ITK 115

Reasoning About Complex Systems

Instructor

Cheri Higgins Office: OU 113 Phone: (309) 438-2098 E-mail: cheri@ilstu.edu

(for emergencies only please!) Office Hours:

MW 12:00 – 12:30 pm and 3:15 – 4:15 pm GA during walk in lab hours: Stephen

Asamoah Walk in lab hours: Monday 2:00 – 5:00 pm

Course Pre-requisites Courses

Math 113, 120, or 145 Basic computer skills

Office of Disability Concerns 350 Fell Hall 438-5853 (voice) 438-8620 (TDD)

Course Supplies

Textbook: there is no text All materials are on the my web site.

Follow the ITK 115 links from http://lilt.ilstu.edu/cheri

You will need secondary storage - USB flash memory drive

Course Work Since there is no text, class attendance

is very important We will meet in Old Union for lecture You will complete assignments/labs at

home or in OU 132 during walk in lab hours (to get help)

Two exams and possibly a project Daily assignments and lab exercises

Grading Two exams - 25% each Labs, assignments, projects – 50%

A Few Rules Cheating – don’t do it Plagiarists will be persecuted Assignments must be turned in when

due Tests must be taken when scheduled Attendance is expected Your university id is required to use labs

Assignment

Will be posted on my websitehttp://lilt.ilstu.edu/cheri

Overview of the Course This course deals with how we think.

More precisely, we will learn a method for thinking about, i.e. reasoning about, complex problems.

Why study methods of thinking?

Purpose of Course

To help you develop a facility for systems thinking. The materials and labs are designed to help you progress through six levels of comprehension.

We will cover a number of different theories in order to better understand systems and the use of a system's perspective to reason about complex systems.

We will apply systems thinking to real life situations.

Course Objectives To learn:

new skills for critical thinking and problem solving fundamental principles of systems thinking to analyze and evaluate complex systems to gain experience working in teams

Relevant Theories Decision Theory/Decision Making Personality/Temperament Theory (maybe) Systems Theory Systems Dynamics Simulation Theory

Six Levels of Comprehension explain why systems thinking is needed for

complex dynamic issues. recognize when systems thinking is

applicable. relate systems concepts to problems. use systems thinking in solving problems. construct system models for problems. use systems simulation in solving

problems.