Identification of Complex Thinking Related Competencies: The Building Blocks of Reasoning for Complexity

Juan Andrés Talamás-Carvajal; Héctor G. Ceballos; María-Soledad Ramírez-Montoya

doi:10.18608/jla.2024.8079

Authors

Juan Andrés Talamás-Carvajal Tecnológico de Monterrey https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6140-088X
Héctor G. Ceballos Tecnológico de Monterrey https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2460-3442
María-Soledad Ramírez-Montoya Tecnológico de Monterrey https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1274-706X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18608/jla.2024.8079

Keywords:

reasoning for complexity, competency-based education, educational innovation, higher education, research paper

Abstract

Complex thinking competency enhances the high cognitive capacities necessary for the future of education. This study aimed to analyze these capacities through its sub-competencies (critical, systemic, and scientific thinking). We worked with the Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining methodology, with an original database of class data of 33,319 unique students, 46 different variables, and a random identification number. The variables were sociodemographic information, academic information, subject admission, competencies, and activities. Statistical analyses identified correlations between competency and sub-competencies. The findings show that 1) critical thinking is strategic in the development of complex thinking and its sub-competencies; 2) Development of Critical Thinking skills early in the curriculum can lead to a cascade effect, enhancing competence and sub-competence development; and 3) an overall performance encompasses the semester results. The study is of value to the academic, technological, and social communities to provide opportunities for the design and implementation of challenging scenarios for the future of education.

References

Arnold, K. E., & Pistilli, M. D. (2012). Course signals at Purdue: Using learning analytics to increase student success. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (LAK ʼ12), 29 April–2 May 2012, Vancouver, BC, Canada (pp. 267–270). ACM Press. https://doi.org/10.1145/2330601.2330666

Blatti, J. L., Garcia, J., Cave, D., Monge, F., Cuccinello, A., Portillo, J., Juarez, B., Chan, E., & Schwebel, F. (2019). Systems thinking in science education and outreach toward a sustainable future. Journal of Chemical Education, 96(12), 2852–2862. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00318

Buckingham Shum, S., & Deakin Crick, R. (2016). Learning analytics for 21st century competencies. Journal of Learning Analytics, 3(2), 6–21. https://doi.org/10.18608/jla.2016.32.2

Conecta. (2018, September 6). Tec de Monterrey has reinvented its student experience, presents LiFE. Tecnológico de Monterrey, Conecta News Desk. https://conecta.tec.mx/en/news/national/institution/tec-de-monterrey-has-reinvented-its-student-experience-presents-life

Cruz-Sandoval, M., Vázquez-Parra, J. C., & Carlos-Arroyo, M. (2023). Complex thinking and social entrepreneurship: An approach from the methodology of compositional data analysis, Heliyon, 9(2), e13415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13415

Cui, L., Zhu, Y., Qu, J., Tie, L., Wang, Z., & Qu, B. (2021). Psychometric properties of the critical thinking disposition assessment test amongst medical students in China: A cross-sectional study. BMC Medical Education, 21, 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02437-2

Davis, K. A., Grote, D., Mahmoudi, H., Perry, L., Ghaffarzadegan, N., Grohs, J., Hosseinichimeh, N., Knight, D. B., & Triantis, K. (2023). Comparing self-report assessments and scenario-based assessments of systems thinking competency. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 32, 793–813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-023-10027-2

Dowd, J. E., Thompson, R. J., Schiff, L. A., & Reynolds, J. A. (2018). Understanding the complex relationship between critical thinking and science reasoning among undergraduate thesis writers. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 17(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.17-03-0052

Garay-Rondero, C. L., Rodríguez Calvo, E. Z., & Salinas-Navarro, D. E. (2019). Experiential learning at Lean-Thinking-Learning Space. International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing, 13(3), 1129–1144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12008-019-00578-3

Green Challenge. (n.d.). About Green Challenge. https://groendyst.dtu.dk/english/about#:~:text=Green%20Challenge%20is%20an%20educational,of%20sustainability%20in%20their%20work

Gago, D. O., Geronimo, R. K. M., & Astucuri, M. A. (2020). Didactic strategies for the development of competences and complex thinking in university students. Sophia, colección de Filosofía de la Educación, 29, 227–250. https://doi.org/10.17163/soph.n29.2020.08

Holmberg, J. (2014). Transformative learning and leadership for a sustainable future: Challenge lab at Chalmers University of Technology. In P. B. Corcoran & B. P. Hollingshead (Eds.), Intergenerational learning and transformative leadership for sustainable futures (pp. 92–102). Wageningen Academic. http://dx.doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-802-5_4

Hussmann, P. M., Trandum, C., & Vigild, M. E. (2010). How to include sustainability in engineering education? The “green challenge” at DTU is one way. Proceedings of the 6th International CDIO Conference, 15–18 June 2010, Montréal, QC, Canada. http://cdio.org/files/document/file/T3B_Paper_4.pdf

Jaaron, A. A. M., & Backhouse, C. J. (2018). Operationalisation of service innovation: A systems thinking approach. The Service Industries Journal, 38(9–10), 561–583. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2017.1411480

Lizier, J. T., Harré, M. S., Mitchell, M., DeDeo, S., Finn, C., Lindgren, K., Lizier, A. L., & Sayama, H. (2018). An interview-based study of pioneering experiences in teaching and learning complex systems in higher education. Complexity, 2018, 7306871. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/7306871

Mentzer, N. J., Isabell, T. M., & Mohandas, L. (2023). The impact of interactive synchronous HyFlex model on student academic performance in a large active learning introductory college design course. Journal of Computing in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-023-09369-y

