Contributions sought for the Complex Systems Toolkit
Contributions sought for the Complex Systems Toolkit
Background
Complex intelligent systems, systems thinking competency, and understanding complexity are all critical to engineering in the 21st century, and when integrated holistically, complex systems in engineering teaching can align with other initiatives that promote responsible engineering. Learning approaches for integrating complex systems knowledge, skills, and mindsets in engineering supports educators in their own professional development, since many may have not learned about this topic that they are now expected to teach. Accreditation frameworks increasingly refer to complex problems and systems thinking in outcomes for engineering programmes, and yet very few resources exist that support engineering educators to integrate these into their teaching in a comprehensive and effective way or indeed to upskill educators to be able to deliver this teaching.
To address this gap, a Complex Systems Toolkit is being developed by the Engineering Professors’ Council with support from Quanser. Its development is guided by a Working Group comprised of academic, industry, and professional organisation experts.
Register your interest
Please register your interest in developing a resource by completing this form by 30th June 2025.
If you have already registered an interest and we are expecting your submission, the deadline to submit first drafts is 8th August. Submission forms will be available soon.
If you would like to suggest links to pages or online resources that we can add to our database of engineering education resources for complex systems teaching, please email Wendy Attwell: w.attwell@epc.ac.uk
The Complex Systems Toolkit Working Group seeks contributors to develop resources for inclusion in the toolkit.
These resources will fit into three categories:
Knowledge articles: content that users can access to improve their knowledge or find more information.
Guidance articles: content that users can access to learn how to do something.
Teaching activities: resources that users can access to help them know what to integrate and implement. These include use cases/case studies, and other classroom activities.
Click on the arrows to expand the sections:
Submit a knowledge article
Submit a knowledge article
The Complex Systems Toolkit Working Group seeks contributors to write knowledge articles on the following subjects:
Why teach / learn about Complex Systems?
This should include reference to:
The increasing ubiquity of complex systems
The need to understand complexity as a concept
The need for systems thinking competency among engineers
How complex systems are related to all engineering disciplines
Why integrate Complex Systems into Engineering Education?
This should include reference to:
Why engineered systems require certain properties (e.g. resilience)
The consequences of system failures
Knock-on effects beyond engineering
Interaction with other systems (e.g. human and natural)
What are Complex Systems?
This should provide a real-world explanation and include:
Examples of engineered systems / Engineering Complexity
Examples of socio-technical systems and the wider context
These articles should also connect the why (why must teaching about complex systems be present in engineering education?) to the how (how can this be done efficiently and effectively?). Through these tools, we aim to help upskill UK engineering educators so that they feel capable of and confident in integrating complex systems into their engineering teaching.
The deadline for submitting a knowledge article is 8th August 2025.
Step 1: Read the guidance for submitting a knowledge article
Guidance #1: Research Guidance #2: OverviewGuidance #3: PurposeGuidance #4: ContentGuidance #5: References and resourcesGuidance #6: Format
Research:
Before you begin, you may want to review knowledge articles that form a part of the EPC’s Sustainability Toolkit, since we hope that contributions to the Complex Systems Toolkit will be fairly consistent in length, style, and tone.
Knowledge articles are meant to be overviews that a reader with no prior knowledge of complex systems could refer to in order to develop a baseline understanding and learn where to look for additional information (they can reference other sources). They should be understandable to students as well: imagine that an educator might excerpt content from the article to provide their students context on a project or learning activity.
They should be approximately 500-1000 words and reference relevant open-source resources.
Overview:
The articles are meant to be able to stand on their own as a piece of knowledge on a topic; they are also meant to work alongside other articles so that taken together they form a sort of complex systems in engineering handbook.
Purpose:
Each article should inform, explain, and provide knowledge on the topics. Put yourself in the perspective of an engineering educator who is new to complex systems.
Content:
The content of the article should be organised and well developed. That is, it should be presented in a logical way and thoroughly explained.
References and resources:
Where additional explanation could be given, it might point to other resources, and where information is presented from another source, it needs to be properly referenced.
Format
Knowledge articles should follow this format:
Premise
Body of article, divided up into headed sections as necessary.
Does the article both make sense as a single piece of content as well as fit in with the rest of the articles to be developed?
Would someone new to complex systems understand the information presented and would it help them?
Do you need to expand on any ideas or reorganise them to make them clearer?
What additional resources or references have you included?
Before you submit your contribution, have you registered as a contributor? If not, please register your interest here.
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Step 3: Submitting your knowledge article
The deadline for submitting a knowledge article is 8th August 2025.
Knowledge articles should be submitted in Word file format (.doc or .docx). Any corresponding images should be submitted in either .jpeg, .jpg or .png format.
To ensure that everyone can use and adapt the Toolkit resources in a way that best fits their teaching or purpose, this work will be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Under this licence users are free to share and adapt this material, under terms that they must give appropriate credit and attribution to the original material and indicate if any changes are made.
