Steven Haveman

Towards Structural Education of “Digital System Thinkers” with the Digital Engineering Exploration Lab

Bio: Dr. Ir. Steven Haveman is employed at the HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht as associate professor, and is active in both education and research. He works on “Data-driven & Participatory Systems Engineering” and applies this through systems thinking and engineering approaches, including modeling & simulation. For example, the “Local Energy Systems” project applies Systems Thinking and Digital Twin approaches for urban energy transitions by developing an agent-based simulation including both technical and social perspectives.

Abstract.

Educating engineering students to address complex societal and technological transitions requires systems thinking competencies. Although higher education programs increasingly incorporate digital modelling simulations and multidisciplinary projects, effectively addressing these aspects in an engaging learning environment has limited support. In fact, we argue to focus on educating “Digital Systems Thinkers” – engineers who can address systemic issues and use digital tools such as models and simulation to explore these. To address this educational gap, the Digital Engineering Exploration Lab (DEEL) project develops a hybrid learning environment that links physical setups with accessible open-source digital twins. Centred around a simulated urban logistics case known as “Digital Twin City,” this environment supports core SE principles by allowing students from diverse engineering and ICT disciplines to analyse system-level interactions. By combining physical scale models with real-time digital dashboards, students can concurrently evaluate performance metrics, routing constraints, and stakeholder trade-offs. Initial educational pilots, conducted within an international summer school and a master’s engineering program with groups of up to thirty students, provide preliminary indications that students can engage with complex systems without being deterred. While comprehensive pedagogical evaluations are scheduled for the final project phase, these early observations suggest that hybrid digital twin environments offer a viable approach for strengthening systems engineering education and multidisciplinary collaboration.