Packaging Design Challenge Project Overview

Working on teams guided by MWV mentors, students embraced the design process to create a packaging solution that was sustainable, innovative, convenient, and protective. Students’ solutions were assessed by MWV employees.

Creating the Project

During this project, students were challenged to create a package that could hold 100 pounds of vertical pressure. We were fortunate enough to have access to a compression testing machine through our mentors’ company, MWV. However, there are other methods for determining how much weight a package can hold. If your school has an active Odyssey of the Mind club you may choose to inquire about borrowing their device for testing weight bearing abilities. Or, you can simply create a way to stack heavy textbooks on top, using “textbooks” as your unit of measurement. While working in class we had students carefully (by initially supporting their weight on a table or counter) try standing on their package. Using logical reasoning, the students figured that if they weighed more than 100 pounds and they could stand on their package without it crushing, then their package could hold 100 pounds.

Approximately halfway through the design process have students pitch their packaging prototypes to one or two adults. If not trained in packaging innovation or the design process, these adults should simply press student groups to make specific improvements in each of the areas of the rubric. Typically at this phase groups are pushed to make their design more sustainable (weigh less) and more innovative (not just a box, something more). The student groups that are willing to adopt the advice of these adults often create the strongest projects. This typically means that students have to abandon aspects of their current prototype and start over with the inclusion of these new ideas. This process is an important step of the design process that is used in the real world.

Because many students have completed some type of design challenge before, we had to continuously push our students to think about the solution in an innovative manner. The video clips from the lessons and the adult feedback were tools that we used to lead our students in new directions.

Project work will take longer to complete than teaching a series of content based lessons. Also, the design process can be messy, loud, and emotional. Students will ride a roller coaster of emotions as they work through their frustrations to solve a creative problem. The role of the teacher is to keep everyone focused and kind. It is not our job to offer solutions which is challenging because so often we see potential answers when students are extremely stuck.

In group projects it can also be a challenge to monitor whether each group member is equitably pulling his or her weight. Using regular group assessments forms will keep the group members accountable to each other and provide the teacher with a helpful tool to monitor progress.

Additionally, provide an agenda for each class period and specific homework assignments. This will help students maximize their time both in and out of school with focused and clear goals.

Sharing the Project

Creating time for students to share their work with a larger audience motivates students to polish their work and put forth greater effort. Each group created a two minute presentation that highlighted the group’s sustainable, convenient, image appealing, and innovative decisions. Projects were shared at “MWV Day” and during a web-conference with our partner school in Hyderabad, India.

Invite parents and mentors to the presentations. If possible, have audience participation sheets that lets them assess each group and vote on a favorite design.

Our Experience

During the process, student groups had one designated mentor from MWV. This mentor met with each group twice. Once to kick-off the project and once halfway through the process to offer feedback on the groups’ prototypes.

The mentors played a key role in the success and excitement of this project. MWV mentors came to our school on the first day of the project for a kick-off lesson. They got students excited about participating by sharing current examples of innovative packaging and explaining their jobs. Then the mentors presented the Design Brief, Rubric, and a homemade video of the vertical compression table at work. Mentors then met with their teams and got them started on the brainstorming process. Later the mentors met with each team individually to offer feedback and suggestions on the groups’ prototype. Each group meeting took 5-10 minutes.

Upon completion, mentors assessed each team’s design and written work using the rubric provided. The mentors enlisted the help of other MWV employees as well. For example, the mentors contacted three MWV employees from the marketing department to evaluate each package for its “image” or shelf-appeal.

The mentors also made an outstanding PowerPoint presentation that went through the scoring of each package in each category on the rubric. The PowerPoint revealed the top three teams. These top three teams then prepared to present their package design in front of parents, students, mentors, and MWV employees during our culminating MWV day. At the end of the three presentations the winning team was announced.

Students at our partner school in Hyderabad , India also completed this project. During a web conference all groups from both schools gave their two minute presentation to one another. At the end of the presentations seminar questions were asked and students from both schools took turns discussing their insights about each other’s projects and designs.

Curriculum Alignment

The lessons and projects in the thematic unit “Price Check: What is the True Cost?” address objectives in both the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and the 21st Century Learning Goals. Correlations with each are listed below.

21st Century Learning Goals

The 21st Century Learning Goals were adopted by the state of North Carolina in 2005. These learning objectives are particularly useful for assessing student learning in the areas of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity/innovation. For a complete list of the 21st Century Learning Goals please go to http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/.

As students complete work in this section of the thematic unit “Price Check: What is the True Cost?” they will meet the following 21st Century Learning Goals objectives:

21st Century Interdisciplinary Themes

Global Awareness

• Understand and address global issues
• Learning from and working collaboratively with individuals representing diverse cultures, religions and lifestyles in a spirit of mutual respect and open dialogue in personal, work and community contexts
• Understanding other nations and cultures, including the use of non-English languages
• LEARNING AND INNOVATION SKILLS

Creativity and Innovation

• Think Creatively
  • Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming)
  • Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts)
  • Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and maximize creative efforts

• Work Creatively with Others
  • Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others effectively
  • Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate group input and feedback into the work
  • Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and understand the real world limits to adopting new ideas
  • View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that creativity and innovation is a long-term, cyclical process of small successes and frequent mistakes

• Implement Innovations
  • Act on creative ideas to make a tangible and useful contribution to the field in which the innovation will occur

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

• Reason Effectively
  • Use various types of reasoning (inductive, deductive, etc.) as appropriate to the situation

• Use Systems Thinking
  • Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to produce overall outcomes in complex systems

