Client-based modeling project

Studiepoeng, omfang

10 ECTS

Studienivå (studiesyklus)

Master

Undervisningssemester

Spring

Mål og innhald

In this course, students gain practical experience in modeling with and for a client. The course works with organizations outside the University of Bergen (the clients) who furnish students with an applied context and specific problems they are currently dealing with. Students will develop simulation models that help solve these problems.

Client organizations vary from year to year. The specific challenge for students consists in the fact that participating organizations have no in-house capacity for implementing system dynamic modeling projects. From the problems that the client organizations present, students therefore first need to distill those aspects that lend themselves to the system dynamics method and agree with the clients on relevant deliverables. Students then need to interact with the organizations to develop, calibrate and validate a simulation model and eventually present model findings in a way that is appealing to these organizations.

The course provides practical guidance, theory, methods and techniques for following the system dynamics modeling process in a variety of complex, dynamic natural and socio-economic domains.

Læringsutbyte

Express knowledge and understanding

Students have an overview of the most frequently used knowledge elicitation and analysis methods used in the system dynamics modeling process.

Apply knowledge and understanding

Students should be able to apply different methods for knowledge elicitation and translate this knowledge into robust and valid simulation models.

Make judgments

Students should be able to adopt a client¿s perspective to distill problems that lend themselves to the system dynamics method from broad and/or more general problem descriptions by a client.

Communicate

Students should be able to adopt a client's perspective to effectively summarize the problem, the method for solving that problem and the implications of the analysis. They should be able to translate technical information into language that clients understand.

Learning skills

This course has a strong focus on communication and collaboration skills. In particular, students should be able to (1) organize efficient and effective communication with the client; (2) engage in the modeling project with a high degree of independence and responsibility.

Krav til forkunnskapar

None

Tilrådde forkunnskapar

GEO-SD302; GEO-SD303; GEO-SD304, or other adequate background in modeling

Studiepoengsreduksjon

-

Krav til studierett

The course is open to graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Bergen if they have taken GEO-SD302, GEO-SD303, and GEO-SD304, or other courses that provide an adequate background in System Dynamics.

Arbeids- og undervisningsformer

Live-streamed, recorded and stored lectures, seminars, and data labs with active participation by students; individual and group assignments as well as project modelling; individual and group support in-person or remotely from teaching assistants and professors.

Pre-scheduled interactions with the client organizations.

Major project requiring a simulation model, written report and presentation.

Obligatorisk undervisningsaktivitet

None

Vurderingsformer

Assessment consists of evaluating a modeling project. The modeling project consists of

• A portfolio assessment containing a simulation model and an executive summary describing the implications from the modeling process (50%)
• an oral presentation and response to examiners' questions (50%)

Karakterskala

An ECTS grade is provided to the student at the end of the course according to the A-F scale.

Vurderingssemester

Spring

Litteraturliste

-

Emneevaluering

All courses are evaluated according to UiB's system for quality assurance of education.

Programansvarleg

The System Dynamics Group, Department of Geography, is responsible for the content, structure and quality of the M.Phil program in system dynamics, including GEO-SD325.

Emneansvarleg

Birgit Kopainsky

Administrativt ansvarleg

The Department of Geography at the Faculty of Social Sciences has the administrative responsibility for the course and the study programme.