Category: 6250

Part 1. How do you feel about your implementation and evaluation plans? Did they work well for you? How was the teamwork and how would you assess your own performance?

I felt that the Implementation and Evaluation Plans were forced. It was an excellent process to walk through, and the plans were very well designed with leading questions and a simplified checkoff list; however, not all of the questions were needed for my project. Therefore, I felt like I was stretching to put a “square peg in a round hole” and create a comment just to complete the assignment. Going forward I feel like I could still utilize this planning tool as I continue to develop projects, but would only use the components that were relevant to my work.

For the Task assignments I did not work in a team. Initially I had partnered with another student to team up for the Task assignments; hwoever, we were told that we were not supposed to work in teams for the Tasks and therefore we went our seperate ways and each completed our own Task projects. Looking back, I don’t know if my project would have been applicable to a group setting because it was so specific to what I was doing at work.

Overall, while the workload was intense at times, the end product was beautiful. On my own, I would not have completed this much work for the project without this guidence. In the end, I have so much research, support, justification, and a technology foundation that I feel this project will soon become a reality. Additionally, I was able to take components from the Tasks assignment and write a solid proposal for a Summer conference in Scotland. I feel pretty good about what was submitted.

Part 2. What kind of research agenda would you develop tied to the system analysis, implementation, and or evaluation. Will you try to do this kind of research in the future? Why or why not?

To somewhat reiderate the above comments, yes, I believe I will use these tools again in the future. I would have preferred to have been introduced to the evaluation and implementation frameworks a litte earlier in the design process, as in the evaluation phase I had to go back and make adjustments to the initial plan proposal so that it would align with the implementation plan. Yet, it was nice to have the tie-in and to see how the elements line-up. I feel like this type of reasearch is very project-based, and because much of my job is project management I found it to be useful.

PROMPT: What have you come to understand about the complexity of even simple systems?

There are many layers and encounters with even the simplest of systems. In some cases, the complexities intertwine thereby making the process even more complex.

PROMPT: What have you learned about yourself as a learner and budding research analyst?

This week I learned that I require uninterrupted focus time to think through all the various elements and impacts the creation of a system might impact. I have strengthened my knowledge that the things we read should not be taken at face value, as there is likely an underlining system in place that may not have been discussed as part of a manuscript or publication. I believe this exercise could also develop nicely into a mind-mapping exercise whereby additional avenues of research should be explored to support the overarching topic.

PROMPT: How do you think you did on Task 1? Why? 

I am anxious to get feedback on my Task 1 submission. It was a rough start for me to flush out the system, and to even know if I was on the right track. As I wrote to describe the system I found myself returning to the systemigram and editing it, adding more connection lines and moving sub-elements to nest under other elements. The process of writing and rewriting was a disciplined task to thoroughly develop the thoughts and process of the system.

Overall, I think I did well on Task 1. I was able to better understand the interconnection of the entities within my proposed project design, and I believe I was able to communicate the design well.

PROMPT: What will you do differently in the future?

I could see myself writing out a mindmap as a thought process for future projects. However, I don’t think I’ll take the extra task to develop a full systemigram utilizing digital software. I believe that there is value in outlining a process, whether it be a project proposal or a research proposal, but personally, I would prefer to write it by hand. I would benefit more from having a pencil and an eraser to draw out and redraw the connections versus fussing with the digital arrows that won’t snap into place where I want them to.

Prompt: Describe the primary educational systems you are involved in currently and your role in these systems.

Educational System	My Role
Western University of Health Sciences	Employee
Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning	Team Member
Instructional Design & Learning Development	Leader
WesternU Staff Council	Member
University of North Texas	Student
UNT: Learning Technologies	PhD Student
Bonita Unified School District	Parent
San Dimas High School	Parent
Pomona Unified School District	Parent
The School of Arts and Enterprise	Parent
Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles	Volunteer
Troop 24024	Leader

Prompt: Write a reflection about your experience in the class discussion during the synchronous meeting.

What did you learn?

During our group discussion, we shared thoughts about systems within education. We shared our impressions and takeaways from the readings and videos. Each individual within the small group commented on something different and picked up on things that I did not.

