In this 5-part course, take your understanding and application of systems and systems thinking to the next level. Develop your theory of change and learn advanced techniques for leveraging change-making systems interventions.
This advanced Systems Interventions course teaches you tools to uncover practical approaches to applied systems thinking to effect positive change. We recommend you take the Systems Thinking course first if you do not already have an understanding of introductory systems thinking principles.
In this course, you will learn to see critical relationships, understand feedback loops, and conduct consequence analyses. You will also establish causal relationships and gain radical insights into systems dynamics. You will gain a deeper synthesis of how all the components fit together. The tools gained in this course will prepare you to identify where and how to intervene in a system, build effective systems interventions, plus design systems in which these interventions can exist.
A historical snapshot of the field and practice of systems thinking
Techniques for adapting and expanding a systems mindset
Iceberg and mushroom models
Recap on analog systems mapping techniques
Identifying emergence and synthesis
Soft systems methods
Leverage points and systems interventions
Detailed systems dynamics, like behavior over time and causal loop diagrams
How to develop and use the Theory of Change method
Systems archetypes and their relationship to systems exploration
Delays and feedback
Understanding emergence
Systems modeling tools
Systems boundaries & subsystems
Stocks and flows
Systems behaviors and dealing with delays
Designing systems interventions
Tactics for activating systems change
Curriculum
What’s inside this course
The objective of this course is to provide tools and techniques you can use to understand systems and apply systems thinking to the world around you. You will be provided with a solid foundation for building systems interventions that effect change. You will also learn how to design a theory of change so that you can go from ideas to action and take a look at the theoretical applications of a systems mindset.
Develop advanced systems and systems thinking perspectives to develop tactical tools for effecting change.
Start the course by wrapping your head around the core concepts and thinking shifts that support the development of a systems mindset. You’ll explore different families of thinking and scientific fields of inquiry for applied systems thinking. You’ll also dive into the proponents, key fields, the evolution of systems theories and how they have branched off into different practices.
Materials
Material one
Certification
Looking to advance further?
Consider taking the UnSchool Practitioner Certification. This 6 month program is for anyone interested in making a positive impact on the planet through the practice of systems, sustainability and design. It is a practice based program packed with content, including handbooks, videos, learning challenges, systems thinking, and the circular economy. Includes all 12 modules of the Disruptive Design Method, perfect for anyone looking to enhance their personal practice.
“Coming to the UnSchool was mind-blowing. It was so exciting to look at things through a different set of eyes and to see how I could apply what we learnt to my professional and personal life.”
“The design process reinvigorated me. Visualizing systems integration reminded me of the solutions, and peer-to-peer collaboration reinstalled a sense of trust, vulnerability, and cohesion that completely redefined the possible.”
Jason Sandman
An alternative to the education system
“I learned to understand what I need to accomplish in my work, in finding an alternative to the education system I want to create. Things I will always remember from my experience are: the toolkit, mentors, partners, processes, products, games, systems and experiences.”
Marcela Zetina
World renowned expert training
Your instructor
Sustainability provocateur, award-winning designer, UNEP Champion of the Earth, and creative changemaker pioneer, Dr. Leyla Acaroglu challenges people to think differently about how the world works. Leyla’s main-stage TED talk on sustainability has been viewed over a million times, she is the founder of the UnSchool and creator of the Disruptive Design Method. As as a renowned international expert on systems thinking and sustainability, she runs workshops around the world and designs unique educational experiences that help equip people with the tools to intervene and change systems to make the status quo obsolete. Leyla is sought after for her unique approach to activating positive social change by design.
Options and Pricing
Two payment options
What you get
Identify the non-obvious elements, connections, and aspects of systems, to begin building interventions that leverage change
Gain a more granular understanding of the phenomena that are at play in the systems
Uncover practical approaches to applied systems thinking to affect positive change
You will have access for 180 days from the date of purchase.
We recommend a few hours a week over the course of a month.
If you need more time, please send us an email. There may be a small fee depending on how much more time you need. These are granted on a case by case basis.
Find out if you are eligible for our Equity Access Scholarships
As part of our goal to make our programs equitable, we offer both partial scholarships and payment plans. Our limited number of scholarships are awarded based on demonstrated need to certain select courses and programs. We fund these to promote equitable access to our programs. We are committed to offering our scholarships to community members who would otherwise be unable to access a program at all.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Send us a message.
“Everything around us is designed for better or for worse, so I find learning new methods of looking at the systems, the ways in which design interplays with them, and the potential approaches we can take to design more social and sustainable interventions is empowering.”
Anna SchlimmHead of Sustainable Futures at Holobiont and Lecturer at UAL
