Design Thinking Innovative Tool – Virtualization 

 Challenge Scenario & Selection of the Tool 

 Among these four design thinking tools presented in the course , my first choice is the virtualization tool   or visual thinking tool to achieve a common understanding of a problematic scenario in a devised group   of stakeholders . This tool helps us to identify and define a problem space among the specific diverse group   of people by identifying and explicitly design the best possible solution to a problematic scenario . 

 Problem Statement :     We live in a world of terrific problems due to the influence of ever evolving new digital technologies   prompting organizations to adopt to rapid changes in their respective fields . It is very evident that ,   organizations irrelevance of their size struggle with thorny issues to adopt to the organizational changes   in the new technology driven era . Author would like to critically analyze on privatization of education   sector in Sri Lanka for this design thinking opportunity assignment . This course has provided a good   opportunity to apply the concepts from this class to a real design thinking opportunity to Develop a   preliminary research plan by using tools to address the privatization issues in the education sector in Sri   Lanka .     Virtualization tool pushes us beyond using words or language alone . It is a way of unlocking a different   part of our brains that allows us to think nonverbally and that researchers might not normally use ; in my   case it worked really well to visualize the requirement for the privatization of the state government owned   education sector for the betterment of more student benefits .     Stakeholder Mapping :     Stakeholder mapping is the process of defining a scope , boundaries , key elements , and relationships   between elements to consider when identifying pain points and opportunities for improvements or   solutions . In Sri Lanka , schooling is compulsory for children from 5 to 13 years of age . Education is state   funded and offered free of charge at all levels , including the university level . The government also provides   free textbooks to schoolchildren . Literacy rates and educational attainment levels rose steadily after Sri   Lanka became an independent nation in 1948 and today the youth literacy rate stands at 97 % . The   government gives high priority to improving the national education system and access to education . The   medium of language could be Sinhala , Tamil or English . English is taught as a second language . Students   sit the G.C.E O / L at the end of 11 years of formal education and G.C.E. A / L examinations at the end of 13   years . The education structure is divided into five parts : primary , junior secondary , senior secondary ,   collegiate and tertiary .     Identification of an Opportunity in Privatization of Education and the Methodology used in the Design   Thinking :     The first stage of the Design Thinking process is to gain an empathic understanding of the problem you   are trying to solve , in my case I am analyzing to see how privatization of the state owned education sector   give more opportunities for students who miss out the university entrance for their better future . 

 To say that private participation in higher education in Sri Lanka is a thorny issue would be an   understatement . Various doomsday scenarios ranging from a mushrooming of substandard degree- awarding institutes to a dystopia populated by uneducated buffoons have been presented as arguments   against privatization of higher education and , while some of these arguments are not without merit , it   must be stressed that , given the depressing numbers relating to the country ’s higher education sector ,   something must be done to salvage it and done fast .      During the third stage of the Design Thinking process , designers should be ready to start generating ideas .   I understand the need for privatization of the education sector in the country in the in the Empathize   stage , and I have analyzed and synthesized my observations about the need for privatization of the   education sector with a human - centered problem statement . With this solid background , I have started   to " think outside the box " to identify new solutions to the problem statement I have created , and I can   start to look for alternative ways of viewing the problem .     The Prototypes can be tested within a small group of people outside the design team . As designer of this   paper , I rigorously test my complete finding of the existing gaps in the education sector by using the best   solutions identified during the prototyping phase . This is the final stage of the 5 stage - model , but in an   iterative process , the results generated during the testing phase are often used to redefine one or more   problems and inform the understanding of the users , the conditions of use , how people think , behave ,   and feel , and to empathize     A range of issues await consultation with stakeholders of education . Some of them are : ( a ) reducing unfair   burden on students ( b ) how to provide a balanced education ( c ) increasing students ’ success rates in   languages , science and mathematics ( d ) increasing access to professionals to provide their services to the   functions of education ( e ) increasing research and publications in education ( f ) shifting teaching methods   toward student - centered learning ( g ) linking education to work life ( h ) improving students awareness of   career opportunities ( I ) channeling more resources to schools and modernizing class rooms and other   facilities ( j ) obtaining stakeholder participation for planning and management of schools ( k ) teacher   education and ICT skills of teachers , ( I ) increasing accountability and transparency in education , and ( I )   improving the quality of education so that students acquire competencies that are valid in tomorrow ’s   markets .     In my understanding , applying this visualization tool I would propose these solutions I found for the   problem scenario .     The National Institute of Education ( NIE ) is responsible for curriculum development , teacher guides ,   training of teachers , providing higher learning opportunities for teachers and officers in education , and   carrying out research and publications in education . With the recent change of government , an attempt   is being made to charter the way forward . The newly constituted Council of NIE is taking steps now to   streamline the following : 

 •   Set up a forum for stake holder to mount a dialogue on issues of education and contribute to action   plans ; 

 •   Invite the private sector to contribute financially to intensify the process of improving school   facilities , research work and publications ; 

 •   Invite the private sector to undertake endowment professorships in the various branches of   education at the NIE ; 

 •   Seek participation of private sector and foreign agencies in an effort to upgrade the Meepe   Education Centre of the NIE to a fully - fledged International Centre that caters to the needs of the   sector with options in education including Masters and Doctoral degree programs . 


