Winter Quarter 2023

          
Perspectives in Assistive Technology
ENGR110/210

          

David L. Jaffe, MS
Lathrop Library Classroom 282
Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:50pm PT

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Comments about the Course - 2022 & 2023


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2023

2022

Other

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2022 - Anonymous comments from the last class session's Course Evaluation Form by students and community members:

Thank you so much, Dave! This is one of the courses that make Stanford the special place that it is.

Loved working with Mary to develop a functional prototype.

[I had a] great relationaship with our project partner and our project was a huge success.

[Our course and project experience] was great. Our team got really close, and we loved working with our community partner. We learned a lot.

Stanford PRL is the best place to build a product as an engineer.

This was a wonderful class. I only wish I had taken it for 3 units.

[I liked the] broad areas of topics, opportunities to interact with people working in the field.

Everything went well and I'm happy with our [team's] final prototype.

Awesome class, would recommend.

I liked the course structure and guest lecturers.

Grat class. Thank you for the opportunity to learn!

[The field trip to the Magical Bridge Playgound was] amazing! [It was my] favorite class session of the year (out of all my Fall & Winter classes).

I loved getting to know the community members and fellow students. I was able to balance my time while committing to making a successful product. Amazing course, thanks!

I had a great relationship with out community partners - they are amazing people. They helped work us through the problem and commented on all three of our prototypes. Awesome class, super grateful.

I thought this course was very well taught and provides design (and practice) insights that more people in this world could use to be more inclusive and make the world more more accessible.

I think I did way more work than expected of a one-unt course, but it was all helpful work.

[I] formed incredible bonds with our community partner & family. Everyone was very invested in helpig one another and the open flow of communication was essential to making a meaningful design. Great people & amazing experience. :-) The porject experience was incredibly rewarding and engaging. I'm so glad I took the class and grateful for everyone who made it happen.

[From Idea to Market] was my favorite [lecture].

[I] really liked the message of designing for the user [in the lecture: Issues of Human Interface Design].

Best class @ Stanford!

Highly recommended to all others.

I found this course most useful in the opportunity to connect with and learn from people who live with physical disabilities.

Great project. [I] appreciated relationship with community members. [The] weekly meetings were very helpful.

[Perspectives of Stanford Students and Faculty with a Disability was the] best lecture by far - why this is important in the first place.

[The course] was a really nice experience overall. I liked seeing the impact of the project.

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2023 - Emailed comments from students when they submitted their End-of-term Reports or Individual Reflections:

Thanks for a great class!

It has been a pleasure to be in your course! Thank you so much for EVERYTHING! I'm wearing my t-shirt right now! The burritos! The lessons! Your time and commitment to the class! Thank you so much!

Thank you for teaching a wonderful course this quarter. I really enjoyed it and feel like I got a lot out of it.

Thank you again for a great quarter of learning and designing!

I really enjoyed this course.

Thank you for such an exciting and valuable course. I am excited to spread the word about this class.

I really truly enjoyed this class! It was super super cool! Working with Danny was also very very rewarding.

Thank you so so much for everything you did for us this quarter – from providing us with cookies every lecture, to an incredible line up of speakers and the very cool fair, to your kindness and wisdom. It was fantastic learning from you this quarter.

Thank you so much for teaching such a fun and informative class. I had such a meaningful experience learning from you and the guest lecturers and creating a direct impact on Danny's life! Have a great spring break!

Thank you for a great quarter.

Thanks again for hosting an incredible class for all of us.

Attached is a link to my individual reflection. I realized that while writing my reflection I may have written far over the expected word count. I honestly had such a good experience with this class and want the Haas Center For Public Service to continue funding this class. It is about 4 pages double spaced at the moment and I included pictures at the end. However, please let me know if you would prefer a condensed version. I can send that over if that is preferred.

Again, I wanted to say thank you so much for this course. This was seriously the best course I have ever taken at Stanford. I am really so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from you, Ayano, my peers, project suggesters and all of the wonderful guest lecturers that were involved this quarter.

Thank you so much for a great quarter!

Thank you for offering such an amazing class!

Thank you for an amazing quarter of learning and growth.

