Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dedicated Assignments as a Means of Advancing Junior Students’ Systems Thinking and Abstract Thinking

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Mobility for Smart Cities and Regional Development - Challenges for Higher Education (ICL 2021)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 390))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

To design and maintain complex engineering systems, engineers need to adopt the characteristics of the so-called systems thinker and abstract thinker. The study described here aimed to investigate whether systems thinking and abstract thinking could be advanced simultaneously, through dedicated assignments, at a relatively early stage. Twenty-six high-school electronics students (Grade 11), who were executing their final project, took part in the study. Fourteen tasks focusing on systems thinking and abstract thinking were integrated into the curriculum. At the beginning and end of the school year, students took an achievement test, designed to assess their systems and abstract thinking. The test findings pointed to a significant improvement in both systems thinking and abstract thinking.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 229.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 299.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Jaradat, R.M.: Complex system governance requires systems thinking-how to find systems thinkers. Int. J. Sys. Sys. Eng. 6(1–2), 53–70 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kramer, J., Hazzan, O.: The role of abstraction in software engineering. In: 28th International Conference on Software Engineering, pp. 1017–1018 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Senge, P.M.: The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Doubleday, New-York (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Timothy, B.: Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming. Pearson Education, India (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gero, A., Shekh-Abed, A., Hazzan, O.: Correlation between systems thinking and abstract thinking among high school students majoring in electronics. In: The Impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution on Engineering Education, pp. 541–548, Springer, Cham (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40274-7

  6. Gero, A., Shekh-Abed, A., Hazzan, O.: Interrelations between systems thinking and abstract thinking: the case of high-school electronics students. Euro. J. Eng. Edu. 46(5), 735–749 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Shekh-Abed, A., Hazzan, O., Gero, A.: Promoting systems thinking and abstract thinking in high-school electronics students: integration of dedicated tasks into project-based learning. Int. J. Eng. Educ. 37(4), 1080–1089 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Monat, J.P., Gannon, T.F.: Applying systems thinking to engineering and design. System 6(3), 34 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Gero, A., Zach, E.: High school programme in electro-optics: a case study on interdisciplinary learning and systems thinking. Int. J. Eng. Educ. 30(5), 1190–1199 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Gero, A., Danino, O.: High-school course on engineering design: enhancement of students’ motivation and development of systems thinking skills. Int. J. Eng. Educ. 32(1A), 100–110 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Chalmers, C., Nason, R.: Systems thinking approach to robotics curriculum in schools. In: Robotics in STEM Education, pp. 33–57. Springer, Cham (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57786-9_2

  12. Degen, C.M., Muci-Küchler, K.H., Bedillion, M.D., Huang, S., Ellingsen, M.: Measuring the impact of a new mechanical engineering sophomore design course on students’ systems thinking skills. In: International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, American Society of Mechanical Engineers Digital Collection (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Camelia, F., Ferris, T.L., Behrend, M.B.: The effectiveness of a systems engineering course in developing systems thinking. IEEE Trans. Educ. 63(1), 10–16 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Gero, A., Shlomo, I.: Promoting systems thinking in two-year technology students: an interdisciplinary course on medical ultrasound systems. Int. J. Eng. Educ. 37(2), 564–572 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Frank, M.: Assessing the interest for systems engineering positions and other engineering positions’ required Capacity for Engineering Systems Thinking (CEST). Sys. Eng. 13(2), 161–174 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Frank, M., Kordova, S.: Developing systems thinking through engaging in multidisciplinary high-tech projects. Int. J. Proj. Org. Manag. 5(3), 222–238 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Liskov, B., Guttag, J.: Abstraction and Specification in Program Development. MIT press, Cambridge (1986)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  18. Mishali, O., Dubinsky, Y., Maman, I.: Towards IDE support for abstract thinking. In: 2nd International Workshop on the Role of Abstraction in Software Engineering, pp. 9–13 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Grover, S., Pea, R.: Computational thinking in K–12: a review of the state of the field. Educ. Res. 42(1), 38–43 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Lye, S.Y., Koh, J.H.L.: Review on teaching and learning of computational thinking through programming: what is next for K-12? Comput. Hum. Behav. 41, 51–61 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Koppelman, H., van Dijk, B.: Teaching abstraction in introductory courses. In: 15th Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, pp. 174–178 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Hazzan, O.: Reflections on teaching abstraction and other soft ideas. ACM SIGCSE Bull. 40(2), 40–43 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Ye, N., Salvendy, G.: Expert-novice knowledge of computer programming at different levels of abstraction. Ergonomics 39(3), 461–481 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Hazzan, O., Kramer, J.: Assessing abstraction skills. Commun. ACM 59(12), 43–45 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Koral-Kordova, S., Frank, M.: Improving capacity for engineering systems thinking (CEST) among industrial engineering students. In: IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, pp. 1378–1380 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Gero, A.: Enhancing systems thinking skills of sophomore students: an introductory project in electrical engineering. Int. J. Eng. Educ. 30(3), 738–745 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Barr, V., Stephenson, C.: Bringing computational thinking to K-12: what is involved and what is the role of the computer science education community? ACM Inroads 2(1), 48–54 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Gero, A.: Engineering students as science teachers: a case study on students’ motivation. Int. J. Eng. Pedg. 4(3), 55–59 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

    Aharon Gero, Aziz Shekh-Abed & Orit Hazzan

Authors
  1. Aharon Gero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aziz Shekh-Abed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Orit Hazzan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aharon Gero .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CTI Global, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Michael E. Auer

  2. Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Sachsen, Germany

    Hanno Hortsch

  3. Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Sachsen, Germany

    Oliver Michler

  4. Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Sachsen, Germany

    Thomas Köhler

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Gero, A., Shekh-Abed, A., Hazzan, O. (2022). Dedicated Assignments as a Means of Advancing Junior Students’ Systems Thinking and Abstract Thinking. In: Auer, M.E., Hortsch, H., Michler, O., Köhler, T. (eds) Mobility for Smart Cities and Regional Development - Challenges for Higher Education. ICL 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 390. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93907-6_22

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation