Reflection – Storytelling 

 Challenge and Selection 

 I work as a professor in the mechatronics engineering program at my university ( I have only 1 year   of experience , I ’m rather young ) , the subjects I teach are mainly about medical robotics and   concurrent design . When I first got to the university , the first thing I noticed in my students was that   they were struggling to get an idea for their project . It seemed like they focus only on some   complicated functionality just to prove that they can do it , rather than solving someone ’s problem .   As engineers , there is this belief that we are only surrounded by numbers and formulas , and when   it comes to be creative , my students become very shy and insecure . 

 I decided to give them some insights on how to choose a project , using some concepts of design   thinking and user centered design . After teaching those concepts , and basic steps , some of my   students were still having problems to define exactly what they wanted to achieve and the impact   of their project . 

 To try to solve this and show my students that they can be creative with their projects , I told them   to use the Storytelling tool , thinking that telling a story would be easier for them . This way , they can   be familiarized and empathize with the users having the problem , and then they could transmit   those same feelings to other people . 

 Application 

 One group of students was very indecisive about what to do , so I told them to look for experiences   near them . After a while , one of the members of this group approached me to know if the project   she had in mind was good or not . She has a close family member , a child , suffering from type I   diabetes , making it necessary to give the child insulin shots . I told her that it was not enough , that   she needed to observe what can be improved . I told her that she is not looking for a cure , but she   can try to come up with something that makes the disease more manageable . 

 This student noticed that the process of the insulin shots was very stressful for both the child and   the parents . With this in mind , we did a little research on the matter , including what was the disease   about and the different ways to take care of a patient . And because they observed stress while   taking care of the child , the students went and asked a psychologist about the effects of this disease .   They found out that a child can feel like they do n’t belong when they have a chronic disease . And   because of the restrictions they must have , they do n’t feel like the other kids and consider   themselves outsiders . 

 So this group focused on the experience of this family member to tell the class about the importance   of making the process more “ fun ” for the child . 

 After some brainstorming with this group of students , they came up with a toy ( a teddy bear ) with   a glucometer incorporated inside the plush toy . This device is capable of storing the data to have a   history of glucose levels and keep a better track of the child ’s health . But that was not all , they   programmed the toy to “ talk ” and let the parents know that it was time for a shot or a glucose 

 sample . Also , the plush had a toy syringe , so the child could “ apply ” a shot to the toy , and this way   this process would become something more common and the child could feel more normal . 

 What was very interesting in their process of using the storytelling tool , is that they saw the need to   ask psychologists and doctors about the disease and its effects , making this project multidisciplinary .   And when it was time to present the project , unlike other groups , they made a video of the family   before ( stating the problem ) and after using their device ( solving the problem ) . It was very   stimulating for them , because they are used to present projects by showing circuits and diagrams ,   rather than stating the importance of the work . This project was entirely driven by the experience   of the family , so the students were inspired with their story to do something to improve their daily   lives . 

 Insight and approach 

 The students that were able to apply the storytelling tool , had great results and allow them to   broaden their way to develop devices . I could see that they were more motivated to solve a person ’s   problem , rather than thinking about the device first . 

 This tool can be very effective in the area of medical robotics . It gave the students the opportunity   to really observe what is going on around them , ask questions and identify what was needed . It was   a great experience for them . 

 But not all the students could apply this tool successfully . Some students were not quite sure on   how to state a problem or who ’s story to tell . For next semester I will change my approach and show   them more design thinking tools ( like the visualization tool ) , so they can choose the one that is more   convenient . 

 Also , I ’m planning on making the steps for design thinking along with them , this way I can help them   on time in their process . The students that I previously talked about , unlike others , were eager to   ask questions and to spend more time besides the lecture hours to make the exercise . And because   of their dedication , I could help them in every step of the way . So next time , I will take the process   to the lectures and create some activities that can make them more interested . 

 This process taught me that it is better to concentrate and have clarity over the “ what is ? ” before   going to the next step , and I know it will be helpful for my students as well . I will concentrate on this   first step with them , where they usually present difficulties . 

 Although my engineering major has a design factor , it is based on calculations , rather than   experiences . And that is something that I think I can improve in the educational process of my   students . 