Thank you so much for an incredible class. We have all learned so much about working as a team, designing for individuals with disabilities, and many perspectives in assistive technology. This was a truly rewarding experience.

We have had an amazing quarter of learning from you, our guest speakers, and community members. This project was a wonderful experience and we truly appreciate the guidance, effort, and thought put in by the teaching team.

Thank you so much for an incredible quarter.

Thank you so much for all of your effort in putting together a wonderful learning experience this quarter!

Thank you for an amazing quarter! I learned so much and had a very fun time too.

I really enjoyed being in the class.

Thank you so much for the great class and all the cookies! :-)

Thank you for an amazing quarter. Your class will stick with me for many years to come.

Thank you for offering the great class and the guidance.

Thanks for a great quarter!

I'd like to thank you again for your time and effort in this class, I've learned a lot and enjoyed creating something that could help Cat so much.

Thank you again for a great quarter of learning!

I would like to thank you for being so accommodating to me this quarter with my travel and giving me the opportunity to take this course. I will highly recommend this course to my teammates so hopefully you will get a couple more that can help change the world.

Thank you for such an incredible quarter, it was truly a pleasure to take this class and learn from such a great group of people!

Thanks for a great quarter! I very much enjoyed the class and guest speakers.

Thanks again for teaching this class, I think it was a really rewarding experience!

Thank you again for an insightful quarter of learning! I am grateful for all the lessons I learned from this course and will use them in a variety of ways!

I want to thank you for an amazing course and for all your grace in waiting for my reflection.

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2022 - Emailed comments from students when they submitted their End-of-term Reports:

Thank you again for leading such an impactful course.

Thank you both for all your support and feedback throughout the quarter – I hope you have a restful break and a great spring quarter!

I really am so thankful for all your time and effort this quarter. ENGR 110 has been one of my favorite classes at Stanford. I hope to stay in touch throughout my years here.

Thank you so much for a great quarter and I hope to stay in touch in the future.

Thank you again so much for teaching this course this year; I learned so much from both of you, our guest speakers, and most of all through my individual project.

Thanks again for a great quarter!

Thank you for an amazing class and the opportunity to meet so many cool people! Thank you for an amazing quarter!

Thanks so much for all your time this quarter, it has been a real highlight for me to be able to discuss each week's presentations together. I really appreciate all the energy that went into this course, and especially your willingness to offer this asynchronous option.

Thank you and Kat so much for a great quarter, I really enjoyed the class.

This course has been one of the best courses I have taken in any academic setting. Having returned from a long leave your course made me realize what I missed most about being at Stanford.

I really enjoyed this class this quarter. I particularly enjoyed our weekly lecture summary meetings. I thought those conversations we had were some of the biggest things I’ll take away from this course. I really enjoyed it. I hope you have a great rest of the week and I hope to meet you in person when it is safe to do so!

Thank you for an awesome quarter. Wishing you both the best.

Thanks again for a great quarter and for your flexibility allowing a medical student in the class.

I wanted to give you both a huge thank you for a wonderful quarter! I really appreciate all your work in successfully converting the class to a remote format while keeping it lively and engaging. I have learned a great deal from you and all the guest lecturers, and had a fantastic time working on the project. This has definitely been one of the most fulfilling classes I've taken at Stanford.

Have a great rest of your week - thank you again for a wonderful quarter!

Thank you for teaching this class this quarter!

Thanks for the past 10 weeks :)

Thanks again for a fantastic quarter!

Thank you very much for a great quarter, I learned a ton and loved being apart of a great class.

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Emailed comments from community members:

I really enjoyed the Assistive Technology Faire last night. Networking with other professionals and sharing with students was great! I sent my email contact to your student who is designing the one handed cutting station. It sounds great! I have only use of 1 hand myself due to a stroke so that item really resonated with me.

Thank you again for the invitation to attend your class. This was a great class, and I am very thankful I had the opportunity to observe. I enjoyed all the classes. The student presentations were very impressive, and I enjoyed them too.

I thought all your students did an excellent job. They obviously spent a great deal of time on these projects and had some very good ideas.

I just joined the last two sessions, however, so impressed by their high-quality presentations. I can imagine how you well-organized this course even in the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Thank you so much for inviting me to this course. I learned a lot. Please keep in touch.

