REFLECTION ON LEARNING LAUNCH TOOL 

 CHALLENGE & SELECTION 

 In my last role at a university , I was assigned the task of setting up a fabrication studio for the 

 college , from scratch . While I had a technical background in engineering , I was a fresh graduate and I   had never set up a fabrication space before . Since this was a liberal arts college , I had limited support   from other staff and faculty . I was expected to learn on the job , and due to strict schedules , I also had a   limited amount of time to achieve the objective . The scope of this project included selecting and   purchasing the equipment required for the space , designing the space , and designing programs and   workshops that would be conducted in the space for the community members . The challenge was to set   up the fabrication space with limited time and resources . To meet this challenge I needed a solution that   would allow to learn on the go , make mistakes that are small and easy to rectify , and provide me with   meaningful information on the performance of my ideas . 

 While I did n’t know it then , I chose to apply the principles of the “ learning launch ” tool to this 

 challenge . I had a natural inclination to experimentation due to my academic background , so I decided   that I would break down the challenge and conduct mini experiments . My mini experiments would help   me identify , from a pool of ideas , what worked best and what did n’t , economically and as quickly as   possible . I also needed room to make mistakes , and retrace my steps . Cheap , fast experiments with the   purpose of learning and gaining new insight is precisely what I planned to do , and as the lecture in   week 4 suggests , is at the heart of the of the learning launch tool . 

 APPLICATION 

 Before I could start my experimentation , I did an extensive survey of “ what is ” being done in 

 institutions around the world . That helped me identify benchmarks and performance goals that I would   have to strive towards . Armed with this knowledge , I designed my experiments . One of my   experiments was focused on gauging the interest in 3D printing machines in the space and the scope of   their use . I had to pick from multiple types of 3D printers , each with its own speciality , and price tag . I   realized , that given the tight schedule , it would make sense for me to start small and quickly purchase a   single 3D printer so that interested students and faculty can actually try this machine out first hand and   provide me with informed feedback and opinions . If something went wrong , I would still be able to   salvage the machine and I would be able to spend the rest of my resources wisely . 

 Another experiment focused on workshop design . Most of the machines in the fabrication studio 

 were new to faculty and students . I needed to gauge interest levels , skill levels , and identify methods of   teaching that resonated with my audience . Hence , I started the workshop series with a workshop on   computer aided design - since that was a fundamental skill that they would have to learn before they   could start using machines like the 3D printers . Since I had never designed a workshop before or taught   a class , I decided to gather feedback on the go and keep my workshop flexible so that I could   accommodate the classes diverse questions better . The workshops would be limited to a small number   of students at a time , and I decided not to follow a fixed and restrictive syllabus . The students were   encouraged to ask lots of questions . The workshops were free of cost for attendees , and I used open   source software to keep the cost of the workshops down . 

 I also designed a survey that allowed students to voice their opinions on a variety of issues 

 pertaining to the fabrication space ; including opening hours , culture of the space , potential future   projects , their ideas for new machines or technology in the space . Concurrently , I was trying out 

 different opening hours for the space in practice ; this allowed students to give more reliable feedback   from real experience . 

 INSIGHT 

 The experiments were a huge success . In the first experiment on 3D printing machines , faculty and 

 students were using the machine extensively , and in ways that I would not have imagined . One faculty   used the 3D printer to print out scale models of dinosaur bones that they could use in class , instead of   just using pictures . I was able to use the results from this experiment to make a strong case for   purchasing more 3D printers , that were larger and with more functionality . Now , the fabrication space   has four 3D printers ; each can print different volumes and with different resolutions . Since the   community has seen that experimentation has led to this positive change , they are still carrying out   these learning experiments and developing new ideas based on those learnings . The last 3D printer we   bought came as a result of students demanding more open source 3D printing machines so that they   could control different parameters of printing - this was a very unique insight as all my secondary and   tertiary research indicated the exact opposite , that most users preferred a automated or smart printer   which required little input or configuration . 

 The workshop experiment initially made the workshops seem longer and more tedious but after a 

 few iterations , students and faculty started responding to them favourably . An insight that surprised me   was that even though most of the students did not have a background in science or were not pursuing a   bachelors in a hard science field , they were very aware of the technological developments and their   various applications . A fine arts student , who was interested in oil paintings and sculptures , took keen   interest in computer aided design workshops . The student provided me with insight on how I can   improve the workshop by discussing and demonstrating the software ’s application in the fine arts . This   allowed me to learn something new , and then share that new knowledge with my students . 

 Lastly , I did not anticipate or account for the demand for sewing machines in the fabrication space , 

 a result that kept coming up in the survey . Hence , I met up with some of the students and faculty who   wanted the sewing machines so that I could understand their perspective better and identify what   specific needs would need to be met . This allowed me to identify the blind spots in my view of the role   and function of the fabrication space . 

 APPROACH 

 The learning launch / experimentation approach definitely served its purpose and was successful in 

 helping me deal with the challenge of setting up the fabrication space . By allowing me to break down   the big challenge into smaller chunks and attack them individually meant that even with little   experience or formal knowledge in the field , I was able to deliver a favourable outcome . However , after   learning about the various design thinking tools , I now believe that if I had applied a combination of   tools , such as mind mapping with learning launch , the result would have been better . 

