Ambassador Program Projects 2012
By Student Ambassadors from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University, Melbourne Australia
Ambassador Program Projects 2012 The Ambassador Program Projects 2012 ebook has been created by students from the Monash University Ambassador Program from within the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Published by What Really Matters Publishing c/- Organisations That Matter Compiled By Gary, Facilitator of the Projects Program Level 8, 350 Collins Street Melbourne, Victoria 3166 AUSTRALIA Phone +61 3 8676 0637 E-mail: info@orgsthatmatter.com Copyright Š 2012 Gary Ryan, Organisations That MatterŽ & Monash University & each of the members of the two project teams All effort was made to render this ebook free from error and omission. However, the author, publisher, editor, their employees or agents shall not accept responsibility for injury, loss or damage to any person or body or organisation acting or refraining from such action as a result of material in this book, whether or not such injury, loss or damage is in any way due to any negligent act or omission, breach of duty, or default on the part of the author, publisher, editor or their employees or agents.
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Overview The ebook has been created for the purpose of highlighting the valuable contribution that student Ambassadors from the Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences are providing the Monash University and Australian community. As a historical record of the two 2012 Ambassador Projects Engaging with the indigenous community and Radical
Educational Activities Chemistry Tour - REACT , this ebook will also serve as a resource for future student Ambassador projects.
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Table of Contents OVERVIEW
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4
ENGAGING WITH THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY
7
Team Members
7
Overview
8
Qualitative Goals
9
Quantitative Goals
9
Our Plan April May June July August
10 10 10 11 11 11
What Happened April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 August 2012
12 13 13 13 14 15
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Feedback on Event Statistics: In relation to Quantitative Goals: General comments:
18 18 18 19
The Differences Between Our Plan And What Happened?
20
What we learned Teamwork and communication Problem solving Leadership Planning and organisation Life-long learning Initiative Technology Cultural appropriateness Public speaking
21 21 21 21 21 22 22 22 23 23
Recommendations
24
Acknowledgements
25
RADICAL EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES CHEMISTRY TOUR - REACT
26
Team Members
26
Project Overview
27
Goals Specific goals for the activities and running of the day Anticipated problems:
28 29 30
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Our Plan Plan 5 - 23/7: Decision to cancel ‘salt and ice’ experiment based on trial run Plan 6 - 24/7 (THE DAY): Modification of order of activities as student group arrived late
31 34 34
What actually happened 1. Lead-up to the event: Meetings and progress
35 35
What actually happened
39
The Differences Between Our Plan And What Happened?
42
What We Learned
43
Our Recommendations
45
Acknowledgements
45
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Engaging with the indigenous community Team Members Chloei Chen Courtney Lee Esa Chen Kathy Chiu Meng Hui Yap Shin Liau Tania Sulaksana Vivian Shen
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Overview
As part of the Student Ambassador program, our task was to organise a project to enhance the faculty relationship with Indigenous Australians in Victoria or enhancing the faculty relationship with the Western Region of Victoria. We aimed to become more aware of Indigenous culture, health care in Indigenous communities, and the role of health care professionals (particularly pharmacists) in improving health outcomes in these communities. In response to this, we chose to plan an event for pharmacy students to engage with the Indigenous community. We secured Cossar Hall, Monash University Parkville, as a venue for the forum, and also organised finger food for the 100+ attendees. Guest speakers Aunty Dianne Kerr (Wurundjeri elder) and Dr Phyllis Lau (Lecturer in Cultural Diversity, Melbourne University) gave presentations on the current health status of Indigenous Australians and some existing programs in Australia targeting the Indigenous community (‘Close the Gap’), respectively. The event also included an interactive question and answer panel with health professionals (Dr Ray Carne, GP, Lucy Skellett, pharmacist, Colin Mitchell, Aboriginal Health Worker) working in the Indigenous health sector. The audience had the opportunity to ask their questions to the panel, resulting in some interesting and productive discussion.