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Miscellaneous comments from students:

I had an excellent time learning in your class last quarter and look forward to working on another project under your guidance.

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2022 - Comments from Cardinal Course Student Survey:

I found it valuable to engage in a real project where I created a more accessible experience. It helped me to gain perspective as a designer and truly understand and apply the principles we were learning.

I really enjoy being able to work with a real community partner and build something that they will be able to use long after the conclusion of the class.

It felt like my work was more than just a project/report for a class. Rather, I was making something impactful that had a tangible difference in the world.

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2023 - Comments from Cardinal Course Student Survey:

My community partner provided great insights and feedback as we created and designed the assistive device, which really opened my eyes to the power of involving users in the design process.

A course concept that I encountered in my project was the ability to respectfully engage and meet the needs of people with disabilities. I was able to practice this concept in real life.

Gaining more understanding of the perspectives of other people with disabilities [was what I found valuable about the community engaged project experience].

I found the user testing with our community partner to be incredibly valuable and such a unique opportunity.

Hearing from a panel of students with disabilities about their experience at Stanford was incredibly powerful.

There was a lot of respect for people with disabilities.

We talked about interview skills when talking with community partners to show respect.

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Comments from 2022 Registrar Student Course Evaluations: - Some comments related to networking and Zoom issues have been removed.

2022 Registrar

Student replies to "What skills or knowledge did you learn or improve?"

I loved that the course surveyed a variety of fields relevant to assistive technology, including design, technology development, commercialization, and academia. The course lectures are high-level and are easy enough to comprehend by students from different backgrounds and majors. The project was an incredibly enriching experience for me - it was my first time at the PRL, and I learned so much about the design process and the importance of prototyping for learning forward.

My understanding of disability and assistive technologies.

How to approach a design project and knowledge of the broad field of assistive technology as well as ethical considerations related to designing in this space.

I am much better at prototyping.

I learned about challenges surrounding the design of assistive technology and different existing solutions for improving the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Empathy, thinking outside the box.

Learned how to apply the mechanical design process for assistive technology.

How to make more accessible products.

How to interact with the disability community, prototype.

Had exposure to 3D printing, rapid prototyping, magnets, laser jet, sheet metal cutting, sowing, and much more.

Learned about accessibility and how to create a prototype.

I learned a lot about the intersection of engineering and assistive technology.

I learned about some new assistive technologies.

Film

I learned a lot about the field of assistive technologies and the range of work and people being accounted for.

2022 Registrar

Student replies to "What would you like to say about this course to a student who is considering taking it in the future?"

Definitely take it! The course lectures cover a variety of fields under the theme of accessibility: design, academia, product development, commercialization, etc. The lectures are high-level and are not technically complex, they're comprised of guest lecturers giving overviews of their fields. The project component was super fun, and I learned a lot because I got to work at the PRL for the first time. You'll be the one to define the scope of your project which ends up defining how much time you spend on the course. Overall, definitely recommended - one of the most fun courses I've taken at Stanford.

It’s a “warm” course driven by a very humane cause. The projects are likely the most user-centered projects you’ll ever deal with, many being one-of-one projects solving a very particular need. While this may not be fulfilling the needs of thousands, that one individual that you’ve helped will benefit greatly and that aspect of the course is extremely rewarding.

Great class with very cool project options. You get out of it what you put in.

The opportunity to create a device that will improve the quality of life for a community member is amazing.

This is a great course to learn about assistive technology considerations and design. Very interactive and personal class where you get to work on a project of your choosing to help a real person.

Guest lectures are cool, personal project is cool! find something you're passionate about.

Great course, incredible teaching team, good times.

Recommend taking the course as part of a team project. Eye-opening experience.

Great class and it's not too overwhelming! Super fun especially if you get to go to the Magical Bridge Playground to see how they've been able to make playgrounds accessible.

A really great class! great perspective to be introduced to the disability community. Choose an interesting topic to you and also have good teammates, ideally take it with some people you know! Defenitely don't miss the Magical Bridge Playground fieldtrip, and work early on your prototypes. Meet often with your community partner. Dave is nice and open to meet often - take advantage especially of the CA too! A manageable project class but depends how much effort you put in.