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: Design Thinking Innovative Tool – Virtualization 

 Challenge Scenario & Selection of the Tool 

 Among these four design thinking tools presented in the course , my first choice is the virtualization tool   or visual thinking tool to achieve a common understanding of a problematic scenario in a devised group   of stakeholders . This tool helps us to identify and define a problem space among the specific diverse group   of people by identifying and explicitly design the best possible solution to a problematic scenario . 

 Problem Statement :     We live in a world of terrific problems due to the influence of ever evolving new digital technologies   prompting organizations to adopt to rapid changes in their respective fields . It is very evident that ,   organizations irrelevance of their size struggle with thorny issues to adopt to the organizational changes   in the new technology driven era . Author would like to critically analyze on privatization of education   sector in Sri Lanka for this design thinking opportunity assignment . This course has provided a good   opportunity to apply the concepts from this class to a real design thinking opportunity to Develop a   preliminary research plan by using tools to address the privatization issues in the education sector in Sri   Lanka .     Virtualization tool pushes us beyond using words or language alone . It is a way of unlocking a different   part of our brains that allows us to think nonverbally and that researchers might not normally use ; in my   case it worked really well to visualize the requirement for the privatization of the state government owned   education sector for the betterment of more student benefits .     Stakeholder Mapping :     Stakeholder mapping is the process of defining a scope , boundaries , key elements , and relationships   between elements to consider when identifying pain points and opportunities for improvements or   solutions . In Sri Lanka , schooling is compulsory for children from 5 to 13 years of age . Education is state   funded and offered free of charge at all levels , including the university level . The government also provides   free textbooks to schoolchildren . Literacy rates and educational attainment levels rose steadily after Sri   Lanka became an independent nation in 1948 and today the youth literacy rate stands at 97 % . The   government gives high priority to improving the national education system and access to education . The   medium of language could be Sinhala , Tamil or English . English is taught as a second language . Students   sit the G.C.E O / L at the end of 11 years of formal education and G.C.E. A / L examinations at the end of 13   years . The education structure is divided into five parts : primary , junior secondary , senior secondary ,   collegiate and tertiary .     Identification of an Opportunity in Privatization of Education and the Methodology used in the Design   Thinking :     The first stage of the Design Thinking process is to gain an empathic understanding of the problem you   are trying to solve , in my case I am analyzing to see how privatization of the state owned education sector   give more opportunities for students who miss out the university entrance for their better future . 

 To say that private participation in higher education in Sri Lanka is a thorny issue would be an   understatement . Various doomsday scenarios ranging from a mushrooming of substandard degree- awarding institutes to a dystopia populated by uneducated buffoons have been presented as arguments   against privatization of higher education and , while some of these arguments are not without merit , it   must be stressed that , given the depressing numbers relating to the country ’s higher education sector ,   something must be done to salvage it and done fast .      During the third stage of the Design Thinking process , designers should be ready to start generating ideas .   I understand the need for privatization of the education sector in the country in the in the Empathize   stage , and I have analyzed and synthesized my observations about the need for privatization of the   education sector with a human - centered problem statement . With this solid background , I have started   to " think outside the box " to identify new solutions to the problem statement I have created , and I can   start to look for alternative ways of viewing the problem .     The Prototypes can be tested within a small group of people outside the design team . As designer of this   paper , I rigorously test my complete finding of the existing gaps in the education sector by using the best   solutions identified during the prototyping phase . This is the final stage of the 5 stage - model , but in an   iterative process , the results generated during the testing phase are often used to redefine one or more   problems and inform the understanding of the users , the conditions of use , how people think , behave ,   and feel , and to empathize     A range of issues await consultation with stakeholders of education . Some of them are : ( a ) reducing unfair   burden on students ( b ) how to provide a balanced education ( c ) increasing students ’ success rates in   languages , science and mathematics ( d ) increasing access to professionals to provide their services to the   functions of education ( e ) increasing research and publications in education ( f ) shifting teaching methods   toward student - centered learning ( g ) linking education to work life ( h ) improving students awareness of   career opportunities ( I ) channeling more resources to schools and modernizing class rooms and other   facilities ( j ) obtaining stakeholder participation for planning and management of schools ( k ) teacher   education and ICT skills of teachers , ( I ) increasing accountability and transparency in education , and ( I )   improving the quality of education so that students acquire competencies that are valid in tomorrow ’s   markets .     In my understanding , applying this visualization tool I would propose these solutions I found for the   problem scenario .     The National Institute of Education ( NIE ) is responsible for curriculum development , teacher guides ,   training of teachers , providing higher learning opportunities for teachers and officers in education , and   carrying out research and publications in education . With the recent change of government , an attempt   is being made to charter the way forward . The newly constituted Council of NIE is taking steps now to   streamline the following : 

 •   Set up a forum for stake holder to mount a dialogue on issues of education and contribute to action   plans ; 

 •   Invite the private sector to contribute financially to intensify the process of improving school   facilities , research work and publications ; 

 •   Invite the private sector to undertake endowment professorships in the various branches of   education at the NIE ; 

 •   Seek participation of private sector and foreign agencies in an effort to upgrade the Meepe   Education Centre of the NIE to a fully - fledged International Centre that caters to the needs of the   sector with options in education including Masters and Doctoral degree programs .
### Output: 