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Feedback from audience members was overwhelmingly positive. A large majority of attendees understood more about the Indigenous community, had their views on Indigenous health changed and left with a broadened view of pharmacy practice. Our team fulfilled all quantitative and qualitative goals in executing the event.
Qualitative Goals 1.
Raise
awareness
of
general
health
issues
in
the
Indigenous
community. 2. Learn more about the Indigenous culture, cultural appropriateness and how to communicate with and better care for Indigenous patients. 3. Discuss social issues, factors and barriers that influence Indigenous health. 4. Encourage and promote future involvement of pharmacy students in Indigenous health.
Quantitative Goals 1. Target of 40-60 attendees. 2. At least one guest speaker and three panel members (a pharmacist, a GP and an Aboriginal Health Worker) for the presentation. 3. An average score of 4/5 in overall feedback from audience members (feedback forms). 9|Page
Our Plan April ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Visit the Indigenous community and interview Indigenous people about their general culture, attitudes and perspectives towards healthcare sometime during June 14th to 21st. Make a Video Log (VLog) out of the interviews. Present the VLog after it is ready to the Monash community. Contact Liana Sangster who’s working in the Indigenous community. Try to obtain other contacts via lecturers. Set up questions for the interviews. Have regular meetings when needed. Update each other on Facebook. Update plans and tasks on Google docs.
May ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Aim to invite general practitioners, pharmacists and social workers that have experience working in the Indigenous community. Getting in touch with contacts, mainly Aboriginal corporation. Contact lecturers to build up network. Touching upon presentation topics and questions. Consider budget for catering, printing posters for promotion, souvenir for guests and travel costs. Learn how to film and edit videos. Ways to promote event.
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End of May, meeting with Kevin McNamara - change of plan: Instead of VLog, do a Questions and Answer panel to make the event more engaging with the audience. ● Narrowing contacts down to two Aboriginal speakers/ health professionals and two non-Aboriginal speakers/health professionals. ●
June Decide on presentation format, time allocation, location, date and marketing strategies. ● Confirming speakers’ involvement; emailing potential interview questions to speakers. ●
July ● ● ● ● ● ●
Consider poster design and prepare feedback forms. Finalisation of speakers and speaker payments/ gifts. Set up Facebook event, online RSVP link via Survey Monkey. Inform staff about the event and conduct lecture announcements to each year level. Divide roles for actual event. Purchase thank-you gifts.
August ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Event promotion - put up posters and invite lecturers to the event via email. Event MC and panel MC prepare speeches. Finalise proceedings for event and tasks for each ambassador. Confirm speakers’ attendance. Finalise panel questions. Finalise Survey Monkey numbers for catering. Finalise gifts for speakers. 11 | P a g e
Pre-event rehearsal - practice use of IT equipment. ● Establish stage layout. ● Tally feedback forms after the event. ●
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What Happened April 2012 1st meeting at State Library Victoria - Brainstormed ideas on interview questions - Established contacts - Structure of video presentation ● Attempts to contact possible networks ●
May 2012 2nd meeting (Facebook) among team members - Decided to approach our presentation from a more health professional perspective - Aim to invite guest speaker who has experience and knowledge about Indigenous Health - Figured out budget parameters (catering, promotion, souvenirs for guests) ● 3rd meeting - With Andreia Marques, Student Ambassador Program Co-ordinator and Kevin McNamara, Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy Practice - Decided to modify VLog plan to panel discussion - Group vote on final plan ●
June 2012 Contacted Dr Phyllis Lau, Lecturer in Cultural Diversity at Melbourne University to get more networks in the Indigenous health sector ● 4th meeting: - Confirmed panel idea run-through with Andreia - Confirmed budget ●
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- Discussion of possible venue locations - Suggested Survey Monkey as a RSVP tool - Advice on event promotion methods
