers to entry in the field of design. The popularity of design tools opened up opportunities for non-design majors to design their own business. (Kim Y. E, 2017) As the paradigm of design education is changing, 3D printing can be a good tool for middle school students to promote awareness of technology convergence, openness and sharing.

3. 1. Future Occupational Program Through Future Forecast

To foster creative and converging competent to prepare for the changes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which dismisses physical, biological, and decadal boundaries, education programs that converge design thinking processes to cope with various changes are very much needed rather than programs which just focus on the technical ability of 3D printing. We intend to explore various future occupations through research on future life condition by strengthening the executable features of educational programs in free school period. We developed and distributed activities to organize the contents of the students to enable them to understand at a glance. In this study, we developed an educational program based on Kim, Jin - Soo's PDIE model and developed an educational model by understanding the educational approach through consultation with three experts. After that, we conducted the convergent education using 3D printer and verified the change of creativity through pre and post creativity test of the participants of single group education.

Table 3

Development Result

3. 2. Present Development of The Program

Experts predict that 3D printers will bring revolution to traditional manufacturing methods through systems, and will also make many changes in how people consume and how they learn. The purpose of the design education as general education was to develop the concept of job searching for middle school students and to explore various future occupations. For this purpose, it aims to explain how various occupations of modern society are related to science, aiding students to consider the changes of occupation in future society and to produce related contents using 3D printing. As shown in Table 4, in the demonstrated mocking class, students were able to develop future-oriented thinking ability by pre-studying the occupational change in future society and conducting workshops to investigate future life and to draw a mind map through group discussions. After that, practical classes were organized to search for core contents related to occupations by division and linked them with 3D printing by dividing into clothing, food, and shelter group.

Table 4

Demonstrated Mock Class Photos

As a result of exploring the core contents of occupations by dividing into clothing, food, and shelter groups, an interrelated 3D printing artwork idea was derived from individual students’ imaginations combined with the content of investigation of actual future living conditions.

Table 5

Demonstrated Mock Class Student Result

Education plan was divided and programs were planned into 16 classes in order to integrate diverse topics and subjects such as technical engineering, mathematics, humanities, and arts with 3D printing. The 16 class programs developed as a middle school education instruction using 3D printer is as follows.

Table 6

Teaching and Learning Process

3. 3. Assessment Index of Multi-Converging Educational Program for

In order to evaluate the program development and educational capacity, indicators were formed by 'common competence' and 'design competence'. Creativity indicators was formed based on the creative expressiveness of Torens ttct and Lowen Felt and these were the top specification of problem solving ability and self - independent goal orientation. Torp & Sage (2002) presented three simple features of problem-based learning. First, students are positioned as stakeholders in problem situations. Second, organize curriculum as a comprehensive problem-solving so that students can learn in a contextual way. Third, the teacher advises students' thoughts, guides student exploration, and creates a learning environment that promotes deep understanding. As the Torp & Sage (2002) theory above shows, when students solve problems in a contextual way, students become self-directed and will gain a goal-oriented approach to solving problems. The design competency was based on the US NEAP Arts Education Assessment Framework (2008), revised 2015 curriculum arts and achievement standards

Table 7

Assessment Index

4. 1. Result of Experiment Through Applied Program in Actual Sessions

This study with experimental classes was taken place with 47 selected students who wished to participate in the program from G - junior high school students in Goyang - si, Gyeonggi - province for two months from August 2016 to September 2016. Pre - evaluation was carried out at the end of August and post - evaluation was carried out at the end of September immediately after the end of the program. The participants were applied to middle school students composed of 26 students in the first grade and 21 students in the third grade respectively. Among these, the correspondent results that matched pre and post evaluation of 47 students were used for the final analysis. To investigate the effectiveness of design education program using 3D printing through examining the changes of creativity, problem solving ability, self - initiative, goal orientation and design competence before and after implementation of multi-converging design education program using 3D printing, countermeasure example t-black was carried out. As a result of the test, it is found that there is a very positive change in all areas as shown in Table 0. As a result of the analysis, the overall competency increased by 0.62 points from the pre-test (M = 3.60) to the post-test (M = 4.22), showing a statistically significant difference (t = -7.515, p <.001) These results show that the capacity after the development program has increased significantly in all areas. In particular, 'idea' competency in the design competence field showed the highest increase in post evaluation compared to the pre evaluation. Therefore, it is proved by the result that the design education program using 3D printing had a positive effect in enhancing students' creativity, problem solving ability, self - Orientation, and design competence (Shim, H.Y, 2018).

Table 8

Difference in Pre and Post Evaluation for Design Education for Middle School Students

4. 2. Utilized Measures of 3D Printer as a Multi-Converging Educational

Today's education involves not only the recognition of the existing intelligence (IQ) that emphasizes the cognitive aspect of the student but also the multifaceted and defining aspects of emotional intelligence (EQ), moral intelligence (MQ), and social intelligence (SQ). The program using 3D printing resulted in having a positive effect on improving overall creativity, problem solving ability, self - initiative, goal orientation and design competence of junior high school students. In contrast to the way in which current educational institutions have been focusing 3D printing on the technical ability of 3D printing, this research has focused on the topic setting of future career search for middle school students. It is meaningful that it was designed to create a multi - disciplinary and interdisciplinary effect. For the future, various programs that combine various subjects such as technical engineering, mathematics, humanities, and arts, including 3D printing, in a comprehensive manner should be organized and developed by combining various learning styles of multi-converging design education using 3D printing. In addition, the gradual development of the design education program for junior high school students which leads to high school and university education, will able one to recognize the social role and value of design. It will help one to continually develop teaching method in multi-converging design education as a process to discover and participate in solving social problems.

5. 1. Discussion

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of design education program based on 3D printing on the creativity, problem solving ability, self - initiative, goal orientation and design competence of middle school students and to utilize development program in the actual free period school term. Through the theoretical review and analysis of the previous research, the theoretical and technical process of 3D printing and the point of design education program applicable to junior high school were derived. In order to verify the effectiveness of the developed design education program, we applied the 16 experimental sessions of 'Future Designer' program applied with 3D printing to 47 students attending 'G' middle school in Gyeonggi - province. In order to verify the effectiveness of the program, pre and post evaluations were conducted and results were analyzed. Through the verification of the results, the significance of 3D printing multi-converging education for creativity was confirmed.

In order to maximize the impact and development of sustainable competencies of middle school students using 3D printing, multi-converging design education should be implemented to converge more diverse contents than present.