# SLOP4408 — Week 8: Get the Message Through

Campus / printable lab pack · Semester 1, 2027

## The task

Two competent people hold different dispatch information. Establish a shared, acknowledged instruction before acting.

In-person teaching is preferred. The paper route is a complete conceptual activity when apparatus is unavailable; online students use the equivalent controls and keep the same learning record.

After verifying the apparatus, enact its stated consequence and record the observed result. If a receiving role is needed, have that person acknowledge what changed.

## Learning outcomes

- Identify missing action-critical information from the receiver's position.
- Use questions and full read-back to resolve misunderstanding before action.
- Reconfirm changed instructions and distinguish solo practice from pair evidence.

## Equipment

Separate analyst and operator cards, blank handoff forms and a shared dispatch token. Spoken, written or typed messages are equally valid.

## Facilitator setup

Print separate analyst cards for Relay/2/AMBER, Archive/3/COPPER and Dispatch/1/IVORY. Give the operator a blank three-field form and acknowledgement box.

## Complete supplied rules

**Where to find the named materials:** These labels identify the supplied material on this page and in the combined campus pack; they are not separate files you need to locate. **CO-01** is the analyst's destination, quantity and code for the selected phase. **CO-02** is the operator's receiving task: record those fields, read them back and obtain confirmation. The campus pack explains how to keep the two role views separate.

- The analyst holds the authoritative destination, quantity and verification code. The operator must record and read back all three.
- Practice handoff: destination Relay; quantity 2; code AMBER.
- Skill check: destination Archive; quantity 3; code COPPER.
- Transfer: destination Dispatch; quantity 1; code IVORY.
- The handoff is complete only when the operator's fields agree with the analyst card and acknowledgement is recorded.
- Role switching is explicit in solo mode; a team can divide the two information views.

## Two-hour schedule

These are the teaching session's time blocks, not six compulsory game objectives. Adjust timing as needed; reasoning matters more than speed.

| Time | Activity |
| --- | --- |
| 0–10 minutes | Separate role views; the receiver lists the information needed to act. |
| 10–30 minutes | Attempt a short exchange and compare it with the alternate example's correction. |
| 30–60 minutes | Complete the practice instruction with an explicit read-back and keep the exchange. |
| 60–80 minutes | Swap responsibilities for the second request without silently sharing the source. |
| 80–105 minutes | Introduce a changed request and obtain a new confirmation. |
| 105–120 minutes | Compare role records and explain the ambiguity removed by the protocol. |

## Worked example · a different scenario

In the separate example, the analyst requests Dome, five cases, VIOLET. The operator reads back four cases. That mismatch is kept in the record and corrected before confirmation. A later card requests Pool, two cases, SILVER, so the demonstrator repeats the complete read-back rather than reusing the first acknowledgement. The method transfers; the message itself changes.

[Watch this separate example and inspect its finished record](/demonstrations/lab-08/).

The example explains a method. Its completed decisions are not the assigned task. Use the materials above for your own choices.

## Practice

Separate role information. Operator asks for missing details; analyst supplies them and checks a full read-back.

## Skill check

Swap responsibilities and complete the new instruction while recording a misunderstanding or potential ambiguity.

## Transfer challenge

Publish the changed request after the first confirmation. Obtain a new read-back and record its scope.

## Student record

**Named output: handoff-agreement.**

Keep source version, instruction sent, read-back, corrections and confirmation. Name each partner's responsibility; label solo rehearsal honestly.

Record your name/role, phase and scenario, prediction before action, evidence requested, result, decision, alternative and remaining uncertainty. Include assistance, format used and any physical-model limitation. Keep a failed attempt that explains a revision.

After verifying the apparatus, enact its stated consequence and record the observed result. If a receiving role is needed, have that person acknowledge what changed.

## Explanation — reveal after an attempt

All three fields and acknowledgement matter. A correct destination with the wrong count is still an incomplete shared model. The exercise tests accurate handoff, not speaking speed.

A facilitator judges the reasoning. The record's existence and the model's successful result do not by themselves establish learning.

## Facilitator evidence cards · reveal on request

Cut or fold the source values away from the operator. Analyst cards: Practice Relay / 2 / AMBER; Skill check Archive / 3 / COPPER; Transfer Dispatch / 1 / IVORY. Operator card: available destinations Relay, Archive, Dispatch; quantities one, two, three; request the exact destination, quantity and code. Do not show the source card before the first exchange.

The analyst compares the read-back with the source and records confirmation or correction. Reveal the transfer request only after the earlier acknowledgement. Roles rotate; the full published pack remains available for later review. No hidden marking criteria are introduced.

The full pack remains available for accessible and solo study. Label assistance if you inspected all cards before choosing a test. No hidden rules or secret grading are involved.

## Reflection and later use

What did the other role know that changed your plan?

A2 assesses a real handoff between partners. The final team uses this method when source findings, equipment conditions or responsibilities change another person's work.

## Evidence and limitations

Save **handoff-agreement** with your explanation. Physical activities are proposed teaching designs, not hardware-tested equipment. Distinguish model-card results from actual measurements. Neither browser success nor paper completion establishes physical dexterity or classroom enjoyment. A dated station record is sufficient; a duplicate browser run is not required.