July 2012 ●
●
●
● ●
●
● ●
5th meeting - With Kevin and Phyllis - Finalised guest speakers for the panel - Decided on culturally-appropriate gifts 6th meeting to decide on: - Event date - Venue location booked LT5 - Thank-you gifts for speakers - Forms of promotion (Facebook, posters, lecture announcements, staff newsletter) 7th meeting - Finalised panel questions - Decided on overall format of event night Received confirmation from all guest speakers 8th meeting in Pharmacy Library - Divided individual roles - Plan on event specifics - Confirmed event date as 15th August 2012 at 5.30pm Event promotion: - Facebook event promotion - Set up Survey Monkey RSVP Event location changed to Cossar Hall 9th and final meeting - Finalised all roles
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August 2012
Week 1 Completely finalised panel questions Further event promotion: - Poster design, printing & promotion - Lecture announcements to each year level - Staff email invitations and newsletter - Invitation to Victorian College of Pharmacy Alumni and Retired Pharmacists’ Group ● Feedback form design & printing ● Gifts were bought for guest speakers ● Complimentary Monash pens for audience ● ●
Week 2: Tuesday, 14th August 2012 ● Meeting with Kevin & Andreia regarding event communication & advice ● Target of 80 reached Rehearsal: ● Briefing rehearsal at Cossar Hall ● Role-play on live panel ● IT set-up run-through ● Lighting set-up ● Establish stage layout ● Photography trial
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Wednesday, 15th August 2012 Set-up: ● Catering ● Lighting, microphone ● Stage, chairs, panel tables ● Feedback forms Event: ● Photo-taking for whole event ● Meet & greet students and speakers during refreshments in CHR2 ● Ushering attendees to their seats ● Presentation begins 1. Welcome & Introduction to Indigenous Health Aunty Diane Kerr, Wurundjeri Elder 2. Closing the Gap Dr Phyllis Lau, Lecturer in Cultural Diversity at University of Melbourne 3. Live panel Q&A session a. Lucy Skellett Pharmacist at Victorian Aboriginal Health Service b. Dr Ray Carne General Practitioner, Bunurong Health Service c. Colin Mitchell Aboriginal Health Worker, Diabetes Australia Vic d. Dr Phyllis Lau Lecturer in Cultural Diversity at Melbourne University e. Aunty Diane Kerr Wurundjeri Elder 4. Conclusion & Thank you gift presentation
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Post-event: ● Pack-up (stage, tables, chairs, IT equipment, Cossar Hall lock up). ● Collect feedback forms for evaluation
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Feedback on Event Statistics: 83 of 94 (88%) 83 of 92 (90%) 71 of 93 (76%) Health 88 of 93 (95%) Health issues 82 of 94 (87%)
people agreed that the event was interesting people agreed that this event was relevant to them people agreed that this event changed their view on Indigenous people agreed that this event improved their knowledge of Indigenous people would encourage others to attend this event in the future.
In relation to Quantitative Goals:
119 attendees 5 guest speakers
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General comments: “Event should be done more often to expose pharmacy students to the importance of understanding Indigenous Health. A good program for future health professionals.” “Thank you very much! It was a great effort. Hoping it to be more informative and longer next time.” “Well organised and structured event, insightful and informative outlook on aboriginal culture and health.”
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The Differences Between Our Plan And What Happened? ●
Our initial plan of showing a VLog during the presentation was altered to having a question & answer panel session with guest speakers who are health professionals in Indigenous health.
●
Venue changed from LT5 to Cossar Hall.
●
The expected number of attendees increased from 50 to 100+.
●
Last minute addition of the two guest speakers - Aunty Diane Kerr and Dr Phyllis Lau to the panel.
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Changed catering venue from both CHR1 and CHR2 to just CHR2.
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Planned to ask all the prepared interview questions to the panel members, but ended up asking only a couple of questions.
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What we learned Teamwork and communication ● ●
We learnt how to use Facebook event, Survey Monkey, Google doc for effective communication. Worked in a team of 8 people, including hearing everyone’s ideas and scheduling meetings that suited individual timetables and team interests.