Miranda, J., Navarrete, C., Noguez, J., Molina-Espinosa, J.-M., Ramírez-Montoya, M.-S., Navarro-Tuch, S. A., Bustamante-Bello, M.-R., Rosas-Fernández, J.-B., & Molina, A. (2021). The core components of Education 4.0 in higher education: Three case studies in engineering education. Computers & Electrical Engineering, 93, 107278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compeleceng.2021.107278

Miranda, J., López, C. S., Navarro, S., Bustamante, M. R., Molina, J. M., & Molina, A. (2019). Open innovation laboratories as enabling resources to reach the vision of Education 4.0. Proceedings of the 2019 IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology and Innovation (ICE/ITMC ʼ19), 17–19 June 2019, Valbonne Sophia-Antipolis, France. IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICE.2019.8792595

Mo, J. P. T., & Beckett, R. C. (2020). Transdisciplinary system of systems development in the trend to X4.0 for intelligent manufacturing. In J. Pokojski, M. Gil, L. Newnes, J. Stjepandić, & N. Wognum (Eds.), Transdisciplinary engineering for complex socio-technical systems — Real-life applications: Proceedings of the 27th ISTE International Conference on Transdisciplinary Engineering (ISTE 2020), 1–10 July 2020, Virtual Event Poland (pp. 3–12). IOS Press. https://ebooks.iospress.nl/volumearticle/55558

Morin, E. (2020a). Cambiemos de vía: lecciones de la pandemia. Paidós.

Morin, E. (2020b). La mente bien ordenada: repensar la reforma, reformar el pensamiento. Siglo XXI.

Pi, X., Liu, Q., Chen, B., Ziyadi, M., Lin, Z., Fu, Q., Gao, Y., Lou, J.-G., & Chen, W. (2022). Reasoning like program executors. ArXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2201.11473

Ponce, P., Ramirez, R., Ramirez, M. S., Molina, A., MacCleery, B., & Ascanio, M. (2022). From understanding a simple DC motor to developing an electric vehicle AI controller rapid prototype using MATLAB-Simulink, real-time simulation and complex thinking. Frontiers in Education, 7, 941972. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.941972

Purdue University. (n.d.). EPICS. https://engineering.purdue.edu/EPICS

Ramírez-Montoya, M. S., Castillo-Martínez, I. M., Sanabria-Z, J., & Miranda, J. (2022). Complex thinking in the framework of Education 4.0 and open innovation: A systematic literature review. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 8(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc8010004

Roche, C., Brown, G., Clune, S., Shields, N., & Lewis, V. (2021). Thinking with complexity in evaluation: A case study review. Evaluation Journal of Australasia, 21(3), 146–162. https://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X211008263

Salmon, G. (2019). May the fourth be with you: Creating Education 4.0. Journal of Learning for Development, 6(2), 95–115. https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v6i2.352

Sellars, M., Fakirmohammad, R., Bui, L., Fishetti, J., Niyozov, S., Reynolds, R., Thapliyal, N., Liu-Smith, Y.-L., & Ali, N. (2018). Conversations on critical thinking: Can critical thinking find its way forward as the skill set and mindset of the century? Educational Sciences, 8(4), 205. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040205

Silva Pacheco, C. (2020). Art education for the development of complex thinking metacompetence: A theoretical approach. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 39(1), 242–254. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12261

Suryansyah, S. A., Kastolani, W., & Somantri, L. (2021). Scientific thinking skills in solving global warming problems. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Sciences, 683, 012025. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/683/1/012025

Tecnológico de Monterrey. (2019). Competencia transversal 5: Razonamiento para la complejidad (Transversal competence 5: Reasoning for complexity). In Competencias transversales: Una visión desde el Modelo Educativo TEC21. Documento Guía Para El Docente De Educación Superior. (Transversal competencies: A vision from the Educational Model TEC21. Guide document for higher education teachers) (pp. 62–76). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348635250_Competencias_transversales_Una_vision_desde_el_modelo_educativo_TEC21

Tecnológico de Monterrey. (2018). TEC21 Education Model. https://internationalfaculty.tec.mx/sites/g/files/vgjovo1851/files/tec21-model.pdf

Talanquer, V., Bucat, R., Tasker, R., & Mahaffy, P. G. (2020). Lessons from a pandemic: Educating for complexity, change, uncertainty, vulnerability, and resilience. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(9), 2696–2700. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00627

Tobón, S., & Luna-Nemecio, J. (2021). Complex thinking and sustainable social development: Validity and reliability of the COMPLEX-21 scale. Sustainability, 13(12), 6591. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126591

Vázquez-Parra, J. C., Castillo-Martínez, I. M., Ramírez-Montoya, M. S., & Millán, A. (2022). Development of the perception of achievement of complex thinking: A disciplinary approach in a Latin American student population. Education Sciences, 12(5), 289. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12050289

Wang, S., Liu, Z., Zhong, W., Zou, M., Wei, Z., Chen, Z. & Duan, N. (2022). From LSAT: The progress and challenges of complex reasoning. IEEE/ACM Transactions on Audio, Speech, and Language Processing, 30, 2201–2216. https://doi.org/10.1109/TASLP.2022.3164218

Wirth, R., & Hipp, J. (2000). CRISP-DM: Towards a standard process model for data mining. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on the Practical Application of Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, 11–13 April 2000, Manchester, UK (pp. 29–40). Practical Application Company.

Identification of Complex Thinking Related Competencies

The Building Blocks of Reasoning for Complexity

Authors

DOI:

Keywords:

Abstract

References

Downloads

Published

How to Cite

Issue

Section

License

Most read articles by the same author(s)