Using the Lens of Systems Thinking To Model Education During and Beyond COVID-19

Abstract

In this paper, we make use of systems thinking insights to study education during and beyond COVID-19. Systems thinking is a rich discipline that studies nonlinear models of social complex adaptive systems that has many insights and tools that are relevant for modelling and understanding how interactions unfold in educational systems. An important insight of systems thinking is that the root cause of chronic complex problems often lay in the underlying systemic structure. Using insights from systems thinking to study learning/education has many benefits, including: (1) support for rigorous big-picture thinking; (2) anticipating and managing unintended consequences; (3) understanding dysfunctional learning systems using systems archetypes - which are systemic structures that, experts have noticed, typically lead to a performance rut; and finally (4) identification of high-leverage interventions that lead to long-lasting benefits without being neutralized by the system. In the paper, we have modelled COVID-19 pandemic effects on students learning in a novel way by using system thinking tools (Causal Loop Diagrams and Stock and Flow Diagrams), which help us to understand the complex interconnections of students performance, learning and management reforms. We demonstrate that successful student learning during and beyond COVID-19 requires not only a focus on lectures and curriculum reforms but also on motivating students, instilling a growth mindset, and developing strategies to track and minimize online distractions.