 Mind mapping would have helped me involve members of the community [ students , staff , faculty ] 

 in the process a lot earlier . I could have gained some of the insights even before the experiments began   and I could have used that knowledge to improve the experiment design . If I had the time and resources ,   I would have also liked to have done a visualization exercise with the administrators of the space , that   would have helped them design better policy and procedure for the operation of the fabrication space . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: REFLECTION ON LEARNING LAUNCH TOOL 

 CHALLENGE & SELECTION 

 In my last role at a university , I was assigned the task of setting up a fabrication studio for the 

 college , from scratch . While I had a technical background in engineering , I was a fresh graduate and I   had never set up a fabrication space before . Since this was a liberal arts college , I had limited support   from other staff and faculty . I was expected to learn on the job , and due to strict schedules , I also had a   limited amount of time to achieve the objective . The scope of this project included selecting and   purchasing the equipment required for the space , designing the space , and designing programs and   workshops that would be conducted in the space for the community members . The challenge was to set   up the fabrication space with limited time and resources . To meet this challenge I needed a solution that   would allow to learn on the go , make mistakes that are small and easy to rectify , and provide me with   meaningful information on the performance of my ideas . 

 While I did n’t know it then , I chose to apply the principles of the “ learning launch ” tool to this 

 challenge . I had a natural inclination to experimentation due to my academic background , so I decided   that I would break down the challenge and conduct mini experiments . My mini experiments would help   me identify , from a pool of ideas , what worked best and what did n’t , economically and as quickly as   possible . I also needed room to make mistakes , and retrace my steps . Cheap , fast experiments with the   purpose of learning and gaining new insight is precisely what I planned to do , and as the lecture in   week 4 suggests , is at the heart of the of the learning launch tool . 

 APPLICATION 

 Before I could start my experimentation , I did an extensive survey of “ what is ” being done in 

 institutions around the world . That helped me identify benchmarks and performance goals that I would   have to strive towards . Armed with this knowledge , I designed my experiments . One of my   experiments was focused on gauging the interest in 3D printing machines in the space and the scope of   their use . I had to pick from multiple types of 3D printers , each with its own speciality , and price tag . I   realized , that given the tight schedule , it would make sense for me to start small and quickly purchase a   single 3D printer so that interested students and faculty can actually try this machine out first hand and   provide me with informed feedback and opinions . If something went wrong , I would still be able to   salvage the machine and I would be able to spend the rest of my resources wisely . 

 Another experiment focused on workshop design . Most of the machines in the fabrication studio 

 were new to faculty and students . I needed to gauge interest levels , skill levels , and identify methods of   teaching that resonated with my audience . Hence , I started the workshop series with a workshop on   computer aided design - since that was a fundamental skill that they would have to learn before they   could start using machines like the 3D printers . Since I had never designed a workshop before or taught   a class , I decided to gather feedback on the go and keep my workshop flexible so that I could   accommodate the classes diverse questions better . The workshops would be limited to a small number   of students at a time , and I decided not to follow a fixed and restrictive syllabus . The students were   encouraged to ask lots of questions . The workshops were free of cost for attendees , and I used open   source software to keep the cost of the workshops down . 

 I also designed a survey that allowed students to voice their opinions on a variety of issues 

 pertaining to the fabrication space ; including opening hours , culture of the space , potential future   projects , their ideas for new machines or technology in the space . Concurrently , I was trying out 

 different opening hours for the space in practice ; this allowed students to give more reliable feedback   from real experience . 

 INSIGHT 

 The experiments were a huge success . In the first experiment on 3D printing machines , faculty and 

 students were using the machine extensively , and in ways that I would not have imagined . One faculty   used the 3D printer to print out scale models of dinosaur bones that they could use in class , instead of   just using pictures . I was able to use the results from this experiment to make a strong case for   purchasing more 3D printers , that were larger and with more functionality . Now , the fabrication space   has four 3D printers ; each can print different volumes and with different resolutions . Since the   community has seen that experimentation has led to this positive change , they are still carrying out   these learning experiments and developing new ideas based on those learnings . The last 3D printer we   bought came as a result of students demanding more open source 3D printing machines so that they   could control different parameters of printing - this was a very unique insight as all my secondary and   tertiary research indicated the exact opposite , that most users preferred a automated or smart printer   which required little input or configuration . 

 The workshop experiment initially made the workshops seem longer and more tedious but after a 

 few iterations , students and faculty started responding to them favourably . An insight that surprised me   was that even though most of the students did not have a background in science or were not pursuing a   bachelors in a hard science field , they were very aware of the technological developments and their   various applications . A fine arts student , who was interested in oil paintings and sculptures , took keen   interest in computer aided design workshops . The student provided me with insight on how I can   improve the workshop by discussing and demonstrating the software ’s application in the fine arts . This   allowed me to learn something new , and then share that new knowledge with my students . 

 Lastly , I did not anticipate or account for the demand for sewing machines in the fabrication space , 

 a result that kept coming up in the survey . Hence , I met up with some of the students and faculty who   wanted the sewing machines so that I could understand their perspective better and identify what   specific needs would need to be met . This allowed me to identify the blind spots in my view of the role   and function of the fabrication space . 

 APPROACH 

 The learning launch / experimentation approach definitely served its purpose and was successful in 

 helping me deal with the challenge of setting up the fabrication space . By allowing me to break down   the big challenge into smaller chunks and attack them individually meant that even with little   experience or formal knowledge in the field , I was able to deliver a favourable outcome . However , after   learning about the various design thinking tools , I now believe that if I had applied a combination of   tools , such as mind mapping with learning launch , the result would have been better . 

 Mind mapping would have helped me involve members of the community [ students , staff , faculty ] 

 in the process a lot earlier . I could have gained some of the insights even before the experiments began   and I could have used that knowledge to improve the experiment design . If I had the time and resources ,   I would have also liked to have done a visualization exercise with the administrators of the space , that   would have helped them design better policy and procedure for the operation of the fabrication space .
### Output: 