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Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet
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Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet

A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2013) | Viewed by 158526

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ockie Bosch

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Distinguished Guest Professor, School of Design and Management, Keio University, Kanagawa 223-8521, Japan
2. Co-Partner, Malik Management Institute, Geltenwilenstrasse 16, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland
3. Director, SysPrac Pty Ltd, 4 Savoy Place, Howrah, TAS 7018, Hobart, Australia
4. Honorary Professor, Business School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
Interests: systems thinking; system dynamics; evolutionary learning laboratories; systems in practice; complex problem solving; application of systems theory in any area of interest; mental models; knowledge management and integration; rural and urban development; sustainability; competitive intelligence; ecology; integration and synthesis of data and information; socio-economic systems; systemic decision making; adaptive management; systems education; systemic change management
Dr. Robert Y. Cavana

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Victoria Business School, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
Interests: systems thinking; system dynamics; management systems; quality management; sustainability; tobacco policy modeling; public policy analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We live in a world in which complexity characterises all human endeavours today, such as healthcare, economic development, environmental protection, gender relationships, poverty, mental health, business management and social responsibility (just to name a few). The issues facing our world have become increasingly complex due to the fact that they are embedded in a global web of ecological, economic, social, cultural and political processes and dynamic interactions. These complex problems and challenges cannot anymore be addressed and solved in isolation and with the single dimensional mindsets and tools of the past.

One of the most challenging conceptual and practical issues today is that our society and economy have to craft innovative approaches to building capacity to rapidly redesign for the new world we are living in. It is this capacity to redesign, in systems and sustainability terms, that will increasingly be what society will require.

This “requirement” has globally become one of the biggest challenges for education. Educators have to ensure they meet the growing need for graduates, from all areas of interest, to have not only an understanding of the disciplines they study, but also a realization of how they fit into societal and global systems in a century when humanity will meet ever more limits.

Systems thinking and dynamic approaches offer a holistic and integrative way of appreciating all the major dimensions of a complex problem and are essential mechanisms to help achieve the attributes that industry wants from future graduates. This demand for a systems-based focus in the education of all disciplinary areas is very rapidly increasing in global society. However, it creates a significant pedagogical challenge in that current university education tends to be focused on discipline specific teaching which has no room for a wider systems approach. Didactic autonomous discipline based courses fail to foster a social networking culture that has been proven to enhance the process of deep learning, nor do they promote interactions with other students in other disciplines. To address this problem we need innovative curriculum designs and learning environments that address academic paradigms as well as industry requirements.

This special issue will highlight several of the key developments in the area of systems education and how the many challenges are being addressed.

Prof. Dr. Ockie Bosch
Dr. Robert Y. Cavana
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • systems education
  • systems thinking
  • systems theory
  • systems sciences
  • complexity sciences
  • cybernetics
  • sociotechnical systems theory
  • system dynamics
  • systems engineering
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (16 papers)

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Editorial

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12 pages, 1352 KiB  
Editorial
Overview and Insights from ‘Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet’
by Robert Y. Cavana and Vicky E. Forgie
Systems 2018, 6(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems6010005 - 13 Feb 2018
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 8042
Abstract
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 [...] Read more.
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. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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Research

