Abstract for: A System Dynamics Model to Design a More Effective Education System

One of the educational systems used in different parts of the world is as follows: each session, new lessons and new homework are given to students. These assignments are not marked; instead, they are reviewed and if they do not meet the minimum acceptable standard, the student is obliged to do them again. This paper focuses on this education system and tries to show that setting a strict standard for homework acceptability does not necessarily promote learning. Not only this, but contrary to the original intention, it can increase students’ workload and stress so much that it can harm their productivity and mental health. Literature review reveals there is no SD study on this subject, so this is the first attempt. The result is a qualitative model, which is a combination of the “rework” model of Cooper, the “burnout” model of Homer, and the “managing your workload” of Sterman. Probably the most effective first step in attempting to fight a complex problem is to understand its dynamic source. So, we are hopeful that this paper can be insightful for education policy-makers. Future research is needed to expand upon this initial model, and quantitative extensions may result in a better understanding.