The course might feel like more than a three-unit class if you choose to take it for that course load, so be prepared to do a lot of independent work!

Dave is the best! This course is an absolute must take at Stanford. In the course, you have the option to work on a group project to solve a real life challenge for someone who has a mobility or vision impairment. The community members are great. Dave serves fresh chocolate chip cookies every class. The last day of class, he brings burritos from Treehouse. His guest lecturers are fantastic. I have had so much fun taking his course, I will be pursuing independent study with him in the spring. Remember, ENGR 110/210 is only taught in the winter, so make sure to put it in your schedule. Several students this quarter, repeated the class for either independent study or as grad students. Have made so many great friends from this class. Loved the class. One of my highlights at college.

Take it! Took it for 3 units and enjoyed my quarter long project. Make sure you have a good group and pick a project you are passionate about though. You get out what you put in and it was cool to expand my perspective on assistive technology.

Make sure you attend the class. Easy if you're taking it for 1 unit.

Working on the project was great.

If you are interested in all types of assistive technologies it is a good class.

Loved loved the class and the project was SUPER enjoyable.

The course is fantastic. It is one of those classes that provide a tremendous amount of meaning and context to how engineering can create a real-world impact. I think the lectures can be a hit or a miss, so filling out Dave’s evaluation form after each guest lecture is really important to improve the next iteration of the course. If you take the class for 3 units and work with a team, you learn and practice a tremendous amount of skills. You have total ownership over the project and define the timeline (other than when midterm presentations and final presentations roll around). You learn how to listen and work with your project partner to create a solution that fits their needs, and you learn how to scope a project to be manufacturable within the 10 weeks you’re taking the course.

Team and project choice are important.

Fun

The guest speakers are pretty interesting.

2022 Registrar

Student replies to "Would you like to provide any other comments about this course?"

I had a great time learning and I'm extremely grateful this class is offered at Stanford. Also, if this class could be a part of Meet the Makers. I think that would be really cool! I think other PRL students would benefit from the exposure.

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Feedback from 2023 Course Evaluations:

2023 Course Feedback

Student replies to "What skills or knowledge did you learn or improve?"

I learned how to approach and speak about people with disabilities. I was able to learn about their perspectives as people with disabilities.

Produce fabrication

I learned how to use PRL, develop a prototype, how to design products WITH people with disabilites to create effective assistive technologies.

I learned about assistive technologies and improved my design skills.

Exposed to many disabilities and became more equipped on how to have a useful impact with assistive technologies.

How to design products for a person who has some form of disability.

People skills.

Prototyping skills.

I learned how to work together with your user to co-design an effective assistive technology.

I learned about assistive technology and how its key principles can be applied to several other industries.

2023 Course Feedback

Student replies to "What would you like to say about this course to a student who is considering taking it in the future?"

Take this class! The speakers are amazing & the project you would on are really meaningful to the person with the disability. I recommend. It's interesting & low-stress.

Dave really cares about the students. He is so kind and I learned so much from this course. If you are an STS major you will get pushed to pick up some engineering skills in a very short time period so be wary of that. This class is AWESOME overall. I think it should be advertised more on campus because it is truly special!!

Dave put a lot of work into the guest lectures and they were very informative. ME background is a plus, but not necessary. Good overview of assistive technology, I would recommend taking the course.

A lot of cool guest speakers. You make a prototype on something to improve the quality of life and independence for a community member with disabilities if taken for 3 units. I would recommend coming in with some product fabrication experiences (or find teammates with fabrication experiences) because they don't teach that in class and nobody in my team have used PRL before. I think the outcome would be better if at least one person knew how to do stuff.

You get to interact with some pretty amazing people.

There is no time in class for project work so make sure you get started early!!

A good experience and a nice introduction to what’s being done in the field of assistive technology.

It's such a valuable class, take it if you can!

Awesome class.

Amazing and rewarding class if you take on a project. It's a great chance to work together with a user and design a product that will directly impact their life.

Be sure to start the Team Project ahead of time (even if the first few meetings are just brainstorming.

2023 Course Feedback

Student replies to "Would you like to provide any other comments about this course?"

This is a wonderful class!

Super awesome way to get engaged with community and make a direct impact!

Updated 05/23/2023

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