The X Factor

James Madison University excels at solving real-world problems. Whether through classroom experiences or hands-on research, JMU facilitates innovative problem-solving for faculty, students and community partners through a variety of means.

JMU X-Labs is a catalyst for this approach, using design thinking, a process that allows users to understand their audience, generate original ideas and assess novel solutions. REDI recently sat down with Cari Orebaugh, assistant director of JMU X-Labs, to discuss X-Labs’ services and role in The Madison Promise. 

These responses have been edited for length and clarity.

REDI: What is X-Labs?

Orebaugh: X-Labs is both a set of dedicated spaces, but it’s also a concept. What we do in X-Labs within our spaces, which are built to facilitate our mission, is bring people together and give them a set of practical skills to have a better understanding for working through and solving real-world problems. We can either do that here within our own spaces, or we can take our problem-solving approaches and how we work with others and take that out into campus or out into the community to build those skills with other people.

You don't have to come here to Lakeview Hall to experience X-Labs. If you need a prototype, you need to come here to utilize our resources, but there are other elements that we can share around campus or out in the community as well.

REDI: How does X-Labs help JMU become the Commonwealth’s preferred economic partner?

Orebaugh: [We] help [partners] solve problems that require multiple viewpoints. We recognize that companies and industry work with JMU [in a] variety of ways and through a lot of different departments, and we're not trying to duplicate any of that, but is there a way that we can work with them or that we can partner with those curious companies that would need something like an X-Labs approach of cross-disciplinary, research-based, co-creating solutions?

One of the programs I have been engaged with since I've been here is our successful Reimagined Internship program, [which] was transformative and co-created with Ellucian. That program worked well for them, but we heard from some of our industry partners that the timeframe and nine-month commitment may be a little bit longer than some companies have the capacity to do. A ten-student cohort, while that's amazing to have ten cross-disciplinary students working on a problem, may be larger than a company's entire intern program, depending on how large the company is. We are looking to launch a couple new programs at the end of the semester or next semester with either [JMU partners] or with curious industry partners that are willing to pilot something that gives them more flexibility to solve problems in a much faster timeframe, and that works outside of the academic calendar.

REDI: How can faculty members get involved with X-Labs?

Orebaugh: We have a couple of different opportunities with which they can start. One way would be to look at X-Labs as a source for a private or semi-private research space. We launched this opportunity for this calendar year; one of our work rooms is now a private research space for a cross-disciplinary team led by Dr. [Raihan] Khan in the Health Sciences Department. If a faculty member said, “I have this problem that I'm trying to solve, this research that I'm really invested in, and I need experts from outside my discipline. Can you help me think through this or connect me with other resources on campus? Or we're trying to develop an actual prototype to help us do research.” We could be a resource for them in that way.

We're also available in the traditional way that people view X-Labs, and that is coming here to teach a course. We are very much always excited to host courses that meet the X-Labs model.

REDI: How do X-Labs’ physical spaces support learning?

Orebaugh: Each space has its own identity and own meaningful purpose. If faculty ever want to come here and utilize our spaces, we can really help prime them for the reason that the rooms are set up the way that they are and the reasons that the rooms feel the way they do, because it helps students and faculty learn and teach differently. You can do your thinking, your learning, and instruction in the Arena, build and make and be creative and messy in the Lab, and then talk and reflect and learn from each other in the Tank.

REDI: How can students engage with X-Labs?

Orebaugh: They traditionally engage with X-Labs through courses, through our full academic year fellowship program, and through JMU Esports.

Our JMU Esports program does support competitive Esports gaming and the Esports industry, but if students don't have the capacity, interest or skill set to be on an actual team, there are other opportunities for them to learn and have ways to be engaged with Esports. That's either through social media and marketing, and broadcasting and recruiting, and coaching.

There are also new programs in the pipeline for student innovators who are curious about building solutions through new problem-solving frameworks. Stay tuned for program launch details!

For questions regarding X-Labs, contact the team at jmuxlabs@jmu.edu.