Introducing Systems Thinking Techniques into an Undergraduate Engineering Education

Abstract

AbstractThe world is faced with producing more complex, interdependent systems, and systems of systems. Due to the complexity and interdependencies, these systems do not lend themselves to the traditional reductionist approach, which is feasible only for complicated systems. To architect and develop complex systems requires the use of systems thinking tools and competencies which are an enabler for developing complex engineered systems, humanitarian systems, organizational structures, business strategies, production optimization, solving socio‐technical problems, etc. Because of the power of systems thinking and its global applicability, the question becomes; how can we better produce system thinkers? There are currently many effective systems thinking methods and tools which have been successfully adopted by practicing engineers. This paper will describe how we can introduce similar systems thinking elements into an existing undergraduate education through lectures/mentoring, labs/projects/experiments, case studies/background research, and multi‐discipline capstone projects/internships. Some universities have recently added systems thinking elements to their curricula, and through INCOSE's influence, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) now mandates systems thinking for all undergraduate engineering programs. This paper acts to describe a variety of implementation methods to serve as exemplars for those implementing systems thinking into existing curricula. The motivation of this work is to ultimately produce engineers who are better suited to engineering complex systems when they enter the workforce.