Systems Thinking for Sustainability

该项目正在开发一个团队授课的跨学科课程，以促进系统思维，作为理解各种工程、设计和可持续发展经济问题的一种方式。团队项目构成了基于问题的学习方法的基础，来自四个不同的学院：工程、设计与建筑、教育和商业经济。学生和教师的学习目标包括：i)更好地理解可持续发展的复杂跨学科社会技术问题，ii)理解和使用“系统思维”方法更好地探索这些复杂性的能力，以及iii)增强在跨学科项目中成功沟通和合作的能力。该项目的智力价值在于学科观点的融合，为学生和教师提供了新的和具有挑战性的学习、交流和合作机会。此外，“系统思考”框架使学生能够将他们的学习视为整体和功能性的，而不是一组离散的“附加”特征。最后，基于问题的学习要求学生积极参与，明确他们的假设，制定假设和模型，并与同龄人的想法进行比较。该项目设想“可持续发展的系统思考”作为催化剂，首先在PI所在机构开展类似的跨学科课程，然后在其他机构开展。通过开发和传播一套跨学科课程中有用的学习成果，将核心STEM领域与相关领域结合起来，该项目正在扩大其影响。

This project is developing a team-taught cross-disciplinary course to promote systems thinking as a way to understand the various engineering, design, and economic issues of sustainability. Team projects form the basis of a problem-based learning approach and are drawn from four different colleges: Engineering, Design and Architecture, Education, and Business-Economics. Learning goals for students and faculty include: i) a better understanding of the complex cross-disciplinary socio-technical issues of sustainability, ii) an understanding of and ability to use "systems thinking" approaches to better explore these complexities, and iii) enhanced ability to communicate and collaborate successfully in cross-disciplinary projects. The intellectual merit of the project lies in the co-mingling of disciplinary perspectives that offers students and faculty new and challenging opportunities for learning, communication and collaboration. In addition the "systems thinking" framework enables students to see their learning as integral and functional, rather than as a set of discrete "tacked on" features. Finally, problem-based learning demands active engagement by students in making their assumptions explicit, formulating hypotheses and models, and testing those ideas against those of their peers. The project envisions "Systems Thinking for Sustainability" as a catalyst, first for similar cross-disciplinary courses at the PI's institution and then at other institutions. By developing and disseminating a set of learning outcomes useful in cross-disciplinary courses that bring together core STEM fields with related areas, the project is broadening its impact.