DRAFT
\nJanuary 10, 2001<\/p>\n
GLOBAL GOAL – to provide base models students can use to facilitate life-long leaning as citizens and managers.<\/p>\n
Goal: Explore the nature of systems.
\nRationale: Managers learn to hypothesize cause and effect relationships by observing system function\/response to natural and human inputs
\nGoal: Explore the linkage of human and biological or ecological systems.
\nRationale: Everyone views systems in the context of their own world view, belief and value set. Even scientists who are supposed to search for truth are not value. Science and management exist in 2 different universes. What is the role of science in natural resources decision making? What is the role of the manager? What are managed systems?<\/p>\n
Goal: Facilitate collegiality.
\nRationale: Students who complete this course of study will bond and form life-long partners, friendships and network.<\/p>\n
Goal: Instill curiosity.
\nRationale: We want students not only to explore the “why,” but also the “why not” questions.<\/p>\n
Goal: Facilitate personal development.
\nRationale: Students, early-on, need to come to grips with where they fit in the Western Center for Integrated Resource Management, Interdisciplinary Studies (WCIRM ISP) program, and how the WCIRM ISP program fits their future.<\/p>\n
Goal: Facilitate development of communication and interpersonal skills. Rationale: Students must know the words and concepts in order to communicate with support institutions.<\/p>\n
Module I. System thinking vs other ways of thinking. (4 weeks)<\/p>\n
Organizing questions or ideas<\/p>\n
Why is system’s thinking, or a system’s approach, any better than any other approach? What is the difference between linear and non linear system response? What is the difference between linear and non-linear thinking? Don’t we just automatically make management decisions based on systems’ thinking? Can you solve problems any other way?<\/p>\n
Outcomes
\nStudents will have an initial model (way, process) for thinking about the context of decisions. They can use that model throughout life. They will personalize the model as they gain life experiences and mold their values. [what will be the evidence?]
\nStudents will have a record of progress. The record will be recorded in a journal. That journal is intended to provide a record of life-time questions, notes, reflection and progress toward the course, the WCIRM ISP and life goals.<\/p>\n
Students will come to understand a system by watching it perform.<\/p>\n
Students will learn critical thinking skills that allow them hypothesize cause and effect relationships based on system response to natural and human interventions\/inputs.<\/p>\n
Teachers will have valuable feedback that can be used to more effectively meet the needs of students in A\/NR224.<\/p>\n
Outcomes evidence
\nA working model\/process for decision-making – indicators and evidence
\nStudents will establish goals and plan strategies for some output from their city. They will hypothesize cause and effect relationships and test these ideas. A positive output over time, say 25 years, would be evidence of a correct response to complexity.<\/p>\n
A strategic life-plan – indicators and evidence<\/p>\n
A written life-plan that describes who you are and what values you hold. To what extent will deeply held values dictate your behavior? What are your life-goals? The plan will include statements on what you plan to contribute to society and how you plan to do it. The plan will include how this course will contribute to your life-goals along with your expectations for the course.<\/p>\n
Critical thinking skills – indicators and evidence
\nAbility to describe issues based on complex scenarios
\nAbility to define problems and prioritize actions<\/p>\n
Ability to hypothesize cause-effect relationships<\/p>\n
Synthetic thinking – ability to decipher which inter-relationships give “this” outcome.
\nCourse usefulness and effectiveness – indicators and evidence<\/p>\n
Classroom climate
\nOpen and non-threatening dialogue\/debate
\nActive effort to understand<\/p>\n
Trust<\/p>\n
Degree to which course is consistent with student’s life-goals
\nSurvey to be developed<\/p>\n
Teaching Objectives
\nTo contrast system’s thinking with other ways of thinking.
\nTo contrast ways of knowing.<\/p>\n
To understand the implications of non linear, potentially chaotic relationships.<\/p>\n
To teach that life is a multi-dimensional web of interconnected strands (holons). Thus, changes at any level of organization lead to changes at all other levels<\/p>\n
To facilitate and help students develop course and life goals, especially as they relate to the WCIRM ISP<\/p>\n
To explore the role of disciplines vs knowledge without boundaries.<\/p>\n
Learning Objectives
\nTo learn that different ways of thinking become the basis for management and decision-making.
\nTo learn to hypothesize cause and effect relationships and, eventually, develop rules for predicting or explaining system response.<\/p>\n
To learn the mechanisms of system organization and how changes in one part reverberates through the system to either damp-down change, or reinforce both predictable and non-predictable behavior through time.<\/p>\n
Teaching Points
\nSystem thinkers think global to specific
\nSystem thinkers focus on the dynamics of the system<\/p>\n
System thinkers focus on the cause-behavior-consequence feedback loop<\/p>\n
System thinkers understand the nature of negative and positive feedback loops.<\/p>\n
System thinkers focus on cause-effect relationships<\/p>\n
System thinkers are more concerned about being effective than efficient<\/p>\n
Tools and examples<\/p>\n
Give an example of how systems self-organize. Evolutionary theory invokes higher goals of fitness to explain diet choices and animal response to food choices. Provenza argues simplicity to complexity without goals, i.e., experience-consequences-learn-adapt.
\nOther examples of self-organization related to societies, corporations, families and firms. What is the role of family? What is the role of religion? What is the role of colleagues? What is the role of government? What is the role of economic systems? What is the role of peers? What is the role of mentors? What is the role ???<\/p>\n
Download cities cities from the net using SIMCITY. Read Rangelands articles by Provenza on science, mythology and management and by Joyce in on “black boxes and white boxes” as they relate to science. Choose output like quality of life Index. Develop rules to explain response to changes in tax structure, zoning, etc. All students will complete the same exercise.<\/p>\n
Other?<\/p>\n
Systems map<\/p>\n
In an iterative process, students will work alone, in groups and build class consensus to identify the major nodes of a profitable ranch firm.
