Lambda School Labs Experience
The Lambda Labs team in June of 2019 at an on-site in Lehi and Park City, UT. I helped coordinate the schedule for the on-site and attended while very pregnant :)
During this on-site we connected with one another through activities and were able to tackle much of the Labs Experience OKR outlined below.
When I first joined the Lambda School team in May 2018, I developed the Lambda Swap Shop. I designed apparel for the shop and coordinated with a manufacturer to create and deliver swag to the new employees and investors.
Lambda’s first company retreat was in Clearwater, Florida. Since Lambda’s workforce is 100% remote, this was the first time many of us had met in person.
Summary.
Lambda School is an online academy that teaches iOS, Web Development, UX Design, and Data Science courses. The full-time course is 9 months long, with 2 months dedicated to Lambda Labs.
Lambda Labs is the experiential learning portion of the Lambda School curriculum where students are organized into cross-functional teams and assigned a build-on or evergreen product. Through Labs, students experience what it’s like to work in the tech industry. They conduct daily standup meetings, meet sprint deadlines, and work under an assigned Project Manager and Team Lead. Students are given the chance to utilize the technical skills they learned during the lecture portion of their curriculum in an environment that is nearly identical to the working conditions of their future job in tech.
Problem.
Lambda School collects weekly data points from a “Sprint Retrospective” survey that students are required to fill out. These data points provide insight on the success of the curriculum, the performance of a cohort as a whole, and the progress of each specific student throughout the course.
One troublesome trend in the data was a significant dip in the Net Promoter Score (NPS) as students transitioned from the lecture-based curriculum portion to Labs. After analyzing the qualitative and quantitative data found on the Daily Submission, Sprint Retrospective, and Lesson Feedback forms, I discovered that the reason for the NPS dip was deceivingly simple: students were overwhelmed with the transition.
I identified three pain points that contributed to this problem. The first was that students didn’t know what to expect from Labs; they were underprepared for the Labs process and the expectations placed on them. Secondly, they were overwhelmed with the amount of information given to them during the first week of Labs. Lastly, students were not practicing proper health habits—they were failing to get enough sleep, take breaks away from screens, or adhere to healthy eating guidelines.
Solution.
After gathering all the data points, I presented the following OKR:
Objective: Increase student NPS in the transition from curriculum to Labs.
Key Results: Improve NPS score by 3+ points, decrease reported feelings of stress, and provide a clear understanding of expectations
My initiatives included creating a “hype” video about Labs. I coordinated with Lambda’s video producer on the vision for the video and found time during the on-site to for my co-workers to be interviewed. The video is shown a month prior to students entering Labs, so they have an idea of what to expect.
I also reviewed the initial lessons and Kickoff Slides that students were given prior to entering Labs and during their first week. I implemented an Ice Breakers session. This session was to take place after students were assigned to Labs groups but before receiving their project. It was a way for students to get to know one another and connect prior to diving into the stressful environment. I provided training to the Team Leads on how to effectively structure the Ice Breaker
Finally, I created the “Refresh Program”—a program to encourage healthy habits for students during their time in Labs. Every time a student would do one of the following things, they would receive a point: drink 8oz of water, sleep more than 7 hours at night, desk stretches, 30 minutes of exercise, or connect with a classmate over an online game. Each student’s individual points were added to their team’s total, and those points were used to earn prizes on a weekly basis. It was a fun way to encourage healthy habits and prevent burnout for students in Labs. Best of all, these habits were ones students could carry with them as they continued their careers.
Labs Hype Video.
This video was shown to students 4 weeks prior to them entering Lambda Labs. It was created to build excitement around Labs and the opportunity to work on a cross-functional team in an industry environment.
Refresh Program Presentation.
The purpose of the Refresh Program introduction is to show the students that they are not alone in being overwhelmed with the transition from Lambda’s lecture portion to Labs. The important topic of “burnout” is covered, what it looks like and why it’s often found in the tech industry. Finally, we educate the students on healthy habits and then challenge them to implement these habits into their routine. The idea is that they will learn how to incorporate these habits as they enter into the workplace, and will encourage their teammates to do the same.
I made this slide deck with my UX Design Product Lead co-worker, Elizabeth Lin, to have presented to the Labs students. Elizabeth was chosen to present the Refresh Program introduction as she is passionate about wellness in the tech industry.
Outcomes.
After implementing these changes, the very next cohort saw a raise in NPS by 8 points. The impact of this OKR and the positive return was shocking, to say the least. Students maintained healthy habits, intentionally connected with their teammates, found better team cohesion, and created stellar projects for their portfolios.