In 2010 Joss Colchester, a researcher in mathematical modelling and complex systems, developed a website dedicated to the field of complexity science. This venture evolved over time and became the Systems Thinking Academy (or Systems Academy for short). Systems Academy is an internet-based social business and operates to enable enhancement of social and economic functionality. The site focuses on the fields of systems thinking and complexity theory with the aim to make the science of complexity accessible to everyone. Through the application of extensive experience in complex systems research and mathematical modelling of complex systems, Joss and the Systems Academy team develop and present courses to a wide variety of users online. The team acknowledges that systems and complexity can be intimidating subjects with many related, sophisticated concepts and they believe it is important to provide the simplest elements first in order for the student to form a solid understanding of the core concepts of these fields. It is a passion of Joss to take abstracts and complex concepts and make these accessible to the broadest audience possible, through clear graphics and course content that is well-structured.
The material produced by Systems Academy is a combination of content from various sources, including research papers, lectures and books. Courses are both curated and presented by Joss, who has extensive experience in the field of complex systems, both within academic research (mathematical modelling of complex systems and network analysis) and systems engineering in practice. The aim is not to pose as authority of the field of complex systems, but to provide a platform for sharing resources on systems and complexity theory. Hence, cross-referencing is suggested in parallel to learning the presented material. All content is also licensed under Creative Commons and available for personal download and application.
Learning content is predominantly aimed at four user groups:
- Students
- Researchers
- Teachers
- Organisations
Furthermore, educational material and content can also be retrieved through the following third-party providers: