Tinkercad.com Platform in STEM Education Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

The paper is dedicated to the study of the opportunities and challenges of the online simulator Tinkercad.com in STEM education. It is based on research conducted within the educational project "Using Tinkercad.com Sensors in a Smart Home Model" as part of the author’s pedagogical practice. The project was carried out in the spring of 2025 at Telavi Public School No. 5 during computer technology lessons at the primary education level, targeting a group of 15 sixth-grade students.

The paper reviews the capabilities of the Tinkercad.com platform, which enables students and teachers to intuitively learn electronics, programming, and 3D modeling. It discusses Tinkercad's role in promoting interactive and practice-oriented STEM education, specifically highlighting the platform's functional aspects for STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) and their relevance to the "Smart Home" educational project presented in the paper.

The paper provides a detailed description of the project planning stages and the structural modules involved in the project implementation:

• Preparing the workspace in a cloud environment
• Theoretical part: key sensors of a smart home (LDR - light, TMP36 - temperature, PIR - motion sensors) and Tinkercad
• Practical part: creating a virtual model of a smart home in Tinkercad, which includes: a) Technical aspect (constructing a virtual circuit using an Arduino UNO microcontroller and sensors) b) Software aspect (visual block programming)
• Virtual simulation process of the "Smart Home" model The paper also includes URL links to the instructions for the completed projects.

The study investigates and demonstrates the effectiveness of using the Tinkercad platform in the process of acquiring STEM education. This is supported by quantitative and qualitative analysis based on surveys conducted within the project. The research was carried out using an anonymous online survey format via Google Forms (with URL links to the questionnaire and survey results attached).

Based on the analysis of the survey results from the project participants, the paper presents the main findings regarding students' attitudes towards the Tinkercad platform in STEM education from both a software and educational-methodological perspective. These findings assess the platform’s advantages as well as the existing challenges.