Your Current or Most Recent Workspace
Directions: Think about your current workspace or the workspace that you were in most recently. For this project, workspace is defined as a place used or required for your work. This includes a variety of spaces ranging from an office or library to your kitchen table or living-room couch.
Description: Describe your workspace in detail. How would you describe it to someone who has never seen it? For instance, your description could include details about lighting, decor, sound, seating, and accessibility: Where are the doors, windows, stairways, and bathrooms? Does the space have a kitchen? If you prefer, you can provide a visual depiction of your space. Make sure that it has the same level of detail that a written description would.
Insert your responses in these text boxes.
Functionality: Consider the environment. How is the space organized? For instance, are other people near you? How does the space impact how you relate to others? How does the space affect the way you work? How does it impact your productivity? For example, there may be numerous large windows in the space that let natural light in and make it easier to stay alert and focused.
An Artifact in Your Workspace
Directions: Think about an artifact in your workspace. For this competency, an artifact must be a tangible object that was created or modified by a human being. It embodies the creative expression of ideas of the creator and the culture in which it was made. Following this definition, anything from a wooden cooking spoon to a computer keyboard could be considered an artifact. Select an artifact in your workspace and answer the following questions about it.
Artifact: What is your artifact? Identify and describe the artifact you chose.
Intentionality: How do you use your artifact? How do others use it? What do you think its intended use or purpose is? What was the creator, designer, or developer trying to accomplish, and were they successful?
Functionality: How does the artifact fit into the broader concept of the work environment? To what extent does the artifact play a role in the overall functionality of the workspace? What impact does the workspace artifact have on productivity?
Variance: Do similar artifacts exist? Are they equally crucial to society? Do different versions of the artifact create particular cultural dynamics? Are the various versions valued in the same way in every environment? Explain why or why not.
Relationship to Workplace Culture: How does the artifact reflect the workplace culture or context in which it exists? Does the environment impact how the artifact is used? Does the use of the artifact change depending on the type of work environment or the company?
Relationship to Society: How does the artifact reflect the broader culture? How was it used within the historical context in which it was created? How has its usage changed over time? Make sure to reference your sources.
Meaning to You: What does this artifact mean to you? What does it say about you and your values?
