Foreword

The course "Introduction to Systems Thinking" will help you take your first step into the fascinating world of systems thinking. Through this course, you will become acquainted with the fundamental principles of systems thinking and begin applying them to both professional and personal projects.

You may take the "Introduction to Systems Thinking" course individually or within a group setting with an instructor. If you enroll with an instructor, you will receive feedback on all your questions and have your homework reviewed. The instructor will highlight numerous pitfalls, help you navigate complex aspects, and expedite your understanding of the intricate systems thinking.

The course consists of 7 sections [ ^1 ] and 7 homework assignments (hereafter referred to as HW), which you should complete based on personal life examples and work projects. Each HW requires you to practice thinking through writing [ ^2 ] and, as a result, post a draft in the AISYSTANT club. Use the notes and drafts you write during the course for the draft.

When doing the homework, it is recommended to model using the respective tables. This work acts as a systems thinking simulator. The establishment of systems thinking occurs by:

• learning the theory (concepts, principles, thinking techniques) presented in the "Introduction to Systems Thinking" course;
• modeling based on examples provided in the homework;
• modeling within several of your real projects, which you will predominantly implement during the second semester.

Each homework assignment includes several modeling exercises in the form of template tables, which need to be filled out based on the provided examples. The table templates' headings are meta-meta-models ("from the textbook") for describing certain project activities, and the contents of the filled tables are typically meta-models or models (from some applied subject area). By filling out the template tables, you engage in modeling.

Almost all table templates are divided into the following blocks:

• an example of the table being filled out, which you must study, paying attention to the connection of systems thinking concepts in the table's heading with specific life examples;
• a task to fill in the missing cells using the example;
• a task for modeling a work project;
• a task for modeling a personal project (for example, for systems like body, teeth, abs, workspace, etc.).

In the "Introduction to Systems Thinking" course with an instructor, you will study the corresponding online course, model simple personal and work projects in tables, and receive feedback from the instructor. At the end of the course, it is advisable to write a final system essay.

Systems thinking is no simpler than mathematical analysis. However, even a not-so-outstanding student managed to handle it through certain self-development practices. Therefore, within the course, each student will need to undertake the following independent work:

• organize systematic slow reading of each section of the online course and additional literature over the course of a week (it is better to do this daily rather than reading everything at once) and compile educational notes [ ^3 ];
• systematically implement the practice of thinking through writing while doing HW and write 8 drafts (one for each of the seven sections and a final draft about the course experience);
• adjust your current schedule, allocating 10-15 hours per week over 2 months to study the course [ ^4 ], and also maintain a routine during this time [ ^5 ];
• keep a consistent record of the time invested in learning according to the schedule and allocated slots for each day of the week.

Pay attention to personal organization: systematically completing HW, planning, and accounting for learning time. It is crucial to focus on the total amount of time invested to become accustomed to challenging learning and initially see positive results in the form of a time investment plan for the course [ ^6 ]. After this, you will gain a deeper understanding of the essence of the system methodology.

Throughout the course, it will be beneficial for you to broaden your activity outlook, namely to learn the names of roles, methods, systems, work artifacts in various fields of activity. You have a decent activity outlook in anatomy (the system "organism"), but you probably know the terms used in entrepreneurship, engineering, or management less well. Systems thinking is not desk-bound work; you will need to communicate a lot with different people! Don’t postpone this for the future, start today. For instance, write to, call, or have a chat over coffee with colleagues or friends. In addition, use our AI bot Aisystant, ChatGPT, and Google.

I hope that your first step into systems thinking will be successful and you will discover a methodology that literally transforms worldviews and lives.

To complete the homework, use your personal workspace for modeling:

The course author, founder, and managing partner of Aisystant – Tseren Tserenov.

[ ^1 ]: We strongly recommend equipping yourself with a pen or taking notes on the computer while reading. It has been proven that consuming information while simultaneously recording arising ideas and questions significantly enhances learning.

[ ^2 ]: Thinking through writing is the main method for mastering such a complex methodology: if you aren't writing, there’s a strong chance you aren’t learning. If you write your homework, you are engaging your intellect and developing it.

[ ^3 ]: On the Aisystant platform, educational notes are automatically sent to the club, where they can be compiled into drafts and later shaped into a post draft for publication in the club.

[ ^4 ]: If a comfortable and leisurely pace is important to you: progress through one section per week. If you have more time, you can complete the course faster. However, it is recommended to allocate at least one month to think through all the HW thoroughly.

[ ^5 ]: If you do not change your schedule and, for example, do not rest sufficiently and maintain a healthy lifestyle, you may lack the strength for demanding intellectual work.

[ ^6 ]: Substantive results in work projects and personal life will appear later. You will need to persevere until then to achieve them. Focusing on the time investment will help you succeed.