Context & Stakeholders

Context & Setting

All information comes from our interviews and communications with Hannah Jaris, unless specified.

The following questions are from Brown & Green.

What gaps are prohibiting effective learning?

• Most teachers are busy, they don’t have enough time to attend the whole training session.

• Some teachers are given the task by their boss

• Teachers don't have time to take care of the system weekly

• Teachers cannot get access to the lab during the pandemic

• Teachers learn when they are not teaching. Most of the time, they learn at home or during summer break.

What are the characteristics of the setting that this intervention will be set in?

• Classroom science lab set up with three NYSW hydroponics systems

• Considering a Post-Covid environment, the resources must be available online to access at home and in print for the classroom.

Must it fit into existing curricula? If so, what is that curricula?

• NY Sunworks has an existing ten-session curricula that they want us to adhere to. However, we will figure out if revising this document is the best solution. In the meantime, Hannah will address which lessons can be modified or shuffled around within the 10 week program.

What hardware/software is commonly available?

• Hydroponic system set up by NYSW greenhouse support

• All setups have the following stations (NY Sunworks, St. Matthias, 4)

  • • Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) system

    • Vine Crop System (VCS)

    • Tower Garden System (TGS)

• Teachers need to have computers for Zoom and access to the online materials in the NYSW teachers portal

Delivery mode options

• Typically, the first 10-training sessions are in person. During the pandemic, sessions have been held online through Zoom. We imagine keeping the option of online training in the future since it helps the teachers with their busy schedules.

Institutional characteristics

• Mission: Sunworks envisions a generation of environmental innovators, empowered to create solutions to global resource challenges (NY Sunworks, About: About Us)

• NY Sunworks is an EPA, NAAEE, and HBSCNY award-winning organization, and maintains a platinum-rated status on Guidestar and a Top-Rated status on Great NonProfits

Larger community

• Although we will not venture into the larger community for this project, the following community actions are listed on the NYSW website.

  • • Community Engagement: Harvesting, Cooking Demonstrations, Food stands (NY Sunworks, Frequently Asked Questions)

    • Annual Youth Conference: Partnering Greenhouse classrooms share their experiences and guest lectures (NY Sunworks, Frequently Asked Questions)

• We realized the format and abundance of class material is problematic for teachers, which could induce teachers’ cognitive overload and reduce their learning efficiency (Moreno, 16).

• Hannah will provide us with the lessons which are considered "untouchable" or off-limits in modifying in our future designs.

• NYSW don’t want to offer us access to participating teacher contacts due to privacy issues, so we need to get permission to use NYSW's collected anonymous yearly survey data as soon as possible.

Brown, A. H., & Green, T. D. (2005). Chapter 5: Analyzing Learners. In The Essentials of Instructional Design: Connecting Fundamental Principles with Process and Practice. New York, NY: Routledge.

Dirksen, J. (2016). Design for How People Learn. New Riders.

Jaris, H. (2021 March 5). Initial Conversation about NY Sunworks [Zoom], Brooklyn, New York. Jaris, H. (2021). 2020 NYU + NY Sunworks Background [Powerpoint Slides]. Google Drive. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tLVudmvB7gjcgDTxlK1Tpk7y8g- Sp6GS/edit#slide=id.p1

Jaris, H. “Updates on our NYU-NYSunworks ‘Challenge project’." Email. March 5, 2021, 3:36pm.Jaris, H. "Updates on our NYU-NY Sunworks ‘Challenge project’." Email. March 11, 2021, 3:26pm.

Jaris, H., & Bouwmeester, M. (2021). Interviewing NY Sunworks [Zoom], Brooklyn, New York.

Moreno, R., & Park, B. (2010). Cognitive Load Theory: Historical Development and Relation to Other Theories. In J. Plass, R. Moreno, & R. Brünken (Eds.), Cognitive Load Theory (pp. 9-28). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511844744.003

NY Sunworks (Fall 2020). Frequently Asked Questions. https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1IBz_TjRIBaHkXN5KA57D3itUA5XltBxd

NY Sunworks (2019). St. Matthias Catholic Academy Greenhouse Classroom Operations Manual. https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1IBz_TjRIBaHkXN5KA57D3itUA5XltBxd

NY Sunworks (2021). About: About Us. https://nysunworks.org/about/mission/

NY Sunworks (2021). About: Impact. https://nysunworks.org/about/impact/

NY Sunworks (2021). Education: 6-8th Grade. https://nysunworks.org/education/6-8th-grade/

NY Sunworks (2021). Education: 9-12th Grade. https://nysunworks.org/education/9-12th-grade/

NY Sunworks (2021). Education: Curriculum. https://nysunworks.org/education/curriculum/

NY Sunworks (2021). Education: Enrichment. https://nysunworks.org/education/enrichment/

NY Sunworks (2021). Education: K-5th Grade. https://nysunworks.org/education/k-5th-grade/

NY Sunworks (2021). Education: Learning Center. https://nysunworks.org/education/learning-center/

NY Sunworks (2021). Education: Teacher Training. https://nysunworks.org/education/teacher-training/

NY Sunworks (2021). The Greenhouse Project: Assessment. https://nysunworks.org/the-greenhouse-project/assessment/

NY Sunworks (2021). The Greenhouse Project: Partner with Us. https://nysunworks.org/the-greenhouse-project/partner-with-us/

NY Sunworks (2021). The Greenhouse Project: Project Overview. https://nysunworks.org/the-greenhouse-project/project-overview/

NY Sunworks (2021). The Greenhouse Project: School Partners. https://nysunworks.org/the-greenhouse-project/school-partners/