Operations Research Management Science - Teaching Trends: Managing the Student Supply Chain

<BODY bgcolor="#ffffff" link="cc0000" vlink="cc0000" text="#000000"> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=4 border=0><br>   <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=480><tr valign=top> <td width=10><img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 hspace=4 border=0></td> <td width=470> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=2><B><I><A HREF="../../ORMS.shtml" TARGET="_top">OR/MS Today</A> - August 2002</I></B></font><BR> <hr size="1"> <img src="cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=4 border=0><br> <font face="times new roman, times"> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=4 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=2><B>Teaching Trends</B></FONT><br> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=8 border=0><br> <FONT SIZE="+2"><B>Managing the Student Supply Chain</B></FONT><BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> <FONT SIZE="+1"><I>How to make management science a major player in business schools</I></FONT><BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=2><B>By Erhan Erkut and Armann Ingolfsson</B></FONT><br> <hr size="1"> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br>    Imagine that you are a professor who teaches an introductory management science course in a business school. You teach the subject as well as you can  this is part of your job. But what happens to the students when they finish your course? What other courses do they take? How do they spend their summers? What projects do they work on? What extracurricular activities do they engage in? What happens after they graduate? Should you care? Is this part of your job?<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> Looking in the other direction, where do your students come from? Can you do anything to influence which students enter your program? Should you?<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> In general, is there anything you can do  outside your introductory class  to make management science more attractive to students? Can you help to turn management science into an essential component of business programs as opposed to a necessary evil merely tolerated by programs? Can you improve the "management science supply chain," from incoming students to employed professionals?<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> There is a lot you can do. It is possible to make management science one of the most popular and respected areas in a business school attracting some of the best students. This is not a "pie-in-the-sky" proposition; in fact it is easy to achieve this goal  after all, we are sitting on a gold mine of analytical tools! However, this requires planning and execution that goes beyond good teaching.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> The goal of this article is to list some initiatives that can help in this respect by drawing upon our experiences over the last seven years at the University of Alberta School of Business. It is important to try to influence the composition of the input to the supply chain (the incoming students), and we have made efforts to do this, but in this article we will focus on how we involve students in as many aspects of management science as possible <I>after</I> they have taken our core course.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> Inappropriate course design and poor teaching can damage the reputation of any field. Good teaching is a necessary condition for success in involving students, but it is not a sufficient condition. How does one build on a foundation of good teaching?<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> Grossman (2001) suggests that the business school management science core course suffers a serious decline and provides a long list of reasons for the decline, ranging from student backgrounds and interests to MS professors' preparation, priorities and expectations. Grossman points out that the protection provided by AACSB accreditation standards, which in the past required certain MS content, provided a false sense of comfort. Regulation discourages introspection and encourages complacency.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> We believe AACSB's deregulation presented a historic opportunity for MS. Undoubtedly some MS courses were hurt in the last decade: those who relied too heavily on guaranteed access to students, and those who could not adjust quickly enough ended up losing some battles. However, deregulation forced us to become competitive and demonstrate what we could do.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> In this article, we outline initiatives that have helped us make MS more popular and respected among students and colleagues. Some of these initiatives are easily transferable to other institutions while others may not be; likewise, some are easy to implement, while others require large investments in time. There is no best recipe for success for all institutions, but we believe that every successful recipe has a common ingredient: a team effort and long-term planning. While many of us specialize in improving efficiency, most of us have little training in strategy and marketing  necessary skills for organizational success.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Strategic Planning</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis is a simple and useful tool for auditing an organization and its environment. While this is elementary material in introductory strategy, management and marketing courses, some MS professors are not familiar with it. The details of a SWOT analysis will differ between institutions and individuals, but here are a few attributes that many MS groups have in common. One of our obvious <I>strengths</I> is exceptional familiarity with computers and technology, which is unparalleled in most business schools. Another strength is our ability to produce tangible results such as cost savings or revenue increases for organizations. Yet another is our formal training in analytical modeling.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> For those of us without a business degree or experience, a significant <I>weakness</I> can be a lack of familiarity with functional areas of business. Our unwillingness or inability to promote our field is another <I>weakness.</I> A reduced number of faculty positions in MS is a common <I>threat.</I> The rapid development of desktop computing hardware and software is an <I>opportunity</I> that we can use to capitalize on our strengths.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> One of us has attempted brief SWOT exercises while giving presentations on teaching to MS audiences at several conferences and universities. We are continually surprised at the inability of MS academics to generate such lists quickly  apparently we are not used to thinking in these terms. For example, at a recent conference tutorial, no audience member mentioned familiarity with computers (and technology in general) as one of our strengths. Perhaps our strengths are so obvious to us that we don't recognize them. However, if we fail to identify our strengths we may also fail to initiate change that is rooted in them.