JuneIFAC

11th 1-3, 2016. Bratislava,

Symposium on Slovakia in Control Education
Advances
11th
11th IFAC
IFAC Symposium
Symposium on
on Advances
Advances in
in Control
Control Education
Education
June 1-3,
June 1-3,
June
2016.
1-3, 2016. Bratislava, Slovakia Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
Bratislava, Slovakia
2016. Bratislava, Slovakia

ScienceDirect
Case IFAC-PapersOnLine 49-6 (2016) 286–290
Studies in Teaching Systems Thinking
Case
Case Studies
Case Studies
Studies in
in Teaching
Teaching Systems
in Teaching Systems Thinking
Systems Thinking
Thinking
A. Benedek*, J. Horváth Cz.*
A. Benedek*, J. Horváth Cz.*
A. Benedek*, J.
A. Benedek*, J. Horváth
Horváth Cz.*
Cz.*


*Dept. of Technical Educations,
Budapest University*Dept.
of Technology
*Dept. and Economics,
of Technical Educations, Budapest, Hungary
(e-mail: *Dept. of
of Technical
: benedek.a@eik.bme.hu,
Educations,
Technical horvath.cz.j@eik.bme.hu
Educations, )
Budapest
Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
(e-mail:
(e-mail: :: benedek.a@eik.bme.hu,
benedek.a@eik.bme.hu, horvath.cz.j@eik.bme.hu
horvath.cz.j@eik.bme.hu ))
(e-mail: : benedek.a@eik.bme.hu, horvath.cz.j@eik.bme.hu )
Abstract: The education of systems thinking needs prepared teachers, descriptive examples and case
studies easyThe
Abstract: Theto understand
education of bysystems
the students.
thinking Whyneeds couldprepared
not this latter
teachers, be collected
descriptive andexamples
“explored” and bycase
the
Abstract:
Abstract: The education
education of
of systems
systems thinking
thinking needs
needs prepared
theprepared
teachers,
teachers, descriptive
descriptive examples
examplesand and
and morecase
case
students?
studies
studies easy
easy These
to
to small case
understand
understand by
by studies
the
the might
students.
students. Why
make
Why could
could not
not this
learning
this latter
latter be
resources
be collected
more and
collected and “explored”
interesting
“explored” by
by the
the
studies
personal, easy
and tosounderstand
studying by thebecome
might students. moreWhy could not
effective. Our this latterdeals
paper be collected
with and “explored”
the questions of and by thea
seeking
students?
students? These
These small
small case
case studies
studies might
might make
make the
the learning
learning resources
resources more
more interesting
interesting and more
more
students?
pedagogical These
paradigmsmall case
related studies
to the might
‘Systems make and the learning
control are resources
all around more
us’ interesting
approach. and
During more
ouraa
personal,
personal, and
and so
so studying
studying might
might become
become more
more effective.
effective. Our
Our paper
paper deals
deals with
with the
the questions
questions of
of seeking
seeking
personal, and so studying might become more effective. Our paper deals with the questions of seeking a
endeavours
pedagogical
pedagogical made
paradigm
paradigm to develop
related
related Open
to
to the
the ‘Systems
Education
‘Systems Resources
and
and control
control (OER)are
are within
all
all around
aroundthe frames
us’
us’ of
approach.
approach. our experiment
During
During our
our
pedagogical
implementedmade paradigm
in 2015, related
we found to the ‘Systems and control are all around us’ approach. During our
endeavours
endeavours made to
to develop Openthat student participation
Education Resources offered
(OER) withingreatthe potentials
frames of in ourrelation to the
experiment
endeavours
content and made
the to develop
develop Open
methodology, Open
as
Education
Education
well. Traditional
Resources
Resources
teaching
(OER)
(OER)
relying
within
within
upon
the
the frames
school frames
books
of
ofcan our experiment
ourconsiderably
experiment
implemented
implemented in
in 2015, we found that student participation offered great potentials in relation to the
implemented
be modernized inby2015,
2015,
the ITwe
we found
solutions
that
that student
found applied student participation offered
duringparticipation
the experimental offered great
great potentials
development potentials
of
in
in relation
learning relation
materials
to
to the
the
for
content
content and
and the
the methodology,
methodology, as
as well.
well. Traditional
Traditional teaching
teaching relying
relying upon
upon school
school books
books can
can considerably
considerably
content
vocational and the
educationmethodology,
and as well.
training (Systems Traditional
in VET). teaching
By relying upon
introducingdevelopment school
the experiences books can considerably
of the experimental
be
be modernized
modernized by
by the
the IT
IT solutions
solutions applied
applied during
during the
the experimental
experimental development of
of learning
learning materials
materials for
for
be modernized
phase, by summarizes
this education
article the IT solutions applied
the (Systems
steps made during the experimental
towards establishing development
a the form ofofsystem
newexperiences learning materials
teaching for
based
vocational
vocational education and
and training
training (Systems in
in VET).
VET). By
By introducing
introducing the experiences of
