Emergence: Elements that should emerge are happy qualified students. Unintended potential elements that could emerge are failed students. Equilibrium: maintained by using feedback and control mechanisms discussed earlier. Additionally: organisation will continually match student numbers to staff continually review student fees against those charged by competitors Organisation will try and Continue Reading
Group Feedback
This post covers my proposal to the group feedback question set within the lesson. System: Administration Purpose: System to ensure students are able to study for a qualification and for tutors to teach. Goals/Objectives: Provide information to potential students. Facilitate registration of students. Provide scheduling information to tutors. Provide assistance Continue Reading
Sub-Systems and Hierarchy
See previous posts on Sub-systems and Hierarchy. Previous concepts noted several sub-systems, these are controlling the transformation: Technology infrastructure, including tech staff Administration Quality measurement Tutor support Student support Each of the sub-systems would need analysis as if there were a system in their own right.
Control
See previous post on Control. Control aspects: Student’s payment of fees: no payment means students remain potential students in environment. Results in no profit. Qualification pass rate: feedback – what needs to be improved, re-enforces transformation process. Student satisfaction: happiness factor. Use as positive feedback to improve good things and Continue Reading
Inputs, Outputs and Transformation
See previous post on Input and Output. Inputs Students Tutors Outputs Happy, qualified students. Act as form of positive feedback by encouraging others to become students. Quality assessment. Some used as feedback to improve students’ experience and quality of education. Direct feedback by way of self-assessment. Indirect feedback by way Continue Reading
Boundary and Environment
See previous posts on Boundary and Environment. If system can control component/element it is inside boundary and part of system. If system cannot control component/element but has influence on system it is in environment and outside system. Boundary will be defined so that: Students – study activities inside boundary, social Continue Reading
System Purpose/Goals/Objectives
See previous post on Goals and Objectives. Example: Global e-learning company. System definition: Provide distance learning throughout the world and some fixed site learning in the UK. It will use online materials and provide tutor support to students. In analysis of system, we should question our assumptions and ensure that Continue Reading
Time-Lag
Many systems have processes with time-lag in their behaviour. Changes to systems’ behaviour do not occur immediately when a change to the inputs or transformation process is made. Changes can take significant amount of time to take effect, therefore can be difficult to predict system behaviour. Unintended changes might Continue Reading
Non-Linearity
Many systems display non-linear behaviour i.e. their outputs are not directly proportional to their inputs. Non-linear systems do not satisfy superposition principal, or superposition property. For all linear systems, net response at given place and time caused by two or more stimuli is sum of responses which would have been caused by Continue Reading
Holistic and Reductionist views
Holistic Concept that system is greater than the sum of its parts, see the Bicycle and Central Heating systems for examples. Trying to identify all connections to systems environment, view is limited to that environment. By looking beyond the holistic or systemic view, we would be considering the ecological view Continue Reading