IT Innovation + Research - STING

FACULTY INSPIRED INNOVATION

In an effort to provide more high impact practices across Grand Valley State University as well as addressing the growing needs within our university, the IT Innovation + Research team created a new initiative that started in the Fall 2022 semester called the Student Technology and INnovation Guild (STING).

What is STING?

STING is a group of student assistants (Guild Members) collaborating with campus-wide subject matter experts to design and build emerging technology applications and develop innovative solutions to solve pedagogical challenges. Guild Members often come from a variety of interdisciplinary majors and backgrounds. Projects are often the first of their kind, designed with identified and specific pedagogical goals in mind. Additionally, these innovative applications leverage cutting edge emerging platforms and technologies. 

STING

STING Innovation - A Two Pronged Approach

Guild Members working in X Studio

#1 - To address identified needs or opportunities at the university and solve them by leveraging emerging technology and innovative solutions.

STING partners with subject matter experts across the university, often faculty, who have identified relevant instructional challenges in their courses. The final product assists faculty as well as students in the process of learning by addressing pedagogical challenges through novel applications that enhance the curriculum. Put simply, STING projects create pedagogical solutions that meet specific learning challenges that 'out-of-the-box' or pre-packaged solutions do not. 

#2 - To provide Guild Members with opportunities to learn, create, and grow.

The expectation from our Guild Members upon starting their positions in STING isn't to necessarily know the tools and technology as often what we are using is emerging and rapidly changing. However, there is expectation to learn these new and novel tools. This provides students with opportunities to utilize project-based and challenge-based learning design processes to build an innovative portfolio of projects and be a valuable contributor to creating emerging technology solutions for Grand Valley State University. 

Students working on a laptop

Collaborate With Us

Process

The collaborative process starts with a discussion. First, we examine if there isn't already a tool, platform, project, or product already available that could be used to reach the goals. We then examine the idea, scope, and feasibility of the project. We ask ourselves if something can be done or if are we waiting for a particular industry, technology, or platform to become more fully available, developed further, or 'catch up' to the idea. Our goal is to create and deliver a unique solution within a reasonable timeline to meet the needs of faculty and students. 


Recent Projects

First Person Walkthrough of the Patient Movement Simulator.

Occupational Therapy: Patient Movement VR Simulation

CHALLENGE - Often, when moving patients, students are focused on body positioning and hand placement and forget about other aspects of the process including things like locking a wheelchair and raising foot pedals. Correctly moving a patient is an important skillset for occupational therapy students, and the consequences for performing these movements incorrectly can be severe.

SOLUTION - To address the support of occupational therapy students and in partnership with faculty member, Scott Truskowski OTRL PhD, STING created a virtual reality patient movement checklist and simulator  which can used with Meta Quest 2 headsets. In this simulation, students complete a checklist of locking the left and right wheel brake of a wheelchair, pulling up the foot pedals, removing the arms, placing a gait belt on the patient, then moving the patent forward in the wheelchair to ready the patient for moving. As students do each step of the checklist correctly, the simulation indicates each task as completed. 

VR Courtroom: Bringing Law to Life

CHALLENGE - There are several jobs, roles, and spaces in a courtroom, however, when it comes to trials, proceedings, etc. legal studies students are often focused on the details of cases and less so on the details of a courtroom's function. This can make those cases and moments in trial confusing and intimidating for students. Ultimately, without adequate preparation, students feel ill-prepared in those moments. 

SOLUTION - In partnership with Courtney Topić, J.D., Assistant Professor in the Legal Studies Program, STING collaborated on creating a courtroom tour using 360 images and interactive elements to prompt learning as well as quiz the students in their knowledge. The 360 courtroom experience provides students with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with key courtroom elements. 

360º Tour of a courtroom with a quiz embedded

Connect with Us!

As this initiative is emerging, please contact Hunter Bridwell, Emerging Technologies Coordinator, for more information.

"Transforming education through innovation..."



Page last modified May 20, 2024