of the
the experimental
experimental
vocational
on casethis education
studies and
andsummarizes training
applicable in (Systems in VET). By introducing the experiences of the experimental
phase,
phase, article theVET
stepsinmade
a wider range.establishing aa new
towards form of system teaching based
phase, this
this article
article summarizes
summarizes the the steps
steps made
made towards
towards establishing
establishing a new new formform of of system
system teaching
teaching based based
on case studies and applicable in VET in a wider range.
© 2016,
on
on case
Keywords: IFAC
case studies
studies (International
case and
and applicable
applicable
studies, Federation
contentin
in VET
VET of aaAutomatic
in
in
management, wider range.
wider content
range. Control) Hosting by Elsevier
of education, control Ltd. All rights
systems, openreserved.
education
resources,
Keywords: students’
Keywords: case
case studies, contribution,
studies, content systems
content management,
management, and control
content
content forof
ofeveryone,
education,
education, micro-content.
control
control systems,
systems, open open education
education
Keywords: case studies, content management, content of education, control systems, open education
resources,
resources, students’
students’ contribution,
contribution, systems
systems and
and control
control for
for everyone,
everyone, micro-content.
micro-content.
resources, students’ contribution, systems and control  for everyone, micro-content.
 objectivized in algorithms that had been in turn designed in
1. INTRODUCTION 
the framework
objectivized
objectivized in of the curricula.
algorithms that had been in turn designed in
1.
1. INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION objectivized in in algorithms
algorithms that that had
had beenbeen in in turn
turn designed
designed in in
This topic has, in some 1. INTRODUCTION
aspects, a theoretical background of the the framework
framework of
of the
the curricula.
curricula.
the framework
Primarily owing of the curricula.
to the spread of business IT applications,
didactical
This topic features
This topic has,
has, in
in someconnected
some aspects,
aspects, to aaVocational
theoretical Education
theoretical backgroundand
background of
of Primarily
This topic has, in some aspects, a theoretical background of content management
owing to is used
the spreadin aofwide range IT
business of contexts;
applications, the
Training
didactical
didactical (VET)
features
features(Gessler,
connected
connected M.; to Herrera
to Vocational
Vocational L. M.;Education
2015), andand
Education andis Primarily
Primarily owing
owing to
to the
the spread
spread of business
offocus,
business IT
IT applications,
applications,
didactical features connected to Vocational Education and lecture
content
content has, however,
management
management is
isa narrower
used in a wide and
range tries
of to
contexts;find the
partly
Training
Trainingconnected
(VET)
(VET) to the endeavours
(Gessler,
(Gessler, M.;
M.; Herrera
Herrera thatL.
L. have
M.;
M.; been
2015),
2015), made
and
and to
is
is content
new management
forms of is used
educational
in
in aa wide
usedcontent wide and
range
range
the
of
of contexts;
contexts; the
possibilities the
of
Training (VET) (Gessler, M.; Herrera L. M.; 2015), and is lecture has, however, a narrower focus, and tries to find the
shape the
partly
partly alternatives
connected
connected to
to the
the ofendeavours
the traditional
endeavours that
that VET
have
have curricula
been
been made
made in to
toa lecture
lecture has,
has, however,
however, aa narrower
narrower focus,
focus, and
and tries
tries to
to find
find the
the
partly connected to the endeavours that have been made to permanently
new
new formsforms
forms of renewing
of educational
of educational it. Technological
educational content content
content and and development
and thethe
the possibilities of
possibilitiesand the
of
learning
shape the environment
alternatives determined
of the by modern
traditional VET IT and in
curricula thataa new
shape
shape the
the alternatives
alternatives of
of the
the traditional
traditional VET
VET curricula
curricula in
in a relatively
permanently
permanently slow nature of
renewing
renewing it.
it. content
Technological
Technological in thepossibilities
renewaldevelopment
development VET systems
and
and
of
the
the
require
learning
learning interactivity
environment not only
determined in the
by learning
modern process
IT and but
that permanently renewing it. Technological development and the
learningtheenvironment
environment determined
determined by
by modern
modern IT
IT and and that both
that relatively
relatively require
slow
slow innovative
nature
nature of
of solutions
content renewal differing
in the VET from the
systems
during
require
require construction
interactivity
interactivity not
not ofonlythe curriculum,
only in
in the
the as well
learning
learning (Colons,
process
process but
but relatively
traditional slow
onesnature of content
in creating content and
renewal
renewal in
in the
transmitting the VET
VET systems
systems
