The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences will host a free two-part workshop focused on introducing participants to community-based system dynamics (CBSD) as a participatory systems science method for engaging and working with organizations and communities to address complex problems and advance equity.
Peter Hovmand, the Pamela B. Davis Professor of Medicine in the Center for Community Health Integration at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, will lead the workshops.
The two sessions are independent of each other; you can attend just one or both.
While CBSD draws on both qualitative and quantitative methods, the approach does not rely on prior formal training in qualitative or quantitative research methods, computer programming or math beyond basic algebra.
Learn more and register to participate.
Part 1: Introduction to CBSD
Friday, Nov. 18
10 a.m. to noon
The first part of the workshop will focus on a general overview of when and how to apply CBSD to identify systems’ underlying structural violence and the use of group model building. Participants will see a range of domestic and international examples from CBSD research across a wide variety of topics from food, energy and housing insecurities to health disparities. The emphasis will be on providing participants with a broad view of CBSD and applications to advancing social work research to understand and change systems with underlying structural violence to advance equity.
Part 2: System Dynamics Computer Simulation and Analysis
Friday, Dec. 2
10 a.m. to noon
The second installment of this workshop will provide a demonstration of how results from group model building can be translated into computer simulation models that can in turn be quantitatively analyzed to identify leverage points and the underlying feedback mechanisms driving trends. Participants will experience group model building exercises using “the future of social work research” as the topic, see a demonstration of software for simulating models, and publish interactive online interfaces that run on any smartphone, tablet or laptop computer. Participants will be able to access workshop materials and explore models with a free workshop license to the software.