Module POLM883DA for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
POLM883DA: Systems Thinking in Theory and Practice
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The Systems Thinking in Theory and Practice module will help apprentices meet a range of skills (S1, S2, S3, S4, S7), knowledges (K1, K2, K3) and behaviours (B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B8) implicit in the IATE Systems Thinking Practitioner standard.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate a sound working knowledge of critical systems heuristics, and critical and reflective perspectives on the methods applicability, limits, and benefits as they pertain to system modelling and interventions. 2. Evidence a critical and detailed understanding of the applied critical systems heuristics method. 3. Analyse different options for designing a complex, ethical, and reflective systems intervention regime, inclusive of and evidencing critical consideration of different intervention methods. 4. Gather and analyse of a range of soft system data to deliver interventions, change and impact |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 5. Evidence a holistic and comparative understanding of the critical systems heuristics method within the wider school of soft systems methods. 6. Evidence a well-developed theoretical and practical understandings of the evaluation of systems interventions |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. Demonstrate reflexive skills and behaviours for critical self-reflection, personal development, and system design. 8. Explore and reflect upon personal biases, ethics, and beliefs as they pertain to systems and professional practice |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Gregory Bateson’s philosophy
- Boundary critique
- Critical systems heuristics
- The viable system model
- Systemic intervention
- Systemic evaluation
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22.5 | 67.5 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 22.5 | Masterclasses: The masterclasses are where apprentices are given day length teaching and learning, contextualised through practical group exercises |
| Guided Independent Study | 67.5 | Weekly study sessions: A day per week spent on guided, independent, group and informational sessions to enhance, contextualise, and practice the learnings from masterclasses |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-reflective: Delineating our PBL as a system. | 1000 words | 4,7 | Masterclass two, orally and discursively |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay boundary critique | 50 | 2,000 words | 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 | Written |
| Essay systemic modelling and evaluation | 50 | 2500 words | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | Written |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay boundary critique | Essay boundary critique | 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 | Next re-assessment period |
| Essay systemic modelling and evaluation | Essay systemic modelling and evaluation | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | Next re-assessment period |
