Loops

Key Features

Complexity in the news

Students use the online news to research a complex problem within the scope of the 17 UN SDGs.

Systems thinking

Teams learn to use systems thinking to model complex systems and reveal the drivers behind a problem.

Interact with experts

Modelling facilitates a dialogue with experts to improve understanding and discuss actions.

Tell the story

Teams use their model to tell the story of the complex problem to their classmates.

A little history

About Loops

2012 : systems thinking at TBS

Systems thinking classes were first proposed as a core class at Toulouse Business School (TBS) in 2012. They later inspired the “Thinking Complexity” MOOC on iversity.org in 2016, run by lead instructor Cameron Guthrie.

2020 : a focus on UN SDGs

Cameron Guthrie (Professor in Decision Sciences) and Elisabeth Bertrand-Dausset (Professor in Marketing) created Loops in 2020 to provide students with the thinking tools to tackle complex problems of sustainability by identifying root causes and systemic effects.

April 2020 : 49 teams, 13 SDGs

In April 2020, 294 students worked in 49 online teams over ten days on topics across thirteen SDGs such as biodiversity loss, domestic violence, homelessness, and zoonotic pandemics. Students and tutors welcomed the program.

Loops step-by-step

How it works

Step 1: Find a news item

Teams begin by looking for a news item that reports on a complex problem within the scope of one of the 17 UN SDGs.

Step 2: Tell the story

Teams research and tell the complete story of the problem to create a richer picture of the issue and the variables, and stakeholders involved.

Step 3: Model the system

Teams use systems thinking tools to draw the system of variables in interaction to explain the behavior under study. They consult domain experts to validate their model.

Step 4: Look for leverage

Teams identify leverage points in the systemic structure where actions will yield the greatest impact and design an action plan to influence the complex behavior.