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Open Lab is Open!

Open Lab’s services are easy to access and free to the University community. Simply complete one of our short online pre-trainings and make an appointment to visit one of our physical locations to get started.

The Teaching Center’s Open Lab is a makerspace dedicated to inspiring and facilitating excellence and innovation in teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh. Our mission is to provide the support and resources necessary for anyone in the Pitt community to incorporate emerging technologies into their teaching, while providing a supportive environment for members of the Pitt community to engage in exploratory learning through making.

Available Technologies

Open Lab Training Spaces

Open Lab @ Hillman

Open Lab @ Hillman is a collaboration between the University Center for Teaching and Learning and the University Library System. Through workshops, class sessions, consultations and trainings, we aim to connect the Pitt community with technology for hands-on making and experiential learning. Make an appointment to experience virtual reality, learn to 3D print, use a vinyl cutter, or borrow a 360-degree video camera.
OL@H is located in 132 Hillman Library.

Learn more about these Open Lab projects

Screenshot of Open Lab Canvas remote training course.

Open Lab @ Canvas: Incorporating online training and remote learning into a makerspace’s hands-on culture

Makerspaces, conceptually, are built around communal, hands-on experiences where individuals learn by doing while learning from each other. How do you continue to teach transferable skills about design, making, and emerging technology when your learners don’t have access to your space, your resources, or your technologies in person? How to teach hands-on techniques such as lab courses online or remotely has long been a question of interest in the online education community.

3D-printed brain section

Students design 3D brain models to learn and teach neuroanatomy

The human brain is an incredibly complex 3D structure that is difficult to comprehend using only 2D images. However, visualizing the 3D structures of brain components and their spatial relationships is critical for understanding brain function and diagnosing neurological disorders. Students in Erika Fanselow’s neuroanatomy course tackle this by designing 3D models of multiple related brain structures based on measurements made from 2D images such as brain scans. In conjunction with Pitt’s Open Lab, students use web-based modeling software to develop and print their models. This project facilitates students’ conceptualization of brain structures and allows them to teach their peers.

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