Assignment 7: Christina Caiozzo

In the summers, I teach swimming lessons to little kids. It is important to develop a reputation system for this kind of community. We need to be able to differentiate the swimmers by skill level so we know who the weak and strong swimmers are. Giving the swimmers tests and then dividing them up by groups according to skill is a good way to do this. They might have to: tread water, swim different strokes, swim to one end of the pool and back, or even swim 20, 50, or 100 laps. Those that have the most basic skills would be put in a beginner group, and wear red bathing suits. Intermediate levels could wear green bathing suits, and the advanced could wear blue bathing suits.
Although Olsen et. al. (2002) are mainly interested in finding out whether face to face interaction is essential for developing trust, they do specify that “if higher degrees of trust can be established, organizations can work more efficiently, and adapt more quickly to changing circumstances” (p. 135). This principle applies to the swimming community. If the instructors can trust that the swimmer’s group matches his/her ability level, than their attention can be distributed accordingly. Likewise, the swimmers need to be able to trust the instructor’s advice and guidance in order to progress.
Desirable behaviors are those that reinforce the reputation system. If swimmers look forward to moving up the levels and receiving a new bathing suit, then they will work hard in their lessons in order to pass the test to get to the next level. If swimmers base their impressions of other swimmers’ skills on the color of their bathing suit, that would also be desirable. This way, swimmers can be aware of who should be in the deep end, etc.
Resnick et. al. (2000) notes that it is important to distribute feedback to the swimmers about their performance in order to “inspire an expectation of future interaction”(p.47). Rewarding the swimmers by giving them a patch or ribbon on their bathing suit every time they do something noteworthy would hopefully encourage them to keep up their performance. It is important to remember not to rate the swimmer themselves, but the activity they accomplish.
Manipulation of the system would be possible. Since instructor feedback would be subjective, some instructors may provide ribbons for behavior that other instructors would not deem commendable. Also, it is entirely possible for swimmers not affiliated with swimming class to wear a red, blue or green bathing suit. This would be confusing to the lifeguards, the other swimmers, and the reputation system. Additionally, since swimming lessons are only during the summer, it would be possible for a swimmer to come in late, and realize that their behavior will not matter since the summer will end before there’s a chance to move up a new level. This may decrease motivation, and make the reputation system ineffective.