require interactivity not only in the learning process but both require
both require innovative
innovative solutions
solutions differing educational
differing from the
from the
A.; Halverson,
during
during the
the R. 2009; Benedek,
construction
construction of
of the
the A.; Molnár,
curriculum,
curriculum, as
as Gy.
well
well 2015).
(Colons,
(Colons,For both require innovative solutions differing from the
during the construction of the curriculum, as well (Colons, content
traditional
traditional andones
onessupporting
in
in creating
creatinglearning.
and
and Concerning
transmitting
transmitting the research
educational
educational
A.;
A.; Halverson,
Halverson, R.
community-based R. 2009; Benedek,
curriculum A.;
A.; Molnár,
development, Gy.
Gy. 2015).
Molnár,teacher For
training
For traditional ones
A.; Halverson, 2009; Benedek, 2015). kindinofcreating and transmitting educational
provideR. especially
2009; Benedek, A.; Molnár, Gy. 2015). For introduced,
content and a supporting unique framework
learning. Concerning is provided
the by the
research
might
community-based
community-based curriculum good
curriculum development,
development,conditions teacher
teacherwhich training
trainingwe content content and
and supporting
supporting learning.
learning. Concerning
Concerning the
the research
research
community-based curriculum development, teacher training fact that
introduced, the a innovation,
kind of uniquewhich takes
framework openis source
provided content
by the
exemplify
might provide
might by presenting
provide especially
especially our research
good conditions
good data. Developing
conditions whichOpen
which we introduced,
we introduced, aa kind
kind of
ofofunique
unique framework
frameworktois provided
isreforming
provided teacherby
by the
the
might provide especially good conditions which we development
fact
fact that
that the
the as one
innovation,
innovation, the approaches
which
which takes
takes open
open source
source content
content
Educational
exemplify
exemplify by
by Resources
presenting
presenting (OER)
our
our with data.
research
research students'
data. participation
Developing
Developing Open
Open fact that the innovation, which takes open source content
exemplify by presenting our research data. Developing Open developmenttraining,
development is connected
as
as one of to aapproaches
the technical to university
reforming ofteacher
long-
means a potential
Educational
Educational of content
Resources
Resources (OER)
(OER) andwithmethodology
with students'
students' that, through
participation
participation development
existing as one
traditions one of
of the
(Benedek,the approaches
approaches
A; Molnár,
to
to
Gy,
reforming
reforming
2014,
teacher
teacher
2015).
Educational Resources (OER) with students' participation training,
training, is is connected
is connected
connected to to a technical
to aa technical university
technical university
university of of
of long-
long-
the pilotaa potential
means
means curriculum
potential of
of development
content
content and
and (Systems in VET)
methodology
methodology that,
that, and the training,
through
through long-
means a potential of content and methodology that, through existing traditions
existing traditions (Benedek,
(Benedek, A; A; Molnár,
Molnár, Gy, Gy, 2014,
2014, 2015).
2015).
applied
the pilot IT solutions
curriculum (open
development source and
(Systems commercial
in VET) Learning
and the existing traditions (Benedek, A; Molnár, Gy, 2014, 2015).
the
the pilot
pilot curriculum
Management curriculum
Systems
development
development(LMS),
(Systems
(Systems
memory
in
in VET)
VET) and
and the
independent the This process affects the different forms and methods of
applied
applied IT
IT solutions
solutions (open
(open source
source and
and commercial
commercial Learning
Learning learning.
This
This processTheseaffectsdynamic the changes
different are
forms the and phenomenon
methods of
applied IT solutions
management
Management of (open visual
complex
Systems
sourceelements
(LMS),
and commercial
memory and the Learning
flexible
independent This process
atypical process
(less
affects
affects
regulated)
the different
different informs
the learning forms
adult,
and
and methods
methodsand
part-time,
of
of
Management Systems
Management Systems (LMS), (LMS), memory independent learning. These dynamic changes are the phenomenon of
memory independent learning. These dynamic changes are the phenomenon of
management
management of complex
of
of micro-contents)
complex visual
visual allows and
elements
elements us the
and the surpass learning.
to flexible
flexible online
atypical
These processes
learning
(less
dynamic related
regulated)
changestoare
learning in
the phenomenon
working
adult, life. The slow
part-time,
of
and
management of complex visual elements and the flexible atypical
atypical (less
(less regulated)
regulated) learning
learning in
in adult,
adult, part-time,
part-time, and
and
traditional,
management school- and notebook based
of micro-contents) teaching.
allows us to surpass online
management
management of of micro-contents)
micro-contents) allows allows us us to surpass changes
