Educational Systems Theory

Property: Openness

Definition:

Educational system openness is feedin and/or feedout." (p. 53)

Comments:

Openness = feedin + feedout - compatibility. It is a real number. (p. 53). Systems have different degrees of openness, and can be ranked on continuum--ranging from closed to highly open. If there is no feedin or, feedout, then openness will be equal to zero:

Openness = 0 + 0 - 0 = 0

This is a completely closed system. An open system must have at least some feedin or feedout; it may have both.

Illustration:

Examples:

35.1 It is hard to imagine a closed educational system with respect to no feedin and no feedout of people (who act as students, teachers and staff). Perhaps it is easier to imagine an educational system that is closed with respect to content goals. That is, such a system does not accept new learning goals demanded by society (e.g., computer competence, cooperative teamwork skills) and does not provide society with student graduates who have achie ved these new learning goals.

35.2 If the Johnson Animal Society opened and declared a policy of taking in strays, but refused to give any up for adoption (feedout), then this would be an open system with feedin only.

35.3 A private school with high tuition and few scholarships has a low level of openness with respect to ethnic diversity. With a minority rate of 5%, it has low feedin and feedout rates for non-white students.

35.4 Biosphere 2000 is an example of a system that was designed to be entirely closed. This 2 year research project required 7 scientists to live in this contained ecosystem without every leaving. No supplies or people were to be removed from or brought into the biosphere. The system became open when a scientist who had severed her finger left the biosphere (feedout) for emergency medical treatment.

Related Terms:

feedout

feedin

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Hypotheses Containing the Property: Openness

#29. If educational system openness increases, then efficiency decreases.

#48. If educational system (feedin increases and feedout is constant and compatibility is constant) or (feedin is constant and feedout increases and compatibility is constant) or (feedin is constant and feedout is constant and compatibility decreases), then openness increases.

#49. If educational system (feedin decreases and feedout is constant and compatibility is constant) or (feedin is constant and feedout decreases and compatibility is constant) or (feedin is constant and feedout is constant and compatibility increases), then openness decreases.

#110. If educational system complete connectivity increases or strongness increases, then openness is less than change in fromput, and change in fromput is less than change in input.

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