• Make Judgments and Decisions
  • Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs
  • Analyze and evaluate major alternative points of view
  • Synthesize and make connections between information and arguments
  • Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis
  • Reflect critically on learning experiences and processes

• Solve Problems
  • Solve different kinds of non-familiar problems in both conventional and innovative ways
  • Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points of view and lead to better solutions

Communication and Collaboration

• Communicate Clearly
  • Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts
  • Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes and intentions
  • Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform, instruct, motivate and persuade)
  • Utilize multiple media and technologies, and know how to judge their effectiveness a priori as well as assess their impact
  • Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multi-lingual)

• Collaborate with Others
  • Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams
  • Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal
  • Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member

INFORMATION, MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

Media Literacy

• Analyze Media
  • Understand both how and why media messages are constructed, and for what purposes
  • Examine how individuals interpret messages differently, how values and points of view are included or excluded, and how media can influence beliefs and behaviors
  • Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of media

• Create Media Products
  • Understand and utilize the most appropriate media creation tools, characteristics and conventions
  • Understand and effectively utilize the most appropriate expressions and interpretations in diverse, multi-cultural environments

LIFE AND CAREER SKILLS

Flexibility and Adaptability

• Adapt to Change
  • Adapt to varied roles, jobs responsibilities, schedules and contexts
  • Work effectively in a climate of ambiguity and changing priorities

• Be Flexible
  • Incorporate feedback effectively
  • Deal positively with praise, setbacks and criticism
  • Understand, negotiate and balance diverse views and beliefs to reach workable solutions, particularly in multi-cultural environments

Initiative and Self-Direction

• Manage Goals and Time
  • Set goals with tangible and intangible success criteria
  • Balance tactical (short-term) and strategic (long-term) goals
  • Utilize time and manage workload efficiently

• Work Independently
  • Monitor, define, prioritize and complete tasks without direct oversight

• Be Self-directed Learners
  • Go beyond basic mastery of skills and/or curriculum to explore and expand one’s own learning and opportunities to gain expertise
  • Demonstrate initiative to advance skill levels towards a professional level
  • Demonstrate commitment to learning as a lifelong process
  • Reflect critically on past experiences in order to inform future progress

Social and Cross-Cultural Skills

• Interact Effectively with Others
  • Know when it is appropriate to listen and when to speak
  • Conduct themselves in a respectable, professional manner

• Work Effectively in Diverse Teams
  • Respect cultural differences and work effectively with people from a range of social and cultural backgrounds
  • Respond open-mindedly to different ideas and values
  • Leverage social and cultural differences to create new ideas and increase both innovation and quality of work

Productivity and Accountability

• Manage Projects
  • Set and meet goals, even in the face of obstacles and competing pressures
  • Prioritize, plan and manage work to achieve the intended result

• Produce Results
  • Demonstrate additional attributes associated with producing high quality products including the abilities to: Work positively and ethically, Manage time and projects effectively, Multi-task, Participate actively, as well as be reliable and punctual, Present oneself professionally and with proper etiquette, Collaborate and cooperate effectively with teams, Respect and appreciate team diversity, Be accountable for results

Leadership and Responsibility

• Guide and Lead Others
  • Use interpersonal and problem-solving skills to influence and guide others toward a goal
  • Leverage strengths of others to accomplish a common goal
  • Inspire others to reach their very best via example and selflessness
  • Demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior in using influence and power

• Be Responsible to Others
  • Act responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind

North Carolina Standard Course of Study

Science, Grade 6

Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate an understanding of technological design.
Objectives 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.04

Science, Grade 7

Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate an understanding of technological design.
Objectives 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.04

Science, Grade 8

Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate an understanding of technological design.
Objectives 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.04

English Language Arts, Grade 7

Goal 1: The learner will use language to express individual perspectives in response to personal, social, cultural, and historical issues.
Objectives: 1.03, 1.04

Goal 3: The learner will refine the understanding and use of argument.
Objective: 3.02

Goal 6: The learner will apply conventions of application of grammar and language usage.
Objectives: 6.01, 6.02

English Language Arts, Grade 8

Goal 1: The learner will use language to express individual perspectives in response to personal, social, cultural, and historical issues.
Objectives: 1.03, 1.04

Goal 2: The learner will synthesize and use information from a variety of sources.
Objectives: 2.01, 2.02

Goal 6: The learner will apply conventions of application of grammar and language usage

.
Objective: 6.02

Computer Technology Skills, Grade 7

Goal 1: The learner will understand important issues of a technology-based society and will exhibit ethical behavior in the use of computer and other technologies.
Objectives: 1.03, 1.15, 1.16

Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate knowledge and skills in the use of computer and other technologies.
Objectives: 2.04, 2.05

Goal 3: The learner will use a variety of technologies to access, analyze, interpret, synthesize, apply, and communicate information.
Objectives: 3.01, 3.08, 3.09, 3.11

Computer Technology Skills, Grade 8

Goal 1: The learner will understand important issues of a technology-based society and will exhibit ethical behavior in the use of computer and other technologies.
Objectives: 1.03, 1.15, 1.16

Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate knowledge and skills in the use of computer and other technologies.
Objective: 2.06

Goal 3: The learner will use a variety of technologies to access, analyze, interpret, synthesize, apply, and communicate information.
Objectives: 3.01, 3.06, 3.07, 3.08, 3.10

Mathematics, Grade 7

Goal 2: Measurement - The learner will understand and use measurement involving two- and three-dimensional figures.
Objective: 2.02

Goal 3: Geometry - The learner will understand and use properties and relationships in geometry.
Objective: 3.01

Social Studies, Grades 6,7, and 8

Depending on the location of the partner school and the grade level being taught, it is possible to meet several Social Studies objectives.