Teach for HSE Helps Lecturers Apply 3D Modeling to Teaching
In December, the Teach for HSE project held the master class ‘From Photography to 3D-Model: 3D-Modeling Technology in Teaching and Project Activity’ for HSE lecturers. The master class was delivered online by Iliana Ismakaeva, lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at HSE – Perm and winner of the spring competition of the Fund for Educational Innovation.
How and why should we implement 3D modeling technologies in teaching and project work? What academic goals can a virtual museum created together with students help to solve? Teachers from all HSE campuses learned the answers to these and other questions at the online master class. Iliana Ismakaeva not only shared her experience with 3D technology, but also taught the participants how to create 3D models using a special programme.
‘Historians are applying more and more 3D modeling in their research. The number of projects in this area is growing,’ says Iliana Ismakaeva. ‘Instructors of our master's programme in Digital Humanities and our bachelor's programme in History have turned to 3D modeling in several courses and apply it to different problems. Various tasks determine a wide range of digital technologies and equipment that we use.’
Iliana Ismakaeva told the participants about one of the most popular forms of 3D technology — photogrammetry. ‘It combines photos of objects in order to restore their shape, size, position and other characteristics,’ she says. ‘Photogrammetry technology is very popular for 3D modeling. This is a simple, accessible technology at a relatively low price.’
In the master class, the participants practiced applying the photogrammetry technology. They employed the method of creating 3D models of cultural heritage developed by the students of the Department of Information Technologies in Culture led by Vladimir Opredelenov.
Kira Meshcherina, master class participant and a lecturer at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at HSE University in Moscow, described the master class as very productive. ‘We managed to obtain both theoretical knowledge about the features of 3D modeling, and practical skills through building our own 3D model using the Agisoft Metashape programme. The exchange of experience within the university is a great opportunity to gain knowledge and new skills that can be applied in our research and teaching in the future,’ says Kira Meshcherina. The teacher also noted that she already knows how to use the acquired knowledge and skills in her work: ‘I have an idea to process the objects of material culture, which we plan to collect during student expeditions and as part of the “Field Islamic Studies” project.’
In 2021 the Teach for HSE project plans to hold one more master class on 3D modeling. The format proved to be popular among HSE teachers: in a short time, it allows them to acquire useful skills and almost immediately start using them in teaching.