Jada Parker
Sun Feb 1
CODES
Reflection 1
My project is centered around a website that will provide resources to the residents of Cahokia heights. My part specifically is to generate a list of government funded agencies that I feel will be most useful to the residents. To ensure that I am providing useful resources or if I feel a revision may be needed due to the ones that I have not meeting certain requirements or have what I think the residents of Cahokia heights may be looking for, I must ask myself a serious of questions such as: how is this agency different from the rest? What makes it stand out? How quick will I receive a response back? Will I even hear back from them? What steps must I take to get what I’m looking for? In order for me to answer these types of questions I must put myself in the shoes of a person that’s from Cahokia heights. Some secondary sources that I need to explore to help bolster my previous research is government documentation, this could be the EPA inspection or the City of Cahokia heights planning records, I can look into news coverage or community responses to look at quotes from residents or officials. As I said before my targeted audience is the people of Cahokia heights and while doing this research I find it very important to put myself in their shoes. If I go in as myself, my research won’t feel as raw and authentic and I won’t feel like I’m reaching and impacting the people of Cahokia heights the way I should be. So when I do my revisions I want to make sure that everything that I’m including is useful to them in some way. I say this because I know that they have done a ton of interviews and surveys before mine and I’m pretty sure I won’t be the last person, but I want my audience to be fulfilled. That’s why I need to be strict on the type of research that I do, the things that I input into this project must matter not only to me but to them as well because the whole point of this is for them.
Reflection 2
My targeted audience is the Cahokia Heights community. Since my main focus is coming up with resources for the residents that are affected by the poor water infrastructure and contamination my stake holders would be the residents. They are the ones who are negatively impacted by these issues. They rely on the water for cooking, drinking, and bathing. They shape my work by influencing which resources are most important to focus on, such as access to clean water, health support, and infrastructure funding. Government agencies like FEMA , the EPA, and HUD, contribute to shaping my research because they provide the programs, funding, and assistance that communities can realistically access. Our research partners would also be our stakeholders because they also are here to assist with coming up with ideas and solutions for the water issues in Cahokia. My goal is to make sure that residents have access to reliable, government funded resources that directly address their current situation, while also presenting the information in a clear and easy to understand way. They help me focus on resources that are realistic, useful, and connected to the community’s needs. Since my stakeholders are the residents of Cahokia , their situations guide which types of government funded agencies I prioritize. Government agencies and public health departments shape my research by setting the standards for water safety and offering programs that Cahokia residents can actually apply for. Overall stakeholders help ensure that my research is not just informative, I also want to connect people to the most relevant and accessible government funded agencies through our website.
Reflection #3 2/24/26
What is the process of giving and receiving feedback like for you? what can you do to give better feedback and improve how you engage with the feedback you receive from others?
To me, the process of giving feedback is making sure that I view it not only from my standpoint but from other stand points as well. This is important because not everyone has the same thought process nor does everyone see the same outcome, when you develop a versatile thought process, you’re more open and understanding of one’s work or ideas. This makes giving feedback less complicated and clearer. When it comes to receiving feedback, I look for mutual respect and honesty. If my work is not up to par or if I need to elaborate on something a bit more then I would want a person to say that and also express why, why is very important because you don’t want to a person to say fix this and not tell you why you need to fix it. This leads to confusion and in the end it’s not good feedback, feedback is growth. you need to make sure that you’re applying it, so that you don’t find yourself repeating history. It also important to go into it open minded and view it from a non biased standpoint because you have to realize not everyone thinks the same and try to be formal, you don’t want to be too opinionated and more logical; put your own beliefs aside and see if for what it is. You want to actually make sure the person doesn’t feel anyway after, you want them to feel like their learning and that improvement is something that you are looking for out of them. Once you realize your feedback is actually helping and not setting the person back due to inward reasons then you know that your feedback is actually helpful, also it’s good to ask how they feel after and what their thoughts are at the moment. That way you can also receive their feedback on your feedback.
Reflection 4
Question: How will your recent interactions with your research team, community partners, and CODES320 mentors shape your work moving forward?
Moving forward, my interactions with my community partners, research teams, and codes mentors by pushing me to my full academic potential. It’s very affective having multiple sources of support, and knowing that if I am having some kind of set back I can always ask for feedback and assistance. To be more specific, my community partners are very crucial when it comes to overall feedback on my research ; helping me understand what is needed and what’s not needed in regards to the wicked problem my group and I are focusing on. Going back to my previous meeting with my community partners, I was told that I was going in the right direction and that some of the government agencies that I conducting research on were much more helpful than others when it comes to their resources and efficiency. My research team will help shape my work by making sure that I’m upholding my part because when it comes to working in a group time management is very important. I say this for many reasons, we all have to be on the same schedule when it comes to due dates, if one lacks it kind of holds the group back so if everyone is doing their part the group reaches a flow state. Also, if I have any questions I can also ask people in my group. My CODES mentor will also shape my work moving forward by holding me accountable as far as my academics, making sure that I’m doing my work and giving me feedback on my work ethics; telling me my weaknesses and strengths. This is very helpful because I can take this and apply it to my ways moving forward. Overall, all parties are very effective when it comes to shaping my work. They all ensure than I am going in the right direction, making needed changes, and being on my A game.