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Defining Success</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> Before asking, "How can we turn MS into a success in our faculty?" we need to define "success." Does success mean a high level of research output, a large number of courses, a significant amount of technology transfer or some combination? In our case, it was clear that student perceptions and demand for courses had an important influence on the future of different fields in the School. Group sizes were partly justified by student demand for courses; groups that attracted students could expect growth and groups with low teaching demand could expect declines. Hence, we targeted a growth in elective enrolments. Considering the two teaching programs in the faculty (MBA and undergraduate), the numbers dictated that we focus on the undergraduate program. The next question was how to increase enrolment in undergraduate electives. The answer was obvious: make sure the core course is well designed and delivered. Business students encounter MS for the first time in the core course, and if it does not appeal to them, they will not enroll in electives. Initially, we did not know whether improving the core course would be sufficient, but this did not matter. The first step was obvious: do our best in the core course.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>How to Improve the Core Course</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> We used two forms of input for guidance in revising our core course in 1995: student feedback, and material and methods from successful programs elsewhere. Contrary to the perception of many academics, there is considerable academic literature that suggests that instructor and course ratings by students are the "single most valid source of data on teaching effectiveness" (see Marsh, 1987, for a survey).<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> In addition to the results of regular student surveys, we obtained more structured feedback through student focus groups. We recruited 30 students and divided them into six groups of five. Every group met twice for two hours and prepared a document outlining what they thought worked well, what did not, and what they would like to see in the core course. Students were paid a modest participation fee.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> We were impressed with how seriously they treated the exercise and the quality of the reports, and incorporated some of their suggestions into our course planning. This allowed us to announce in class that "we believe in total quality, and we keep improving the course through student feedback," a positive (and empowering) message signaling that we care about what students think and that we act on their input. Some of the student suggestions  such as more homework  amounted to a bitter pill for the new class, but we pointed out that this change was prompted by student focus groups. It was also quite fitting to speak about this process in a course whose focus is on systems improvement.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> After hearing from students, we turned our attention to the OR/MS community for resources. Introductory MS courses are taught thousands of times every year across the world, so we reasoned that someone, somewhere must have discovered something that works. To our surprise, there was not much information readily available through INFORMS in 1995, and finding useful information required considerable effort. Colleagues at other institutions had similar experiences, and together we launched <I>INFORM-ED</I> (Forum on Education), which immediately generated useful materials and interaction among OR/MS teachers through its Web site and conference sessions. Today, plenty of help is available to those who wish to modify core courses through <I>INFORM-ED</I> (<A HREF="http://education.forum.informs.org" TARGET="_new">education.forum.informs.org</A>) and the <I>INFORMS Transactions on Education</I> journal (<A HREF="http://ite.informs.org" TARGET="_new">ite.informs.org</A>).<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>New and Improved Core Course</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> The focus of this article is not on improving the core course  a worthy topic of many past and (hopefully) future articles. However, since all our other efforts rest on the foundation of the core course, we list some of the components that we believe have contributed to its success. We use a problem-driven approach and emphasize spreadsheets. Students help build models from scratch during lectures and spend additional time working with models in required computer labs. We introduce models using short cases involving local organizations and supplement lectures with stories (often by former students) about applications in local firms.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> We use the Web aggressively; our course Web page contains hundreds of files for download, and students access it once per day on average. Students discuss course material on an electronic bulletin board almost around the clock. Weekly assignments and regular quizzes encourage students to keep up with the material.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> All exams are online where students demonstrate their problem-solving skills. We teach the class in one large section per term, which allows us to put an experienced professor in the classroom and saves sufficient funds to hire lab managers and teaching assistants. The classes are highly interactive with minimal note-taking (we provide students with extensive lecture notes). We use such teaching methods as real-time model building, group discussions, "what-if" contests and "turn-to-your-partner" discussions to relieve the monotony of continuous lecturing. Short musical breaks, student skits and brief visits to the Internet enhance the "fun" quotient of the course.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Students appreciate the applied approach and the extensive use of the computer. Many are convinced that the material is useful; more importantly, <I>they</I> feel that they can use it. In a School survey, students identified MS as both the most demanding and most rewarding core course. Our course evaluations have moved from near the bottom to the top two of 11 core courses.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Electives</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> Improved student ratings of the core course were accompanied by greater enrolment in electives, as we had hoped. Total elective enrollment approximately doubled every year from 1994-95 to 1998-99, rising from 45 to 600 registrations per year. The electives we offer are now limited by instructor supply, not student demand. Importantly, our core course remains challenging (it is one of the few core courses where some students fail), so the students attracted to our electives are among the most likely to succeed in them.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> Currently we offer electives on simulation, decision support systems, service operations, distribution management, decision analysis, forecasting, management of technology and management consulting. We consider the electives to be the second level of the teaching pyramid. This is where students are introduced to algebraic modeling, algorithms and programming. Many electives have project components. Our capstone course consists of a term-long consulting project.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> The third level consists of individual projects and reading courses offered to students interested in graduate studies. Before 1995, we placed few students in graduate programs, but currently we place an average of three to four students a year in master's or doctoral programs. This is important for us. Given the current academic market and the value of the Canadian dollar, it is increasingly difficult for us to recruit new professors. Students with local ties and good memories from their undergraduate experience are more likely to consider a career at their alma mater.