Post 12

Weilin Pan hopes to empathize with people and speak for the minority groups such as Asian females in order to eliminate the discrimination and stereotypes in the world.

My epitaph: I’ve been working so hard for the whole life, so I’m going to get some sleep.

Post 11

Living an Impact-Focused Life

What’s your Why?

I believe I was put on this earth to Live and experience

My purpose is to: Enjoy a busy but colorful life instead of an idle and boring one.

I believe (my core values): I don’t need to do anything I really don’t want.

The one thing I must do before I die is: Take pictures at a studio with my family

My advocates and supporters all believe I: Have the passion, power, and potential to complete everything I aim to do

The evil I want to eradicate in this world is: The lack of empathy

I want to work in order to: Gain as much different experience as I can

 

Walk the Talk – Your How

If you are truly committed to your Why, you show it in your everyday behavior. It is all air until you do it. Working from your Why, How do you prove that you are true to your Why in all you do?

I always: Make a to-do list of the day

I never: Do anything impulsively

My work style is: Organized and efficient

I try to treat people: With empathy instead of stereotypes

I approach problems by: Listing the causes, possible solutions, and evaluations

Victories are time to: Keep calm and have self-reflections

If another attacks my point of view I: Stay rational and try to communicate thoroughly

If I fundamentally do not agree with what an organization or person is doing, I will: List my reasons and solutions, then discuss with them

Your Credibility – Your Whats

Articulating and learning from GSIF-related Experiences

Teamwork Experience We LVSIF team is the only team with 3 different projects. It seems difficult to work together, but actually, sometimes we might be stuck in our own thought about our project, while someone from another LVSIF project can give more effective suggestions from a different perspective. Once we brainstormed on the presentation of VR team. They were confused about several questions from the reviewers. On the other hand, as a bystander, I could understand the reviewers’ point because we didn’t know much about their project. I was not constrained by their completed logic flow, so I could understand the reviewers’ point. It turned out that they finished the responses more efficiently than expected. When facing a problem, it’s better to put ourselves into others’ shoes or pretending to be a bystander. In this way, our thought will not be restricted. Asking for a bystander’s opinion is very likely to offer us a brand new perspective.
Conflict Resolution Experience Junior and Jenn of the VR team have worked on this project for years so they have a lot of brilliant ideas. Even though our group is always peaceful and harmonious, conflicts are inevitable when ideas collide. I don’t remember the specific situation, but once Junior talked a lot and was slightly off-topic. Jenn happened to have the opposite opinion, so they had a small debate. The rest of us checked the question list and mentioned that they were getting off the topic. Then, our discussion was back on track. I’m lucky to have the teammates who listen to each other instead of sticking on one’s own viewpoint. The small conflicts enable us to communicate thoroughly and reach an agreement or come out with a better idea.
Leadership Experience I was responsible for writing a script about what should we do next after watching the Beyond Bar show. It would be performed by all the team members. From working on this piece, I did research and learned more about some actionable steps like speaking out, joining clubs, and donating to organizations. I also set schedules for the team to discuss, edit and record. Besides the knowledge on the project, I learned to be more organized so that I could finish a long piece step by step like building a tower. Communication is very important for me to know the expectation of my teammates. By collaborating with each other, we can make a perfect piece.
Dealing with Chaos, Ambiguity, and Uncertainty One of the reviewers asked a question about the word “watershed” in the project name of the VR team. At first the VR team found the question ambiguous, but I tried to put myself in to the reviewer’s shoes, and realized that he was just confused about whether the topic “watershed” was important enough to be put in the project name. After discussion, we reached an agreement that “watershed” had two meanings: the scientific topic the VR team planned to discuss, and the concept of spreading the new educational method just like water is everywhere. When there is an ambiguity or uncertainty, brainstorm can always help us discover the clearer point. Sometimes we just need to step out of our character and empathize with others, and there will be more understanding.
Personally Challenging Experience I had another project in summer, meanwhile, new members joined the Mountaintop and made a great progress. In the spring semester, I found the whole topic changed and almost everything was new. I felt hard to catch up at first, but fortunately, my teammates were all willing to help and introduce every piece in the drive. Soon I finished the materials and started interviewing and editing. Stepping out of the comfort zone must be hard, but it is a necessary step for one to grow quickly. If we have a question, we should ask immediately when it is possible.
Cross-cultural Experience I’m an international student from a typical eastern culture. When selecting the GSIF/LVSIF topic I was interested in, I figured out one of the differences between different cultures. My culture focus more on studying and scientific researches. On the other hand, American universities provide students with opportunities in various fields. Though the program has large social science topics and it’s hard for a group of college students to create a significant influence, students still have the confidence and passion to work on them. They firmly believe that they will make a difference. I have never thought about the mass incarceration rate before, but I’m impressed by the hard work and strong will of my teammates. Cultural differences enable me to step out of my comfort zone. As long as I believe in my strength and continue to learn more, even a small step forward could be a solid foundation of the next steps. Rome is not built in a day. I should not only believe in myself and my teammates, but also in the new group members who join in the future. In this way, we could affect the world eventually.
An experience that helped you connect your GSIF work to your discipline / major. Under the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beyond Bars group is not able to perform in a theatre. So we need a platform to integrate all the resources and work for our audience. As a Computer Science student, I took part of the responsibility of building the website. https://sites.google.com/lehigh.edu/beyondbars
A moment that boosted your sense of agency and self-efficacy – you felt like you can speak for yourself, get stuff done, take on the world and make it better. When I introduced my project in class and distributing the flyers, many students and faculty showed their interest and asked me several questions. I could answer all of them, so I was confident and proud of our work done so far. I believed we could reach the goal of having over 100 audience. That was the moment when I felt like I could speak for myself, get things done, and make the society better.
A moment where you felt like you truly have a strong sense of purpose and belonging in this dynamic, globalized interdependent world. After I sent the email of our flyer and project introduction to my clubs and some school organizations, several of them responded. For example, the International Voices not only forwarded my email to all the club members, but also offered to include our script in their magazine. Thanks to their support, I was thrilled and became more motivated. That was the moment when I was determined to carry on and spread our ideas to more people. We are starting from the community right now, but I believe we can unite more people and make a difference to the world.

