Systems and Solutions Certificate

Meghann Jarchow, Ranjeet John, Karen L. Koster, KC Santosh, and Bess Vlaisavljevich, College of Arts & Sciences, University of South Dakota

Description

The Systems and Solutions Certificate will prepare students from all disciplines to use systems thinking and STEM tools to model complex systems and to use design thinking to innovate and iterate toward solutions within these systems. We strive to educate and graduate the leaders who will solve the future's most pressing challenges. Understanding and solving these challenges requires preparing students to create knowledge and innovate within complex systems. We propose undergraduate and graduate certificates in Systems and Solutions within the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of South Dakota.

The Systems and Solutions certificate will be composed of 10-13 credits of coursework. The certificate will comprise four courses: a foundational course that will introduce students to systems, systems thinking, and design thinking (3 credits); a course that teaches students to use STEM tools for data acquisition, analysis, and visualization (3 credits); a complementary humanities or social science course to reinforce trans-disciplinary knowledge (3-4 credits); and an experiential capstone that asks students to use their acquired skills and perspectives to solve a problem a societal problem (1-3 credits).

Goals of the Program

The goal of the Systems and Solutions Certificate is to prepare students to use systems thinking and STEM tools to model complex systems and to use design thinking to innovate and iterate toward solutions within these complex systems.

The STEM foundational goals are for students to use scientific knowledge and tools as part of a trans-disciplinary systems approach to problem solving, to foster problem-solving, critical thinking, develop data analysis and visualization skill, and to provide a foundation for advanced coursework (e.g. geospatial and artificial intelligence/machine learning techniques). The humanistic knowledge goals are for students to incorporate knowledge from the humanities and social science as part of the systems approach to solving challenging problems. The meta-knowledge goals are to prepare students to address complex challenges using creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, and intellectual risk taking and to encourage students to recognize their efficacy as change agents.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcome 1 (LO1)
Students will recognize the temporal and spatial dynamics and interconnections among components within a complex system.
Learning Outcome 2 (LO2)
Students will integrate ideas from sciences, social sciences, humanities, and technical aspects of systems.
Learning Outcome 3 (LO3)
Students will construct a conceptual model to identify key components and leverage points within a complex system.
Learning Outcome 4 (LO4)
Students will construct an implementation model to devise effective approaches to intervening in complex systems, situations, and processes.
Learning Outcome 5 (LO5)
Students will recognize their self-efficacy as innovators and change agents.

Assessing Program Outcomes

Formative Assessment of Students: The introductory course will include assignments that address LO 1 through 4. Students will also begin keeping a journal with prompts asking them to reflect on their willingness and ability to effect change with respect to a societal problem and to describe their understanding of system complexity and how humanistic and scientific factors intertwine in the world.
Summative Assessment of Students: The capstone course or experience will culminate with a portfolio that includes components that address each learning outcome. Students will construct conceptual and implementation models that address LO 3 & 4 and will describe these with a narrative that addresses LO 1 & 2. For LO 5, students will keep a journal based on prompts that ask them to reflect on their willingness and ability to effect change with respect to a societal problem, on their experiences with any challenges encountered, and how these journal entries have changed compared to those made during the introductory course.