Introduction
We’re now at the end of the semester, and it feels so surreal. Our goal this semester has been to develop our implementation plan so that we can implement it next semester. I’ve learned quite a bit from our visits to the MOBOT and within our research groups. I like the more involved aspect and our making progress towards creating a legacy not just for us but leaving a mark that shows the work we put into collaborating with the Missouri Botanical Gardens.
When developing an implementation plan, there are things you need to keep in mind such as the target audience, accessibility, and a goal. On our first visit with the garden this semester, we discussed the idea of an implementation plan and also a few examples of the implementation plans that the gardens have been using to reach their audience. Each one of their products has its pros and cons, and for my team, when developing our implementation plan, we wanted to create a product that addresses the pros and cons of their products.
I enjoyed collaborating with my team on developing our product. We all came up with different ideas but saw the potential in them, so we decided to create a product that has all of them combined. So far, we haven’t run into any problems. The goals I excelled at the most are collaboration, oral communication, and ethical reasoning. I want to continue developing all of these skills and work on achieving my goals for the semester.
We recently finished up our implementation plan and presented it to our garden partners on Thursday, December 5th, and it went really well. The whole process of designing our product was engaging and exciting. Before our presentation, my team and I met up, went over our slides, rehearsed a few times, and tweaked small things for our presentation. This meeting made us more comfortable later.
This semester was a success; our team dynamics were interesting but we made it work. There were a couple of ups and downs, but not with the team or our project; it was me. I experienced things this semester that brought me down and gave me a new perspective. During this time, my communication with my team wasn’t the greatest, and I fell behind on updating them on my progress. It eventually got better, and I’m proud to say that I’m confident that going into the next semester, our team will succeed in integrating our product into the Missouri Botanical Gardens.
Goal 1: Oral Communication (15%)
Uses clear organizational patterns and is skillful at presenting content cohesively
The image above showcases my team and I during our visit to the MOBOT. We were reading our ” Dear Sean” Letter, which essentially discusses our product/idea for our implementation plan. This assignment helped me make progress towards my oral communication skills.
Goal 2: Collaboration (30%)
Facilitates collaborators’ contributions by building upon their contributions, noticing when someone is not participating, and inviting them to engage.
The images above shows a review of our teams’ and other groups implementation plan. We each were given a packet where we would take notes, questions, and feedback. After, we would discuss our thoughts. This is a form of collaboration, we all exchanged ideas and were able to identify weakness and strengths within the plans. Also hearing everyone’s ideas and seeing how unique each one was, was cool.
The figure above showcases my research team final implementation plan presentation to our community partners at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. This semester was engaging and insightful for the future and we’re excited to integrate our product within the garden.
Goal 3: Written communication (20%)
Demonstrates a Thorough understanding of context, audience, and purpose.
The image of above is from our 1st reflection and demonstrates progress towards my written communication goal. My reflection is based of my observations and inference.
Goal 4: Global Learning (25%)
Applies knowledge and skills to implement sophisticated, workable solutions to address complex global problems using interdisciplinary perspectives.
Our “Dear Sean” Letter can be interpreted as progress towards my collaboration goal and also my global learning goal. Our approach when writing our letter was to give each other sections we felt best suited for. The sections I wrote were 2 and 3, the idea of our implementation plan and also what we would need to complete our product.
Goal 5: Ethical reasoning (15%)
Applies ethical concepts to a question and considers their full implications.
The image above is from my 2nd reflection. I’m still making progress towards ethical reasoning.