Problem solving ●
Managed a dramatic change in the project plan when we realised that the original plan may not meet our objective in the best way possible.
Leadership Personally contacted health professionals who are working in the Indigenous community to ask about participating in the event, and utilised the networks that these health professionals have access to. ● Coordinated contacts from a variety of fields (IT, catering, speakers, lecturers) into the event, whilst being aware of the differing needs of each contact. ● Public speaking roles as MCs for two of the team members ●
Planning and organisation A detailed schedule of the evening was prepared, according to time and team members in charge of each task. This schedule was distributed to each team member, so that they were aware of the plan. ● Team members set up the venue, arranging the stage, seating, tables and IT equipment. Feedback forms and pens were placed on each seat, boxes for feedback forms were placed by the door. Gifts for the presenters placed in the store room. ● Venue was set up for catering, type of food appropriate for the event was selected. ●
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Life-long learning ● ● ●
Feedback and acknowledgement are important. Post-event evaluation and team de-brief allowed us to take away as much as possible from the event. The event provoked interest in future pharmacy students in the Indigenous health field.
Initiative Take initiative in asking for help from other people, who were identified as the right contact for a particular purpose. ● Organised meetings outside of the working week, and outside of university. ●
Technology ● ● ● ●
Learning how to use a DSLR camera. Learning how to use the microphone, sound and lighting system in Cossar Hall properly. Dealt with PowerPoint presentations and wireless clicker systems. Frequent use of word processors and social networking to communicate.
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Cultural appropriateness ● If you aren’t sure of the cultural appropriateness of a community, don’t be afraid to ask someone, they would be more than happy to help. Better to ask, rather than making a big cultural mistake. ● Dealing with health professionals with the appropriate language, manners and communication methods. ● ‘Cultural respect’ content of the presentation. Public speaking ● ● ● ●
Practice in front of people so they can point out any incorrect pronunciations. Practice more often so if you do get nervous during your speech you still know what your next sentence is. Don’t forget to smile. Pace yourself when speaking.
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Recommendations ●
It might be a good idea to invite and brief an external facilitator to moderate the question and answer session (since this is such an important part of the event, it is vital that it runs smoothly. As students with no experience in this area, it is hard to ensure we are proficient in this area).
●
Contact guest speakers well in advance to confirm dates. Ensure all team members are available on the day/ night of the event.
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May need to send reminder and confirmation emails about the event to keep presenters and team members up to date with new developments.
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Make sure you have a good understanding of how all the technology works. A run through with the speakers before the event starts would be a good idea, in order to adjust microphone volume, lighting, etc. and so the speakers know how to correctly hold the microphone and what volume of speech is acceptable.
●
Perhaps encourage audience members to submit questions beforehand, if they have any. Even if there aren’t many, it would be beneficial to give those who are interested a chance.
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Plan what you will do if something goes wrong during the event
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Ensure that staffroom entry and exit next to Cossar Hall is not obstructed
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Contact IT staff regarding any equipment required well before hand
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Obtain enough IT equipment i.e. microphones.
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Acknowledgements 1. Andreia Marques Student Experience Coordinator, Monash Parkville 2. Aunty Diane Kerr Wurundjeri Elder 3. Colin Mitchell Aboriginal Health Worker, Diabetes Australia Vic 4. Dr Ray Carne
General Practitioner,
Bunurong Health Service 5. Dr Phyllis Lau Lecturer in Cultural Diversity, Melbourne University 6. Gary Ryan Director of Organisations that Matter 7. Jessica Rostas Marketing Manager, Monash Parkville 8. Kevin McNamara Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Monash University 9. Leon Reger Owner of Zodiaque CafĂŠ 10. Lucy Skellett Pharmacist at Victorian Aboriginal Health Service
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Radical Educational Activities Chemistry Tour - REACT Team Members • • • • • • •
Christine Wun Brenda Wong Sophie Tran Ann-Louise Slee Blake Riley Jessica Rhodes Josh Conner
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Project Overview Concept: Student ambassadors will organise and facilitate a science-related session targeted at Melbourne school students either by visiting an external site or inviting participants to the faculty. The project will involve participation in a school class or community event, provision of information and running of science experiments and activities that encourage student participation and generate interest in the faculty. This project aims to focus on areas in Melbourne with less access and awareness of the Faculty and the Bachelor of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science programs; in particular in the Western regions.
