My postgraduate qualification in Systems Thinking in Practice
After taking a 6-month break from my (planned) MSc in Systems Thinking in Practice through the Open University, I’ve decided on a different course. I’ve “cashed in” the modules I’ve completed, shown in the screenshot of my transcript above, to achieve a Postgraduate Certificate in Systems Thinking in Practice 🎉
This qualification gives students essential skills for understanding complexity and managing change in an uncertain world. It teaches systems thinking in practice, applied to a range of situations. Students approach systems practice from different angles: examining key systems thinkers and relating their ideas to their own practice; exploring the distinctive nature of systems practice and inquiry; learning to work with major systems methodologies; understanding social learning and communities of practice, and developing their own learning system for change; and exploring use of cognitive mechanisms such as metaphor in practical sense-making.
I learned so much from studying modules TB871 and TB872, most of which was immediately applicable to both my professional and personal contexts.
So… if it was so awesome, why am I not continuing to the MSc? Well, after much deliberation, there are at least three reasons:
- I’ve learned what I set out to learn — My original aim was to study systems thinking techniques so that I could confidently explain what it is all about. I’ve done that, and got a Distinction on both modules, which shows something.
- The next modules don’t look as interesting — I wasn’t enthused by the second year modules, which at least double in price (see my spreadsheet). This feeling was backed up by a conversation a few months back with someone who has just finished the MSc, who didn’t enjoy the second and third years so much.
- It was a lot of work — Granted, I moved house twice while studying, but postgraduate study takes time and attention. I’ve already got a BA (Hons), MA, PGCE, and Ed.D. so I don’t need to do an MSc just to add more letters after my name.
Would I recommend studying through the Open University? Absolutely. It was a fantastic, flexible experience. Each module cost me about £1,500 which I put through my business as “staff training” (which it was!)
If I was going to give advice to someone else embarking on this, I’d say:
- Get ready before the module starts — Although it’s self-paced, you don’t really want to fall behind, as it means you’re out of sync with other students on the forums. And, with one exception, the forums were an integral, really enjoyable experience.
- Set aside dedicated time to study each week — I’m fortunate in that I have pretty much complete control of my calendar, so I dedicated Wednesday and Friday mornings to studying in the library. It took more time that this, but these were my core hours.
- Be aware that modules don’t stop for Christmas — This really threw me, as I’m used to regular university semesters. Studying between Christmas and New Year was not fun at all, so I’d advise getting a week ahead in December!
I also massively benefited from being able to use generative AI to help explain and connect key concepts. The first module I studied (TB872) was written by someone who is borderline genius, but sometimes their analogies and explanations didn’t help me immediately grasp the point. I found that asking my tutor in the seminars, coupled with asking an LLM to explain it simply, really helped.
If you have any questions, no matter how long after publishing this you’re reading it, let me know!
Update: I’ve just learned that this means I get to add “PG Cert SysPrac (Open)” to my name. I’ll, er, not being doing that… 😂