\nWhat words will go in the box in the center of a piece of paper or the chalkboard?<\/p>\n
Map will represent matter, energy, dollar and information flows, i.e., a control diagram, for systems and sub-systems.<\/p>\n
The system’s map will EMPHASIZE THE TOOL, i.e., a way of helping us think about systems, not THE OUTCOME.<\/p>\n
Map systems that represent different levels of aggregation or levels. Demonstrate relations among holons.<\/p>\n
Progress toward personal class- and life-goals.<\/p>\n
Develop course and life goals. Write why these goals are consistent with your passion in life and how these will make you a more rounded person. Why WCIRM ISP vs something else?<\/p>\n
Evidence of progress toward goals and achievement of teaching and learning objectives.<\/p>\n
Evidence?? Very carefully selected survey question to sort out.<\/p>\n
Evidence?? Evidence students have kept a journal, e.g., an oral interview. The journal, per se, may remain intensely private.<\/p>\n
Who<\/p>\n
Rittenhouse
\nRoath<\/p>\n
Guests<\/p>\n
Dale Leach – Greenline John Deere LTD
\nJohn Cockson – Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson\/Buell<\/p>\n
Ranch Manager- Bob Budd<\/p>\n
Hoag<\/p>\n
Frasier<\/p>\n
Module II. Learning the terminology and application of systems thinking to different issues (8 weeks)
\nOrganizing questions or ideas<\/p>\n
What are the components of a system? What are system’s drivers? Systems are composed of elements, attributes and values. Key question is, “what are the relationships among the elements, attributes and values?”<\/p>\n
Outcomes<\/p>\n
Students will be able to communicate systems because they understand systems terminology and process
\nStudents will explore (STELLA) development of some component (enterprise?) of a forage-based firm<\/p>\n
Students will have a process [model, map, way-of-thinking] that facilitates translation of systems thinking to strategic planning.<\/p>\n
Teaching Objectives<\/p>\n
To expose students to the nature and structure of generic systems
\nTo help students develop an initial system’s model which can be used for life-long learning<\/p>\n
To construct macro-elements of a broadly defined system; to help students learn to conceptualize\/organize the components and inter-relationships among system elements, attributes and values.<\/p>\n
To introduce students to systems in a way they can translate system’s thinking into strategic planning.<\/p>\n
Learning Objectives<\/p>\n
To understand the underlying mechanisms of system structure and system dynamics over time.<\/p>\n
Teaching Points<\/p>\n
Teach the fundamentals of organizing the components of systems, conceptually, to gain a better understanding of how the paradigm and inter-relationships drive the outcome.
\nThe spatial scale is set by the activity and the question. At what scale does the explore-learn-consequences feedback have meaning? For example, diet choices are made at the scale of individual plants, but the most important spatial decisions are made at scales of 10s to 100s of ha. The home range of wolves might be several 10s of km2. HELP.<\/p>\n
The temporal scale is again set by the activity and the question. HELP.<\/p>\n
Tools and examples<\/p>\n
STELLA
\nOther?<\/p>\n
Tasks and homework<\/p>\n
TASK – Continuous entries in Journal, The RS496 and life journey
\nTASK – System’s Map. Should have the basic map completed by end of this unit and map should be represented as a STELLA system<\/p>\n
TASK To be filled in by Frasier and Hoag<\/p>\n
TASK To be filled in by Frasier and Hoag<\/p>\n
TASK To be filled in by Frasier and Hoag<\/p>\n
Progress toward personal class- and life-goals<\/p>\n
Do you think we did the things needed to help you build a robust and flexible way or manner of thinking that will make you an effective decision-maker?
\nReflect on each activity, and expand on activities and skills required; expand horizons and focus on your future.<\/p>\n
Evidence of progress toward goals and achievement of teaching and learning objectives<\/p>\n
Evidence ??
\nEvidence ??<\/p>\n
Who<\/p>\n
Frasier
\nHoag<\/p>\n
Woodmansee (?)<\/p>\n
Module III. Translating system’s thinking into strategic planning (3 weeks)<\/p>\n
Organizing questions or ideas<\/p>\n
Systems thinking does not linearly translate into strategic planning, action objectives and implementation. What is the process, especially in different social, political and cultural contexts?<\/p>\n
Outcomes<\/p>\n
Students will experience application of systems thinking to problems, e.g., they will explore simple issues like global warming or reservoir management using STELLA software.
\nCollectively, experience alternative paths to decision-making<\/p>\n
Teaching Objectives<\/p>\n
To help students develop a manner to link different systems to human systems; or to deal with nested systems, whichever way you view your world<\/p>\n
Learning Objectives<\/p>\n
Teaching points<\/p>\n
Tools and Examples<\/p>\n
Tasks and homework<\/p>\n
System’s map<\/p>\n
Progress toward personal class- and life-goals<\/p>\n
Do you think we did the things needed to help you build a robust and flexible way or manner of thinking that will make you an effective decision-maker?
\nReflect on each activity, and expand on activities and skills required expand horizons and focus on your future.<\/p>\n
Evidence of progress toward goals and achievement of teaching and learning objectives<\/p>\n
Who<\/p>\n
Dana Hoag
\nRoy Roath<\/p>\n
Marshall Frasier<\/p>\n
Lou Swanson<\/p>\n
Tom Field<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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