Playing with monsters – event day 27 | P a g e
Goals High level (overall) goal
Generate interest in high school students and the community about Monash and the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
'Reach-out' to year 11 and 12 student populations who may be less well-informed about the courses offered at the Monash Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science faculty.
Attract and provide information to prospective students
Use interactive activities to generate and maintain interest of prospective students
Allow ambassadors to learn and participate in the community at a local level, be exposed to attitudes of students and the community towards Monash and the faculty, and to practice leadership and organisational skills that enhance employability.
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Specific goals for the activities and running of the day 1. Feedback: Over 70% positive feedback rate across all measures 2. Financial: Minimise costs and effective use of resources Experiments: Simple, permit a high degree of student interaction and are aimed at an appropriate level to allow understanding. 3. Can be completed in about the same timeframe (aiming between 10-15 minutes), total session aiming to be about 1-2 hours. 4. Safety: High level of safety with minimal risk of unexpected outcomes 5. To have FUN!
Walking on water – event day 29 | P a g e
Anticipated problems: ○
○ ○
○
○
Requires consent of a school or community event organisers to allow Student Ambassador involvement/visit Maintaining the interest of students and others during activities/demonstrations Resource intensive - chemistry demonstrations may require expensive materials and complex set-up. Occupational Health and Safety concerns regarding some experiments The activities or experiments may not necessarily directly represent the work of the faculty or that associated with the Bachelor of Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Science programs and may give false impressions 30 | P a g e
Our Plan From the moment we decided on an idea and became ‘REACT,’ the project was continually changed and revised as we researched ideas, options and opportunities and consulted with various members of the faculty who helped us along the way. While it was first planned to undertake a school visit in the Western suburbs, an opportunity arose to instead include a group of approximately 30 students from Bundoora who were already to visit the faculty. Some experiments that were initially proposed were too risky or labour intensive to use, while others didn’t work as planned when tested. Being flexible in our plans allowed us to adapt to these changes and adjust the project along the way.
Plan 1 - 30/4/12 Concept: Senior Ambassadors and ambassadors will visit a school or community event in Melbourne to engage the local community and promote the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The visit will involve participation in a school class or community event in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, provision of information and running of science experiments and activities that encourage student participation and generate interest in the faculty. Planned for: - About 6 experiments - 1-2 hour session - Visits to multiple schools - High level of student involvement and participation, promotion of faculty courses - Use feedback cards/forms to measure quantitative goal
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- Make running sheet for the day - Project to be held during ‘Science Week,’ if possible
Plan 2 - 26/6/12 Meeting with Andreia. Plan change: Project was combined with a pre-planned visit of Bundoora high school students (non-western suburb with low socioeconomic status) to our faculty, instead of school visits. - One school to be involved, due to constraints on time and resources. - Time and date of working our project negotiated to suit the visiting school: 24/7/12 between 9am to 11am. - 6 experiments chosen: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Liquid nitrogen icecream Elephant toothpaste Salt and ice Diet coke and mentos Dancing monsters 6. Gummi bear explosion.