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297 KiB  
Communication
Taking on the Big Issues and Climbing the Mountains Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities in Asia
by John Richardson
Systems 2014, 2(3), 366-378; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2030366 - 11 Aug 2014
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5088
Abstract
At the 2007 International System Dynamics Society Conference, Professor Jay Forrester posed a challenge: “We need books addressed to the public that are understandable, relevant, important and dramatic”. We need to overcome the “constraints of academe” that inhibit path-breaking work. We need to [...] Read more.
At the 2007 International System Dynamics Society Conference, Professor Jay Forrester posed a challenge: “We need books addressed to the public that are understandable, relevant, important and dramatic”. We need to overcome the “constraints of academe” that inhibit path-breaking work. We need to address “the big issues”. We need to march “upward from the present aimless plateau and start climbing the mountains ahead”. This was a message that was intended to inspire and empower, not to criticize. Responding to Professor Forrester’s challenge, this paper first describes the work of three inspiring role models, Dennis Meadows, Junko Edahiro and John Sterman. They have demonstrated how books can have an impact on people’s lives, how “big issues” can be addressed, how the constraints of academe can be overcome and how mountains can be scaled. Second, it offers grounds for optimism about the future of system dynamics modeling in Asia, gained from my sojourn at the National University of Singapore. Third, it describes three “mountains ahead” to be scaled and highlights the work of individuals who have already begun the journey. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
916 KiB  
Article
Emergy Evaluation of Formal Education in the United States: 1870 to 2011
by Daniel E. Campbell and Hongfang Lu
Systems 2014, 2(3), 328-365; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2030328 - 24 Jul 2014
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6312
Abstract
We evaluated the education system of the United States from 1870 to 2011 using emergy methods. The system was partitioned into three subsystems (elementary, secondary and college/university education) and the emergy inputs required to support each subsystem were determined for every year over [...] Read more.
We evaluated the education system of the United States from 1870 to 2011 using emergy methods. The system was partitioned into three subsystems (elementary, secondary and college/university education) and the emergy inputs required to support each subsystem were determined for every year over the period of analysis. We calculated the emergy required to produce an individual with a given number of years of education by summing over the years of support needed to attain that level of education. In 1983, the emergy per individual ranged from 8.63E+16 semj/ind. for a pre-school student to 165.9E+16 semj/ind. for a Ph.D. with 2 years of postdoctoral experience. The emergy of teaching and learning per hour spent in this process was calculated as the sum of the emergy delivered by the education and experience of the teachers and the emergy brought to the process of learning by the students. The emergy of teaching and learning was about an order of magnitude larger than the annual emergy supporting the U.S. education system (i.e., the emergy inflows provided by the environment, energy and materials, teachers, entering students, goods and services). The implication is that teaching and learning is a higher order social process related to the development and maintenance of the national information cycle. Also, the results imply that there is a 10-fold return on the emergy invested in operating the education system of the United States. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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360 KiB  
Article
Using Systems Thinking to Educate for Sustainability in a Business School
by Amanda Gregory and Susan Miller
Systems 2014, 2(3), 313-327; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2030313 - 11 Jul 2014
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 10654
Abstract
This paper explores what it means for a business school to embed systems thinking and sustainability into the curriculum by looking at both the application of systems thinking to the design of sustainable programmes and the teaching of system thinking to support understanding [...] Read more.
This paper explores what it means for a business school to embed systems thinking and sustainability into the curriculum by looking at both the application of systems thinking to the design of sustainable programmes and the teaching of system thinking to support understanding of sustainability. Although programmes that include systems thinking and sustainability as “bolt ons” are becoming more common, how these may best be integrated throughout the curriculum is still largely unexplored. In this paper, curriculum design is viewed through the lens of Stafford Beer’s Viable System Model; viewing the management curriculum in this way emphasises the essential interconnectedness of the subject matter rather than its reduction into blocks of knowledge that are containable within standard size teaching modules. Merely recognising the interconnected nature of management knowledge does not go far enough, though, and there is a complementary need to equip students with approaches for describing more complex and pluralistic views of the world and to address such complexities. In this paper, the specification of a module, underpinned by Flood and Jackson’s System of Systems Methodologies, that might serve to achieve these ends by introducing business students to a range of systems approaches is discussed. The challenges that realizing such an undertaking in practice might involve are also reflected on. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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395 KiB  
Article
A Designed Framework for Delivering Systems Thinking Skills to Small Business Managers
by Daowei Sun, Paul Hyland and Haiyang Cui
Systems 2014, 2(3), 297-312; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2030297 - 25 Jun 2014
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 17287
Abstract
Many small businesses suffer from inadequate management skills which can lead to poor business performance and unsustainable businesses. Research to date has focused on traditional skills such as communication, time management and people skills, yet critically many business managers have no systems thinking [...] Read more.
Many small businesses suffer from inadequate management skills which can lead to poor business performance and unsustainable businesses. Research to date has focused on traditional skills such as communication, time management and people skills, yet critically many business managers have no systems thinking skills. This paper presents a framework targeted at delivering systems thinking skills to managers of small businesses utilizing some key characteristic of small business managers. The design is also based on a systems analysis and guided by both adult learning theory and teaching theory. The quality of a training framework depends on the quality of the content design and the right training delivery methods. The systems thinking skills training framework structured systems thinking knowledge into three modules in order to meet the needs of different levels of managers. The framework advocates blended training delivery methods and it also presents possible pitfalls based on training experiences. Additionally, the framework incorporates a continuous improvement process for ongoing systemic improvement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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747 KiB  
Communication