What do you want to learn more about?

In the sense of systems, I’d like to learn more about how it relates to me and my career. I understand that there are complex systems out there, but I am still struggling with understanding how that factors into my career.

During our group discussion we each shared how the topic of systems relates to our individual fields as an IT professional, a faculty member, and in the teaching & learning center. I think there was an A-ha moment here in that these are some of the silos that are often referred to within higher education. These topics mean something different to each group member because only a small piece of it relates to their individual career. Yet, for a large system to work effectively, we must break down those silos and understand the larger goal. However, that brings me to another quandary; who’s job is it to create the system? One would assume that it would be the administration.

Did you do anything about it and start to investigate on your own?

I did not do any further investigation on this topic. I did, however, notice that I was more cognizant of the various systems already in place at my job. I began to take on some additional responsibilities at work, and much of it is project management. The process I inherited was a mess, and as I am recreating the process I am thinking of systems and flowcharts to identify all the ways these projects are influenced throughout the new process I am creating.

If so, what resources did you locate?

If you didn’t, what does it say about your way of learning and motivation?

These new responsibilities have me working in my current job, as well as a former colleague’s job. So, this particular week I have not had additional time to explore and my motivation is very reactive instead of proactive. This will be something I need to work on in the future.

What might you do differently in the future to make your learning and understanding more effective and efficient?

I really like how these topics are applying to my current job. I feel that the application of these topics is helping me to identify and connect the dots of my learning process.

 

The thought of “Interconnectedness.”

In the movie Mindwalk, the dialogue identifies how we are creating solutions to fix problems that would have never existed if we were to go to the root of that initial problem, and fixed that instead. In the example of medical professionals creating synthetic hearts, if the ailing patient would have changed their lifestyle, diet, and eating habits, then the patient wouldn’t need the heart to begin with and the medical professionals would have never thought to have created one.

“But our system doesn’t encourage prevention…it encourages intervention” (Mindwalk, 1990). René Descartes, a 17th-century philosopher, is mentioned in the movie. His problem-solving format can be identified as taking a larger problem and breaking it down into smaller, bite-sized pieces; small enough as necessary to solve the larger problem.

In the YouTube video, Peter Senge refers to the word “system” as “A simpler word for system would simply be life; which is by its nature systematic, interdependent, interconnected, continually unfolding continually in a state of flux.” Life is always in transition and there is a balance that is always teetering one way or another. As soon as we fix one problem, another problem arises. Humanity is tasked with balancing the never-ending scales of fluctuation.  

In the Netflix documentary, I found it interesting that the milk production was growing so substantially in certain areas that with the increased number of cows there was an increased amount of poop and fertilizer. And with the increased amount of fertilizer, was affecting the air quality. Additionally, with the increased fertilizer going into the ground to fertilize the pastures, the groundwater was getting contaminated due to the increased waste. The water cycle had also become contaminated, and the rain was affected by the increased waste as well. This film brought into focus the larger impact of economic changes. One would think that increased productivity is good; however, one must also identify the potential downside and economic changes.

References

• The Milk System (Netflix Film) (Links to an external site.)
• Peter Senge: Systems Thinking 
• Mindwalk film

After a few months off to attend to family, I am excited to be back and learning again. Week 1, for me, is off to a delayed start because during the first week I was out of the country. I was invited to present at an international conference in Lyon, France and spent Week 1 of our course “across the pond.”

As I dive into the course expectations, I am excited to see that Netflix was added as a required course resource. There is so much educational content produced within a variety of platforms, that it is refreshing to see that the course modality is utilizing various resources. Education does not have to be boring, and so I look forward to discovering the new Netflix content that will be relevant to this course.

In the Week 1 Activity Video, the simplicity of the short explanation and the basics of the block visualizations set a robust example of what Systems can incorporate. The example of the elephant explains the common silos found within the higher education setting. Understanding the silos and learning how to break those down will help with the future implementation of technologies. It is important to understand the bigger picture, and all of the stakeholders must communicate; without this, the bigger picture is often misunderstood and resources are wasted on a problem we do not fully understand.

I look forward to learning more.