Hello everyone!
What fun our Event Day was! We enjoyed engaging with students, educating them about food waste and recovered produce, as well as serving some delicious smoothies.
We also have launched our website with an interactive map, recipes and facts about food waste and recovered produce.
Here are our weekly objectives and strategies to achieve:
| Week | Dates | Weekly Objectives | Strategies to Achieve |
| 9 | March 7 – March 13 | March 11: Process data from survey answers (wait for Will’s reply email first regarding half-finished surveys)
March 14: Compile website view count |
Analyse gathered information that would address our objective and answer our inquiry questions:
Reflect on the successes/failures of Booth Day and its goals. |
| 10 | March 14 – March 20 | Continue observing website count view | Input paper survey into Fluid Surveys. |
| 11 | March 21 – March 27 | Meet up and begin final report by starting off with an outline, a solid idea of the format, the results | Designate member(s) to be responsible for specific sections in the final report.
Create a method for having all team members efficiently contribute to final report (ex. Use Google docs to share our sections) |
| 12 | March 28 – April 3 | Finish final report
Create final presentation |
Ensure everyone’s input and feedback is heard for the final report (ex. Use Google docs to give comments and suggestions for each other’s sections).
Ensure everyone’s input and feedback is heard for the final presentation (ex. Also use Google Docs for the final presentation, and use the “comments” tool). Be creative in terms of the presentation format (ex. Use graphs for results, concise discussion points etc) |
Our Moment of Significance workshop helped provide a visual to the progress of our project throughout the semester. It also helped us understand each other’s experiences and perspectives (e.g., emotions) of the project at the different stages during this term.
Using the graph, we can all agree our lowest points (where we felt the most anxiety) happened in week 2 and week 5. In week 2, we struggled with the creation of a project “from scratch”, as we tried to agree on a common objective, and then narrowing it down further into a tangible, realistic project that would fit within a limited time frame. In week 5, we had difficulty understanding the feedback we received on our proposal and translating this feedback into our project development plans as we initially received a lot of help and feedback from our instructors. Once we had figured that out, we were able to work through that, the project took off quickly, and our event (Booth day) was a success.
These ups and downs are consistent with the 5 stages of group development, which are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. In week 1, we had yet to get to know each other (forming), while in week 2, we had to decide on the project of choice. We actually had difficulty choosing one we were all happy with (storming stage), but as, ironically, we were given a project neither of us actually opted for, we at last had something common. Working through the proposal together, as well as finalizing the details of our project, we experienced the norming stage. Booth Day, the final report and presentation represent the performing stage, where our objective, roles (of each team member) and expectations are fulfilled, while the adjourning stage will take place as the course comes to an end, and we all separate to our own plans for the summer.
One week prior to the event, we had created a Facebook Events page to promote the event, and introduced the topics “recovered foods” and “food waste”. The Events page generated the attention of approximately fifteen hundred students. To ensure the event would be well organized, careful planning was made for the logistics of the event day. Logistic planning included of: who would be in charge of collecting the recovered produce, food preparation, set up an additional blog (for students to refer to after the event), bringing all the required booth items. On the day of the actual event, we assigned roles among the team members, with those Food-Safe certified handling the food and nothing else. The other team members engaged with the students, speaking about food waste and recovered produce, as well as distributed and gathered the surveys. The event overall was a huge success as many students from a variety of faculties came to our booth. Surprisingly enough, many were not aware of the food waste in our city and the recovered foods program established at some local produce markets. The students were receptive in trying recovered foods, learning more about food waste and inexpensive ways to eating healthier. This was a fulfilling goal accomplished as our group members were able to engage in meaningful dialogue with the students and provide them resources such as our blog to direct them to places they could obtain recovered foods within metro Vancouver.
In order for the project to be completed successfully, we will have to ensure that we continuously relate our objectives and inquiry questions to our final paper, as this project is in large part research-based. This means that we will have to organize the survey data in a way that is comprehensible and can be analysed. As well, it is paramount that the results are expressed in a manner that can be easily understood by the general public (ex. graphs, word clouds), while the Final Report presents the data in a detailed, scientific manner.
Although we have a Flexible Learning session as well as a holiday (Easter Monday) before the end of the school term, we will communicate online often as well as meet outside of class to ensure that everyone’s input towards the project is heard, and the finalization of the project is performed efficiently. The finalization of the report and presentation must not be completed at the last minute!
With these plans in mind, we are sure on our way to make this project a pretty darn good one! The next post will be our last, and we hope that it will reflect the success of our project.
Until then!
Team numero 4 🙂