Lessons Learnt from Educating University Students through a Trans-Disciplinary Project for Sustainable Sanitation Using a Systems Approach and Problem-Based Learning
by Janice Gray, Jennifer Williams, Prasanthi Hagare, Abby Mellick Lopes and Shankar Sankaran
Systems 2014, 2(3), 243-272; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2030243 - 25 Jun 2014
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 7682
Abstract
This article discusses how a Systems Thinking (ST) approach to student learning, employing Problem-Based Learning (PBL) interventions, at several different universities in Sydney, Australia was incorporated into a broader trans-disciplinary research project, the aim of which was to examine how urine diversion in [...] Read more.
This article discusses how a Systems Thinking (ST) approach to student learning, employing Problem-Based Learning (PBL) interventions, at several different universities in Sydney, Australia was incorporated into a broader trans-disciplinary research project, the aim of which was to examine how urine diversion in an urban, institutional setting might form the basis of phosphorus collection—phosphorus being a non-renewable resource used in agricultural fertilizers. The article explores how the ST approach employed by the researchers themselves was adapted to embrace student engagement opportunities and how it permitted opportunities for Problem-Based Learning interventions. Five academics forming part of the research team consider the effectiveness of ST-styled student engagement via Problem-Based Learning in three action research cycles used in the research project. In sharing their experiences they provide an honest, “no-holds barred” review of what worked and what could be done more effectively with the benefits of hindsight. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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379 KiB  
Article
Simulation-Based Learning Environments to Teach Complexity: The Missing Link in Teaching Sustainable Public Management
by Michael Deegan, Krystyna Stave, Rod MacDonald, David Andersen, Minyoung Ku and Eliot Rich
Systems 2014, 2(2), 217-236; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2020217 - 22 May 2014
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 8873
Abstract
While public-sector management problems are steeped in positivistic and socially constructed complexity, public management education in the management of complexity lags behind that of business schools, particularly in the application of simulation-based learning. This paper describes a Simulation-Based Learning Environment for public management [...] Read more.
While public-sector management problems are steeped in positivistic and socially constructed complexity, public management education in the management of complexity lags behind that of business schools, particularly in the application of simulation-based learning. This paper describes a Simulation-Based Learning Environment for public management education that includes a coupled case study and System Dynamics simulation surrounding flood protection, a domain where stewardship decisions regarding public infrastructure and investment have direct and indirect effects on businesses and the public. The Pointe Claire case and CoastalProtectSIM simulation provide a platform for policy experimentation under conditions of exogenous uncertainty (weather and climate change) as well as endogenous effects generated by structure. We discuss the model in some detail, and present teaching materials developed to date to support the use of our work in public administration curricula. Our experience with this case demonstrates the potential of this approach to motivate sustainable learning about complexity in public management settings and enhance learners’ competency to deal with complex dynamic problems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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172 KiB  
Communication
Systems Education at Bergen
by Pål I. Davidsen, Birgit Kopainsky, Erling Moxnes, Matteo Pedercini and I. David Wheat
Systems 2014, 2(2), 159-167; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2020159 - 16 Apr 2014
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 7869
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 [...] Read more.
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. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
1316 KiB  
Article
A Systems Engineering Methodology for Designing and Planning the Built Environment—Results from the Urban Research Laboratory Nuremberg and Their Integration in Education
by Philipp Geyer, Jochen Stopper, Werner Lang and Maximilian Thumfart
Systems 2014, 2(2), 137-158; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2020137 - 16 Apr 2014
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 10210
Abstract
Sustainable urban development requires a long-term sector-integrative approach. This paper proposes a method of system analysis and partial simulation for urban structures for this purpose. It couples a discussion-based holistic approach for systems analysis and modelling of urban structures with quantitative modelling and [...] Read more.
Sustainable urban development requires a long-term sector-integrative approach. This paper proposes a method of system analysis and partial simulation for urban structures for this purpose. It couples a discussion-based holistic approach for systems analysis and modelling of urban structures with quantitative modelling and simulation of partial scenarios that serve to examine specific questions regarding the long-term development of urban structures. In the first part, the application in the City Lab Nuremberg West, a multidisciplinary urban research laboratory, serves to develop the methodology and its illustration. The main objective is to examine the transition of the existing underperforming quarter to a sustainable and livable urban environment. Scenario-based experiments with respect to development paths determine robustness and risks of different configurations. The second part of the paper describes the transfer of the methodology to education. The approach serves to teach students in the Energy-Efficient and Sustainable Building master course program an integrative way of planning a sustainable built environment. The definition of educational objectives concerning the students’ understanding and management of systemic interdependencies of sustainability help assess the use of the method in the classroom. The aim is to provide them with the competence to develop strategies for complex situations while planning a sustainable built environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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549 KiB  
Communication
Designing and Developing a Reflexive Learning System for Managing Systemic Change
by Ray Ison and Chris Blackmore
Systems 2014, 2(2), 119-136; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2020119 - 15 Apr 2014
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 12590
Abstract
We offer a reflection on our own praxis as designers and developers of a learning system for mature-age students through the Open University (OU) UK’s internationally recognised supported-open learning approach. The learning system (or course or module), which required an investment in the [...] Read more.
