Introducing Optimization Techniques to Students: An Exam Case Distrubution Model
Mario Vanhoucke - mario.vanhoucke@ugent.be
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Abstract
An this paper, an integer programming (IP) model is presented to assign MBA and undergraduate students to groups to solve an exam case in an operations research (O.R.) course. It is assumed that the students have a basic understanding of mathematical programming and are now ready to build their first real-life model in class. Thanks to the direct link with the student's situation and the immediate repercussion on the exam assignment, students can quickly understand the problem and are willing to help to define the problem in class. The example illustrates many O.R.-related issues, such as the balance between problem complexity and solution quality, and the need for dynamic rather than static models. Thanks to its simplicity and practicality, this exercise is an ideal tool to make the often complex domain of O.R. more accessible.
Key words
exam assignment problem; operations research teaching
History
Received: September 2008; accepted: November 2009.
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Citation Information
Vanhoucke, M. 2010. Introducing Optimization Techniques to Students: An Exam Case Distribution Model. INFORMS Trans. Ed. 10(2) 53-61. Available online at http://ite.pubs.informs.org/.
DOI: 10.1287/ited.1090.0040