 

Post 9

Systemic challenge: The mass incarceration rate is increasing in the US, with an especially severe situation for the LGBTQ+ inmates, while many people are still unaware of it.

Stakeholders (current problems):

  • Audience: Lehigh students and faculty, people in the Bethlehem community
    • Some are not aware of the current social justice system or the mass incarceration rate.
    • Some are interested in making a change but they have no idea about related resources or organizations.
    • Lack of education – stereotypes and discrimination still exist
  • Our Partners
    • Limited members with similar interest
    • Need a larger social network
    • Not powerful enough for the government to change the policy
  • Inmates, especially LGBTQ+ people
    • Lack of understanding
    • Lack of education about the current social justice system and their own situation
    • Can’t gather people with the same goal
    • Low rehabilitation rate
    • Face discrimination or stereotypes

Post 8

  1. If you are the Chief of Police for Afghanistan, what solution would you develop to pay the cops that are actually working, reduce corruption, and boost their morale.

Solution: 

  1. a) Focus on administrative control and internal self-monitoring:
  • Pay commanders or supervising officers based on the accuracy of their payroll lists so they would be incentivized to keep track of ghost policemen, also set up a policy of disciplinary action for both higher-ups and regular policemen if they reach a certain portion of inaccurate payroll rosters so there are consequences for corruption.
  • Use a biometric (fingerprint scan) check-in/check-out system. This would help the individual working schedules without having to involve extra personnel. At the end of the month (or paying cycle) policemen and their superiors would receive their paychecks according to the number of days worked (successfully registered by the biometric system). Should a worker exceed a certain amount of absent days, their paychecks would be frozen until they provided documentation for justifying their absences. 
  • Reward workers with percentage pay raise to incentivize policemen who provide (a) daily reports of performed activities, (b) flagging people who do not follow the regulations, (c) flawless biometric record of attendance. 
  • An external supervising team that does not belong to the department so they tend to be unbiased and won’t cover the corruption.
  1. b) Create transparency measures:
  • The mass media has the power to (a) expose corruption by releasing the names of the people who are caught faking as policemen and who are helping the ghost policemen to the public periodically with the internal department checks to improve the public trust and morale through a more transparent policy from the government, (b) discourage people from corrupt actions by propaganda and education about the punishment of violation (public judgment, court), (c) support the police stations for anti-corruption policy, (d) praise and highlight the policemen who are doing well and carrying out their duties appropriately, (e) increase citizen involvement on supervising police misconduct. 
  • Once the population can see who the “good cops” are, not only they will start trusting more the policemen in charge, but they can also help hold the good cops accountable if they ever start straying off into corruption again.
  1. c) Create a system to build literacy:
  • Offer moral & civics education for the policemen as part of their training. For example, they could take classes in a school before being on duty.
  • Perform (bi)monthly assessments of ethics and public administration law, so that their scores can serve as data to either promote or demote officers. No permanent benefits or positions.
  • More emphasis on corruption control at the selection and training process, with integrity tests and polygraph tests

These changes reflect systems thinking principles of interdependence, multifinality, equifinality, regulation, and leverage points because we are trying to approach the problem from multiple avenues of the individual parts in the whole system by going through various levels of the hierarchy.

The proposed solution also introduces changes that would build an environment of self-regulation and peer-monitoring with consequences that would promote anti-corruption and cross-level accountability. That would make it more worthwhile for the commanders and non-supervisory employees to follow the proper procedures instead of being corrupt, we are taking advantage of leverage points at both the administrative level and the employee level by providing better benefits for “proper” behavior because taking a hard cut, the punitive approach may create more resistance from all levels than trying to offer an alternative where every stakeholder is satisfied with the benefits they gain from following the rules of the system.

 

  1. If you are the entrepreneur, what multi-final solution will you develop so that you succeed, your venture succeeds (takes water hyacinth off the lake), and the people living along the lakeshore also walk away happy. Please be specific on how your solution might function and precisely whom you would work with. For example, refrain from including vague stakeholders like entire communities.

The root of the problem is the dissatisfaction the locals have towards her for taking this thing that “belongs” to everyone and making money out of it. While the communities on the shores of the lake have a problem with her making money on the hyacinth, they do not have a problem with the harvesting itself. Thus, our solution involves some type of profit splitting with locals, using the fishermen as leverage points, and not shifting the issue elsewhere or involving other parties.

 

She should solicit help from the fishermen, who benefit from her harvesting the hyacinth, to involve individuals who live in the communities on the shores in her business. She should hire locals (willing to do the job) to collect the hyacinth as well as pay them for the rights to harvest their hyacinth. 

 

She could also involve members of the communities who live on the shores to help expand her production of the compost and briquettes. She could teach them how to harvest safely and efficiently, and how to control the hyacinth’s growth to a proper amount. She could package her process and sell it to members of the local community for a discounted price.

 

Once she has the production running smoothly, she could look to expand her market for the compost and briquettes. 

 

  • we are trying to change the system in order to reduce resistance from other stakeholders because they are also a part of the overall system.
  • taking different approaches with the different groups of people as her partners recognizes that while they are separate individual parts, they all have an effect on the overall success of her venture so she should work with all of them for an equifinal and multi-final solution.
  • this solution also recognizes the interdependence of the various stakeholders and how they are holistically involved from the water hyacinth being a type of checks and balances for the fishermen, for the owner of the venture, and the locals, it can aid in preventing overfishing and the compost and briquettes that it makes benefits the locals in return as an alternative to coal while being the source of profit for the venture.

Post 7

Partnerships:

  1. International Voices: Lehigh
  • What constituted the partnership?

International Voices is a student club and literary magazine refounded in 2017. The student-governed magazine highlights the creativity, diversity, and inspiration that flourish at Lehigh University. It collaborates with the Center for Gender Equity, Lehigh After Dark, and the larger Bethlehem community.

