By J.D. WRIGHT

Pitt’s Open Lab ― a makerspace and a campus-wide hub for using technology in teaching and learning ― offers Pitt instructors a set of valuable tools for enhancing, developing and enlivening their courses.

Recently relocated from the basement of Alumni Hall to a bright, friendly new location on the first floor of Hillman Library as part of the library’s ongoing redesign, Open Lab is a partnership between Pitt’s University Library System (ULS) and the Teaching Center. 

Aaron Graham, manager of Open Lab, emphasizes that he and his team are excited to work with instructors to integrate technology and teaching in the interest of increasing student engagement.

“Open Lab allows anyone interested in experimenting with new technology to get hands-on in a very supportive environment,” Graham says, indicating that Open Lab’s services include not only training and troubleshooting but also instructional design and the ability to host class sessions. “We truly offer a holistic approach to education at Pitt and a whole collection of tools with all the necessary training and support.”

3-D Printing

With nine printers of two different varieties, Open Lab enables Pitt instructors and their students to design and construct tangible items that can aid in teaching and learning. 

“Our 3-D printers basically run all day and night,” Graham says. “Open Lab members get hooked quickly, and the ideas really start flowing!”

Enlisting the printers to build models for use in the hard sciences is a common application of the technology, but humanities instructors have also found the 3-D printers useful. For example, Open Lab’s manager explains, a composition course included an assignment in which students printed objects and wrote about their choices, later revising and reprinting those artifacts and explaining those revisions in a second essay.

“Students responded enthusiastically to this new and exciting challenge,” Graham says.

2-D and 3-D Scanning

The Digital Stewardship Lab is now a part of Open Lab, which means that instructors can digitize objects and then add those files to maker projects. Graham points to a recent collaboration with the University Art Gallery as a prime example of how these technologies work hand-in-hand to promote better teaching.

“UAG wanted to make scans of these beautiful, millennia-old Roman lamps,” Graham says. “Dan Kaple, the Digital Stewardship Librarian, taught a whole group of curators how to scan them and produce really nice models.” Those replicas permitted students to handle and study the items without fear of damaging the valuable originals; the scans and prints also helped to clear up some of the detail work on the originals. “It was really a revelation.”

Extended Reality (XR)

Including virtual reality, 360-degree cameras and augmented reality simulations, XR technologies are among the most frequently requested for class sessions at Open Lab.

“We have a wide variety of VR content that can enhance all kinds of subject matter,” Graham notes, listing architecture, foreign languages, English, law, political science and information science as examples of fields that have productively adopted this technology.

In a language-learning course, for instance, a student might use a VR headset to step into a different city, with other students viewing the landscape on a separate monitor, guiding each other with prompts for directions or scavenger hunts in the target language.

“Students are always excited to take a unique approach and have an immersive experience that encourages them to think about a topic from a different angle,” Graham says. 

Laser Cutter/Engraver and Vinyl Cutters

These other ways to turn digital designs into tangible objects have proven to be popular and fun additions to Open Lab.

“Members have enjoyed creating T-shirt and sticker designs with the vinyl cutters, and the laser cutter is a powerful tool for engraving really beautiful designs on almost any surface.” Projects have included board games and pieces for reinforcing course content and the creation of non-Roman characters for educational games in language-learning classes. “People love these hands-on activities.” 

Working with Open Lab

Graham encourages faculty, “Talk to us, even if you’re not sure what we might be able to accomplish together. Schedule a consultation at whatever stage in the creative process you find yourself.”

Open Lab also urges faculty to approach its space for help with personal and professional projects, even if they don’t directly connect to teaching particular courses.

“The idea,” Graham says, “is that working on projects like those might help you develop ideas about how you can use our resources in classroom settings.”

Finally, Open Lab’s manager wants instructors to know that “you don’t have to fend for yourself here.” Support from staff and student workers creates a positive environment in Open Lab that is conducive to learning. 

To schedule a faculty consultation with a member of Open Lab’s team, email open-lab@pitt.edu. You also may use an automated assistant to help you locate and work with Open Lab resources.

J. D. Wright is a teaching consultant with the University Center for Teaching and Learning. He can be reached at jd_wright@pitt.edu. Aaron Graham is Open Lab’s manager, and he can be reached at aegst16@pitt.edu.