Free online course on Symbiosis in Development now available

Tom Bosschaert News

Recognizing the ever-growing importance of sustainability literacy, we prepared a 4-week online video course that provides insights into the basics of SiD. Systems Thinking for Sustainability: An Introduction to the Symbiosis in Development (SiD) Theory is the first course on systemic sustainability. It is free to take and available on the FutureLearn platform.

About the course 

During the four weeks of the study, our learners will study the key concepts that come in useful while talking about sustainability. Together, we explore the ways systems thinking intersects with sustainability issues. We teach you to spot and give systemic behaviors in society a name so that you get more agile in figuring out complex societal system behaviors. The course takes the form of short articles and videos with accompanying downloadable resources as well as supplementary quizzes and peer discussions. 

By the end of the course, the learners will be able to: 

  • Identify the main concepts underlying sustainability and its relevance in our society today.
  • Explore the basic principles of systems thinking and network theory applied to sustainability.
  • Interpret systemic behaviors in society and how they relate to sustainability transitions.
  • Evaluate the way success is defined for sustainable projects
  • Perform quick impact scans across different dimensions of sustainability

The open course is suitable for purpose-driven individuals. We welcome complete beginners as well as policymakers, designers, planners, researchers, engineers, business strategists, managers, or communications specialists. Previous experience is not required but the course does allow those with experience to expand their knowledge.

Enroll here 

This course is free to take. You can enroll here: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/systems-thinking-for-sustainability 

 We will follow up with a professional course that grants the students a certification in systemic sustainability upon realization.

Authors 

The SiD framework, together with the training program, was created by Tom Bosschaert over his 20 years of expertise in the systemic sustainability field.

The course was adapted to the FutureLearn platform by Mattia Miccichè and Mariana Santos, with the support of Zuza Nazaruk