Net Media Lab organised the International Multiplier Event of the Erasmus+ Project “3D2ACT – Fostering Industry 4.0 and 3D Technologies Through Social Entrepreneurship: An Innovative Programme for a Sustainable Future”

On Thursday 4 May 2023 the International Multiplier event of the 3D2ACT – Fostering Industry 4.0 and 3D Technologies Through Social Entrepreneurship: An Innovative Programme for a Sustainable Future Erasmus+ project took place at the N.C.S.R. Demokritos Congress Center in Agia Paraskevi, Athens. Invitations were sent out to policy makers, authorities, schools, with an emphasis on VET Schools, educational centers, teachers, IT experts & other stakeholders to register online via Google forms.

The 65 people audience that participated, comprised representatives of all partners (who were in Athens for TPM5), mostly VET school teachers from general & special education as well as policy makers including 2 senior advisors from the Greek Ministry of Education. The Regional Director of Primary & Secondary Education of Crete honored the event with his presence & also addressed the audience by stressing the importance of non-formal education & projects such as 3D2ACT which enhance & complement formal learning. The event was entitled “Presentation of 3D2ACT Project Results Conference” & lasted over 3 hours (18:00-21:30).

The Multiplier event was a great opportunity to present complete, finalized & tangible results of the project such as the comparative report, the 2 competence frameworks (syllabi), the 2 educational packs for 3D Design, Modelling & Printing & Social Entrepreneurship, the cross-curricular scenarios, the e-learning & e-assessment platform using Open Badges, the Mobile app, the AR Game on how to set up a social enterprise, etc. Regarding the e-platform, there was a live presentation of how to register & enrol in the available courses & how to download & use the corresponding mobile app and teachers in attendance were offered an insight as to the various ways to re-implement the programme in their schools.

The event was divided into 2 distinct parts. In the first part, an overview of the project was given, with the aims & objectives, the partnership, before all 5 Intellectual Outputs, results & activities, were presented in detail by different members of the consortium. After the exhaustive presentation of the project & its results, which was the main aim of the event, a fruitful discussion was initiated about the importance of digitalization & Industry 4.0 skills in education & how they can be incorporated in formal education curricula in order to bridge the gap with the labour market.
The second part focused on a live demo/workshop of 3D Design, Modelling & Printing with the usage of an actual 3D printer as well as an exhibition of the results produced by students of all partner countries.

Regarding the workshop, teachers had the unique opportunity to learn how a 3D Printer works & witness the whole process from start to finish. In particular, we started by explaining the fundamental parts of a 3D printer & then continued with the creation of a digital 3D model. We explained how this can be designed using various 3D modelling software such as TinkerCAD or sourced from online repositories. The next step, known as slicing, was explained & we concluded with the printing process, where teachers could watch the object being printed live gradually & taking shape layer by layer. Through this live demo, teachers were able to appreciate the potential of 3D printing as an educational tool. They saw first-hand how this technology could turn abstract concepts into tangible models, enhancing the learning experience in the context of various school subjects, thus opening up new dimensions of creativity within their classrooms.
An exhibition space was also set up, with all partners presenting their work & the work of their students during the pilots. Fruitful discussions ensued, where each partner focused on their area of expertise & answered questions.

During the event, the workshop & the exhibition, the audience was invited to visit the project e-tools (website, e-platform, mobile app, AR game, etc.) & register, become ambassadors & to follow the project’s social media in order to get informed about its activities & how these can be sustained & exploited by the teachers themselves in their schools & classrooms with their students.

From the feedback & comments received, it was apparent that the event was a success as the audience showed a real interest in the activities & aims of the project. Emphasis was given on how to keep the project alive after its financial lifetime ends & how to sustain & exploit its results & products with more events such as this one & implement the programme in more schools through the creation of synergies.

The event concluded with a light buffet where all participants had the opportunity to discuss the project and its potential further.

The following were the speakers and the topics of their speeches:

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