Main Advisor and OP Reviewer: Nicole Vosper
Associate Name: Sophie Viandier
Output Packet: 2       
Phase/ALC: BSc IESD Yr1
Date Submitted: 
Date Reviewed: 11th November 2014
Mark: 75
Grade: B
Time Spent on Review: 3 hrs + 0.5 for review forms

Dear Sophie,

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to read your Output Packet. Thanks for all of your work on both self and planetary levels.
 My review is broken into these sections:
1. Evaluation Form
2. Comments Per Section
 Required next step:

Create a resource review
 Recommended next step:

	•	Increase the content of your pathway reflection section:
	◦	The main priorities are a participation record e.g. a link to an action learning guild. 
	◦	Some commentary on how you have been managing your time and promises (obviously you touch on this throughout the OP with comments on project management/time estimates - one paragraph summary in this section would be really great). 
	◦	Skill flex assessment. (For example, even just a list of skills you have gained - can be as simple/fast as this). 

See more detail below:

The Pathway Reflection section should include:
   1. Life Update (How life circumstance effect the associate's pathway)
   2. Pathway Tracking (Refers back to LIPD and tracks progress and changes)
   3. Participation Record (Includes evidence of engagement within Gaia U community - notes from at least 1 Action learning guild meeting required)
   4. Managing Time and Promises (Summary of the associate's ability for and the tools used to manage their pathway; considers any necessary renegotiations)
   5. Project Integration - (Reflection on current projects and how the project reported in this OP effects the associate's pathway)
   6. Skillflex Assessment (Tracking skills gained - refer back to LIPD)						

I respect your integrity in managing your pathway. I feel very inspired to be your advisor!

Many thanks, 

Nicole

OP REVIEW
 1. EVALUATION FORM (attached)

2. COMMENTS PER SECTION (attached)

Comments per section

Specifications and abstract

Great introductory paragraphs. Very clear to the reader what the purpose of the OP is.
Well done for plugging your design services, great way to stack functions!

The Story

More photographs would break up the text.
Thank you for your emotional honesty and realism, it really brings the experience to life more.
Definitely the praxis of the theory of design!
This experience has obviously been a huge learning experience for you - asking for help, facing a fear of failure.
As someone living in a house that is an ongoing project, I really admire how much work you have done and how fast! I am surprised you are not completely burnt out.
How did you interact with the garden in terms of observation? E.g. observing the land for a year before making decisions? (Perhaps your local knowledge compensates for this).

Designs and Decisions

Just editing note - fonts aren’t consistent between the first and third columns. Not essential, just me as a fussy graphic designer!
What wider design framework did you use before diving in to the process? Did you work through things in a systematic way?

Fantastic goal articulation. What powerful social & ecological goals.
It is always good practice to label designs and ensure there is a clear north & scale on any drawing. (NB - can see now that the first picture is a close up of a design with these elements)
I know there are limits on what you can upload to mahara, however uploading an image to another host, which can be in a large file size would be really great - that way the reader can really see and understand your designs

Am not totally sure how your zone map is working.. is it an overlay for the house/farm itself? Or is a diagrammatic view of the zones? What are the current zones, e.g where you spend most time, your access routes etc? Where do you spend most time naturally? How do you interact with the site?

It is very difficult to comment on your analysis and assessment design work, as the picture is unreadable! I’m assuming this is a sector analysis?

Great that you have designed a greywater system. Would be fab to see the image at a larger scale.

Great simple SWOT. I’m sure other associates can learn from this model. Did you complete this analysis in one session? Or did ideas come to you over time? How did it inform the decisions you made?

Prezi notes
What a wonderful way to recycle all those materials. Great photo!
Maybe include a link to what a passiv solar heater is.. looks fascinating and ingenious!

Who created the downloadable form? Was it useful?
It looks like a great tool.

When did you articulate your goals? Before you bought a house?! After? During the project? Donella Meadows, the late expert on systems thinking, says that the function is the largest influence on a system’s behaviour. Therefore our goals really influence system design.

Timeline and Budget

You mention ‘bridesmaid options’. Its always worth clarifying technical language/having a glossary somewhere, especially if reports are of a more technical nature.

Would be useful to include a link to the google spreadsheet so that people can more easily copy it or share it.
Great that you have included such a detailed overview of costs. A massively important part of the design process that many do not give full attention to.

A lot of wisdom, adding two thirds more time to a project when planning it!!

What is the purpose of the Gaia U Pathway design xmind? In relation to this section?
Nice use of the goals/tasks tool in mahara.

My schoolhouse as a schoolhouse for others

Fantastic presentation - you should definitely post it on the Gaia U community forum. It is a huge amount of work. Do you reference your sources? Are there any notes to accompany it?
An exact link to your video would save time for the reader. I didn’t have time to keep searching for it.
Always love being reminded about fewer but smarter changes
Love the metaphor of a house being like a body, really makes me feel attracted to natural building work.
Love the it always depend slide!!

Super impressive permaculture in home renovation presentation. How can you disseminate it more? Perhaps we can post some of these resources on the Gaia U blog?

Great dissemination to talk at the university. Unfortunately the video is set to private. Are you ok to make public and share?

The Greater Context

Ethical Homing Elements - Brilliant toolkit for others. Excellent ‘takeaway’ that readers can benefit from. Great that you have included an example also. Inspiring work.
This output is incredibly rich!

Coping mechanisms

Moving inspiring radical honesty. I am sure a huge number of readers will be able to resonate with your experiences, thank you for sharing them. We are sold that doing up your own home is everyone’s dream, but actually the reality is not always shared (apart from maybe the odd dramatic TV show!)

I have already sent this page to my Step Dad & Mum who are doing most of the building work on our house. Thanks so much.

Brilliant you have written such thorough suggestions, you have obviously learnt a huge amount from this experience. I am sure you will be able to support many people into the future undertaking similar projects.

I love this sentence - Invite the doubters, gossipers, disgruntled neighbours, and naysayers into your home. This is where understanding begins.

Reflections

I love your what you would do differently section, and your total embrace as all ‘mistakes’ as rich learning opportunities. Your examples made me smile and it really provides the OP with a sense of completion.

Do you have any reflections about where you are at on your Gaia U pathway? What are your next steps on your learning pathway?

Visitors

Tina Cotton describes your home as your laboratory. This is clear evidence of the power of action learning, and the results we achieve when self becomes subject and researcher.