Innovation Lab – Refining the Project (Spring 2012)
Alfonso Sintjago & Tryggvi Thayer
Promoting student leadership and entrepreneurial skills as well as increased student collaboration and maximizing the use of innovative technology.
The development of innovative ideas is often the result of an individual’s or a group’s attempt to solve a problem by improving on the current modus operandi. While individuals often consider ways in which to bring improvements, sometimes these tasks are often challenging and daunting. An single person may not be sure of how to address all of the required steps, be confident in their idea, or may lack all of the skills needed to materialize and finalize their idea. By encouraging students to share with other students their ideas, abstract concepts can be refined, prototyped, tested, and implemented. Rather than solving problems individually, the lab will encourage students to organically organize into teams and further develop their projects intertwining the interests, ideas, skills, and objectives of students.
A Virtual and Physical Bulletin Board:
A physical bulletin board will be placed in the first floor of Wulling Hall. There students will post ideas in different stages of development and partner with other interested OLPD students, as well as other CEHD students. Only OLPD students will be able to post new ideas, however a team members could include any student in the university.
The bulletin board will also include a virtual component where students can post ideas any time of the week and year. As well as search through a database of interesting ideas that have yet to be further developed. For privacy concerns, the virtual board will be password protected. A moderator will then analyze student’s proposals and decide whether it violates the rules of the bulletin board in which case it will be deleted. Ideas will not be discarded based on preference or feasibility.
Benefiting from a Collaborative Space:
By having access to a technologically enhanced, organic, multi-functional, organic space students will be able to brainstorm, discuss ideas, test projects, and have access to technological resources that will aid in the further development of their projects.
The innovation lab will also benefit from the flexibility that the furniture of the collaborative space will provide as well as having access to various technological gadgets and innovative tools that will be available for testing. The lab will also include a list of literature resources regarding the innovative process.
Innovation Workshops
The innovation lab will host a series of workshops to discuss topics such as: the innovative process, the importance of innovation for society and education, as well as recent innovative ideas that are currently transforming or modifying education throughout the world.
In addition, the innovation lab will also serve as the space for a semester long innovation course that will allow students to invest additional time in their project. This course will be student taught and all participating students will act as co-instructors. The course will also have a faculty moderator.
Recommendations for next steps:
1.Would it be possible to have a semester long course? What is the level of interest?
2.What would be needed in terms of administration for the innovation lab, workshops, and courses?
3.How will the innovation lab impact the planning or the framing of the collaborative space?
4.If there is an high interest in having a course, what additional steps would need to be taken?
5.Who will administer the bulletin board? (Discuss both its physical and virtual components)
6.What gadgets, books, and additional items would be needed or would be beneficial to own?
7.Should there be a yearly amount of funds available for small purchases? for projects? (Contest?)
8.What would be the biggest obstacles for the innovation lab to be developed? Competition?
9.What non-UMN partners should be consider?
10.Should this lab be limited to OLPD students?