Diet Coke and Mentos station – event day 32 | P a g e
Plan 3 - 16/7/12 Meeting with Winfield and Andreia regarding which experiments could be carried out. Plan change: Following consultation with the faculty safety officer, two experiments (gummi bear explosion and liquid nitrogen icecream) were excluded and another modified slightly to improve safety. - Addition of another experiment with a better safety profile (milk and dye) - Total 5 experiments to run - Trial run day planned for 20/7
Plan 4 - 16/7/12: Decision to add an additional experiment: ‘Walking on water’ Plan change: Addition of an extra experiment ‘Walking on water’ - New list of 6 experiments: Diet coke and mentos Elephant toothpaste Dancing monsters Salt and ice Milk and dye Walking on water - Finalised student ambassadors for each experiment
Dancing with monsters – event day 33 | P a g e
Plan 5 - 23/7: Decision to cancel ‘salt and ice’ experiment based on trial run Plan change: 5 experiments to run in total on the day Final list of 5 experiments planned: ○ Milk and dye ○ Diet coke and mentos ○ Elephant toothpaste ○ Walking on water ○ Dancing monsters Each experiment planned to take about 14 minutes in total (including intro, running through it, debriefing, changing stations). - Two student ambassadors to move between stations to assist/take photos/move groups between stations. - Tours to be run first at 9.30, then experiments to be carried out, then feedback forms.
Plan 6 - 24/7 (THE DAY): Modification of order of activities as student group arrived late Plan change: Student group arrived late on the day due to a late bus. - Fewer students that expected (approximately 23 instead of 30-40) - Order of activities changed: Experiment and activities to be done first (1-2 hours) before tours
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What actually happened 1. Lead-up to the event: Meetings and progress
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Date
Details of meeting (what happened)
30/4/12: Meeting 1
Discussion regarding the following points: ⚫ Set up communication tools ⚫ Decide where it is to be held (Internal/external to the faculty - talk to Andreia) ⚫ Decide on experiments ⚫ Create budget to present to Andreia ⚫ Create feedback cards/forms to measure quantitative goal ⚫ Complete MSDS and safety training (rank experiments in terms of interactivity, safety, wow factor). ⚫ Running sheet for the day ⚫ Set up facebook page for communication ⚫ Decide/vote on experiments; come up with more ideas if experiments prove to fail OH&S ( Josh can propose his top choices here since he won't be attending)
7/5/12: Meeting 2 (Library, G05)
⚫ Fill out Chemical Hazards Risk Assessment Form. ⚫ Planned 6 experiments: liquid nitrogen icecream, elephant toothpaste, salt and ice, diet coke and mentos, dancing liquid, gummi bear explosion. ⚫ Draft a proposal email to Andreia regarding aims, plans and budgets; ask for her opinion on whether external/internal would be better ⚫ Determine sources of materials (especially if liquid nitrogen etc., will be needed)
14/5/12: Meeting 3 (PA 2-1)
⚫ Google docs tute - decide on using this as our tool of communication. it is where we post meeting minutes and all relevant documents.
21/5/12: Meeting 4 (PA 1-1)
⚫ Find areas of low socioeconomic status in western region ⚫ Make list of potential schools to contact once approval has been obtained.
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25/5/12
⚫ Contacted various potential schools of interest (Braybrook and Uni High); met Paul Dover to discuss OHS and getting materials
11/6/12
⚫ Meeting with Andreia to discuss details of OH&S concerns; change experiments to improve safety
26/6/12
⚫ Meeting with Andreia - made final decisions on experiments and combined our project with a pre-planned visit of Bundoora high school students (non-western suburb with low socioeconomic status) to our faculty ⚫ Confirmed time and date of working our project
28/6/12
⚫ Short meeting - allocated the experiments to each team member ⚫ Discussed possible days for a trial run of the experiments ⚫ Decided on due date for plans of each experiment i.e. scripts on what to mention and running sheet for how the experiment will be run, to be posted up to Google Docs.
16/7/12
⚫ Meeting with Winfield and Andreia - cut out experiments that could not be done with OH&S ⚫ Confirmed list of materials for the experiments and decided on date for trial-run. ⚫ Obtained funds/vouchers to buy materials
19/7/12
⚫ Shopping to get resources (non-lab materials) for trial run and project day
20/7/12
⚫ Meeting - filled out Monash approved risk assessment forms ⚫ Conducted experiment trial-run of most experiments
24/7/12 THE ACTUAL DAY!!!
