Design Thinking for Design Thinking for Innovation

Reflection: Learning Launch

Challenge:

To find a supportive solution for the academic language gap as evidenced by the performance on  specific course designed assessments for our corporate clients who are using the courses we  design to create professional performance pathways for their employees. In essence, our clients  speak several languages; however, English has been their academic language for education, but it  is not their native tongue.  Many have graduated from university years ago and rarely speak English  unless they go to the malls,etc. On the job and at home they speak their native language; however,  thus far the course material and assessments that we create are in English. There is a gap amongst  our course participants and we believe that many of them need to know their level of English  proficiency to self reflect and to better prepare for the courses. So, I recommended that we use  practice test produced by EduSynch an online provider.

Selection:

We choose to do a Learning Launch which is a cheap experiment that allows for quick engagement  with our customers that will allow us to test our assumptions. Our Learning Launch was an  experiment conducted in our assessment lab which tested several practice test provided by  Edusynch to see if they would help.

Application:

My first action was to softly discuss the idea with different departments within my organization to  gage whether or not my idea was worth exploring. The conversations with different department  heads were encouraging and the head of the assessments department agreed that we should test  and get feedback. We did so by contacting EduSynch and getting them to give us free practice test.  We then invited several of our organizations non English native speakers to take several of the  practice tests and agree to go through a feedback session with several of our coordinators. We  conducted the experiment by allowing our selected employees to use our assessment lab and we  gave them 3 different time slots during the work day.

Insight:

We learned that the range of time in which many of our employee test participant graduated from  university was more extreme than we first thought. Some were recent graduates, while others had  graduated as long as 20 years ago. Hence, they truly represented a micro sample of our clients  outside the organization. More importantly, we learned that the majority of the participants found the  practice test to be extremely challenging. In fact, many failed the practice test. Yet, they all agreed  that the practice test gave them self awareness of their level of English proficiency and that the  practice test would help them to better prepare for the courses and the assessments that followed.

Approach:

The next time, I will put together our best minds to make sure that the feedback tool is better  designed. The reason is that some of the feedback questions measured things like “whether or not  they found the assessment to be difficult” which some participants felt that being “difficult” was  negative. When in reality vigor on a practice test is actually good if it better prepares the participant  for their future course material and assessments.


Design Thinking for Design Thinking for Innovation Reflection : Learning Launch Challenge : To find a supportive solution for the academic language gap as evidenced by the performance on specific course designed assessments for our corporate clients who are using the courses we design to create professional performance pathways for their employees . In essence , our clients speak several languages ; however , English has been their academic language for education , but it is not their native tongue . Many have graduated from university years ago and rarely speak English unless they go to the malls , etc . On the job and at home they speak their native language ; however , thus far the course material and assessments that we create are in English . There is a gap amongst our course participants and we believe that many of them need to know their level of English proficiency to self reflect and to better prepare for the courses . So , I recommended that we use practice test produced by EduSynch an online provider . Selection : We choose to do a Learning Launch which is a cheap experiment that allows for quick engagement with our customers that will allow us to test our assumptions . Our Learning Launch was an experiment conducted in our assessment lab which tested several practice test provided by Edusynch to see if they would help . Application : My first action was to softly discuss the idea with different departments within my organization to gage whether or not my idea was worth exploring . The conversations with different department heads were encouraging and the head of the assessments department agreed that we should test and get feedback . We did so by contacting EduSynch and getting them to give us free practice test . We then invited several of our organizations non English native speakers to take several of the practice tests and agree to go through a feedback session with several of our coordinators . We conducted the experiment by allowing our selected employees to use our assessment lab and we gave them 3 different time slots during the work day . Insight : We learned that the range of time in which many of our employee test participant graduated from university was more extreme than we first thought . Some were recent graduates , while others had graduated as long as 20 years ago . Hence , they truly represented a micro sample of our clients outside the organization . More importantly , we learned that the majority of the participants found the practice test to be extremely challenging . In fact , many failed the practice test . Yet , they all agreed that the practice test gave them self awareness of their level of English proficiency and that the practice test would help them to better prepare for the courses and the assessments that followed . Approach : The next time , I will put together our best minds to make sure that the feedback tool is better designed . The reason is that some of the feedback questions measured things like “ whether or not they found the assessment to be difficult ” which some participants felt that being “ difficult ” was negative . When in reality vigor on a practice test is actually good if it better prepares the participant for their future course material and assessments .