An Electronic Teaching Assistant for Basic Operations Management Methods

Abstract

Software packages are frequently used to support the teaching of quantitative methods. In one possible approach, the educator demonstrates how to use a software package which implements the method considered in the lecture. In an alternative approach, students have to implement the considered method on their own. A popular type of software package used in Master of Business Administration classes for the second approach is the spreadsheet, since students can "program" in an intuitive way by entering formulas in the cells of the worksheet. While letting students implement a method on their own normally takes much longer than just a demonstration by the educator, it can be argued that the students develop a better understanding of the method through active learning. In this context, the spreadsheet-based tutoring system ExcelTutor was developed to help students learn the steps necessary to compute the results of a specific method. After a student has formulated the method on his or her own, ExcelTutor verifies the correctness of the final results and provides feedback on the time needed for the implementation.

Interactive Excel-Based Gantt Chart Schedule Builder

“…A valuable feature of this is that it is an Excel tool thereby catering to the many users who are comfortable in this environment. Scheubrein and Kulturel-Konak (2006) also maintain the spreadsheet environment by discussing a teaching tool for an MBA operations management course. Specific tips for implementing interactive tools in an operations management course are discussed by Snider and Balakrishnan (2013).…”