⚫ Arrived early, wrote a quick day plan to be printed out in the library, briefed on day’s plan, prepared experiments and set up lab/outside area (signs at each station, material set up, lab coats and glasses made available in the lab). ⚫ 5 experiments with one student ambassador, two additional student ambassadors to help at stations, take photos and mediate student group movement between stations ⚫ Timing was a bit out, groups waiting for others to finish a couple of times, session as a whole went longer 37 | P a g e
than anticipated, but this was ok as we had extra time ⚫ OH&S incident when a student handled foam and got hydrogen peroxide on their hands; this was handled well and safety officer was notified. ⚫ Tours of the campus: 2 student ambassadors with about 8 students each, went for about 20 minutes on average. Some groups went longer. ⚫ Students directed to Cossar Hall tutorial room at the conclusion of the tour to fill out a feedback form, then sent to lunch and buses to go home. ⚫ Group photo at the end. ⚫ Pack up, debrief lunch.
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What actually happened 24/7/12 THE ACTUAL DAY!!! ⚫ All group members arrived early (7.30am) - The group wrote a brief plan for the day that was printed for each member, and went over the plan together, identifying any areas of confusion or possible problems to ensure all group members knew what they were going to be doing. Five ambassadors were allocated to be running experiments (one student ambassador per experiment), while another two were allocated as ‘supports,’ to time each rotation, take photos and mediate changing of groups between stations/activities. - Set up laboratory and outside area (signs at each station, material set up, lab coats and glasses made available in the lab) - Cornstarch pool prepared for ‘Walking on water’ activity
Setting up – event day 39 | P a g e
⚫ School students arrived later than expected (10am)
- It was decided to change around the order of events planned so that the experiments would run first (before the tour) so to enable us to clear out the laboratory earlier rather than later. - After a welcome by Andreia, students were taken to lab where they were given a safety briefing and ambassadors outlined the plan for the visit. Students were broken up into groups of 6-7 and allocated an activity/station. ⚫ Experiments commenced simultaneously at 5 stations, to run for 8-12 minutes each. - At each station, the experiment was outlined and the students were questioned regarding their predictions of what would happen, why and how. Students were also encouraged to participate in each experiment as much as possible, to increase the ‘interactivity’ of the session. - Experiments ran smoothly for the most part and any problems were addressed as they arose: → The time take for first round of each experiment varied between stations, which resulted in some groups finishing earlier than others. As these were being run inside and outside, it was difficult to coordinate timing. At times groups were waiting for others to finish, and overall the activities session went longer than anticipated. However, this was not a major issue as we had allowed extra time and so were not rushed. → A student handling foam with gloves at the Elephant Toothpaste station got diluted hydrogen peroxide on her hands under her gloves; this was handled promptly by the student ambassador at the station with the help of laboratory staff, and resulted in no adverse outcomes. The safety officer was notified, and came to check the student for follow-up safety reporting. 40 | P a g e
⚫ Tours of the campus were conducted after all activities had been completed. - Tours consisted of two student ambassadors allocated to a group of approximately 8 students and a school teacher. These took about 20 minutes on average, and allowed the students to ask any further questions about the Faculty, courses or university life. This allowed us to fulfil our goal of promoting the faculty’s facilities and giving the students a feel of university life. - Each tour took at different route in order to prevent groups waiting behind other groups and the over-crowding of some areas. - Upon conclusion of the tour, students were directed to Cossar Hall tutorial room to fill out a feedback form, then sent to lunch. ⚫ Group photo at the end before the students left ⚫ Pack up, debrief lunch.
