Abstract for: Small SD Models for BIG ISSUES - The Book
This paper presents a new SD e-book with 100 cases and many online resources. It was developed for teaching and testing large introductory and intermediate SD courses and blended collaborative online learning, but could also be used for hands-on self-teaching. It allows anybody determined to acquire basic quantitative SD modeling skills to do so in 50+ hours. From day one on, students are supposed to make models, simulate them, analyze and interpret their outcomes, and use them to design adaptive policies and test their robustness. Models relate from day two on to real current dynamic issues. There is one basic learning path and ten different theme related learning paths (housing policy, energy transitions and resource dynamics, wildlife and ecosystem management, health and drug policy, risk analysis and crisis management, criminality and policing, education and innovation, management and business, and economics and finance). Those interested in just one of these application domains can acquire these skills by practicing only with cases within their domain of interest. The why, what and how questions regarding this e-book are addressed, fully hyperlinked learning paths are proposed, and examples of exercises and cases are provided. The e-book is offered free of charge and provisions are made for others to join this initiative.