3D PRINTING FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION: A TECHNOLOGY WITH DIVERSE POTENTIAL

The invention of 3D printing is giving rise to a new era of innovation and creativity in manufacturing. The widespread integration of 3D printing into myriad processes and industries is taken as an indication this is the beginning of a new industrial revolution. Reminiscent of the first industrial revolution, educational changes are likely to accompany this vast transformation of work and society. New educational needs for succeeding generations are becoming apparent. For example, the specialization of industrial production into separate processes which is made possible through 3D printing, will require educational changes that prepare future generations for inclusive manufacturing and bringing marginalized society into the mainstream. In this new society, 3D printing should be understood not only as a technology, but also as a social instrument that will require new ways of thinking and co-operating. This article presented a summarized idea of how 3D printing could be successfully integrated as part of coursework in different disciplines such as math, science, history, geography etc. But just as it is important for engineers, historians, geologists, scientists, mathematicians, architects, technologists and other specialists to further develop 3D printing technology and its application, it becomes equally important for social scientists such as economists, business managers and language teachers to explore how this new industrial revolution will usher in a new social environment. Economists should investigate how 3D-printed related new business ideas and models could be explored, invented and implemented. Management coursework could explore how additive manufacturing-related processes might diversify and simplify group collaboration and coordination, production schedule, process and information management. Language teachers should research how procedural information about 3D printing-related processes could be executed and documented seamlessly following the technical writing principles. Academic departments can make use of 3D printing to initiate multidisciplinary approaches to teaching technology, social sciences, and human communication. Such a holistic approach to education will be the basis for re-conceptualizing education for business process management and teamwork, and instigate new approaches to promote innovation, marketing and leadership. In the globalized context of international trade and business, language teaching in real-life scenarios will help to prepare students for language use in multi-cultural business and industrial contexts. Such a multidisciplinary approach help students critically analyze opportunities and pitfalls that are integral to the 3D printing revolution aimed at international development and humanitarian response.