Feedback forms 41 | P a g e
The Differences Between Our Plan And What Happened? Students arrived later than expected; this did not require significant alteration of the plan but we did change around the order of events planned, doing the experiments first so to enable us to clear out the laboratory earlier rather than later. Three group members had to attend a compulsory class before the students arrived: this reduced the numbers of groups members able to help set up. We overcame this by arriving earlier so everyone could help set up and to allow for an unexpected problems. OH&S incident: A student in the ‘Elephant Toothpaste’ experiment accidentally contacted diluted hydrogen peroxide on her hand under her glove. The student ambassador directed the student immediately to the sink to wash off any residue and hold her hand under cold running water. The laboratory technician was notified to provide any additional assistance and the safety officer was also notified. The issue was resolved well, the student and teacher were satisfied with the handling of the incident and a safety report was submitted in the following days. Coordination of experiments and timing: Each activity varied slightly in duration and so coordination of moving groups between stations was difficult, especially at first. Groups at one station sometimes finished earlier than others and so had to wait for the completion of groups at other stations to move on. This could be improved in the future via more thorough pre-planning and a timed trial run of all activities conducted simultaneously. Timers at each station to mark the start and the end of the allocated time may also help if this project were to be run again in the future.
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What We Learned Employability Skill
Notes
Teamwork
Placements When the fourth years went on placement, the team still managed to collaborate effectively via use of communication tools such as a Facebook group and document sharing via Google Docs.
Communication
Groundrules Establishing groundrules for ideas before the commencement of the project enabled the group to be open and express their ideas/ thoughts freely. This allowed us to identify ideas that we hadn’t previously thought of - such as the cornstarch pool for the ‘Walking of water’ activity. ● Event Day Looking back on event day, communication between floors (outdoors and upstairs) was difficult and could have been improved by mobile phones, timers at each station etc.
Problem Solving
Flexibility When OH&S restrictions resulted in the cancellation of two of our planned experiments (prior to the event day), we were flexible and open to new and alternative ideas, which enabled us to modify our plans.
Leadership
● Demonstrating / Teaching Everyone encouraged participation and contributions from the group that they had at the time - generating enthusiasm in the students. ● Team structure Despite having a formal leader of the group, everyone displayed self-leadership in taking responsibility for tasks.
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Planning & Organisation
Project building In retrospect, the holiday period was underutilised, resulting in the project falling behind. ● Organisation of resources and obtaining materials Determining what materials were needed and where to obtain each of these required significant planning in order to prevent waste of resources.
Life-long learning
GoogleDocs We ran a tute on how to use GoogleDocs for document management - so that everyone knew how to use it to share documents throughout the planning period.
Self-management & Personal vision
● Ambassador project This helped us achieve part of our intentions for being Student Ambassadors - to give back to the community and the Faculty. It also allowed us to better engage with prospective students and build our skills in leadership, organisation and project management.
Technology
● Facebook We used Facebook as a communications tool, to share and discuss ideas and to organise meetings.
Service excellence
Feedback forms We created feedback forms to allow us to evaluate our performance, identify problem areas and to improve future events.
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Our Recommendations ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
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Have a full run-through of the event day in advance, if possible. Keep a log of what happens as you go - this will make it easier to track your progress. This should be a separate document to any Facebook groups or Minutes. Timing ○ Make deadlines for delivery dates of sections of the project Know the procedure if something goes wrong Make sure you are aware of the appropriate contacts in the university Take photos Make sure everyone is on the same page at the start of every meeting USE THE HOLIDAYS Don’t use too many communication tools ○ Information gets lost ○ Group members may not check all of them ○ Leads to possible conflicting information, confusion HAVE FUN!!!
Student performing a hand stand 45 | P a g e
Acknowledgements ●
Andreia Marques, Marketing and Student Experience Coodinator, Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Gary Ryan, Founding Director, Organisations That Matter
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Hari Nikolaou, Industry-Themed Program Manager, Banyule Nillumbik Local Learning and Employment Network, DEECD
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Winfield Jugo, Technical Supervisor, Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Jessica Rostas, Communications Manager, Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Elizabeth Stock, D4 Resource Manager, Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Jian and the 314/315 lab techs, Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Bundoora Secondary College and Our Lady of Mercy College
Thank you!!! 46 | P a g e