  • How did the partner help you?

I have contacted Teresa Cusumano, an English instructor and the Faculty Advisor of International Voices, last semester for including our script in their magazine. Due to the COVID-19, the plan was canceled. This semester, she helped us send the introduction of our project and our audition link to students of International Voices and those in her English courses. She has also kept a page in the magazine waiting for our new version of the script.

  • How did you help them?

Our script is a social justice theatre that aims to increase people’s awareness of the mass incarceration rate in the US and the situation of LGBTQ+ inmates. If this piece is included in the International Voices magazine, it will not only add the diversity to the overall content, but also represent Lehigh nationally and internationally, and will build credibility by broadening readers’ horizons on the mass incarceration topic.

  • Was this a symbiotic relationship?

Yes. They help us with propaganda, and we help them explore a new area of knowledge as well as building credibility.

  • What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?

Consistent communication about possible changes and helping them with the propaganda of their magazine. Revising the script to a more attractive version since it has a heavy topic and a lot of information that might make it boring.

  1. Dr. Bonnie: Team

  • What constituted the partnership?

Dr.Bonnie Winfield operates an art-based support program for incarcerated women, The Journey Home. She developed an art therapy program for female inmates. Our previous focus was on incarcerated women, so we have established the partnership since last semester.

  • How did the partner help you?

Last semester, Dr.Bonnie provided us with some poems written by female inmates and their stories. She planned to bring us into the Northampton Prison and interview some inmates, but the COVID-19 stopped us. This semester, she had several meetings with us, sharing her research results, stories, and contact list with us.

  • How did you help them?

We will include her name and introduction page on our website and build her credibility. Her thoughts and concerns will be spread to more people through our play.

  • Was this a symbiotic relationship?

Yes. She helps us a lot on completing the content of the script, and we will help her spread her ideas to more people. Our aim is the same: to decrease the mass incarceration rate in the US and to adjust the current policy.

  • What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?

Dr.Bonnie is a professional researcher with many more resources and a larger network. As student researchers, we should have consistent communication and consistent work on spreading her thoughts to more people.

  1. Office of Creative Inquiry: Lehigh

  • What constituted the partnership?

The internal office of the university has started the Mountaintop Summer Experience in the summer of 2018.

  • How did the partner help you?

The office established the LVSIF project. It offers us funding, network, and university approval on research. We have weekly meetings to discuss how to make a progress.

  • How did you help them?

Our project adds diversity to the Creative Inquiry projects and represents Lehigh nationally and internationally. We build credibility by showing their work is efficient and will make a difference.

  • Was this a symbiotic relationship?

Yes, because we help each other and collaborate with each other.

  • What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?

We can strengthen this partnership by working more efficiently and spreading our work to more people. In this way, the Creative Inquiry Office will have the opportunity to get good publicity and more partners.

4. Pride Center: Lehigh

  • What constituted the partnership?

The Pride Center for Sexual Orientation & Gender Diversity exists to build a just, equitable world through community building and the pursuit of change. They were working on the mass incarceration of minority groups, especially the LGBTQ+ inmates. We have established a partnership since last semester. Now we have a more similar focus, we can collaborate better.

  • How did the partner help you?

We had a meeting with Mel and Scott Burden of the Pride Center. They told us about some events they held and their purpose. They also gave us the resources and contact lists.

  • How did you help them?

We will spread their thoughts and ideas to more people through our play. The Pride Center will be on our list of resources in the final performance, so we help them build credibility and find more partners.

  • Was this a symbiotic relationship?

Yes, because we help each other and collaborate with each other as I noted above.

  • What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?

We can strengthen this partnership by communicating consistently, working more efficiently, and spreading their thoughts and research to more people. In this way, the Pride Center will have the opportunity to get good publicity and more partners.

5. End Mass Incarceration – Power Lehigh Valley: Team

  • What constituted the partnership?

Our partnership with this organization started before I enter the team. The Beyond Bars 1.0 had performed successfully with their support. We have the same purpose, so our partnership will last long.

  • How did the partner help you?

They have weekly meetings about mass incarceration and stories of inmates. They have provided us with a perfect platform for our performance.

  • How did you help them?

Their aim is to raise more people’s awareness of mass incarceration in the US. We will have more than one show, and every performance will let more people know about the current situation. This organization will also be introduced on our website. They can get more partners.

  • Was this a symbiotic relationship?

Yes. This organization helped us a lot with completing the project. Our aim is the same: to decrease the mass incarceration rate in the US and to adjust the current policy.

  • What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?

We will have consistent communication with them. Exchanging information and network can strengthen this partnership and efficiently spread our thoughts and research to more people.

Post 6

Q1:

  1. We have changed the original theatre performance to an online jukebox style.
  2. We enlarged the focus on female inmates to the LGBTQ+ inmates.
  3. We have created a new contact list based on the summer on the mountaintop.
  4. We use Groupme, when2meet, and Zoom to have meetings.
  5. I learned to create a google site.
  6. We have one participant to attend the End Mass Incarceration of Power Lehigh Valley every week.
  7. I learned to write scripts and design a play.
  8. My role has changed from a researcher to a new member since I missed the summer on the mountaintop.
  9. I have improved on the way to record the meetings and document my work.
  10. I have become more independent in working on the project and can take care of my own tasks now.

