A research hub
Systems thinking applied to how people learn — and how we design what they learn from.
Working notes, topic primers, and occasional essays on cybernetics, modular design, conversation theory, and the disruption of educational value chains.
This site collects research and applied work at the intersection of systems theory and education. It treats the classroom, the curriculum, and the institution as systems that can be understood — and re-designed — using ideas from cybernetics, design theory, organizational change, and the science of learning.
Each topic page below is a working primer: a short orientation to the thinker or framework, the core concepts, and how they show up in practice when designing teaching. Pages are revised over time as the research deepens.
Topics
Cybernetics
The study of control, feedback, and communication in living systems and machines — and what it tells us about learning environments.
Conversation Theory
Learning as a structured exchange between agents. Teachback, entailment meshes, and the design of dialogues that produce understanding.
Design Rules & Modularity
How visible design rules and hidden modules let complex systems evolve. Implications for curriculum architecture and program design.
Team-Based Learning
A structured instructional strategy that uses readiness assurance and application activities to convert classes into high-performing teams.
Value Chain Evolution
When integration wins, when modularity wins, and what the theory predicts for the unbundling of higher education.
Recent notes
- Notes and short essays will appear here as they are posted.
About this site
Maintained as a personal research hub for educators and researchers exploring how systems-theoretic ideas can sharpen teaching practice. Read more about the project →