ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT PERFORMANCES IN OPERATIONS RESEARCH CLASS DELIVERED BY AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH

摘要

Operations Research (OR) provides the core foundation skills and knowledge set for Industrial Engineers (IE). It is one of the first courses to introduce crucial skills in its algorithmic approach to problem solving and abstract mathematical modeling of real systems. It provides the mathematical science of optimization that underpins functionality of the optimization tools and algorithms used by IE's. It is a gateway course for IE specializations such as Simulation, Production Planning and Control, Logistics, and similar analytical courses. Given such critical importance, it is crucial for IE students to: 1. Develop understanding of the concepts of decision variables, constraints, and measures of performance. 2. Develop skills in creating abstract mathematical programming models (LP, ILP, NLP) from real world problems. 3. Develop operational skills in carrying out procedural steps necessary for algorithms (the HOW skill). 4. Develop in-depth knowledge of the logic behind algorithms and their concepts, and learn to extend them to new horizons (the WHY and WHAT-IF skills).