 

Q2:

  • The Big Goal of this project is to complete the development of the virtual reality headset game and distribute it to non-formal education centers to inform people of the significance of their local watershed in the Lehigh Valley.
  • Junior is most likely to be the Implementer and Specialist because he has the most experience with the project and is the one actively doing development work via Unity as well as mentoring new members on how to use the program.
  •  Jennifer is the group’s Shaper and Resource Investigator because she leverages her experience in teaching and formal education to bring a new perspective to the project. She also reaches out to collaborative partners for resources such as media/historical photos for our game. She is also a Completer/Finisher because she looks over the text resources and catches corrections and edits.
  • Beigie also satisfies the role of Implementer because she is now contributing to creative and technological development with the game now that she has learned how to use Unity and has adapted to the workflow of the team. She will also be assisting Junior if there are new members to the team so she can also be considered a Specialist. She also does the Recording in the team with minutes.
  • The working process of our team is still generally the same. Team procedures for decision making usually switch between coming to a consensus after discussion or deference to experts in the relevant field. Decision making is done at team meetings where we attempt to give everyone a say because this project is not one which might require more authoritative leadership, and it is important that we allow everyone who is a part of this project to voice their opinions. The process of our meetings is generally going over status updates quickly and then reviewing things that require either editing or decision making; everyone has access to the minutes, but it is usually one person making direct edits while others leave comments.

Communication methods involve Gmail/Hangouts, GSuite, and Zoom, since some platforms are more convenient for different purposes. Whole team meetings occur every one or two weeks for about 1 and a half hours. We meet amongst ourselves two times a week for updates and working sessions together. Responsiveness is very high and not a problem for our team because everyone is very on point with checking their emails; at most, it will take a day for a response due to time zone and location differences.

  • Our interpersonal relationships are getting better and better with frequent communication; we’ve come a long way since the start of last semester. We Zoom frequently and also share details of our personal lives with each other so we are very comfortable with working and providing feedback to each other. We recognize each other’s strengths and are leveraging those in a way to make our workflow even better.

 

Question 3—potential funding source

 

→ General Outline

  • Educational technology and STEM curriculum development, designed to also address the learning needs of multiple groups such as children/adults, English language learners, and informal educators.
  • We are creating virtual reality (VR) games that are cross-compatible (i.e., computers and mobile devices, including VR headsets). These learning games have their foundation on active, game-based, and situated learning experiences to immerse learners in aspects of local history, geography, and environmental science of the watershed they live in, in fun and engaging manners.
  • Our PI, Dr. Al Bodzin has an extensive history of many years of research in this area
  • We have previously developed a prototype that was tested among 60 students at a local urban high-school.

→ Product description

  • Design and Development of  five iVR gaming learning experiences;
  • They will focus on promoting users’ spatial knowledge of the Lehigh Valley watershed using environmental case studies which impact the watershed and water quality within it;
  • Each will be designed to take 15-25 minutes to complete.

→ Results of Prior NSF and Other Support

Socio-Environmental Science Investigations (SESI) Using the Geospatial Curriculum Approach with Web GIS. (NSF #1614216, August, 2016-July 2020, with one-year no-cost extension, $1,199,794). Primary Investigators: Alec M. Bodzin, David Anastasio, Thomas Hammond, Kate Popejoy, and Breena Holland. Resulting publications are noted with an * in the References.
Broader impacts: The developed SESI investigations have great societal relevance since environmental problems have a disproportionate impact on underrepresented groups, and also promote the development of STEM-related skills.

 

→ Expected Outcomes

 

  • Educational

 

  1. Promote learning regarding the concept of watersheds.
    1. Increase awareness about the importance of one’s watershed
  2. Systems-thinking and feedback loops;
    1. How a small action (e.g., littering) can have a huge impact on the environment.
  3. Changes in effect, behavior towards games to learn.

 

  • Research
    1. Advancing our iVR learning model
    2. Understanding how the iVR learning model impacts interest in the games, engagement, and learning with a full spectrum of users from age 13 to adults.
  • Social
    Increase in the number of visitors to local nature centers, especially from target groups such as adolescents, adults, and English language learners.

 

→ The measure of Learning:  

Environmental issues and impacts in the local watershed: Open-ended questionnaire prompt about knowledge of environmental issues and impacts in a player’s watershed. (pretest and posttest)

 

→ Timeline

    • Initial funding during the research and dissemination phases will be the University and grants from different organizations whose programs are in line with our venture’s vision. After that, we will be working on building scale with our product from local to regional in order for our venture to be self-sustaining. Ideally, we would be reaching a steady-state by two years after launching our product.

Post 5 – Presentation Review

    • Top 20 Basic Questions & Responses
    1. Why did we choose the Lehigh Valley watershed as our subject content/ matter?
    • We chose the Lehigh Valley watershed as our content matter for this venture because the impact, while local, can be generalized to include any watershed around the globe and now the impact is global. → easily scalable
    • Place-based instruction, authentic/relatable material, watersheds function as “circulatory system” of the environment.
    • Science, especially environmental topics such as watersheds don’t generally attract much interest through traditional teaching methods so it is a good topic to gamify and garner interest in
    1. Why are we focusing on the water?
    • We have chosen to focus on the water because it is an important natural resource. It is critical that individuals understand how small habits (e.g., throwing your water bottle out of your raft) can have large impacts on those natural resources.
    • Water is everywhere, water is one of the most important and easiest topics for developing STEM integrated curricula.

     

