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About
We are pleased to present the 8th Annual System Dynamics Summer School. Held prior to the conference, Summer School provides a unique opportunity to learn (or review) the basics of System Dynamics and get exposed to real-world applications of the method. We will record all preparation sessions for viewing. The first week will be on your own to get exposure to software and systems thinking and to start watching the topic lectures. We will use the second week of Summer School week for a live discussion of topics and assignments. We will have a dedicated website for materials, homework, and Q&A. This year’s Summer School will focus on introductory and intermediate topics.
System Dynamics requires time to learn. Summer School is just the beginning of this rewarding learning experience. At the later of your official enrollment or June 1, you will have access to:
- System Dynamics software videos on YouTube. Depending on the tool (Stella, Studio, Vensim) there may be up to 27 short videos to watch. You can go into more depth by visiting the vendor sites for more tutorials. Limited software licenses will also be available to all registered students at no cost.Â
- Dedicated websites by track. There you will find readings, models, schedules, assignments, Q&A, etc. You will also be able to connect to your peers by Track via the messaging system.
- Video recorded lectures. Lectures will be available after registration for viewing before the week of Summer School. The expectation is students are familiar with the content of the videos, but not that the content is fully understood and can be applied to a problem.Â
- Synchronous online sessions and office hours during the week of Summer School to review material, go through exercises, work on problems, answer questions, and get help with individual projects.Â
- System dynamics software (time limited and/or feature limited) will be provided for Macintosh and Windows computers.
Pre-Work Requirements
It is important that you watch the pre-recorded lectures before the week of Summer School as we will be busy during the week focusing on reviewing the lectures, exercises, and solutions, demonstrating and practicing skills, and providing opportunities to work on individual projects. In watching the pre-recorded lectures, we don’t expect students to learn or master the material from the videos alone or before the week of Summer School. Instead, we expect students to have watched the videos in order to become familiar with the content so that we can draw on the content during the live sessions, you can ask questions, and when we refer back to the videos, you have a sense of what we are talking about. Based on experiences from last year, if you wait until the week of Summer School to watch the videos, you’ll likely be falling behind and have a less satisfying experience.Â
Duration of the Pre-Recorded Videos
Overall, we expect that there are approximately 9 hours of pre-recorded lectures (not including software and system dynamics applications videos) to watch before the week of Summer School, with 12 live sessions during the week of Summer School totaling 20 hours interacting online plus at least 20 hours offline to work on problems/exercises and your individual project.Â
| Topic | Time (approximate) |
| Beginner | 8 hours 30 minutes |
| Intermediate | 8 hours 30 minutes |
| Stella | 1 hour |
| Vensim | 14 minutes |
| Studio | 4 hours |
| Applications | 4 hours |
July 20-23, 2021 – Online Sessions
Registration Open!
Space is limited.
Join the Introductory Track Waiting List
Registration is not complete until paid in full
Registration Deadline: July 5, 2021
Refunds are available in full only until June 01.Â
Join people from all over the world in the biggest conference on System Dynamics and systems thinking!
From novices to experts, participants come from businesses, universities, not-for-profits, government, consulting, the healthcare and sustainability sectors, and beyond.Â
The Introductory Track is software neutral. The purpose is to teach the system dynamics methodology and not specific software syntax. There will be models available in Vensim, Studio, and Stella. Free versions of system dynamics modeling software that is limited in capability or limited in duration of use will be made available.
Instructors
David Ford, Texas A&M University (former System Dynamics Society president)
Rod MacDonald, James Madison University
Peter Hovmand, Washington University/Case Western
Birgit Kopainsky, University of Bergen (former System Dynamics Society president)
Tentative Schedule
|
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
Introduction to Summer School |
Reflections and Review of Day |
Reflections and Review of Day |
Reflections and Review of Day |
|
Modeling Steps & Problem Definition |
Formal Modeling of Stocks and Flows |
Nonlinear Relationships |
Model Analysis |
|
Modeling Feedback Mechanisms |
Information Delays |
Modeling Policies |
Model Use |
|
Conceptual Modeling with Stocks and Flows |
Workshop: |
Model Validation |
Workshop: |
|
Workshop: Introduction to System Dynamics Modeling Software |
Applications Lecture |
Applications Lecture |
Applications Lecture |
|
Online Welcome |
|
Closing Reception |
The Intermediate track will focus more on software (Studio and Vensim) ; it will present more advanced modeling technique. Free versions of system dynamics modeling software that are limited in capability or limited in duration of use will be made available.
Instructors
David Keith, MIT
Jacob Jacobson, Mindseye Computing
Len Malczynski, University of New Mexico
Tentative Schedule
|
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
Introduction |
Learning Circles |
Learning Circles |
Learning Circles |
|
Steps of Modeling: Problem Description |
Simulating Nonlinear Relationships |
Recognizing and avoiding Common Pitfalls |
Selection of models to be improved |
|
Model Building: Stocks and Flows |
Simulating the Flow of Information |
Validation Testing: for us & our client |
Student teams working on model improvements |
|
Checking Results with Equilibrium Diagrams |
Checking Results with delays in the flow of information |
Topic to be selected based on students’ progress |
Student teams continue with model improvements |
|
Diagrams to show feedback loops |
Applications Lecture |
Applications Lecture |
Applications Lecture |
|
Online Welcome |
|
Closing Reception |
Testimonials
“It was amazing to come to this experience and be around so many people that I would never met before in my life.”                             Â
“One thing I took home from the Summer School is the understanding that the purpose of using this methodology is not to generate models, but to generate solutions to problems.”