Using Visualization to Map the Student Experience        Reflection Assignment 

 Being part of a community college poses many opportunities and challenges for both students and staff . 

 With a commitment to make a difference , we work with students to achieve their goals through 

 education .   During my time with the college I ’ve experienced many failed initiatives based on 

 conventional approaches to problem solving .   As part of the Design Thinking for Innovation course , a 

 new palette of tools has provided numerous insights to the complex dynamic of student experience as 

 they go through the steps required to begin college .    Using the design tool of visualization , we were 

 able to gain the needed perspective to a complex problem , a problem needing solutions we could n’t 

 “ see ” using previous approaches .   These new insights have helped our team gain a perspective that has 

 provided new opportunities to address the challenge of supporting students going through the process 

 of enrollment and registration . 

 Understanding the challenges students face during this process is something we take for granted . 

 Something we think we already know .   As part of this , process students must complete an application , 

 financial aid , assessment for class placement , working with an advisor to choose a program , new student 

 orientation , and the actual registering for classes .   All of this before they can begin their first semester . 

 Along the way , students experience an emotional path as well . 

 There is truth in the saying " the hardest part is getting started , " and this definitely applies for students 

 taking on steps needed to complete this process .   They typically feel frustrated and lost as they 

 encounter tasks in a setting where people seem to speak a " different " language using terms like FASFA - 

 Federal Application for Student Financial Aid .   All of this contributes to a challenging set of obstacles 

 along a path that requires support to help students navigate it successfully .   This experience is analogous 

 to trying to get someplace you ’ve never been before without a map to help you reach your destination . 

 Our team 's challenge was to find a way to visual important opportunities and to begin to redesign the 

 student experience of the enrollment and registration process .   To accomplish this we needed a new 

 perspective of the student experience .   The design tool of visualization has provided access to the 

 opportunity to create a student experience that replaces confusion with purpose and frustration with 

 encouragement and inspiration . 

 With visualization as a starting point , the team conduct conversations to generate ideas about how to 

 view that experience differently .   Two major opportunities came from those conversations .   First , how 

 we could come up with a better way " to see " the students ’ perspective from the way we normally look 

 at it .    Second was to access the perspective to create change for the better .   Using maps of each of the 

 buildings we gained a “ top down ” perspective giving us a way to plot the student journey .   We then 

 marked the critical places where students complete each step of the enrollment process .   By super 

 imposing a journey map as part of the visualization tool and referencing the students ’ emotional 

 experience , we gained insight as to what students might feel as they walked through the enrollment 

 process . 

 As a result of utilizing the visualization tool , we came up with ideas to add value over the course of the 

 student journey .   Some examples of these ideas were using the map to give us a sense of the distance 

 between the door students used to enter the building and the check - in desk .   This created an 

 opportunity to position a greeter just inside the entryway to make students feel welcome and direct 

 them to the next station where they check in .   This would replace the experience of potential confusion 

 as students tried to figure out where they need to go first .    Using the map of the building layout , we 

 could see the next thing students experienced was standing in line to check in .   Imagining each person 

 coming from the outside during the winter weather , we created the next opportunity .   What if we 

 offered coffee or hot chocolate ? How would that generate a more positive experience ? 

 Looking from the top down for the student perspective , we could see we might give students a 

 comfortable environment to find out more about the resources available to support their success during 

 the first semester .   The map gave us a sense of the experiential space and gave us the idea to create a 

 variety of student stations .   We created one called the " job zone " where students could begin to 

 envision what employment opportunities their education could provide .   Another station called student 

 activities to give students information about organizations and clubs they could join to feel a part of the 

 college community , and finally a station providing information about student support services like 

 tutoring , library services , and workshops . 

 The insights generated from the visualization design tool allowed us to see opportunities in the map of 

 the student experience beyond what we already knew about what students had to do to get enrolled in 

 classes .   Rather than seeing the student experience " straight on " we could visualize it from above and 

 create an experience that added value to the emotional component of the student journey .   Our plan is 

 to experiment with these opportunities for the upcoming semester and survey students about their 

 experience .   Using those surveys we can begin to examine our ideas and how well our map to create a 

 more fulfilling student experience worked . 

 Using visualization as the catalyst to create a new perspective outside of what we already knew , gave us 

 a different way to think about what students go through to enroll in school .   This ultimately will give us 

 additional skills to successfully see our “ blind spots ” and to create opportunities to use design tools to 

 innovate and transform the student experience as a way to realize our commitment to student success . 

 As for me , I believe I have personal opportunities to use design thinking to create solutions that may be 

 counterintuitive to my institution ’s culture and conventions .   This course will help expand my capacity to 

 listen to others in the spirit of collaboration and provide a context for thinking differently .   To use these 

 tools , I now understand I will need to relinquish a degree of control and put more trust in the creative 

 process .   Finally , the cost of innovation requires the ability to move through a sometimes “ messy ” 

 process without a “ map . ” 


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: Using Visualization to Map the Student Experience        Reflection Assignment 

 Being part of a community college poses many opportunities and challenges for both students and staff . 

