Systems thinking assessment: A method through computer simulation

Ross D. Arnold, Jon P. Wade, Alparslan Emrah Bayrak

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

    Abstract

    This paper presents a novel assessment method for Systems Thinking and its supporting competencies. Systems Thinking is a key component in engineering education, providing students with the means to explore, understand, and design engineered systems both holistically and in terms of the relationships between their components, which can be both technical and non-technical. The assessment method described in this paper is implemented as a software simulation of a domain-agnostic system to support integration of Systems Thinking into engineering education. The simulation was tested with a group of beta-testers and then fully deployed online as a freely available tool for a 6-month experimental period. The pool of volunteer participants included students and mixed professionals from a diverse set of geographical, educational, and career backgrounds. Results of the assessment show success at both evaluating Systems Thinking Maturity as a whole, and at assessing complex facets of Systems Thinking that have eluded assessment in prior methods. The tool shows promise at evaluating competencies within all four Systems Thinking domains - Mindset, Content, Structure, and Behavior. These domains contain key systemic skills such as the ability to recognize interconnections and feedback loops, see non-linear causal relationships, and understand dynamic behavior. When examined holistically through multiple regression analysis, participants' scores in the 11 assessed competencies show a moderate to high ability to predict their levels of overall Systems Thinking performance in the simulation. The results also reveal previously unknown dependencies and strengths of relationships between Systems Thinking competencies.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publication41st Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (CIE)
    ISBN (Electronic)9780791885376
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 2021
    Event41st Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, CIE 2021, Held as Part of the ASME 2021 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC-CIE 2021 - Virtual, Online
    Duration: 17 Aug 202119 Aug 2021

    Publication series

    NameProceedings of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference
    Volume2

    Conference

    Conference41st Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, CIE 2021, Held as Part of the ASME 2021 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC-CIE 2021
    CityVirtual, Online
    Period17/08/2119/08/21

    Keywords

    • Systems dynamics
    • Systems literacy
    • Systems science
    • Systems theory
    • Systems thinking maturity

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