2018 Conference

Individual Paper Presentation

Case studies can be an invaluable tool for teachers to help present abstract, multi-disciplinary concepts to students in an approachable and understandable way.  This proposal highlights how guiding students through individualized, case study choice and research, specific to their own discipline of study can enhance student learning of systems thinking and broader student knowledge of social-ecological systems.  Using an in-class case study, originally developed by SESYNC researchers, which interrogates the sustainability of K-cup coffee, students work throughout the quarter to identify system components and create mental maps of the system.  Alongside the in-class coffee case study, each student chooses their own case study originating in their major discipline, such as using synthetic versus natural dyes for clothing (a design major) or understanding the increased prevalence of diabetes in Pilipino Americans (biomedical sciences major).  Each system is then broken into its social and ecological components, through literature review of previous research, mental maps of each side of the system are created before culminating in a final mental map which makes explicit the interactions between systems components and related systems. In addition to using the case studies to understand social-ecological systems, they are also useful for building foundational knowledge of stakeholders’ perspectives and identifying the importance of interdisciplinary teams in solving persistent problems, whether those be natural resource management, public health, or design related.  Course evaluations have highlighted the effectiveness of using individualized case studies as a teaching and learning tool.  Students indicated that regardless of their major, breaking  their chosen system down into its component parts and thinking through the system connections broadened their scope of understanding of not only social-ecological systems but issues of concern within their own disciplines.