to surpass online
online and
in formal
learning
learning
learning
education
processes
processes
processes
related
related areto
related and to determined
working life.
to working
working
by The
life.
life. The
complex
slow
slow
The could
slow
traditional,
traditional, school-
school- and
and notebook
notebook based
based teaching.
teaching. social
changes in financial
formal mechanisms,
education are the interrelations
determined by complex
traditional,
The developmentschool-of andthenotebook
learningbased teaching.is dominated changes
environment changes in
in formal
formal education
education are
are determined
determined by
by complex
complex
be investigated
social and financialfrommechanisms,
the points ofand different disciplines.could
the interrelations This
by
The
The the spread ofof
development
development of ICT.
the
the Around environment
learning
learning the Millennium
environment is
is “visual social
dominated
dominated social and
and financial
financial mechanisms,
mechanisms, aspects and
and the the ofinterrelations
interrelations could
could
The development of the learning environment is dominated paper
be explores
investigated
be investigated
investigated from the
from psychological
from thethe points
the points
points of of different
of different atypical
disciplines.
different disciplines. learning
disciplines. This This
homecoming”
by
by the
the spread
spread (Nyíri,
of
of ICT.
ICT. 2014)
Around
Around had the an Millennium
the increasingly “visual
Millennium strong be
“visual This
by the spread of ICT. Around the Millennium “visual at the explores
paper
paper level of the
explores the individual,
psychological
psychological such as motivation,
aspects
aspects of
of atypical
atypical attention,
learning
learning
homecoming”
impact
homecoming”on the (Nyíri,
way
(Nyíri, we 2014)
2014)learnedhad an increasingly
communication, strong
and on paper explores the psychological aspects of atypical learning
homecoming” (Nyíri, 2014) had hadin an increasingly
anparticular.
increasingly strong
strong learning
at
at the level skills ofandthe the opportunities
individual, such of asdevelopment.
motivation, attention,
education
impact
impact on
on content
the
the way
way development
we
we learned
learned communication,
communication, Theand
and mass on
on at the
the level
level of of the
the individual,
individual, such such as as motivation,
motivation, attention,
attention,
impact on the way we learned communication, and on learning
learning skills
skills and
and the
the opportunities
opportunities of
of development.
development.
penetration
education of
education content ICT
content tools
development
content development turned
development in learning
in
in particular. processes
particular.
particular. The The rather
The mass mass
mass learning skills and the opportunities of development.
education 2. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
spontaneous;
penetration
penetration of
ofnoICT
ICTwonder,
tools
tools itturned
was very
turned difficult
learning
learning to makerather
processes
processes them
rather
penetration of ICT tools turned learning processes rather 2.
2. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
compatible
spontaneous;with no the visualitcontents
wonder, was very
very of difficult
curriculatodesigned
make them and
them 2. CURRICULUM
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT
spontaneous;
spontaneous; no no wonder,
wonder, it it was
was very difficult
difficult to make them In 2014-2015, within the frames of a new curriculum
to make
compatible with
compatible with the
the visual
visual contents
contents of of curricula
curricula designed
designed and and development
In 2014-2015, project
within at
the the
frames Budapest
of aa new University
curriculum of
compatible with the visual contents of curricula designed and In In 2014-2015,
2014-2015, within within the the frames
frames of of a new new curriculum
curriculum
development
development project at the Budapest University of
development project project at at the the Budapest
Budapest University University of of
Copyright
2405-8963 ©© 2016,
2016 IFAC
IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control)286Hosting by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Copyright
Peer review
Copyright ©© 2016
under
© 2016 IFAC
responsibility
2016 IFAC
IFAC of International Federation of 286
Automatic
286Control.
Copyright
10.1016/j.ifacol.2016.07.191 286
2016 IFAC ACE
June 1-3, 2016. Bratislava, Slovakia A. Benedek et al. / IFAC-PapersOnLine 49-6 (2016) 286–290
Technology and Economics (BME), we created 29 digital
materials the authors of which – all of them excellent
professional – were obliged to attend a short preparation
course which, in accordance with the principles of up-to-date
Open Education Resource (OER) development, demanded of
the authors really significant visual objects and was
organized as a training. To demonstrate the traditional aspects
of education resource analysis: after analysing 10 incidentally
selected resources which were made within the frames of the
project and included differentiated professional content,
