Created puzzles should improve the following skills of students:[br][list][*]Students should increase their geometric vocabulary - during puzzling, students should actively have to use concepts used in geometry. This allows a wide age range of applications of puzzles.[/*][*]Students problem solving skills should improve - by solving puzzles, students are challenged to train their abstract thinking and problem solving abilities. Computational thinking is a key ingredient which is a competence needed in a variety of STEAM topics.[/*][*]Students should work in collaboration with each other - discussions and critical thinking trains students to create solutions in collaboration. Collaboration is an asset when having to tackle complex problems and being creative with solutions.[/*][*]Students should improve the ability to connect theoretical and physical items - this is a skill needed throughout all lessons especially in a more and more digital world. The connection that an abstract concept can have real life implications has a very broad field of application on all kinds of topics.[/*][*]Games should be able to be taken home - by allowing the production of games on 3D printers, the JKU's visibility is increased and especially young people are ecouraged to consider developing their interests and skills at the JKU.[/*][/list]

According to Thomas et.al. (2015), puzzle-based learning can have many advantages to teach engineering skills such as mathematics. He describes his investigation whether using puzzles in teaching of enhances students’ learning by developing their problem-solving and independent-learning skills and increasing their motivation. [br]Link: https://doi.org/10.11120/ened.2013.00005[br][br]Michalewicz & Michalewicz (2008) collected four criteria for educational puzzles and puzzles in general:[br][list=1][*]generality (explaining some universal mathematical problem-solving principle), [/*][*]simplicity, [/*][*]a‘eureka’factor and [/*][*]entertainment. [/*][/list]Link: http://www.puzzlebasedlearning.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/puzzle-based_learning_introduction.pdf[br][br]Thomas et.al. (2015) describes several attributes of puzzles such as advantages and disadvantages. [br][b]Disadvantages:[/b][br]One disadvantage to them is that puzzles are not ready to use to build up an extensive and flexible knowledge base. Some puzzles are better solved alone is another, not all puzzles allow collaborative working. Another disadvantage is that puzzles might be slow in some areas to transport specific information and children can become task oriented.[br][b]Advantages:[/b][br]Well selected puzzles help students to create big knowledge base,develop problem-solving skills, strain collaboration, and rises their intrinsic motivation motivated to learn. Another property is that students can be frustrated and entertained by puzzles leading to the aforementioned "eureka" moments. This can promote independent learning as another benefit.

Our puzzle focus on but do not solely contain 3D pribtable parts. We chose to work on puzzles that close the gap between the virtual and the physical experience for students. Our goal is to add a constructivist touch to the puzzle experience in addition to the constructionism creating puzzles for students offers intrinsically.[br][br]Another goal of our project is to use emerging technologies and make them accessible to teachers.