Description
SOLVING COMPLEX PROBLEMS will teach you revolutionary new problem-solving skills. Involving lectures from over 50 experts from all faculties at Macquarie University, we look at solving complex problems in a way that has never been done before.
This specialization uses the framework of Big History which synthesizes knowledge across the sciences and the humanities, and provides a powerful foundation to think and research in new ways. Big History has been embraced as an important global framework by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Presentations at WEF by Professor David Christian, one of the creators of this specialization, have included ‘Interdisciplinary Approaches to Solving 21st Century Challenges’ (Davos 2012), ‘Big History for Big Picture Thinking’ (Davos 2014), and ‘Big History, Big Decisions’ (Tianjin 2014). In 2015, the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos had four sessions devoted to Big History including three interdisciplinary ‘Big History, Big Future’ panels on cooperation, innovation, and global growth and stability. These interdisciplinary discussion panels were the inspiration for this Solving Complex Problems Specialization.
To solve complex problems, whether it is the challenge of developing a new product, or Einstein’s task of trying to explain how gravity worked – and literally everything else in between – it is not enough to take the problem and apply already existing skills. The skill that has always led to big breakthroughs in any field or industry is the skill of seeing something in a new way. That is the vital skill you will learn in this Coursera specialization.From the very start of the specialization, your assignments will be geared toward tackling a complex issue of your choice which you face in your career path, industry, or field. Each phase of the course builds up to a briefing paper that analyzes, evaluates, and attempts to solve a highly complex problem. The specialization advances your knowledge of your own field by teaching you to look at it in new ways and it fosters your own revolutionary new innovations.