although most of them related to teacher training, we can
state that the learning materials make 4.5 sheets or 90 pages
in average, are optimized for screens and altogether they
include 602 visual objects (illustrations, photos, tables). This
means that these new resources supporting online learning, as
well, contain visual objects only on every 1.5th page in
average. 42% of these objects are tables, 36% are illustrations
(drawings) and only 22%, nearly one-fifth of them, are
photos. All this indicates the fact that it is not possible to
develop new electronic education resources in the traditional
structure, the knowledge built in a linear manner within the
traditional frames is not sufficiently open to the relating new
contents.
Even "modern" curricula that were developed by the end of
the 20th century had a linear structure and the dominance of
verbal content (80% on average) was diminishing very
slowly, giving way to visual content, which in turn was
mostly composed of static pictures. Although online curricula
and multimedia-based e-learning representations include
more dynamic visual content (e.g. flash, video), in our
opinion, the "logic" of curricula design has not changed.
Visual content is still considered only a supplement to verbal
(written and oral) messages.
The phenomenon of changing learning spaces and style
appears in the facts that:
• the number of those who are committed to online courses is
growing;
• they feel at home in ICT environment;
• the role of learning communities is increasing;
• the classical teacher-student roles can hardly be seen;
• potentially every downloader becomes an uploader.
Fig. 1. The schema of complex learning content net
Concerning methodological questions, with special regard to
mathematics and other disciplines of natural sciences and the
related applied sciences such as technical sciences and their
287
287
applications, the curricula are based on descriptive verbal
elements (Text – t) that are supported by visual elements
(Pictures – V) and mathematical formulas (Math – M) (see
Fig. 1). Traditional curricula (published in the format of
textbooks) usually include the combination of these,
structured in a rigid linear sequence, such as ‘explanation,
figures, formulation, explanation’ and so on. In many cases
only random examples are given as case studies (Case – C) to
illustrate practical applications. The visual representation
illustrates the most important features of the structure as
knowledge elements are organised into a system which is
independent of scale. For curriculum design developed in
open access, cloud services offer a development
infrastructure surpassing all previous solutions. Showing
other connections between these elements in order to develop
a dynamic network was typically hindered by disciplinary
and temporal restrictions knowledge on systems.
This new curriculum, where verbal and visual elements are
presented in a one-to-one ratio and where knowledge
elements are organized into a network, would be scale-
independent and structured as a graph; it would also be
supported by a mathematical representation to enhance both
its theoretical and practical aspects, and users would be
allowed to extend it by means of case studies and practical
examples.
Our project titled ‘E-teaching Culture and Digital Content
Development’ and implemented between 2013 and 2015 was
aimed at developing content, methodologies and services
related to the competitiveness of higher education and the
structural changes and at meeting the challenges of
knowledge-based economies. Matching the peculiarities of
higher education, we developed methodology training for
complex subjects to develop the educational competences
needed for designing and applying complex curriculum units
in the training of teachers. The majority of these programs
have been integrated into the regular university curricula;
these are continuously applied and updated in each semester.
The project rooted in the idea that the strategic goals of the
university, as well as those of vocational training, presume
the continuous development of the quality and excellence of
teachers, which in turn points to the development of a
teacher-researcher habit essentially independent of the
limitations represented by subjects or faculties. Developing
curricula represented challenges in the fields of digitizing,
multimedia editing and on-line publishing. Meta-data
structure, Sharable Object Reference Model (SCORM)
conversion (converting contents into SCORM format with
interactive elements) and formats matching the relevant
criteria were defined as required by e-learning. Interests of
students related to the principles above
• improved and updated curricula,
• access to competitive learning contents,
• extension of flexible learning forms,
• contents and curricula for independent learning.
Our analyses proved that the measurable elements of learning
activities show such time-dependent characteristics that
2016 IFAC ACE
288
June 1-3, 2016. Bratislava, Slovakia A. Benedek et al. / IFAC-PapersOnLine 49-6 (2016) 286–290

