Integrating Systems Thinking into Teaching Emerging Technologies

Abstract

Collaborations and partnerships across disciplines are becoming increasingly recognized as valuable endeavors toward solving emerging global challenges in our rapidly changing world. Thus, it is crucial to create STEM educational strategies that infuse diverse and interconnected perspectives among scientists, policymakers, and the general public. Systems thinking represents one such pedagogical approach, in which a holistic framework empowers both teachers and students to recognize how fundamental concepts taught in the classroom can be used as resourceful tools to better address complex, multicomponent modern challenges. For chemical educators, topics on technology (the "T" in STEM education) represent a particularly meaningful avenue to introduce and study the effectiveness of systems thinking, but there have been few examples reported to date. Here, we show that a molecular engineering course introduced at the University of Chicago 5 years ago ("Introduction to Emerging Technologies") provides a model course to this end, where explicitly designing in elements of systems thinking to the course could further strengthen students' understanding of the already well suited, holistic course topics. Integrating systems thinking would illuminate how tissue engineering, nanomedicine, batteries, quantum information, and meat alternatives are developed from multiple, interrelated fields as well as from basic science to a practical reality. For each technology, we outline the direct connections between the current course topics and future opportunities to incorporate systems thinking strategies, challenging students to identify the interdependence of components in a successful technology. Finally, to offer further insight for instructors interested in utilizing systems thinking, we broaden our discussion to reflect on the challenges of redesigning any STEM course to utilize systems thinking, and we present corresponding teaching strategies to overcome them.

Student-Focussed Approaches that can Enhance Understanding and Appreciation of Research in the Chemical Sciences

“…The Special Issue brought forward many examples of how systems thinking has already been implemented around the world, particularly in the sustainability and environmental chemistry subdisciplines. [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] One Australian example we wish to highlight is a study completed by Schultz and coworkers, in which secondary chemistry students created system maps to represent industrial chemical processes and evaluate the broader impact of the processes in relation to the United Nations Global Goals for Development. [41] Through teacher reflections in an action research framework, the study evaluated whether system mapping 'allowed the teacher to situate the learning of sustainability within the learning of chemistry content.'…”

“…Thoughtful, evidence-based incorporation of systems thinking approaches in mainstream undergraduate curricula will require significant investment and face a variety of challenges. [24,37,42] However, the leaders of the STICE project and authors of the closing article of the Special Issue outline three key areas of future development: [43] resource development, chemistry education research to improve systems thinking approaches, and applying approaches to broader educational contexts.…”

How Much Do Elementary School Students Know About Climate Change? A Report from Java's Primary School Students

“…The social and environmental challenges facing society today and in the future are increasingly complex to understand and solve [1,2], both at local, national and global scales. One of the global challenges faced today is climate change [3].…”

Climate Change: STEM Project and Systems Thinking for Holistic Solutions

“…Previous research shows that implementing STEM projects can create deep and challenging learning contexts where students understand scientific concepts and apply them in real-world contexts. STEM is an effective way to introduce and learn systems thinking [8], make the right decisions regarding scientific and engineering problems [10], [11], and emphasize contextual problem-solving in the real world [7], [12]. Thus, this research aims to explore the potential of STEM projects in improving students' systems thinking abilities, especially within the framework of controlling climate change.…”