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ATLAS |
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Assistive
Technology Laboratory at Stanford |
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Technology
and design benefitting individuals with disabilities and older adults in the
local community |
July 21, 2017 |
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Perspectives is the newsletter of the
Stanford course, Perspectives in Assistive
Technology.
Special Issue Soliciting
Student Project Suggestions
Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter
Quarter Stanford course - now anticipating its twelfth year - that
explores the design, development, and use of assistive technology that benefits
people with disabilities and older adults. It consists of semi-weekly classroom
discussions; lectures by notable professionals, clinicians, and
assistive technology users; tours of local medical, clinical, and
engineering facilities; student project presentations and demonstrations; an
assistive technology faire; and a film screening. Organization of
the coming year's course is underway, with the first class session in
January. |
Student Project
Solicitation - This newsletter issue marks the beginning of my
course organization efforts for the upcoming academic year. I rely on ideas and
suggestions from the local community - that's you - for identification of
authentic problems that are suitable to be pursued as student projects in the
course.
What is the role
of student projects in the course? - Students who enroll in the
course have the opportunity to work in a project team with the goal of
fabricating and testing a functional prototype device that addresses a specific
challenge or difficulty experienced by a person with a disability or older
adult in the local community.
How do students
benefit from the projects they work on? - These projects are a
key course activity, providing students with an opportunity to exercise
their knowledge and creativity to address real-world problems. In pursuing
their projects, students acquire or practice (and hopefully improve) the skills
that they will use thoughout their future professional careers including
working in teams, interacting with people in the local community, solving
problems by following an engineering design development process, employing
course knowledge in a practical context, sharpening fabrication techniques,
developing critical thinking skills, and enhancing presentation & report
writing abilities. These are the course's primary teaching goals.
In what other ways
do the projects enhance a student's education? - Project involvement
exposes students to the engineering, medical, and social issues facing
engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, clinicians, older adults, and
individuals with disabilities and encourages them to apply their engineering
skills and design expertise to help assistive technology users increase their
independence and improve their quality of life.
This course relies on your involvement, so please suggest a
project based upon an identified problem or
challenge.
What are the
benefits for someone who suggests a project? - Project suggestors
have the opportunity to become involved in the course beyond attending
lectures, including working with a team of bright Stanford students - to
advance their knowledge and influence the design and development of a prototype
device that addresses a specific disability or aging problem.
How are projects
solicited? - The process begins with an appeal to the local
community to observe, identify, describe, and report challenges experienced by
an individual with a disability, an older adult, or those who care for or
interact with them including employers, teachers, health care professionals,
and family members.
What challenges
would be good to target? - Acceptable challenges include
difficulties in performing tasks such as working, learning, moving,
communicating, accessing home products including computers, and daily living
activities such as cooking, cleaning, and pursuing happiness. Project
suggestions that explore design concepts that improve diagnosis, therapy, and
rehabilitation are also welcomed.
What is the
process for considering and submitting project suggestions? - First
perform an internet search to confirm that the identified problem has not
already been adequately addressed. Then carefully review the
project requirements to make sure the idea
meets all project criteria. Finally send me a short email (text format is ok)
that identifies the user or population affected and describes the nature of the
problem. Include desirable features of a solution, but do not specify how the
device should appear, be built, or solve the problem - as those are tasks for
the student team to consider. It is ok if the problem affects just one
individual. To evaluate project suggestions, refer to the
current candidate project list as a
guide.
What happens
next? - Submitted project suggestions will be read, reviewed, and
considered. Those that meet all the project requirements and receive my
approval will be accepted as candidate team projects. A project Problem
Statement describing the project will be composed for posting on the course
website and disseminated as a handout to students on the
first day of class.
What is the role
of the individual who suggested the project during the course? -
Suggestors of approved projects will have the opportunity to
"pitch" it in the second class session. If a student team selects
the project, the suggestor must be available to assist them with advice,
direction, and expertise in person, or by phone, and/or email during the
quarter and will be invited to attend the Student
Team Project Final Presentations and Project
Demonstrations at the end of the term.
What is the
deadline for submitting project suggestions? - Please email
suggestions to me as soon as possible so I have adequate time to consider all
submissions, edit approved entries, and post them - not later than Friday,
December 1st.
Upcoming Local
Event
Presentation at Avenidas
Please
plan to attend my upcoming presentation at Avenidas where I will be speaking about the
critical role that older adults and people with disabilities play as they work
with teams of Stanford students to design and fabricate prototype devices that
address real problems and challenges, as well as soliciting project suggestions
for teams to pursue in the course.
- When:
Friday, August 4th from 11:00am to 12:30pm
- Where:
Avenidas, 450 Bryant Street - just off of University Avenue in downtown Palo
Alto
- How: No
RSVP is required to attend this free presentation.
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Support the course - Funding in
any amount for the course and student projects is always welcomed. Monetary
gifts support approved project expenses, administrative costs, honoraria for
guest lecturers, and the end-of-term celebration. Refer to the
Team Project Support webpage for more
information.
Email questions, comments, or
suggestions - Please email
me if you have general questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the
course. Thank you again for your interest.
Dave
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please email
Dave. |
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