TY - JOUR
T1 - An Interview-Based Study of Pioneering Experiences in Teaching and Learning Complex Systems in Higher Education
AU - Lizier, Joseph T.
AU - Harré, Michael S.
AU - Mitchell, Melanie
AU - DeDeo, Simon
AU - Finn, Conor
AU - Lindgren, Kristian
AU - Lizier, Amanda L.
AU - Sayama, Hiroki
N1 - Funding Information:
Joseph T. Lizier was supported through the Australian Research Council DECRA grant DE160100630. Joseph T. Lizier thanks Dr. Amani Bell for helpful feedback on the interview design and early drafts of the manuscript, and Joseph T. Lizier and Michael S. Harré thank Dr. Graham Hendry in particular as well as Dr. Danny Liu and Dr. Jessica Frawley for comments on background research.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Joseph T. Lizier et al.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Due to the interdisciplinary nature of complex systems as a field, students studying complex systems at university level have diverse disciplinary backgrounds. This brings challenges (e.g., wide range of computer programming skills) but also opportunities (e.g., facilitating interdisciplinary interactions and projects) for the classroom. However, little has been published regarding how these challenges and opportunities are handled in teaching and learning complex systems as an explicit subject in higher education and how this differs in comparison to other subject areas. We seek to explore these particular challenges and opportunities via an interview-based study of pioneering teachers and learners (conducted amongst the authors) regarding their experiences. We compare and contrast those experiences and analyze them with respect to the educational literature. Our discussions explored approaches to curriculum design, how theories/models/frameworks of teaching and learning informed decisions and experience, how diversity in student backgrounds was addressed, and assessment task design. We found a striking level of commonality in the issues expressed as well as the strategies handling them, for example, a significant focus on problem-based learning and the use of major student-led creative projects for both achieving and assessing learning outcomes.
AB - Due to the interdisciplinary nature of complex systems as a field, students studying complex systems at university level have diverse disciplinary backgrounds. This brings challenges (e.g., wide range of computer programming skills) but also opportunities (e.g., facilitating interdisciplinary interactions and projects) for the classroom. However, little has been published regarding how these challenges and opportunities are handled in teaching and learning complex systems as an explicit subject in higher education and how this differs in comparison to other subject areas. We seek to explore these particular challenges and opportunities via an interview-based study of pioneering teachers and learners (conducted amongst the authors) regarding their experiences. We compare and contrast those experiences and analyze them with respect to the educational literature. Our discussions explored approaches to curriculum design, how theories/models/frameworks of teaching and learning informed decisions and experience, how diversity in student backgrounds was addressed, and assessment task design. We found a striking level of commonality in the issues expressed as well as the strategies handling them, for example, a significant focus on problem-based learning and the use of major student-led creative projects for both achieving and assessing learning outcomes.
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U2 - 10.1155/2018/7306871
DO - 10.1155/2018/7306871
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85058283236
SN - 1076-2787
VL - 2018
JO - Complexity
JF - Complexity
M1 - 7306871
ER -