 With a commitment to make a difference , we work with students to achieve their goals through 

 education .   During my time with the college I ’ve experienced many failed initiatives based on 

 conventional approaches to problem solving .   As part of the Design Thinking for Innovation course , a 

 new palette of tools has provided numerous insights to the complex dynamic of student experience as 

 they go through the steps required to begin college .    Using the design tool of visualization , we were 

 able to gain the needed perspective to a complex problem , a problem needing solutions we could n’t 

 “ see ” using previous approaches .   These new insights have helped our team gain a perspective that has 

 provided new opportunities to address the challenge of supporting students going through the process 

 of enrollment and registration . 

 Understanding the challenges students face during this process is something we take for granted . 

 Something we think we already know .   As part of this , process students must complete an application , 

 financial aid , assessment for class placement , working with an advisor to choose a program , new student 

 orientation , and the actual registering for classes .   All of this before they can begin their first semester . 

 Along the way , students experience an emotional path as well . 

 There is truth in the saying " the hardest part is getting started , " and this definitely applies for students 

 taking on steps needed to complete this process .   They typically feel frustrated and lost as they 

 encounter tasks in a setting where people seem to speak a " different " language using terms like FASFA - 

 Federal Application for Student Financial Aid .   All of this contributes to a challenging set of obstacles 

 along a path that requires support to help students navigate it successfully .   This experience is analogous 

 to trying to get someplace you ’ve never been before without a map to help you reach your destination . 

 Our team 's challenge was to find a way to visual important opportunities and to begin to redesign the 

 student experience of the enrollment and registration process .   To accomplish this we needed a new 

 perspective of the student experience .   The design tool of visualization has provided access to the 

 opportunity to create a student experience that replaces confusion with purpose and frustration with 

 encouragement and inspiration . 

 With visualization as a starting point , the team conduct conversations to generate ideas about how to 

 view that experience differently .   Two major opportunities came from those conversations .   First , how 

 we could come up with a better way " to see " the students ’ perspective from the way we normally look 

 at it .    Second was to access the perspective to create change for the better .   Using maps of each of the 

 buildings we gained a “ top down ” perspective giving us a way to plot the student journey .   We then 

 marked the critical places where students complete each step of the enrollment process .   By super 

 imposing a journey map as part of the visualization tool and referencing the students ’ emotional 

 experience , we gained insight as to what students might feel as they walked through the enrollment 

 process . 

 As a result of utilizing the visualization tool , we came up with ideas to add value over the course of the 

 student journey .   Some examples of these ideas were using the map to give us a sense of the distance 

 between the door students used to enter the building and the check - in desk .   This created an 

 opportunity to position a greeter just inside the entryway to make students feel welcome and direct 

 them to the next station where they check in .   This would replace the experience of potential confusion 

 as students tried to figure out where they need to go first .    Using the map of the building layout , we 

 could see the next thing students experienced was standing in line to check in .   Imagining each person 

 coming from the outside during the winter weather , we created the next opportunity .   What if we 

 offered coffee or hot chocolate ? How would that generate a more positive experience ? 

 Looking from the top down for the student perspective , we could see we might give students a 

 comfortable environment to find out more about the resources available to support their success during 

 the first semester .   The map gave us a sense of the experiential space and gave us the idea to create a 

 variety of student stations .   We created one called the " job zone " where students could begin to 

 envision what employment opportunities their education could provide .   Another station called student 

 activities to give students information about organizations and clubs they could join to feel a part of the 

 college community , and finally a station providing information about student support services like 

 tutoring , library services , and workshops . 

 The insights generated from the visualization design tool allowed us to see opportunities in the map of 

 the student experience beyond what we already knew about what students had to do to get enrolled in 

 classes .   Rather than seeing the student experience " straight on " we could visualize it from above and 

 create an experience that added value to the emotional component of the student journey .   Our plan is 

 to experiment with these opportunities for the upcoming semester and survey students about their 

 experience .   Using those surveys we can begin to examine our ideas and how well our map to create a 

 more fulfilling student experience worked . 

 Using visualization as the catalyst to create a new perspective outside of what we already knew , gave us 

 a different way to think about what students go through to enroll in school .   This ultimately will give us 

 additional skills to successfully see our “ blind spots ” and to create opportunities to use design tools to 

 innovate and transform the student experience as a way to realize our commitment to student success . 

 As for me , I believe I have personal opportunities to use design thinking to create solutions that may be 

 counterintuitive to my institution ’s culture and conventions .   This course will help expand my capacity to 

 listen to others in the spirit of collaboration and provide a context for thinking differently .   To use these 

 tools , I now understand I will need to relinquish a degree of control and put more trust in the creative 

 process .   Finally , the cost of innovation requires the ability to move through a sometimes “ messy ” 

 process without a “ map . ”
### Output: 