OU Systems courses --- nearly the end

[jamesWtc]

If Software System Analysis and Design can be taught as an independent discipline, why not Systems Thinking?

OU has been unique to offer such a course, it's pity they decided to discontinue it.

[Andrea]

Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- have just received an e-mail from a colleague showing the numbers of students taking our second and third level systems courses at the Arab OU (which uses all of our materials). In 2010, just under 1700 students studied the second level course; and just over 1200 students studied the third level course. Two thoughts:

1. This indicates the great potential of systems courses to a worldwide audience;

2. it also clearly shows the sad tunnel vision of some bureaucrats who only look at a narrow range of data in order to decide the future of courses.

[jim_lewis1]

Ironically they seem to have based their decisions on some very reductionist information.

RIP UG Systems. If anything I think that systems concepts should be taught earlier than UG, not later.

Building on core strengths and differentiation in the market-place are key to an effective strategy. With regards to systems teaching the OU seems to be doing neither.

[Karen]

I read this thread with some surprise given the (sometimes heated!) dialogue I got in to with the course team who were writing the replacement to T306, obviously they've given up!!

One thought though, the OU have never got T214 on the lists of courses for many of the degrees it should have been. One T214 fellow student had to request for it to be counted as part of her engineering degree as it hadn't been listed and I failed to have it included on the leadership and management degree even though in both cases T306 was included. The OU's reason for it not being on the L&M degree was that it has nothing to do with management! - they offered my 30 level one points for my distinction, pah!

I'm convinced that when it changed from T205(I think?) to T214 it was never listed properly. That has probably assisted in a poor uptake.

[Neill]

Hello Karen,

I still think that a major problem with the two systems courses was explaining what they were good for.
This year I am doing T307 which is about designing. When I say designing everyone says "Oh OK!" and think they know what I ma doing.

When I say "Systems" they think of IT and when I say it is about managing problems, they look blank.

Just my thoughts
Neill

[Karen]

Hi Neill

I know what you mean about people thinking it is IT orientated. In fact I've just done a block in another course on Information Systems which is more in line with what most people think 'systems thinking' is.

However, with T214 listed in the Business Studies Degree course options I instantly assumed it had some relevance with business and then on reading the description, which I think was quite good, it was quite apparent to me how it might fit. So I still maintain that if they had listed it in more Degrees it would have had more reach, the very fact that it is listed infers relevance to some degree.

Karen

[Teiana]

i'm not sure though (playing devils advocate) i seem to remember some people on T214 who were whinging that they had only taken it because it was listed as possible course for their degree and then they found only one block really relevant..

i don't know - it's late and my brains a bit melted - i'm not doing a named degree so i don't know how that feels. anyway i guess if the decisions have already been made any discussion about it is all academic anyway.. at least we were there while it lasted.

[Karen]

You are right there were many complaints about lact of relevance but I think most of us, after completion, came to understand the connections. I didn't see the relevance of the environmental subject but on balance I was willing to accept that for the upside of the rest of it. Now, looking back, I see the systems diploma as a welcome respite from full on business courses (particularly having done 2 of those this year!).