correlate with the visual communication forms and deadlines

defined by study programs. From these results, we may
conclude that the methods and techniques promoting the
interest of the students in relation to the curricula and the
development of learning activities are worth examining. In
other words, it is worth studying how to utilize the potential
hiding in network learning as such potentials are already
perceived today, in the optimisation of organic learning as
demanded by individual learners and institutions.
Fig. 2. Massive quantities of micro-contents.
3. SYSBOOK AND E-LEARNING IN SYSTEMS
TEACHING Besides the SysBook we also created a micro-content
manager system named Medit. In this system the students can
The SysBook has a special structure. The learning support create micro-contents of any number. These contents are
material is available at http://sysbook.sztaki.hu/ in Hungarian available for the readers in a summarizing data flow which
and partly in English (Copyright © Vámos Tibor, Bars Ruth, thus shows a colourful mixture of the contents uploaded. At
Sik Dávid, 2015). Each of the almost 140 sections is of the next level, the students can arrange the micro-contents
display size, each of them is built on six levels of into so called thematic collections in which, besides their
interpretation (Comic – Description – Maths – Example – own works, they can also place the knowledge packages
Theoretical – Education) (“sandwich structure”). The content made by others.
is presented in quantification units which the reader can read
linearly but because of the levels of interpretation mentioned
above, each unit offers a wide scope for getting to know the
certain topic and examining it from various aspects. As a
result of its structural features, the SysBook takes the golden
central position between modern hypertexts and traditional
books. In the course of developing the SysBook, it became a
real demand to channel the students’ work and their results
into the process. The Moodle system offered the well-known
Learning Management System (LMS) functions, however, it
seemed irksome in this situation. We needed a new approach.
Fig. 3. Thematic collection of micro-contents.
At our Department, we had already made experiments
examining how we could manage and control students of ‘Sysbook for everyone’ is a platform to teach the systems
high numbers in creating micro-contents while complying assisted in our project as
with the methodological rules of editing and developing
contents. According to the definition, micro-content is a text, • new type of curriculum design model
a picture or an information package of media base which • system is designed to introduce the basic concepts of the
carries public agreement, and is of screen size (e.g. a text theory
makes app. 1000-2000 characters). The “cognitive pressure” • in addition to the traditional verbal and mathematical
put on the reader of the micro-content is not high which representation, describing the visual elements play significant
means that the content package is possible to be understood role.
and remembered at a first reading.
Fig.4. shows the ‘Systems in VET – E-book’ about the
Micro-content conforms to the current media consumption system – Sysbook structure.
habits which mean that the mobile tool available in each
moment swamps the user with a permanent flood of
information, and the user’s main task is in fact to select the
news really important for him/her and to coolly neglect the
others. The size and structure of micro-content are ideal to
minimalize the feeling of “lost time”: the reader can rapidly
realize whether the information package is really necessary
for him/her.

Fig. 4. Systems in VET – E-book about systems -

SYSBOOK.

288
2016 IFAC ACE
June 1-3, 2016. Bratislava, Slovakia A. Benedek et al. / IFAC-PapersOnLine 49-6 (2016) 286–290 289

The content of the E-book is as follows:

• Systems for everyone
Systems everywhere
System variables and signals
• System and its model
Physical modelling
Identification
Model types
Transfer function, poles and zeros
Characteristic functions of some simple systems
Basic connections
• Control – task and restrictions
Requirements set for a control system
Negative feedback
Stability in control systems Fig. 5. Students job – Heating system.
Control structures
The methodological uniqueness of our research was
Control algorithms
modelling which was based on theoretical analyses and
The same systems are discussed in parallel, at different relying on which curriculum development tasks were
levels. The book starts with a comics-like platform for those implemented with the participation of engineer and
who are generally interested in the topic. It continues with the economist teacher trainees. Some tasks fulfilled in the
explanations of these pictures (second platform). The third process of elaborating the online curriculum headed towards
platform discusses the main topics at the undergraduate level. the creation of a content management model. The queries and
The fourth platform presents some examples with system interviews made with the students and the management of the
view in various areas of life. Finally, the fifth surface gives micro-contents elaborated by the students can be looked at as
deeper insight into some topics of modern mathematical new procedures.
system theory.

