The Design of Educational Programs in System Dynamics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

Pavlov, Oleg V.; Doyle, James R.; Saeed, Khalid; Lyneis, James M.; Radzicki, Michael J.

doi:10.3390/systems2010054

Cited by 17 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 3 publications

(3 reference statements)

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“…in System Dynamics, Graduate Certificate, M.S., and PhD degrees in System Dynamics. There are also courses taught in system dynamics that are open to all students in the university [5]. This allows students to get an exposure to systems approaches but not a formal qualification.…”

Section: Systems Education Programs At Tertiary Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…WPI also has a distance learning program that attracts primarily mid-career professionals who enrol in courses part-time. More than half are above the age of 35 [5].…”

Section: Systems Education Programs At Tertiary Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the central importance of the word 'systems' can be clearly seen, together with the other high frequency words such as education, learning, system, dynamics, thinking, design, systemic, management, sustainability, etc. The material provided by the authors for the special issue [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] discusses the current status of systems education and the extent to which the systems community is delivering on the ambition to provide a systems education for a sustainable planet. For the purposes of this paper, the 14 special issue papers have been classified into five distinct themes, as illustrated in Figure 2.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Different learning approaches are used, but the message is the same-we need to educate people to work with complexity and uncertainty if we are to progress the goal of a sustainable planet [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Overview and Insights from ‘Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet’

Cavana

Forgie

2018

Systems

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An announcement by Bosch and Cavana, in Systems, called for new papers to provide updated perspectives about and fresh insights into developments that influence 'systems education for a sustainable planet'. This paper's objective is to provide an overview of the 14 papers that were published in the special issue, and present some insights and findings from their content. It does this by classifying the papers into five distinct themes, then analysing their content and the linkages between the themes. This process revealed that: (1) Specialised systems education at a tertiary level is predominantly at graduate level, using a diverse range of approaches; and (2) Delivering specialised systems education remains a challenge for programs that endeavour to provide an integrated and interdisciplinary learning experience. Barriers include current institutional structures and the need for students to be both big picture thinkers and detail-oriented technocrats; (3) Teaching systems approaches outside of specialised programs for students (both young and mature) help to expose systems thinking to a wider demographic; (4) The strong links that exist between systems approaches and sustainability goals are increasingly being recognised. Systems education can help transition towards a sustainable planet, as it helps people appreciate that individual actions are not isolated events but contribute to an interconnected system that determines both the well-being of humans and the planet.

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Section: Systems Education Programs At Tertiary Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…WPI also has a distance learning program that attracts primarily mid-career professionals who enrol in courses part-time. More than half are above the age of 35 [5].…”

Section: Systems Education Programs At Tertiary Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Overview and Insights from ‘Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet’

Cavana

Forgie

2018

Systems

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“…However, as noted by other authors in this issue, the "programs that offer substantial coursework in system dynamics and a degree titled 'System Dynamics' can be counted on one hand" [10]. The University of Bergen is on that short list.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systems Education at Bergen

Davidsen

Kopainsky

Moxnes

et al. 2014

Systems

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Abstract:At the University of Bergen in Norway, educating students to use computer models and to think systemically about social and economic problems began in the 1970s. The International Masters Program in System Dynamics was established in 1995, and a Ph.D. program began a few years later. Student enrolment doubled in 2010 with the establishment of the European Master Program in System Dynamics. International diversity has been a hallmark of the Bergen program; each year, students come from about 30 different countries and more than 95% of the degrees have been awarded to students from outside of Norway. However, a Bergen systems education is not confined to a classroom in Norway. Projects in developing countries, emerging economies, and developed countries have taken the systems perspective and modeling tools on the road and, increasingly, online. Whatever the delivery mode, the goal is the same: capacity building among international students, planners and managers, and local stakeholders. This paper describes the Bergen program and its impact on systems thinking and modeling throughout the world.

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