We offer a reflection on our own praxis as designers and developers of a learning system for mature-age students through the Open University (OU) UK’s internationally recognised supported-open learning approach. The learning system (or course or module), which required an investment in the range of £0.25–0.5 million to develop, thus reflects our own history (traditions of understanding), the history of the context and the history of cyber-systemic thought and praxis including our own engagement with particular cyber-systemic lineages. This module, “Managing systemic change: inquiry, action and interaction” was first studied by around 100 students in 2010 as part of a new OU Masters Program on Systems Thinking in Practice (STiP) and is now in its fourth presentation to around 100 students. Understanding and skills in systemic inquiry, action and interaction are intended learning outcomes. Through their engagement with the module and each other’s perspectives, students develop critical appreciation of systems practice and social learning systems, drawing on their own experiences of change. Students are practitioners from a wide range of domains. Through activities such as online discussions and blogging, they ground the ideas introduced in the module in their own circumstances and develop their own community by pursuing two related systemic inquiries. In this process, they challenge themselves, each other and the authors as learning system designers. We reflect on what was learnt by whom and how and for what purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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953 KiB  
Communication
Four Decades of Systems Science Teaching and Research in the USA at Portland State University
by Wayne Wakeland
Systems 2014, 2(2), 77-88; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2020077 - 8 Apr 2014
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 9483
Abstract
Systems science is defined in general fashion, and a brief background is provided that lists some of the systems science-related societies, conferences, journals, research institutes, and educational programs. The Systems Science Graduate Program at Portland State University in Portland, OR, USA, is described [...] Read more.
Systems science is defined in general fashion, and a brief background is provided that lists some of the systems science-related societies, conferences, journals, research institutes, and educational programs. The Systems Science Graduate Program at Portland State University in Portland, OR, USA, is described in detail, including its history, curriculum, students, faculty, and degrees granted. Dissertation topics are summarized via word diagrams created from dissertation titles over the years. MS degrees, student placement, and undergraduate courses are also mentioned, and future plans for the program are described including its support for sustainability education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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606 KiB  
Communication
The Design of Educational Programs in System Dynamics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
by Oleg V. Pavlov, James K. Doyle, Khalid Saeed, James M. Lyneis and Michael J. Radzicki
Systems 2014, 2(1), 54-76; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2010054 - 21 Mar 2014
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 9011
Abstract
Educational programs leading to degrees in system dynamics are rare and thus of critical importance to the future of the field of system dynamics. However, to a large extent such programs have not yet been made transparent to the system dynamics community as [...] Read more.
Educational programs leading to degrees in system dynamics are rare and thus of critical importance to the future of the field of system dynamics. However, to a large extent such programs have not yet been made transparent to the system dynamics community as a whole. The present article describes the design and rationale for undergraduate and graduate programs at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). The goal of the article is to invite feedback from the system dynamics community about our specific programs as well as to facilitate wider discussion about the appropriate content, design, and pedagogy of degree programs and courses in system dynamics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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169 KiB  
Communication
Organizational Learning in Health Care Organizations
by Savithiri Ratnapalan and Elizabeth Uleryk
Systems 2014, 2(1), 24-33; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2010024 - 24 Feb 2014
Cited by 48 | Viewed by 17077
Abstract
The process of collective education in an organization that has the capacity to impact an organization’s operations, performance and outcomes is called organizational learning. In health care organizations, patient care is provided through one or more visible and invisible teams. These teams are [...] Read more.
The process of collective education in an organization that has the capacity to impact an organization’s operations, performance and outcomes is called organizational learning. In health care organizations, patient care is provided through one or more visible and invisible teams. These teams are composed of experts and novices from diverse backgrounds working together to provide coordinated care. The number of teams involved in providing care and the possibility of breakdowns in communication and coordinated care increases in direct proportion to sophisticated technology and treatment strategies of complex disease processes. Safe patient care is facilitated by individual professional learning; inter-professional team learning and system based organizational learning, which encompass modified context specific learning by multiple teams and team members in a health care organization. Organizational learning in health care systems is central to managing the learning requirements in complex interconnected dynamic systems where all have to know common background knowledge along with shared meta-knowledge of roles and responsibilities to execute their assigned functions, communicate and transfer the flow of pertinent information and collectively provide safe patient care. Organizational learning in health care is not a onetime intervention, but a continuing organizational phenomenon that occurs through formal and informal learning which has reciprocal association with organizational change. As such, organizational changes elicit organizational learning and organizational learning implements new knowledge and practices to create organizational changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
249 KiB  
Article
One Way Forward to Beat the Newtonian Habit with a Complexity Perspective on Organisational Change
by Sam Wells and Josie McLean
Systems 2013, 1(4), 66-84; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems1040066 - 23 Oct 2013
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 12803
Abstract
We face a global crisis of un-sustainability—we need to change trajectory, but have so far displayed a collective inability to do so. This article suggests that one reason for this is our entrenched approach to change, which has inappropriately applied mechanistic Newtonian assumptions [...] Read more.
We face a global crisis of un-sustainability—we need to change trajectory, but have so far displayed a collective inability to do so. This article suggests that one reason for this is our entrenched approach to change, which has inappropriately applied mechanistic Newtonian assumptions to “living” systems. Applying what has been learned about the behaviour of complex adaptive systems, we develop a pragmatic model for students of sustainability, who want to facilitate profound organizational and community change towards sustainability on the ground. Our model, “one way forward”, does not purport to be the only way but one possibility, grounded in a different understanding of the nature and dynamic of change as seen through the lens of complexity. In this way, it challenges more conventional change management practices. One way forward is a model facilitating evolutionary change in a social ecology—one possible expression of a “culture of community self-design” as expressed by Banathy. Its theoretical foundations and its practical application (it is designed for practice) both have their source in a systemic view and in the principles that reflect the paradigm of complexity. Four central components of this new model—envisioning, core messages (values), indicators of progress, and experimentation—are explored in more detail. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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Other

