Final Project Reflection
Multiple elements played significant roles in the design and development of this project. Firstly, during the design process, I had found myself consistently evaluating my self-efficacy during which I either rejected or accepted the brainstormed idea. If I found an idea to be too difficult, i.e. making an 3D designed angel that rotates in the middle of the garden that reacts to the input light, then I narrow down the difficulties as much as possible. I really liked my design in terms of finding the right balance between achievable while being challenging. There were still elements within this project that I have never done before, at least on my own, including laser cutting and figuring out the physics of getting pieces to stand up etc. This was a good amount of pushing myself out of the comfort zone without it being to unguided. During the process, having a resilient mindset and consistent self regulation was super important, especially when faced with the obstacles that are inevitably going to surface. For instance, while I was coding the light sensor portion with the fairy lights, I know that I carried some of the failures from the micro servo over, so I wasn't going into it super confidently. This mindset definitely made the beginning of coding a little difficult, and when things didn't work out with the CPG component, I was less motivated and felt like I had less time to really focus on the other part. My plan is to make the gate stand upright, but the wood glue didn't work even after me holding it for approximately 30 minutes. The center piece was too thin for it to stand by itself with just the glue.
Effective feedback played a major role for me to overcome these two problem. I have been looking at the codes for so long that it was hard for me to decipher what was wrong, until Heather pointed out that the variable I am sending is different than what I thought, which ultimately made it work! This relatively simple program took me longer than I expected, partly because I am doing super hands on stuff for the first time, but also because I didn' t feel like I belonged in the category of people with dexterity. Having shifted that mindset, my confidence was built so that I asked for advice on how to make my gate stand upright again. I think throughout the process, having cognitive flexibility as well as the emotional intelligence to show yourself compassion can really build resilience, which ultimately leads to success.
I really appreciated the effective feedback given to me during the pitching of the project, especially when it is areas that I have always wanted to work on. I think that talking about active listening and the benefits of effective feedback was very helpful in setting up my mental space to be receptive of feedback without feeling judged.
These positive attributes that can facilitate grit and build confidence, so it is extremely transferable to other contexts. For instance, belongingness and self efficacy can really make or break a challenging assignment for me, particularly in the CS department. If I felt really intimidated about an assignment without knowing where to start, I would feel less inclined to reach out for help. In these cases, I am now more aware of the recognition that I am able to learn new things. Similarly with time management, when there are a lot on my plate I tend to get overwhelmed, the self-efficacy of I can manage definitely helps with building resilience against stress. This applies to my state of job hunting right now: there are so many elements involved in this process that it is so easy to be overwhelmed, but I have to remember that I don't have to do everything in one day, and I can space it out so that it is more manageable.
When I am interacting with others, I want to apply active listening more often as well as give effective feedback when necessary. I have a really hard time giving back feedback, especially when it is not entirely positive, because I always have this fear of them receiving it the wrong way. However I've come to recognize the value of constructive feedback in growth and development. Striving to balance honesty with sensitivity, I'm learning to frame my feedback in a way that is clear, supportive, and focused on actionable steps.
Other than resilience and grit, it is particularly important for me to develop cognitive flexibility while planning longer-term trajectory and finding job opportunities. Resilience despite the failures is obviously important, and is a very difficult step to abide by, but not boxing myself with labels internally and being open to multiple directions that life can take me is also very crucial for my self development. Often times I only see the path that is laid out before me and the thought of going into the unknown is petrifying. However, this year that I am about to graduate, this transition will only turn out to be a valuable experience for me to look back on in the future.