Complexity makes me feel incompetent and it's your fault

Context: Engineering is a challenging discipline to master. It is about applying science to design, solve problems, create solutions, invent, innovate, transform and ultimately make our society better. However, many students atomise their learning, focusing on passing individual assessments and subjects to achieve their degree and they fail to achieve the broader perspectives and awareness that allows them to apply their technical knowledge in professional practice. To address this issue and encourage students to take a deeper, more thoughtful and professional approach to their learning, a series of core interdisciplinary units known as Integrated Engineering have been introduced at the University of Sydney. Purpose: In this paper we introduce a learning language and framework for working with complexity. The framework is aimed at instructors (to scaffold, articulate and model learning methods and expectations), students (to be able to discuss, evaluate their competence and understand their learning) and for instructors and students to co-construct their understanding of learning outcomes and expected academic standards. Approach: Authentic engineering projects are complex in that they require engineers to use judgement, managing multiple possibilities, competing demands and having to make assumptions to develop considered and reasoned solutions. These solutions often have remaining uncertainty that may only be resolved, if at all, in retrospect after implementation. Hence, to authentically develop engineering skills, students need to learn to manage complexity. However, a learning activity that challenges and stretches students, asks them to think critically or use their judgement to deal with uncertainty and complexity, often induces resistance. Complexity challenges students' feelings of competence, inhibiting their learning motivation and interest in addressing and benefiting from complex learning activities. In this paper we present a framework and language developed from the Cynefin framework to improve learning outcomes, student's motivation and competence when managing complexity. Findings: At the time of writing, the framework has been used in training workshops for approximately 110 tutors and discussed with small student focus groups. The initial reactions from instructors, tutors and students have been positive. Early feedback suggests that the framework and language will improve students' feeling of competence by allowing them to understand, evaluate and monitor their learning with complexity. Instructors have said that the framework and language helps them to understand what students may be going through and has given them a language and method to better facilitate these tutorial activities. Conclusion: We anticipate that introducing the complexity framework and language to students in their first year of study and using it throughout the degree, will not only increase students feeling of competence but allow them to discuss, evaluate and benefit from feedback (scaffolded using the framework) regarding their learning when managing complexity.