3D Printing at the University of Virginia drives enrollment and GPA’s

It looks like the University of Virginia is taking great steps towards including 3D printing education into their engineering curriculum.  Through a partnership between the UVA School of Engineering and the Curry School of Education, professors of undergraduate classes in mechanical engineering are now implementing 3D printers into their daily instruction as a means to help students more clearly visualize those flat, 2-dimensional diagrams in their textbooks.

Instructors are now taking those drawings and printing them out in class, in front of their students, using this new 3D technology.  As a result, student retention is on the rise, the mechanical engineering department has seen an increase in student enrollment and attendance, and GPA’s are soaring.  This new approach seems to be providing an easier venue for students to connect with the basic fundamentals of traditional engineering concepts, resulting in an increased interest in UVA students for careers in 3D printing and engineering alike. 

College students of today have grown up with 3-dimensional imagery and video games, and the UVA administration has found that many of these students find the standard teaching methods of introductory courses too applied and downright boring.  By introducing 3D printing education into the mix, student enrollment and interest in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UVA is getting a great deal of nationwide attention.