3D Print your Artifacts – 3D Turtle Geometry as an Introduction to Programming

Abstract

3D printing has been a popular topic in general media in recent years and is increasingly being used by computer science teachers in the classroom. However, while the motivational benefits of 3D printing – especially for novices – are indisputable, the educational value of previous approaches is either rather low or, at the other extreme, a high level of prior knowledge of programming and mathematics is required. For this reason, this paper investigates in an empirical classroom study of an innovative teaching approach to 3D printing as an introduction to programming for novices: Modern 3D printing technology is combined with turtle geometry in Seymour Papert's tradition – transformed into the third dimension. The results show that students are motivated and empowered to create their own artifacts. Remarkably, the personal aesthetics of the objects created are more important to the students than their practical use in everyday life.