Digital Fabrication and Maker Movement in Education

The eCraft2Learn project has researched, designed, piloted and validated an ecosystem based on digital fabrication and making technologies for creating computer-supported artefacts. The project aimed at reinforcing personalised learning and teaching in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education and to assist the development of 21st century skills that promote inclusion and employability for youth in the EU. The eCraft2Learn ecosystem supports both formal and informal learning by providing the appropriate digital fabrication.

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eCraft2Learn PROJECT UNIFIED VISION

For learners (13-17 year olds) and their teachers/instructors/coaches who want to learn by making in an engaging and rewarding environment supporting creativity, eCraft2Learn is an integrated learning ecosystem that provides tools, support and training for innovative learning, contributing to opening learning towards innovation through a craft- and project-based pedagogical approach in STEAM education.

Main Objectives
The eCraft2Learn project has a three-fold focus interrelated within the pedagogical, technical and business objectives as further explained below. The distinction between the three categories is therefore meant as a guiding structure. More informations can be found in About navigation section.

PEDAGOGICAL OBJECTIVES

 

Pedagogical objectives are focused on the following techniques and strategies:

 

✓  Developing innovation management techniques needed to support craft- and project-based learning.

 

✓  Developing a different approach to STEAM education.

 

✓  Enabling communication and collaboration through online support community platform.

 

✓  Ensuring a pedagogical practicability of learning designs.

 

✓  Developing the integration of an eCraft2Learn curriculum into already existing STEAM .

TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES

 

Technical objectives are focued on the following techniques and strategies:

 

✓  Facilitating positive changes in attitudes towards education in science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

 

✓  Allowing the learners to use breakthrough technologies for learning, i.e. 3D technologies (modelling, visualisation, simulation and printing).

 

✓  Supporting the teachers with real-time analytics containing information about the progress of each learner, and data from previous sessions.

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

 

Bussines objectives are focused on the following techniques and strategies:

 

✓ Enabling and making sustainable networks of collaboration among industry.

 

✓ Enabling learners to become project-solving, ambitiously thinking entrepreneurs.

 

✓ Increasing awareness on the need for digital fabrication and making technologies in education through industry-academy led workshops.

Project Results 

Overwatching goal

The project has researched, designed, piloted, and validated a learning ecosystem for making computer-supported artefacts in both formal and informal learning contexts. This learning ecosystem is engineered through the mechanisms for personalized and adaptive learning in STEAM education for assisting the development of 21st century skills.

Focus

The learning ecosystem proposed in this project enhances craft- and project-based pedagogies through the integration into, contribution to and taking advantage of existing implemented technical platforms such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi electronics, cloud-based 3D printer simulators, and maker community generated content.

The Unified User Interface

The UUI is the eCraft2Learn project digital platform. This provides a single user gateway to all the digital tools, software and resources students and teachers will require when participating in eCraft2Learn projects. It also consists of a learning analytics teacher interface to help provide educators with data-based insights into the progress students are making with their eCraft2Learn projects through their use of the various tools within the UUI. The software tools are organised into the five eCraft2Learn project stages, with a selection of software and interactive tools being available for each stage. Many of the tools are accessible directly in the UUI, others are linked to from the UUI. The open education resources on using electronic devices, 3D printing, AI programming and troubleshooting are also all available from within the UUI.

The UUI can be accessed at:

https://ecraft2learn.github.io/uui/

CLICK HERE

The Learning Analytics teacher interface can be accessed at:

https://ecraft2learn.github.io/learning-analytics

CLICK HERE
Our Consortium Partners
UEF
edumotiva
MDH
zsi1
oxford1
logo-linnaeus
syn
unipd-logo
technopolis
evothings
Arduino
Ultimaker