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304 KiB  
Opinion
Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet: Preparing Children for Natural Disasters
by Kevin R. Ronan and Briony Towers
Systems 2014, 2(1), 1-23; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems2010001 - 24 Jan 2014
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 9175
Abstract
This paper first reviews research linked to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction focusing on “child-centred disaster risk reduction” (CC-DRR), highlighting systemic aspects of disaster prevention and preparedness educational programming to date. However, it is also pointed out that education evaluated [...] Read more.
This paper first reviews research linked to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction focusing on “child-centred disaster risk reduction” (CC-DRR), highlighting systemic aspects of disaster prevention and preparedness educational programming to date. However, it is also pointed out that education evaluated to date largely assumes a linear, mechanistic approach to preparedness and related resiliency outcomes. Thus, the main thrust of this paper is to elucidate means by which hazards and disaster preparedness education programs for children can shift to systems-based models, those that incorporate both systemic epistemologies but also more systems-based, and interconnected, curricula. This includes curricula that help children connect the physical world and science with the social world and human factors. It also includes the more systemic idea that natural hazards are but one example of a larger category of problems in life related to risk and uncertainty. Thus, a main aim of a systems educational approach is to help children equip themselves with knowledge, skills, motivation and confidence that they can increasingly manage a range of risks in life. This includes an increasing understanding of the added value that can be gained from approaching problems with systemic tools, including producing increasingly effective and sustainable solutions to what public policy refers to as wicked problems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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46 KiB  
Announcement
Special Issue: Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet
by Ockie Bosch and Robert Y. Cavana
Systems 2013, 1(2), 27-28; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems1020027 - 2 May 2013
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5113
Abstract
We live in a world in which complexity characterizes all human endeavors today, such as healthcare, economic development, environmental protection, gender relationships, poverty, mental health, business management and social responsibility (just to name a few). The issues facing our world have become increasingly [...] Read more.
We live in a world in which complexity characterizes all human endeavors today, such as healthcare, economic development, environmental protection, gender relationships, poverty, mental health, business management and social responsibility (just to name a few). The issues facing our world have become increasingly complex due to the fact that they are embedded in a global web of ecological, economic, social, cultural and political processes and dynamic interactions. These complex problems and challenges cannot anymore be addressed and solved in isolation and with the single dimensional mindsets and tools of the past. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Education for a Sustainable Planet)
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