49004 Systems Engineering for Managers
Subject description
This subject introduces you to systems engineering, an interdisciplinary field centred on designing and managing both complicated and complex systems over their life cycles. You will delve into systems theory and systems thinking, with a particular focus on complex adaptive systems that evolve and adapt over time. Engaging in a real-life sustainability-focused project, you will use diverse quantitative and qualitative methods to understand and address the complexity inherent in all natural and some humanmade systems and their interactions,
Subject learning outcomes (SLOs)
1. Apply systems thinking and approaches to analyse complex natural and human-made systems, and to design engineered solutions. (D.1)
2. Synthesise research findings to ideate engineering solutions to complex sustainability requirements within urban contexts. (C.1)
3. Organise team work, manage interdisciplinary collaboration, and assess own and other team member's contributions. (E.1)
4. Apply professional written and verbal communication skills to present research findings and recommendations to peers and broader audiences. (E.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject uses a variety of teaching and learning activities. These activities consist of weekly online lectures and tutorials, and a real-life group project with discrete activities that facilitate individual assessment.
The lectures are interactive and students are encouraged to actively participate in them by making comments and raising questions. Lecture notes will be made available before the lecture. Complementary material-e.g. readings, videos, exercises-will be made available both before and after lectures.
The tutorials, project and presentations complement the theory and applications presented in the lectures and represent a key component for realising the aims of the subject.
Students will be required to undertake one project during this subject. This project will involve a critical assessment in systems engineering and will require independent research, analysis and comment. Students will work in small teams- within larger groups-to complete the report and presentations required for the delivery of the project. They will be required to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration within the 49004 cohort and with other professionals in other fields.
The primary goal of the tutorials is to work through the different phases of the project while being able to get feedback from the lecturer, the tutors and fellow students. The aim of this process, is to have students develop understanding and confidence in handling the material and the research required to provide an engineered solution to the problem proposed.
By scanning current media, students will also be required to analyse present problems in the wider community through the lens of systems thinking. This weekly exercise aims to emphasise the relevance and applicability of the concepts presented in this subject to current real-life situations.
Because of its comprehensiveness, there will be only one project that will run the full extent of the session.