Submissions forms will be available soon. Please check back.
Submit a guidance article
Submit a guidance article
The Complex Systems Toolkit Working Group seeks contributors to write guidance articles on the following subjects:
1. Guide to Explaining Complex Systems to students
This guidance should mirror the tone and style of resources from the Ethics and Sustainability Toolkits which provide a “how to” approach.
2. How Complex Systems relate to AHEP 4.
This should include guidance in understanding language in AHEP 4 around “complex problems” and their connection to Complex Systems.
3. How to scaffold Complex Systems learning outcomes across a curriculum
This should include good practice and examples of learning outcomes or objectives integrated in engineering curricula at different levels, either in general or in a particular engineering degree.
4. How do we assess for skills / competencies in Complex Systems?
This resource could mirror the tone and style of resources from the Ethics and Sustainability Toolkits, and could contain:
These articles should also connect the why (why must teaching about complex systems teaching be present in engineering education?) to the how (how can this be done efficiently and effectively?). Through these tools, we aim to help upskill UK engineering educators so that they feel capable of and confident in integrating complex systems into their engineering teaching.
The deadline for submitting a guidance article is 8th August 2025.
Step 1: Read the guidance for submitting a guidance article
Guidance #1: Research Guidance #2: Overview Guidance #3: Purpose Guidance #4: ContentGuidance #5: References and resourcesGuidance #6: Format
Research:
Before you begin, you may want to review guidance articles that form a part of the EPC’s Sustainability Toolkit, since we hope that contributions to the Complex Systems Toolkit will be fairly consistent in length, style, and tone.
Guidance articles are meant to be overviews that a reader with no prior knowledge of complex systems could refer to in order to develop a baseline understanding and learn where to look for additional information. They should be understandable to students as well: imagine that an educator might excerpt content from the article to provide their students context on a project or learning activity.
They should be approximately 1000-1500 words and reference relevant open-source resources.
Overview:
The articles are meant to be able to stand on their own as a piece of guidance on a topic; they are also meant to work alongside other articles so that taken together they form a sort of complex systems in engineering handbook.
Purpose:
Each article should inform, explain, and provide guidance on the topics. Put yourself in the perspective of an engineering educator who is new to complex systems.
Content:
The content of the article should be organised and well developed. That is, it should be presented in a logical way and thoroughly explained.
References and resources:
Where additional explanation could be given, it might point to other resources, and where information is presented from another source, it needs to be properly referenced.
Format
Guidance articles should follow this format:
Premise
Body of article, divided up into headed sections as necessary.
Does the article both make sense as a single piece of content as well as fit in with the rest of the articles to be developed?
Would someone new to complex systems understand the information presented and would it help them?
Do you need to expand on any ideas or reorganise them to make them clearer?
What additional resources or references have you included?
Before you submit your contribution, have you registered as a contributor? If not, please register your interest here.
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Step 3: Submitting your guidance article
The deadline for submitting a guidance article is 8th August 2025.
Guidance articles should be submitted in Word file format (.doc or .docx). Any corresponding images should be submitted in either .jpeg, .jpg or .png format.
To ensure that everyone can use and adapt the Toolkit resources in a way that best fits their teaching or purpose, this work will be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Under this licence users are free to share and adapt this material, under terms that they must give appropriate credit and attribution to the original material and indicate if any changes are made.
Submission forms will be available soon. Please check back.
Submit a teaching activity
Submit a teaching activity
The Complex Systems Toolkit Working Group seeks contributors to create teaching activities based on the following briefs:
1. Case Studies that, through a real-world situation, illustrate different types of complex systems, use cases for the tools that can be used to model / simulate these, techniques that promote development and use of systems architecture, and effects such as tradeoffs, emergent properties, impacts, or unintended consequences. Case studies could also reference the implications for risk, security, ethics, sustainability, teamwork, and communication.
Case study topics could include:
Air traffic control
Smart agriculture
Autonomous driving
Robotics
Smart cities
2. Demonstrator simulations that provide examples of how systems can be modelled.
This could include:
Examples of simple, complicated, and complex systems
Interactive examples showing how well-intentioned action can lead to failure
Interactive examples showing the best approaches to handling complexity
3. Lesson plans, coursework and teaching activities that are useful in integrating learning around complexity, systems thinking, and complex systems.
These resources should promote active learning pedagogies and real-world teaching methods by showing how complex systems teaching can be embedded within technical problems and engineering practice. Through these resources, we aim to help upskill UK engineering educators so that they feel capable of and confident in integrating complex systems into their engineering teaching.
The deadline for submitting a teaching activity is 8th August 2025.