    1. What is the focus of our venture, the watershed or the educational technology?
      • The focus of our venture is educational technology. We use VR technology to re-engage the disengaged learner. Digital learners are the future. People are increasingly dependent on technology, instead of fighting to disconnect them, it’s more efficient to engage them with a platform to which they are already inclined.
    2. What are the Environmental outcomes we want our venture to have?
      • Ideally, students come away from our venture with a better understanding of their impact on their environment and more consideration for their future actions.
      • This is not an outcome which will be measured because it is not the primary focus for our venture, merely a bonus.
    3. What are the Social outcomes we want our venture to have?
      • In the virtual space, skills are taught and practiced in a simulated environment.  Not only does it provide a near realistic experience, but the environment is safe.  Additionally, most VR platforms allow learners to continually practice skills and it offers managers and/or leaders the ability to coach to specific skills.
      • As we are currently partnering with local nature centers, the social impact we want our venture to have is to bring more visitors to these sites.
      • We hope to have a positive impact on the way people view their relationship with their environment, similar to how DARE curricula aims at creating healthy social behavior among teens with drug education
    4. What are the Educational outcomes we want our venture to have?
      • The students are more aware of the environment in Lehigh Valley. Their interest in water and environmental science may be piqued and become more environmentally responsible.
      • “With the popularity of virtual reality and mixed reality, immersive learning has emerged as one of the “hot” educational technologies that are transforming not only the educational system; but also helping companies plan better training programs for their employees.”
    5. How are we measuring success?
      • We will not be directly measuring the environmental outcome of this venture
      • We will measure the social outcomes of our venture by measuring the traffic at partner nature centers and returning customers to our venture’s business
      • We will be measuring the educational outcomes for our venture by assessing our partnerships with other university students/professors who are utilizing our product to conduct educational research and having our name connected to this line of research where we can act as a connection between researchers.
    6. What are the concrete details we are looking at that will tell us our product is working?
      • Concrete details we are looking at that will tell us our product is working is continued and expanding relationships with the educators using our product; individuals who are better informed about their environment and local resources.
      • More people come to us to make games/use our game to teach about environmental science topics.
      • Sales reports
    7. Currently, what does the market for immersive learning apps look like?
      • https://www.immersivelearning.news/tag/market/
      • An expected market value of about $12 billion through 2022
      • Several Fortune 500 companies, such as Boeing, UPS, and Walmart, have already introduced VR into worker education programs on a massive scale .
      • A report on the global VR market in the education sector, the increased number of VR social spaces has opened up opportunities for growth in this sector.
      • “This was one of the top elearning trends in 2019, and there is a big chance that its influence won’t abate anytime soon.”

    Virtual Reality (VR) in education

    • “The intense adoption of VR in education is partly due to the increased demand for experience training. By taking the learning process beyond the classroom, VR facilitated the growing trend toward the independent learning path. For example, the medical realities platform employs VR technology to help medical students watch live broadcasts of mock surgeries, providing real-world experiences – something they would not normally have access to until the end of their education.”
    • “According to our latest report on the global VR market in the education sector, the increased number of VR social spaces has opened up opportunities for growth in this sector.”
    1. What is our target demographic for users? 
      • Our target demographic for users are people from ages 13-80 in non-formal education settings
    2. Who is our market that will invest in the product?
      • We have several markets who will invest in our product: alternative learning environments like nature centers; non-traditional schools; virtual learning environments
      • Given the “new normal” of education during Covid, virtual learning environments are the best way to keep students, teachers and the community safe
    3. How is this different from what is already on the market? 
    • Most of the products on the market are developed for different subjects, not environmental science
    • Engaging educational material is hard to find; our product includes both a lesson plan and the materials necessary to implement
    • We lower the barrier of adoption by providing the technology ready to go and other assistance services such as tutorial videos
    1. How do you see the future market for this product? Is this just a fad?
      • We believe that the market for this product and similar technologies will continue to grow in the future. While gaming has always been seen as a form of entertainment, it has also been used to incorporate lessons such as strategy and critical thinking. For example, Go or chess. Today, gamification is already being incorporated into multiple sectors of our lives to motivate higher user engagement with interface designs such as unlocking “levels” in commercial activity when you spend a certain amount in a year.
      • Educators will be looking for ways to keep their students engaged when not in the classroom. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, every classroom (and workplaces) became non-traditional learning environments. VR has demonstrated its potential to bridge the distance gap while engaging the learner, providing the sense of presence. Thus, it is unlikely that VR will be just a fad.
    2. Why are we using VR as our platform? 
      • “Humans learn best by doing, and VR is designed to espouse this principle.”
      • “VR provides an immersive experience anchor to the theoretical part of learning.”
      • “Its ability to support distance learning is a well-timed intervention, especially in the modern workplace where remote work is the new norm”. With the social disruption caused by COVID-19, it seems that Virtual Reality is the only safe Reality.
    3. What are the benefits compared to the high cost?
    • In terms of cost, it is more expensive to organize a trip down the Lehigh river for a group of students than it is to take them on the same tour virtually. In addition, in the virtual environment, we can take learners back in time so they can “see” the effects of past behaviors. We can’t actually take them on a trip down the river in the early 1900’s on the maiden voyage of a canal boat.
    1. What exactly are we doing that makes this gamified and will make students more engaged?
    • Creating compelling narratives that are place-based (i.e., real locations, relatable to the audience)
    • Creating immersive learning experiences with elements of gamification and the theoretical framework of game-based learning.

     

    “This is different from game based learning. Game based learning is an approach of learning where students learn experimentally through playing in a game context. Gamification is slightly different in that it is taking game elements such as points or achievements and applying them to a non-game environment. It’s a form of user interface design that increases engagement through manipulating what makes people drawn to games in settings that are not. We apply this type of design to our product where users are unlocking achievements through exploring the built environment. This creates a sense of accomplishment and recognition for what they are doing which encourages further activity.”

     

    1. What is our expertise? Why are we qualified?
    • Instructional Technology from Lehigh University.
    • Diverse/interdisciplinary team of students and professors.
    • Our team has significant experience in areas that include design and implementation of iVR learning, game-based learning, instructional design, research in the area of science, learning with novel technologies, environmental content, and spatial understandings.
    • Our project mentors Bodzin, Anastasio, and Hammond have an established track record of prior success with implementation and management strategy on related projects (see for example, Bodzin, Anastasio, & Sahagian, 2015; Bodzin et al., 2015, Bodzin et al., 2016; Carrigan et al., 2019; Hammond et al., 2018).

     

    1. What are the risks associated with using VR headset technology, if any? 

    Health hazards:

    – Motion sickness, nausea.

    – According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (2020) too much screen time can harm the amount and quality of sleep as well as lead to other physical and social problems. Since VR easily provides high levels of engagement and triggers flow state, one must be mindful of the amount of time they spend with their headsets on.