4. THE ROLE OF CASE STUDIES AND ACTIVATION

OF STUDENTS
Students’ work contain many of the approaches which are the
innovative results of the authors, such as the evolutionary
interpretation of complex system problems, or the
demonstration of how to handle the various implementations
of systems with the general tools of deep mathematical and
physical thinking. If this approach seems to be interesting and
successful, it has to be continued with the enthusiastic
participation of the teachers and the users, although in a more
professional manner. As Fig 5. and Fig 6. show it, this is an
experiment to enhance the possibilities of an e-book, which is
still an amateur work. It started as an entertainment of some
university professors and researchers who taught systems and
control, dating back to more than a decade ago. They wanted
to show that system view is important for everyone, systems
and control are all around us, are parts of our everyday life.
Accordingly, the form is also amateurish, some of the
pictures professional, but many of them were chosen from
enormous picture galleries. Also, the presentation is based on
conventional methods.
Fig. 6. Students job – Audio system.
5. CONCLUSIONS
The orientation framework of development is the network
concept, a typical feature of vocational training and now also
penetrating the training of teachers. This project encouraged
teacher training institutions to „learn” in an environment
where information exchange organized into an informal
network supported by IT devices has an increasingly
important role. The core point of the concept is participation
in the network and access to information as well as to the
software packages that are able to interpret information in
various contexts, promoting cooperative and self-organized
learning.
Although our experiments made so far have been
implemented within the special frameworks of Hungarian
higher education, we are convinced that urging the students
to make case studies can contribute to the teaching of systems
and management in a more general approach, as well.

289
2016 IFAC ACE
290
June 1-3, 2016. Bratislava, Slovakia A. Benedek et al. / IFAC-PapersOnLine 49-6 (2016) 286–290

In developing vocational training concepts, a personalized

approach is generally applied. Vocational training has a
unique position in progressive educational systems, mostly
because the duration of the training is much shorter than it is
in non-vocational programs. This uniqueness manifests in the
way vocational programs prepare students for the social
division of labor in the broadest sense. In this dynamic
process, currently existing progressive elements (e.g. the
penetration of IT solutions and the general application of bio-
technology) and the potential new developments with a high
probability (e.g. changes in the energy structure) serve as
mechanisms to create a modern vocational structure.

REFERENCES
Colons, A.; Halverson,R. (2009): Rethinking Education in the
Age of Technology. Teacher College Press, New York.
Breslow, L.; Pritchard, D.E.; DeBoer, J.; Stump, G.S.; Ho,
A.D. and Seaton, D.T. (2013). Studying learning in the
worldwide classroom: Research into edX’s first
MOOC. Research & Practice in Assessment, 8. 13-25.
Grenfield, P. (2009). Technology and informal education.
What is taught, what is learned. Science. 323, 68-71.
Benedek, A. (2015). More Visual Content into Vocational
Education. In: Opus et Educatio, Vol.2,No:1, 39-47.
Benedek, A. Bars, R. Vámos, T. (2015). Basic Disciplines of
Systems and Control for Everyone. SVCS’ 2015 12th Int.
Symp. on Stability, Vibration and Control of Machines
and Structures. May 6-8, 2015 Prague
Benedek, A. Molnár, Gy. (2015). E-teaching and
Digitalization at BME. New Technologies and
Innovation in Education for Global Business: 19th
International Conference on Engineering Education -
PROCEEDINGS. Zagreb, (University of Zagreb, Faculty
of Economics & Business) Zagreb: Zagreb School of
Economics and Management, 2015. 349-356.
Molnár, Gy. Benedek, A. Horváth, Cz .J. (2013):
Technology-based knowledge networks in higher
education. In: Fezile Özdamlı (szerk.) 5th WORLD
CONFERENCE on EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES, Roma,
(2013) 1-6.
Nyíri, K. (2014). Meaning and Motoricity: Essays on Image
and Time, Image and Time in the Theory of Gestures,
Frankfurt/M.: Peter Lang, 2014.

290