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 don’t belong when they have a chronic disease. And  because of the restrictions they must have, they don’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.

