Abstract Summary
D. Xevgenos, A. Bilyaminu, S. Ghirlandi, F. D’Hont, E. Meijer, S. N. van Roon, I. van Gestel, N. Spalek, D. Stroutza Systems thinking is useful for understanding and addressing complex interdependent challenges across disciplines. In engineering education, students are taught to conceptualize, design, and optimize solutions in dynamic and interconnected environments, to enhance their capacity for effective decision-making. However, it remains challenging to integrate systems thinking into interdisciplinary engineering curricula, particularly within short, intensive courses, and while doing the diverse academic backgrounds of the students justice. This study presents how systems thinking is taught and assessed in the course ‘System Design for Industrial Ecology’, as part of the Industrial Ecology MSc program offered by TU Delft and Leiden University. This program takes a systems approach to holistically address sustainability challenges locally as well as worldwide, annually attracting over 70 students from varied backgrouds. The course, which enrols over 70 students from varied academic backgrounds with an interest in environmental sustainability annually, covers foundational system design principles and analytical methods such as network analysis, supply chain design, and system dynamics. The course incorporates real-world case studies to challenge students to apply systems thinking by integrating technological, economic and environmental considerations to design sustainable and circular solutions. To evaluate learning outcomes, a mixed-method approach is employed, combining structured reflections using the DAKI (Drop, Add, Keep, Improve) retrospective framework, comparative, design exercises, and qualitative analysis of student work. Preliminary findings suggest that students expand their ability to identify system interdependencies, as well as adopting a wider problem demarcation, though challenges remain in formulating complex environmental problems into consistent conceptual models. Drawing on the findings of the study, a framework is proposed for the acquisition, assessment, and integration of systems thinking and interdisciplinary engagement in engineering education. The study therefore contributes to the broader discourse on designing, delivering, and evaluating systems thinking education to aspiring engineers with varied backgrounds, offering recommendations for curriculum developers and educators.
