Inquiry to Innovation | Fall Semester 2014
Niehoff Center | Dr. Cory Christopher | Dr. Frank Russell
Inquiry to Innovation, as the name suggests, focused on methods of innovation and of idea creation, and exposed participants to multi-dimensional problem analysis. The first half of the class focused on introducing students to problem solving tools and methods (some of which are discussed later), and the second half allowed students to apply these newfound tools to an existing problem. The problem itself centered on Burnet Woods, a city park located adjacent to the University of Cincinnati campus. The class was told that the problem is a “hairball”, in which many groups, or stakeholders, attempt to assert their opinion in negotiations surrounding the park. The problem was that students had never been characterized as stakeholders in Burnet Woods, despite the proximity of the park to campus. Our class goal, then, was to make students stakeholders in Burnet Woods. In the second half of the semester the class split into groups, and each group tried a different method of achieving the overall goal. My group focused on characterizing students as stakeholders, with emphasis on external characterization (indirect characterization using the opinions of the community). We wanted to know what the community thought about students with respect to Burnet Woods. At the conclusion of the class, my group was able to fully address this goal. We also found that our findings were even more powerful when combined with the internal observations of other groups. Together, we were able to create a multifaceted view of students as stakeholders in Burnet Woods. We characterized student opinions, wants, needs, and community views of students.
My original motivation to take this course was to become more open minded, and to increase my experience with areas outside my discipline (chemical engineering). In this respect, the class was a success. The takeaways from the first half of the course were massive. I was able to apply the methods learned in class such as looking for a second right answer, playing the fool (throwing around ridiculous suggestions in order to generate creative ideas), and consulting an oracle (long story, see below*) to other student organizations. This allowed me to see value in what I was learning. The second half of the course required the completion of a lengthy and complicated project, which, again, kept me invested in the course. My group and I attempted to contact more than 15 community entities, and this required a great deal of organization and forethought. These are skills that will obviously extend beyond the course itself. I learned how to analyze a problem from many different viewpoints, and how to be sensitive to the stake that other entities hold in the project. I was able to improve my project organization skills. I had done a considerable amount of this in the past, but this project was one of the largest I had ever taken on. I had to spend a considerable amount of time in the evaluation stage, create a timeline, and modify that timeline as the project progressed. I have done all of these things before, but this project helped to further hone these skills. Finally, the tools that I was exposed to in the first half of the class will always be there to help me with idea generation. They are transferrable to any discipline and to any situation, and I plan to use them heavily in my upcoming co-op rotation.
Take a look at some of the things below. If you want to get the quick overview of our project, take a look at the research posters (order matters). If you feel like spending more time to get all of the juicy details, I suggest reading the research essay. It’s a whopper, but it is thorough. To become an expert on this experience (you know, in case you’re ever on a game show and they ask you about Burnet Woods), go no further than the essay. And, if you’d like a more comical view of my entire experience, check out the journal (at least, I think it’s witty). I was required to keep this journal during class, and it offers some of my opinions on what was happening in the class. It also does a pretty good job of documenting the entire experience.
I'll see you again after my next experience!
Alex
* I should probably explain the whole “oracle” thing. No, it does not involve climbing a mountain and asking an old man your question. It involves picking a random object and saying that the answer to your question lies within that object. It comes from a book we read in class, A Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger von Oech. The whole point is to get you to analyze your problem from every perspective, since oracles tend to be vague. For example, if you’re struggling with a problem at work (how to increase worker effort, for example), pick an oracle! Let’s pick the fifth sentence on page A3 of the Wall Street Journal, January 5, 2014. It reads (I’m hoping this is PG when I open the paper) “The reasons for the slow recovery in the office market are numerous.” Now, it is your job to make this sentence be the answer to your problem. Maybe you could say the reasons for lack of worker effort are numerous, just as the paper said. Now, you ask what those reasons are. Etcetera.
Am I painting a clear picture? You pick a random object (we picked a sandwich box in class and that box was very helpful, if I do say so myself). The random object is your answer. You just have to find out how. In that journey, which is often difficult, you analyze your problem from all sides, and that helps you to fully and clearly understand the entire problem. Strange, yes. But it works.
My original motivation to take this course was to become more open minded, and to increase my experience with areas outside my discipline (chemical engineering). In this respect, the class was a success. The takeaways from the first half of the course were massive. I was able to apply the methods learned in class such as looking for a second right answer, playing the fool (throwing around ridiculous suggestions in order to generate creative ideas), and consulting an oracle (long story, see below*) to other student organizations. This allowed me to see value in what I was learning. The second half of the course required the completion of a lengthy and complicated project, which, again, kept me invested in the course. My group and I attempted to contact more than 15 community entities, and this required a great deal of organization and forethought. These are skills that will obviously extend beyond the course itself. I learned how to analyze a problem from many different viewpoints, and how to be sensitive to the stake that other entities hold in the project. I was able to improve my project organization skills. I had done a considerable amount of this in the past, but this project was one of the largest I had ever taken on. I had to spend a considerable amount of time in the evaluation stage, create a timeline, and modify that timeline as the project progressed. I have done all of these things before, but this project helped to further hone these skills. Finally, the tools that I was exposed to in the first half of the class will always be there to help me with idea generation. They are transferrable to any discipline and to any situation, and I plan to use them heavily in my upcoming co-op rotation.
Take a look at some of the things below. If you want to get the quick overview of our project, take a look at the research posters (order matters). If you feel like spending more time to get all of the juicy details, I suggest reading the research essay. It’s a whopper, but it is thorough. To become an expert on this experience (you know, in case you’re ever on a game show and they ask you about Burnet Woods), go no further than the essay. And, if you’d like a more comical view of my entire experience, check out the journal (at least, I think it’s witty). I was required to keep this journal during class, and it offers some of my opinions on what was happening in the class. It also does a pretty good job of documenting the entire experience.
I'll see you again after my next experience!
Alex
* I should probably explain the whole “oracle” thing. No, it does not involve climbing a mountain and asking an old man your question. It involves picking a random object and saying that the answer to your question lies within that object. It comes from a book we read in class, A Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger von Oech. The whole point is to get you to analyze your problem from every perspective, since oracles tend to be vague. For example, if you’re struggling with a problem at work (how to increase worker effort, for example), pick an oracle! Let’s pick the fifth sentence on page A3 of the Wall Street Journal, January 5, 2014. It reads (I’m hoping this is PG when I open the paper) “The reasons for the slow recovery in the office market are numerous.” Now, it is your job to make this sentence be the answer to your problem. Maybe you could say the reasons for lack of worker effort are numerous, just as the paper said. Now, you ask what those reasons are. Etcetera.
Am I painting a clear picture? You pick a random object (we picked a sandwich box in class and that box was very helpful, if I do say so myself). The random object is your answer. You just have to find out how. In that journey, which is often difficult, you analyze your problem from all sides, and that helps you to fully and clearly understand the entire problem. Strange, yes. But it works.