Case Study: Basha Elementary School achieves fast 3D printing adoption and improved student STEM skills with MakerBot

From One Teacher to Another Getting Started With 3d Printing in the Classroom

Jessica Pfau, Technology Integration Specialist at Basha Elementary School in Chandler, AZ, wanted to launch a K–6 3D printing program but faced funding, training, and workflow challenges—securing filament and grants, avoiding printer mistakes, and managing dozens of student print requests. She turned to MakerBot, deploying MakerBot 3D printers with the Replicator+ Educators Edition and leveraging MakerBot Certification and the MakerBot Grant Guide.

MakerBot provided grant resources, certification coursework, the MakerBot Print software and Replicator+ hardware that enabled a practical workflow: students submit print requests via Google Forms, the teacher batches jobs by color, and pre-scans files in MakerBot Print to reduce errors. That approach let Basha Elementary School efficiently process 30+ student designs, cut misprints and material waste, speed up throughput, and rapidly build student skills while also advancing the teacher’s professional development — all powered by MakerBot.

Basha Elementary School

Jessica Pfau

Technology Integration Specialist