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 – Storytelling 

 Challenge and Selection 

 I work as a professor in the mechatronics engineering program at my university ( I have only 1 year   of experience , I ’m rather young ) , the subjects I teach are mainly about medical robotics and   concurrent design . When I first got to the university , the first thing I noticed in my students was that   they were struggling to get an idea for their project . It seemed like they focus only on some   complicated functionality just to prove that they can do it , rather than solving someone ’s problem .   As engineers , there is this belief that we are only surrounded by numbers and formulas , and when   it comes to be creative , my students become very shy and insecure . 

 I decided to give them some insights on how to choose a project , using some concepts of design   thinking and user centered design . After teaching those concepts , and basic steps , some of my   students were still having problems to define exactly what they wanted to achieve and the impact   of their project . 

 To try to solve this and show my students that they can be creative with their projects , I told them   to use the Storytelling tool , thinking that telling a story would be easier for them . This way , they can   be familiarized and empathize with the users having the problem , and then they could transmit   those same feelings to other people . 

 Application 

 One group of students was very indecisive about what to do , so I told them to look for experiences   near them . After a while , one of the members of this group approached me to know if the project   she had in mind was good or not . She has a close family member , a child , suffering from type I   diabetes , making it necessary to give the child insulin shots . I told her that it was not enough , that   she needed to observe what can be improved . I told her that she is not looking for a cure , but she   can try to come up with something that makes the disease more manageable . 

 This student noticed that the process of the insulin shots was very stressful for both the child and   the parents . With this in mind , we did a little research on the matter , including what was the disease   about and the different ways to take care of a patient . And because they observed stress while   taking care of the child , the students went and asked a psychologist about the effects of this disease .   They found out that a child can feel like they do n’t belong when they have a chronic disease . And   because of the restrictions they must have , they do n’t feel like the other kids and consider   themselves outsiders . 

 So this group focused on the experience of this family member to tell the class about the importance   of making the process more “ fun ” for the child . 

 After some brainstorming with this group of students , they came up with a toy ( a teddy bear ) with   a glucometer incorporated inside the plush toy . This device is capable of storing the data to have a   history of glucose levels and keep a better track of the child ’s health . But that was not all , they   programmed the toy to “ talk ” and let the parents know that it was time for a shot or a glucose 

 sample . Also , the plush had a toy syringe , so the child could “ apply ” a shot to the toy , and this way   this process would become something more common and the child could feel more normal . 

 What was very interesting in their process of using the storytelling tool , is that they saw the need to   ask psychologists and doctors about the disease and its effects , making this project multidisciplinary .   And when it was time to present the project , unlike other groups , they made a video of the family   before ( stating the problem ) and after using their device ( solving the problem ) . It was very   stimulating for them , because they are used to present projects by showing circuits and diagrams ,   rather than stating the importance of the work . This project was entirely driven by the experience   of the family , so the students were inspired with their story to do something to improve their daily   lives . 

 Insight and approach 

 The students that were able to apply the storytelling tool , had great results and allow them to   broaden their way to develop devices . I could see that they were more motivated to solve a person ’s   problem , rather than thinking about the device first . 

 This tool can be very effective in the area of medical robotics . It gave the students the opportunity   to really observe what is going on around them , ask questions and identify what was needed . It was   a great experience for them . 

 But not all the students could apply this tool successfully . Some students were not quite sure on   how to state a problem or who ’s story to tell . For next semester I will change my approach and show   them more design thinking tools ( like the visualization tool ) , so they can choose the one that is more   convenient . 

 Also , I ’m planning on making the steps for design thinking along with them , this way I can help them   on time in their process . The students that I previously talked about , unlike others , were eager to   ask questions and to spend more time besides the lecture hours to make the exercise . And because   of their dedication , I could help them in every step of the way . So next time , I will take the process   to the lectures and create some activities that can make them more interested . 

 This process taught me that it is better to concentrate and have clarity over the “ what is ? ” before   going to the next step , and I know it will be helpful for my students as well . I will concentrate on this   first step with them , where they usually present difficulties . 

 Although my engineering major has a design factor , it is based on calculations , rather than   experiences . And that is something that I think I can improve in the educational process of my   students .
### Output: 