     

    Other related risks:
    – A group of scholars (see Makransky, Terkildsen, & Mayer, 2019) have been conducting research based on the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) and their preliminary findings point to immersive VR being a possible source of less learning when compared to more traditional instructional media.

     

    1. How are these risks being addressed?
    • It may not be suitable for everyone so general precautions are to use the technology for short periods of time and see if you have any adverse effects to it. Also, we are targeting the population from 13-80 in which they are above the minimum age advisory for the technology. There is a desktop VR version for those who are unable to use the standalone headset.

     

    1. How do you plan to fund your venture/ who’s going to pay?
    • Initial funding during the research and dissemination phases will be the University and grants from different organizations whose programs are in line with our venture’s vision. After that, we will be working on building scale with our product from local to regional in order for our venture to be self-sustaining. Ideally, we would be reaching a steady state by two years after launching our product.

     

Post 4 – African baby food

Teammates: Alyssa Blasko, Weilin Pan, Skyler Martinez,Tommy Persaud

 

Part 1

Step 1: Facts of the Situation

(Facts + Clearly point out the ethical issue)

  • A research team received a grant to establish a women’s cooperative in this region.
  • In certain area of East Africa, growth of ~35% of children is stunted due to poor nutrition
  • HIV/AIDS is very prevalent in this region
  • The gruel used to wean children off breastfeeding is not nutritionally beneficial to infant (banana and maize)
  • Cash crops are grown in the three regions that expressed interest in participating
  • Pesticides are currently used in cash crops and can be very harmful for infants and children
  • 500 women are interested in joining the cooperative 
  • Current crops grown in the area: maize, sorghum, cassava, several varieties of legumes (dried beans), French beans, coffee, pineapple, bananas, pumpkins, tomatoes, carrots, kale, white (Irish) potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

 

The ethical problem: 

  • Prolonged breastfeeding with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS
  • Content of gruel can link to pesticide use of cash crops, further risking health of children 
  • The mothers are skeptical because they have fed the children with gruel before, they are not familiar with the new recipe
  • Current gruel being used is not nutritious enough, according to scientific research

 

Step 2 + 3: Stakeholder Motivations

  • African children
    • Personal:
      • Have safer food with a better taste
      • Lower risk of exposure to HIV/AIDS, grow without pain and illness
  • African mothers
    • Personal:
      • Give their child nutritious food 
      • Ensure the food their child is eating is safe for consumption
      • Excitement to learn and socialize – but their vulnerability may result in wanting you to hear what you want to hear – they do not want to come off as ignorant – they may reinforce your ideas because they think you’re smart and want to agree. On the other hand, some may be weary to trust an outsider so make sure you talk to the right people 
  • Farmers
    • Personal: 
      • Make money
    • Professional: 
      • Produce safer foods 
      • Grow business as their crops become essential in porridge (sell more crops)
      • Find an alternative 
  • The research team
    • Personal: 
      • Make money, reduce the HIV/AIDS rate, further their career
      • Earn more money to continue doing research and get continuous funding
    • Professional: 
      • Recognition in the research community if collective is successful
      • Building up their own credibility in their research community 
  • Local hospital
    • Professional: 
      • Bettering of health of patients and locals
      • Provide safe sex instruments to reduce transmission of HIV/AIDS
      • Make sure hospital isn’t always at capacity – prevent future cases
      • Can devote their resources to something else 
  • Doctors & Nurses
    • Personal:
      • Help ensure mother/infants are healthy 
    • Professional:
      • Help reduce transmission of HIV/AIDS by educating locals 
  • University/lab/government (Funding agency)
    • Professional: 
      • Treat spread of disease
      • Reputation of gaining academic knowledge
      • Funding agency will have their name attached to the possible solution
      • More advertising – want to be a world leader in the field – want to build up their brand
      • More partners
  • African government – Secondary stakeholders
    • Professional:
      • Decrease the countries’ HIV rate
      • Decrease the infant mortality
      • Create a safer living environment for the citizens
      • Make profit

 

Step 4: Three Alternative Solutions

(Solution, Ethical Principle, Pros, Cons for each)

  • Potential Solution 1: Educate people on the recipe
    • How does it solve the problem? 
      • Pros: Local people can trust the recipe has enough nutritional value
      • Cons: There might be conflicts due to different viewpoints. People might be more skeptical.
    • How does it save face of those involved? 
      • Pros: 
        • Can market itself as a more ethical and safe option for families
      • Cons: 
        • Concerns with accessibility and efficiency 
    • Implications on relationships 
      • Short-term: 
        • Strain on relationships with local farmers
      • Long-term: 
        • More solidified trust and assurance among mothers and families as a healthier option

 

  • Potential Solution 2: Pesticide removal treatment 
    • How does it solve the problem? 
      • Pros:
        • Cleans the foods
        • Increases trust with the community which will lead to more women in the cooperative using the porridge 
        • Improves growth and nutrition of the children 
      • Cons: 
        • May not take all the pesticides off
        • May be costly 
        • May not increase trust with the community 
    • How does it save face of those involved? 
      • Many families do not want to use the food with the pesticide and that the porridge is unknown. This option is a better nutritional option compared to the current situation and allows them to keep with cleaner foods 
    • Implications on relationships 
      • Short-term:  
        • May increase trust with trying the new porridge 
      • Long-term: 
        • Could increase reputation in the community as the collective aims to use cleaner ingredients

 

  • Potential Solution 3: Using safer pesticides
    • How does it solve the problem? 
      • Cash crops can still be grown at the same rate. Adverse health implications might be minimal. 
      • Pros: 
        • Cash crops can still be used
        • Infants can have nutritious food 
        • Mothers have lower risk of HIV/AIDS transmission
      • Cons: 
        • Still using pesticides 
        • Economic barriers with affording better pesticides 
        • May still keep mothers from wanting to use the porridge 
        • Farmers might not want to adopt the use of new pesticide  
        • Farmers cannot afford new pesticides
        • Might not be any safer pesticides for infant consumption
    • How does it save face of those involved? 
      • Keeps the pesticides in the project which eliminates insect issues and continues the growth of crops at a cheaper price while lowering the risk of pesticide exposure. 
    • Implications on relationships 
      • Short-term:
          • Trust issues with using new porridge
          • Farmers might be offended because they are producing harmful goods 
        • Long-term: 
          • Hopefully an increased use of the porridge
          • Adoption of safer pesticides 

