In digital manufacturing education, integrating artificial intelligence with structured reflective learning may accelerate novice designers’ creative development. The study introduces an AI-Enhanced Reflective Design Framework (AERDF), which integrates AI-driven feedback, scaffolded reflective journaling, and iterative digital fabrication tasks to support reflective learning in design education. To investigate this, fifty undergraduate students (18–24 years) participated in a two-week intensive pilot program featuring three iterative design cycles of 3D-printed chaotic attractors and 2D tessellation patterns. Each cycle combined automated AI-driven analysis of aesthetic and structural metrics with peer-led reflection sessions and prototype refinement. Artifact quality ratings increased from a mean of 3.2 to 3.9 (22 % improvement), design fluency rose by 30 % and originality by 25 %, while personalization scores correlated
A Pilot Educational Framework for AI-Enhanced Digital Manufacturing and Reflective Skill Development
Bertacchini, Francesca
2026-01-01
Abstract
In digital manufacturing education, integrating artificial intelligence with structured reflective learning may accelerate novice designers’ creative development. The study introduces an AI-Enhanced Reflective Design Framework (AERDF), which integrates AI-driven feedback, scaffolded reflective journaling, and iterative digital fabrication tasks to support reflective learning in design education. To investigate this, fifty undergraduate students (18–24 years) participated in a two-week intensive pilot program featuring three iterative design cycles of 3D-printed chaotic attractors and 2D tessellation patterns. Each cycle combined automated AI-driven analysis of aesthetic and structural metrics with peer-led reflection sessions and prototype refinement. Artifact quality ratings increased from a mean of 3.2 to 3.9 (22 % improvement), design fluency rose by 30 % and originality by 25 %, while personalization scores correlatedI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
