OER and Systems Thinking

Target Group
This document is designed for lecturers at universities that want to introduce systems thinking in teachers eduction.

Objective of Target Group
The target group (lectures or administration of institution for teacher education and teacher training) wants to introduce System Thinking in three steps:
 * (L1) teacher students perform modelling tasks and/or systems analysis tasks (Objective: get confidence in own skills in systems thinking)
 * (L2) derive systems thinking skills from (L1)
 * (L3) Learn about teaching Systems Thinking within the requirements and constraints of a giving curriculum at schools.

Status of Document
alpha version (i.e. first version that needs further refinement and updates)

Risk Management and OER
We derive the application of Open Educational Resources (OER) from the definition of risk

Risk = Probability x Impact

Human existence on earth is facing major risks. The education system in schools and universities can support capacity building for Risk Literacy. Risk literate citizens are aware of risks and know about methods to mitigate the risk. The educational system is a key element for global efforts on risk mitigation. OER and the concept of sharing and improving support this efforts.

Risk Mitigation and Access to Resource
To optimize risk mitigation, it is necessary to maximize the impact on risk mitigation activities. Application of Open Resources with a licensing model that allows not only the usage but also
 * remixing,
 * improving,
 * translating in local language,
 * replacing images with latin american people by images of African citizens

reduces the financial constraints, speeds up developement and the option of adaptation of risk mitigation strategies to local and regional requirements and constraints improves the probality that a certain strategy will be picked up by citizens or communities. financial constraints, speeds up developement and the option of adaptation of risk mitigation strategies to local and regional requirements and constraints improves the probality that a certain strategy will be picked up by citizens or communities.

Open Educational Resources OER
Open Educational Resources is Open Content, that is used for educuational purpose. Adaptation of learning material is often necessary to tailor the OER to local requirements and constraints. The Open Educational Resources are used to learn about systems behaviour and the impact of human activities or the risk of human activities from a systemic perspective.

Learning Environments for Systemic Thinking and Risk
The learning environments are design as OER to maximize impact of content

Interaction with provided models for systems
Models are used to learn about behaviour of systems. Learner interact with the models and analyse the consequences (risks, benefits) of human activities in a considered system.

Gamification of Learning Environments
Systems analysis and optimisation can be designed as "game" for accomplishing goals for the modeled system. The game design can be used as motivating element to learn about risk management and systems thinking.

Exposure to Systems with Concurrent Goals
Learners are expose concurrent goals (economic benefit, environmental and public health benefits, impact on climate change). Learner negotiate the priorities of goals in teams and the learner gets task to explain dependencies between parts of the system and concurrent goals.

Sustainable Development Goals
Guiding framework for the modelling goals of the system are the Sustainable Developement Goals SDG.

Modelling and OpenSource Software
Teachers should be able replication learning environments for systems thinking with e.g. modelling or risk management tasks with a minimum of financial constraints. Therefore the used software e.g. for modelling is Open Source Software.

Create Own Models – Bachelor Degree – Bottom up
Modelling in the context of Systems Thinking is used as a learning task to understand aspects of systemic behaviour and the assessment of human activities in the SDG framework. Students have to create life cycles of systems they can select based on their knowledge and expertise. The selected system must have a bundle of different options for interaction with the system.

Students approach Systems Thinking in the Bachelor degree bottom-up from the knowledge they have to first models of a system they select on their own according to their skills and background. They create a portfolio of documents, software models that explain and show the behaviour of the system. This software application, documentation, data and content and even hands-on material is collected during their analysis of a selected system as part of the portfolio.

From Student Models to Systemic Thinking
During a seminar the group of students created models that involve at least 2 disciplines (e.g. Mathematics and Biology). The approach to systemic thinking is based on different models the students have chosen. Similarities and difference at identified (e.g. between an ecosystem and a financial system).

Tailored Oral Assessment for Portfolio
An oral assessment with tailored questions to their portfolio consists of two components:
 * presentation of topic of their portfolio (15min)
 * question (teacher) and answer (student) about system thinking aspects related to the subject of the portfolio.
 * portfolio are developed within Wikiversity and other students can build on previous work. Oral assessment incoporates the previous development steps and especially the new contributions of students to the portfolio.

Modelling – Based on good knowledge in content
Students can select their own system they want to model. The user-driven selection should facilitate a modelling task the students are really interested in (improve motivation to analyse the system). Linking new knowledge to existing knowledge is a more sustainable learning task.

Teacher Education - Bachelor
Start learn systemic thinking by dealing with systems the students know. Teacher have two subjects and models should involve both subjects (e.g. Mathematics and Biology). This should assure that the students have better understanding of topics they studied already.

Two-Subject Bachelor
The Two-Subject Bachelor Two-Subject Bachelor involves two subjects as well and the bottom-up concept for Systemic Thinking is applicable on the two-subject-bachelor as well (similar two the Teachers Education in Germany).

Masters Level – Top Down for Systems Thinking
Students approach Systems Thinking in the Bachelor degree bottom-up from the knowledge they have to model of a system they select according to their skills and background. They create a portfolio of document, software models that explain and show the behaviour of the system and content and material they have collected during their analysis of a selected system.

Related Content

 * Systems Thinking and Risk
 * Open Educational Resources