CECS 6400 - Week 4 Reflection*

I must admit that I don't necessarily see any educational connection to the Gibson book: Pattern Recognition. While it serves a fictional account of various interrelated systems, I do not feel it has educational value. The Banathy reading is, frankly, difficult to understand. However I believe there is substantial knowledge to be gained from his teachings.

In preparation for my task one assignment, I found it productive to start with a visual representation of the micro-system. I sketched a mind map, with the individual student being the focus. Examining systems can be tedious; even one overlooked aspect can alter the analysis. Doing this helped me identify the various aspects that attribute to the micro-system, and their interrelationships.

I am a systems thinker. I naturally analyze situations and structure them into systems. Whether it be a physical system (mechanical, electrical, etc.) or social organization. As a designer, I always identify any stakeholders and their relation to the problem as a needs assessment. However, understanding any relationship between the stakeholders could offer unforeseen insight. Also, as a designer, I believe in diving deep into a problem to discover the true root cause. This process is similar to examining systems down to their 'nuts and bolts'.