| Session Title: System Boundaries: Separators and Filters |
| Think Tank Session 215 to be held in Avila B on Thursday, Nov 3, 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM |
| Sponsored by the Systems in Evaluation TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Michael Lieber, University of Illinois Chicago, mdlieber@gmail.com |
| Discussant(s): |
| Eve Pinsker, University of Illinois, Chicago, epinsker@uic.edu |
| Geoffrey Downie, University of Illinois Chicago, gdownie@uic.edu |
| Michael Lieber, University of Illinois Chicago, mdlieber@gmail.com |
| Margaret Hargreaves, Mathematica Policy Research, mhargreaves@mathematica-mpr.com |
| Abstract: If all a system boundary did was to separate the system from its environment, there would be little point in dwelling on it. But, boundaries do much more than that. In closed systems, boundaries are rigid; in open, dynamic systems, boundaries are more porous, acting as an entrance point for inputs to and an exit point for outputs from the system to its environment. Like white blood cells, boundaries filter environmental inputs, selecting which inputs get to other system components and which do not. As in biological systems, filtering can create a barrier in social systems, including evaluations. Managing the filtering process in evaluation is the focus of this Think Tank. We shall give brief presentations sketching the boundary concept and introduce an evaluation case in which boundary/filtering issues are challenging the evaluation. Then, participants will work on in small groups, presenting their findings to the whole group for discussion. |