Prototyping Systems Thinking Curriculum Development for Pre-college Students

Abstract

This paper describes the results of the first 5 years effort to develop a new focus and process for creating an awareness of systems thinking methodology in pre-college students. The effort was undertaken as part of the University of Texas Pre-Freshman Engineering (PREP) program based in San Antonio, TX. The PREP program conducts a 6 week summer classroom environment on local university campuses for Texas Middle School (7-8-9 grades) students focusing on the basics of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM.) Our particular effort was to add a fourth year known as PREP IV. PREP IV served as a prototyping laboratory to experiment with new curricula for introducing the systems thinking mindset to pre-college students.

Several approaches, such as Community Based Projects, Student Centered Learning, Activity Based Learning, and Challenge Based Learning were incorporated into the curriculum developed. As a result of the exploratory prototyping fundamental understandings of student basic needs were uncovered including: (1) creating a systems thinking awareness or mindset in the students; (2) developing a teachable approach to grasping the concept of what is a system; (3) learning how to do the abstraction required for modeling a system; and (4) analyzing the behavior of a system from a systems model. Most of these basics of system thinking are not intuitive but require innovative development approaches. This paper discusses teaching approaches that address those new understandings. Specifically, it includes the approach of tightly integrating the study of system thinking concepts with the learning exploration of a local community watershed as a system. System definition, modeling, and behavior analysis in a parallel top down theory and bottom up approach results in system thinking mindset retention that was measured by pre and post testing of students. In addition, the basics of the systems engineering process were built into the curriculum providing a process framework to support the systems concept mindset and awareness.

A high level watershed system model was built using the STELLA computer model. This model was constructed from the ground up in parallel with basic water science teaching of: the water cycle, rainfall rates, rain accumulation, watershed area determination (using U.S. Geological Service or USGS topographic maps and Google Earth), soil analysis, evaporation, and river water flow fundamentals. The model was calibrated using an historical rainfall event along with measured stream water flow rates at local stream USGS monitoring stations. Once calibrated the model was exercised to discover the benefits of reduced flows and flooding associated with creating water retention dams. Soil and surface runoff conditions were varied to develop a student understanding of increases in community land development on the potential for flooding. The model and graphical outputs are discussed in the paper.

As a result of the PREP IV experience the students could clearly articulate an understanding of a very important community system. They showed this in a formal presentation to local senior water system executives, water science university professors, and parents. Continuing PREP IV classes are extending the systematic discovery of how to develop curricula that creates sustainable systems mindset awareness. Areas other than watershed systems, such as aerospace, energy, environment, and medicine are also being introduced into the PREP IV systems curriculum.