 

Step 5: Additional Assistance

 

– government and nonprofit organization funding for safe sex instruments within hospitals 

– donors previously mentioned assisting in funding/searching for safer pesticides (or pesticide alternatives)

-neighboring countries’ similar experience and their solutions

-NGOs

 

Step 6: Best Course of Action

 

A combination of pesticide removal and safer pesticide

Pros: 

-Cost less than only focusing on developing pesticide removal techniques

-Safer food for babies

-Enough nutrition achieved

-Boost credential for the research team

-Farmers can make profits

-The researchers can get more money and further their study

Cons:

-Possible issues with grant funding if funders want a pesticide free crop yield

-Possible conflicts when there are trust issues (local people might be skeptical)

-Still high HIV/AIDS rate if there is no enough testing

 

Step 7: Implications of Solution

Technology

-possible catalyst for change in agricultural technology, farmers may become more conscious of pesticide use and its harmful effects

 

Social

-searching for safer pesticides or alternatives will strengthen venture’s relationship with mothers and families

-Larger crop yield by using the safer pesticides which adds a higher reputation to the grant and results of the venture

 

Economical

-there is the possibility of more money and energy going into the creation of the product for the market than the return on investment. Could be a financial burden to purchase all materials as a start up cost, Could improve results which may lead to more grant funding

 

Environmental

– process in locally producing (or even just ridding of) porridge could leave chemical residue and waste that could harm the surrounding environment

 

Part 2

Step 1: Facts of the Situation

  • The business with local women is thriving
  • The women work for about nine hours every day and earn KES 300 (about $3)
  • They have the opportunity to sell the produce grown on their small farms to the cooperative
  • The women enjoy working with each other and are happy with the cooperative; they have a strong sense of community and identity
  • Women cannot use the money earned for their families (money goes to the men)

 

Step 2 + 3: Stakeholder Motivations

(Copy-paste from earlier and differentiate between personal and professional. Don’t forget additional stakeholders such as the men and the six other members of the leadership group. Also think of ways in which men can be engaged for tasks (like driving, heavy labor) that are almost always done by men.)

  • African children
    • Personal:
      • Have safer food with a better taste
      • Lower risk of exposure to HIV/AIDS, grow without pain and illness
  • African mothers
    • Personal:
      • Give their child nutritious food 
      • Ensure the food their child is eating is safe for consumption
      • Excitement to learn and socialize – but their vulnerability may result in wanting you to hear what you want to hear – they do not want to come off as ignorant – they may reinforce your ideas because they think you’re smart and want to agree. On the other hand, some may be weary to trust an outsider so make sure you talk to the right people 
  • Farmers
    • Personal: 
      • Make money
    • Professional: 
      • Produce safer foods 
      • Grow business as their crops become essential in porridge (sell more crops)
      • Find an alternative 
  • The research team
    • Personal: 
      • Make money, reduce the HIV/AIDS rate, further their career
      • Earn more money to continue doing research and get continuous funding
    • Professional: 
      • Recognition in the research community if collective is successful
      • Building up their own credibility in their research community 
  • Local hospital
    • Professional: 
      • Bettering of health of patients and locals
      • Provide safe sex instruments to reduce transmission of HIV/AIDS
      • Make sure hospital isn’t always at capacity – prevent future cases
      • Can devote their resources to something else 
  • Doctors & Nurses
    • Personal:
      • Help ensure mother/infants are healthy 
    • Professional:
      • Help reduce transmission of HIV/AIDS by educating locals 
  • University/lab/government (Funding agency)
    • Professional: 
      • Treat spread of disease
      • Reputation of gaining academic knowledge
      • Funding agency will have their name attached to the possible solution
      • More advertising – want to be a world leader in the field – want to build up their brand
      • More partners
  • African government – Secondary stakeholders
    • Professional:
      • Decrease the countries’ HIV rate
      • Decrease the infant mortality
      • Create a safer living environment for the citizens
      • Make profit
  • Men
    • Personal
      • financial gain from the women for personal endeavors
    • Professional
      • they can desire to make their own money 
  • Six members of the leadership team
    • Personal
      • they desire whatever would benefit the growth of the company
      • they empathize with the local women and want local women from the company to use their self-earned money
    • Professional
      • they seek to achieve the twin outcomes of the company

 

Step 4, 5, 6: ONE optimal solution

(How solution meets twin outcomes, Pros, Cons, how it saves face for all stakeholders, short-term and long-term implications on relationships and the venture. Also include additional assistance you sought to identify the one best solution)

  • Optimal Solution: 20% of their earned payment is a cash payout and 80% is kept as earned credit in the cooperative for goods/services
    • How does it solve the problem? 
      • Pros 
        • Women can buy their own goods & services with their own money
        • Sense of achievement and motivation to work
      • Cons 
        • The cash could still be taken by men
        • Possible conflicts and domestic violence because men didn’t get enough money
    • How does it save face of those involved? 
      • Women have the rights and freedom to allocate their salary. They are less constrained by men in their family.
      • The research team and the cooperative solve the problem.
    • Implications on relationships 
      • Short-term: Trust issues because local people are not familiar with this method of saving a large amount of salary in the cooperative
      • Long-term: Domestic violence and conflicts between men and the cooperative
    • Implications on the venture 
      • Short-term: More cost and energy on educating the women about the new way of distributing salary
      • Long-term: The women will feel more satisfied with the work so more and more women will join the cooperative. The cooperative can thrive.

 

Step 7 Specific step-by-step process to implement the proposed solution.

-utilize the grassroots diplomacy from small to large scale aspects of operations

– get feedback from women who work for corporation 

– get feedback from male leaders on process and operations

– communication in each step with stakeholders, receiving feedback in each step

– hire workers for the equity bank 

Post 3-Black Hat

Step 1: Determine the facts in the situation 

  • Jack is an American student working at a youth center in Kenya- working on a social venture
  • Often works with the children at the youth center. Also works with the staff
  • An international donor donated gifts to children under the age of 14 to a youth center in Kenya
  • There were not enough gifts for all of the children. 4 children didn’t get gifts
  • The staff members had allocated the gifts for the children and labelled them. Jack handed out the labeled gifts to each child. 
  • Jack spent 5 months at the center
  • Hats were given to the kids who didn’t receive gifts. The kids did not like the hats. 
  • Kids think that the gifts are from Jack
  • Jack discussed the gift situation with the staff. The staff thinks that Jack is making a big deal out of this matter but said that he can solve the problem. 

The ethical problem: Is giving out backup gifts (black hat) ethical? Do the kids need to be compensated for their situation? Do the staff have to work on the problem? How could Jack comfort the kids who didn’t get a gift?

Step 2: Define the problem and the stakeholders

  • Jack 
  • Kids who did not receive the gifts 
  • Kids who did receive the gifts
  • Staff members  

 

Problem: There were not enough gifts for all of the children. 

 

Step 3: Determine and distinguish between the personal and professional motivations of the stakeholders. 

  • Staff:
    • Personal: Want the children at the youth center to be happy. Don’t want to be blamed for not having enough gifts.
    • Professional:Concerned about Jack becoming a “children’s rights activist”. Aren’t too concerned about the gift issue. 
  • Children who received gifts
    • Personal: Happy that they received gifts. Think the gifts are from Jack. May feel bad for the kids who got hats. 
  • Children who did not receive gifts
    • Personal: Angry that they didn’t get actual gifts. Blame Jack. 
  • Jack
    • Personal: He doesn’t want the children who did not get gifts to resent him. He wants to be well liked and respected by the children. 
    • Professional: Concerned about the holistic growth of children. If the children feel being ignored, they might have low self-esteem.

 

Step 4: Formulate (at least three) alternative solutions

  • Potential Solution 1: Jack uses his own money to purchase gifts for the remaining four children. 
    • How does it solve the problem? 
      • Pros: 
        • The children would receive gifts. 
        • Jack would still uphold his status with the children. 
      • Cons 
        • Other kids for whom Jack won’t purchase gifts might feel left out
        • Jack will have to spend his own money.
        • Jack might be seen as a push over and they will start to take advantage of him. 
        • Jack will be looked at differently with the staff because he went behind their backs. 
    • How does it save face of those involved? 
      • Jack would still be providing gifts for the remaining four children so that they won’t feel being ignored.
    • Implications on relationships 
      • Short-term 
        • Kids do not hate Jack anymore 
      • Long-term 
        • Kids might expect more gifts from Jack 
    • Implications on the venture 
      • Short-term: The children will think that Jack is generous so they are more willing to meet him. This may impact his goal of his social venture. 
      • Long-term: There might be potential conflicts among children in the youth center. It might be harder to supervise because of Jack’s action.

 

  • Potential Solution 2: Jack gives the black hat to the children.
    • How does it solve the problem? 
      • Pros: The four children still leave with a gift.
      • Cons: 
        • The children think that Jack forgot about them.
        • The children did not receive a gift like their peers. 
    • How does it save face of those involved? 
      • The children are still walking away with something. 
    • Implications on relationships 
      • Short-term: 
        • They are mad at Jack because they did not receive a gift like their peers. 
        • They feel inferior to their peers.
        • They might be jealous or mad at their peers who did receive gifts. 
      • Long-term: 
        • They might think less of Jack’s character. 
        • They might resent Jack for forgetting to get them gifts.
    • Implications on the venture 
      • Short-term: Jack is not upholding a positive status with his kids. This may impact his goal of his social venture. 
      • Long-term: His status might be spread among the kids in youth centers, so he might not be welcomed and thus could not proceed his social venture.

 

  • Potential Solution 3: Jack provides the kids with some other form of a “gift”(special privileges like first in lunch line) 
    • How does it solve the problem? 
      • Pros: Kids with hats feel better and like Jack more. People who work at the youth center will be ok with it because they aren’t spending money. 
      • Cons: Kids who got gifts may feel left out. The children who did not get gifts may not want to be a line leader or receive another form of a gift. 
    • How does it save face of those involved?
      • Jack would not be seen as someone who does not treat everyone equally 
    • Implications on relationships 
      • Short-term  
        • Kids with hats feel cared 
      • Long-term 
        • Jack won’t be able to always treat kids with hats with privilege and kids might feel awkward about it 
    • Implications on the venture 
      • Short-term 
        • Jack will resolve the problem without any extra resources 
      • Long-term 
        • He might be interfering with the youth center’s principles

 

Step 5: Seek additional assistance, as appropriate

Additional assistance could be sought from other youth centers and professionals in child psychology and pedagogy who have the knowledge on dealing with similar kind of problem. Asking the peers in the youth center might also be a good way to let the other kids be more understanding and to make the friendship stronger.

 

Step 6: Select the best course of action

A combination of solution 1 and 3 would be the best course of action. The kids would not only need a compensation gift, but also need a psychological comfort. Being left out in front of the public and being ignored by the adults could form mental shadow on children, especially when they live on their own in a group of peers in the youth center. Since the kids don’t like the black hats and the staff are not willing to help, in order to establish a friendly and generous character, Jack should buy the gifts for the kids. Additionally, the special privileges could make the kids feel less isolated. They deserve a mental compensation like this. Even being the first in lunchline once is enough for the kids. They can also learn the equality at a young age. As Jack and the staff reach an agreement, even if the small privilege interferes with the rule in the youth center, it’s okay to break the rule once because of special reasons. And the staff would not have the pressure on thinking about a proper solution. There would be an overall positive impact on Jack’s social venture.