Designing a Districtwide 3D Printing Professional Learning Course

Project Context

To support a districtwide initiative equipping every elementary library with 3D printers, I designed and developed a fully online professional learning course in Schoology for teachers, librarians, curriculum specialists, and campus technology support staff. The course was created as part of my graduate studies at Lamar University, but it was also an authentic district initiative intended to prepare educators to integrate 3D printing into classroom instruction.

My Role

I served as the:

  • Instructional Designer
  • Subject Matter Expert
  • Project Planner
  • Curriculum Developer
  • LMS Course Builder

I researched instructional design best practices, planned the curriculum, developed learning activities, built the online course in Schoology, and designed evaluation methods to continuously improve the learning experience.

Project Goals

The course was designed to help educators:

  • Build confidence using 3D printers.
  • Understand classroom applications across content areas.
  • Learn printer operation and troubleshooting.
  • Explore lesson design and instructional integration.
  • Develop a collaborative professional learning community around maker-centered learning.

Instructional Design Process

Rather than simply uploading resources into an LMS, I intentionally followed established instructional design models.

Understanding by Design (UbD)

I began with the desired learning outcomes before designing instructional activities and assessments.

Fink’s Three-Column Design Model

Learning outcomes, assessments, and learning activities were aligned to create meaningful adult learning experiences.

Tony Bates’ SECTIONS Model

The course design considered:

  • learners
  • ease of use
  • cost
  • teaching functions
  • interaction
  • organizational issues
  • networking
  • security/privacy

This ensured technology supported learning rather than driving it.

3D printer course modules

Course Structure

The course was organized into five self-paced modules.

Each module incorporated:

  • instructional videos
  • discussion prompts
  • reflection questions
  • authentic classroom examples
  • lesson reviews
  • collaborative learning opportunities
  • multimedia resources

Content was intentionally “chunked” into manageable learning segments to support adult learners.

Adult Learning Principles

The design intentionally incorporated:

  • learner choice
  • authentic job-embedded tasks
  • self-paced progression
  • immediate classroom application
  • peer collaboration
  • reflection
  • multiple methods of engagement

The goal was not simply to teach educators how to operate a printer, but to help them envision meaningful instructional uses.

Quality Assurance

I evaluated the course using:

OSCQR (Open SUNY Course Quality Review)

I reviewed the course against quality standards including:

  • navigation
  • accessibility
  • organization
  • interaction
  • learner support
  • assessment
  • instructional design

Outcomes

The course became the professional learning hub supporting Killeen ISD’s elementary library 3D printer initiative.

Educators including:

  • librarians
  • campus technology specialists
  • curriculum specialists
  • classroom teachers

were enrolled to build their skills and prepare for implementation.