Step 1: Read the guidance for submitting a case study
Guidance #1: Research Guidance #2: Overview Guidance #3: Authenticity Guidance #4: Complexity of issue Guidance #5: Activities and resourcesGuidance #6: Educational level & AssessmentGuidance #7: Format
Research
You may develop the case in any way you see fit, but you should mimic the length, style, and tone of existing case studies found in the EPC’s Ethics Toolkit and Sustainability Toolkit. While complex systems cases may not have the same learning outcomes, the format and approach should be similar. Remember that the audience for these case studies is educators seeking to embed complex systems within their engineering teaching.
The case study should be presented as a narrative about a complex systems issue in engineering. This issue should allow students to grapple with the technical challenge as well as resulting broader concerns.
Authenticity
Case studies are most effective when they feel like they are realistic, with characters that you can identify or empathise with, and with situations that do not feel fake or staged. Giving characters names and backgrounds, including emotional responses, and referencing real-life experiences help to increase authenticity.
Complexity of issue
Many cases are either overly complicated so that they become overwhelming, or so straightforward that they can be “solved” quickly. A good strategy is to try to develop multiple dimensions of a case, but not too many that it becomes unwieldy. Additionally, complexity can be added through different parts of the case so that instructors can choose a simpler or more complicated version depending on what they need in their educational context.
Activities and resources
You should provide a variety of suggestions for activities to engage learners as well as resources to both help educators prepare and to enhance students’ learning.
Educational level and Assessment
Educational level: When writing your case study, you should consider which level it is aimed at. A Beginner-level case is aimed at learners who have not had much experience in engaging with a complex problem, and usually focuses on only one or two dimensions of a challenge. An Advanced-level case is aimed at learners who have had previous practice in engaging with complex systems, and often addresses multiple challenges. An Intermediate case is somewhere in between.
Assessment: If possible, suggest assessment opportunities for activities within the case, such as marking rubrics or example answers.Â
Format
The case study should follow the following format:
Learning and teaching notes: This is an overview of the case and its dilemma, and how it relates to AHEP’s themes.
Learning and teaching resources: You should provide a list of reliable, authoritative open-source online resources that relate to the case and its issue(s). These can be from a variety of sources, such as academic institutions, journals, news websites, business, and so on. We suggest a minimum of five sources that help to provide context to the case and its issues. You may want to flag up certain resources as suggested pre-reading for certain parts of the case, if you feel that this will enrich the learning experience.
Summary: This sets out the case’s initial situation and characters.
Issue – Part one: This elaborates on the case and provides a dilemma for the character.
Questions and activities: This is where you provide suggestions for discussions and activities related to the case and the dilemma.
Further issues: Some case studies are sufficiently complex at one dilemma, but if the case requires it you can provide further parts (up to a maximum of three).
Further questions and activities: After each part, you should provide further suggestions for discussions and activities related to the case and the issues.
If possible, suggest assessment opportunities for activities within the case, such as marking rubrics or example answers.
Step 2: Before you submit, review this checklist:
Is there a strong narrative to the case?
Can the topic be addressed at both a large and small scale?
Are there places where technical topics could be integrated?
Does the case have authentic characters and situations?
Is there a clear dilemma in the case?
Does the case provide enough complexity to challenge users, but not so much that people might avoid engaging with it?
Are there sufficient activities and resources suggested?
The deadline for submitting a teaching activity is 8th August 2025.
To ensure that everyone can use and adapt the Toolkit resources in a way that best fits their teaching or purpose, this work will be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Under this licence users are free to share and adapt this material, under terms that they must give appropriate credit and attribution to the original material and indicate if any changes are made.
Case studies should be submitted in Word file format (.doc or .docx). Any corresponding images should be submitted in either .jpeg, .jpg or .png format.
Submission forms will be available soon. Please check back.
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Deadlines
Please register your interest in developing a resource by completing this form by 30th June.
If you have already registered an interest and we are expecting your submission, the deadline to submit first drafts is 8th August. Submission forms will be available soon.
If you wish to develop materials to contribute beyond this, we will be opening the next cycle in spring 2026.
If you would like to become a reviewer for the toolkit (initially between July and October 2025), please complete this form.
If you would like to suggest links to pages or online resources that we can add to our database of engineering education resources for complex systems teaching, please email Wendy Attwell: w.attwell@epc.ac.uk
Additional information
In undertaking this work, contributors will become part of the growing community of educators who are helping to ensure that tomorrow’s engineering professionals have the complex systems skills, knowledge, and attributes that they need to provide a better future for us all. Contributors will be fully credited for their work on any relevant Toolkit materials, and will be acknowledged as authors should the resources be published in any form. Developing these resources will provide the chance to work with a dynamic, diverse and passionate group of people leading the way in expanding engineering teaching resources, and may help in professional development, such as preparing for promotion or fellowship. If contributors are not compensated by their employers for time spent on this type of activity, a small honorarium may be available to encourage participation.
As part of the toolkit project, we are also developing tools for collaborating with our Working Group in-house. Stay tuned for further details.
Learn more about the Complex Systems Toolkit
Those interested in contributing to the Complex Systems Toolkit should fill out this form and we will be in touch.
Background
Background
