Modelling and simulation in global system engineering education

Systems engineering must now cover the interaction of engineering and industrial systems with management, finance, socio-economic issues and environmental interactions (a discipline which we call "global systems engineering"). Modelling and simulation are important tools for educating students to the design and analysis of these systems. The paper presents briefly our work to develop the methods and tools needed to integrate modelling and simulation of the class of systems described above in computer-aided packages including extensive, target-directed, multi-media help and educational support. A special emphasis is placed on a new modelling method generalising Forrester system dynamics and using some ideas from bond graphs. Due to its intuitive character, this method allows us to put modelling in the hands not only of modellers but also of end-users: domain specialists, teachers and students.