IST 618

Systems Thinking and Modeling for Dynamic Information Systems

This course in systems thinking assesses IS/IT systems by examining the entire system, including human, community, resource, environmental, and social processes, to get a holistic view into how organizations and individuals often look at the world, assess problems, and invent solutions. Because the way systems are designed determines outcomes, the course also looks at system dynamics and the intended and unintended consequences of various actions. Using nonlinear thinking to complement typical linear way of thinking, students will learn, step by step, the standard methods of system dynamics governed by levels/rates or stocks/flows processes. They will conceptualize and build a system dynamics model, from scratch, conduct appropriate model analysis, and develop model-based recommendations. Based on hands-on experience in computer simulation and gaming, students will learn to perform model formulation and validation in diverse settings.

Units: 3.0