ITK 115 Reasoning About Complex Systems

Instructor Cheri Higgins Office: OU 113 Phone: (309) (for emergencies only 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 (voice) (TDD)

Course Supplies Textbook: there is no text All materials are on the my web site. Follow the ITK 115 links from 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 – dont 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 website

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.