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Students as Colleagues</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> Increased enrolment in electives helped grow our group from three professors in 1995 to the current six, but students have helped us improve the MS supply chain in many other ways as well. We have managed to attract many of the School's top students to MS. We employ many of them as teaching assistants for the computer lab portion of our core course. In our experience, the students-teaching-students model has worked very well. Students in the lab feel comfortable asking fellow students for help and the lab assistants' experience the joy of teaching. The best teaching assistants are promoted to lab manager positions where they deliver short lectures in the labs. Several of our lab managers have won the School's part-time instructor award in recent years.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> Our top undergraduate students attend our weekly research seminars, work with us on consulting and service projects, go to conferences and participate in competitions. They act as goodwill ambassadors in spreading the message among other students, and they give us early warning signals if something is not right. In short, they are an integral part of our MS family.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Student Club</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> We encouraged the formation of a student club, which has been a tremendous success. Notable among their many activities is the preparation, organization and delivery of computing workshops on the use of such software such as Excel, VBA and FrontPage. The workshops generate revenue for the club, provide useful experience to the organizers, cement the perception among the student body that MS students are the most competent computer users in the School, and generate new members (participants automatically become members of the Club). In addition, the workshops help instructors by reducing the need to provide basic software training in MS courses.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Student Conference</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> A conference where students present course projects to other students, faculty members and client organizations is a worthwhile endeavor. There was no such conference close to us, so we created one: SCOPE (Student Conference on Operations). This is a forum for the next generation of business analysts to demonstrate their skills in a professional environment. Attending students are exposed to an array of applied work and have the opportunity to network with business leaders and faculty and students from other universities. Faculty members present on research and educational opportunities at their institutions. Industry representatives (many of them alumni) judge presentations, provide feedback to presenters, and interact with students and faculty.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> SCOPE started as a local event, but it has grown over time and it is now among the largest OR conferences in Canada. The most recent conference (April 2002) was a two-day event, funded by six sponsors, and attended by 21 student teams (two to five students each) from five universities.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> When organizing an event like this, it is worth asking the following questions: <UL> <LI> What can we do to increase the bang for the buck? <LI> Which synergies can we exploit? <LI> How can we serve all of our stakeholders? <LI> How do we get maximum exposure? </UL> We try to squeeze maximum value out of the student conferences in many ways: students meet students and faculty from other schools; they receive presentation awards and a free student membership to the Canadian OR Society; some consider graduate studies; businesses learn about MS and some hire students; graduate programs recruit students; the national OR society enlists new members; and the School generates positive public relations. This year we appended a research conference to SCOPE: ARCO (Alberta Research Conference on Operations). This resulted in increased attendance of faculty members at the joint event and improved research communication between faculty members from nearby universities.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Student Placement</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> In order to sustain the growth we have experienced in students concentrating on MS, there must be a market for our graduates. We have tried to help create and expand this market. Our students have exceptional skills, but many organizations need to be educated about the value of "operations"  a label that is much less recognized than "accounting," "finance" and "marketing." Information sessions, student projects and student conferences are three of the ways in which we have tried to get the word out.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> Together with the student club, we organize annual information sessions for local managers. The sessions feature a 15-minute presentation by a professor followed by short student testimonials on recent projects. This is followed by a light lunch and mingling. These sessions have been productive for us, generating projects and employment for our students in the short term and, we hope, increased awareness of the skills of our students in the long term.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> Student projects are excellent vehicles for introducing MS to local organizations. Our capstone course simulates a management-consulting environment, complete with students forming firms, listening to presentations by local clients, preparing proposals, progress reports and a final report, and getting paid for their efforts. Many organizations become repeat customers of this course once they become familiar with the potential of MS and our students. We also involve students in summer consulting projects that sometimes result in research articles and spark interest in graduate studies.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> When employers have seen examples of how MS can help them, our students are easy to place. The students we have attracted are typically self-confident, and they welcome challenges, which they have demonstrated by selecting perhaps the most challenging major in the School. The electives they have taken have improved their modeling, problem-solving and computing skills. The projects they have completed have enhanced their ability to work on teams and present their results, and most importantly, introduced them to the real world of messes rather than well-defined textbook problems. As members of the student club, they have gained unparalleled experience in planning and executing significant events. All of these features of the "MS supply chain" they have gone through enable students to graduate with a "can-do" attitude and an ability to demonstrate their skills in interviews and on the job.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> The chain does not end with graduation. Recent graduates make great guest speakers in the core course; a success story is much more effective if it is told by someone who was in the student's shoes a short while ago. Alumni also help in generating student projects, in placing new graduates, and in continuing to spread the word about what MS can do to help organizations.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Advertising</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> If you bring together a group of good students, good things will happen. Students will win awards, get good jobs, be promoted, be admitted to graduate schools and complete successful projects. When this happens, it is important to let everyone that might care know. There are many ways to get the word out: <UL> <LI> Make an announcement in class. <LI> E-mail the chair and the dean. <LI> Send a memo to the entire School. <LI> Submit articles to the School or University Web pages, alumni magazines, the university newspaper and other campus publications. <LI> Send a note to relevant professional publications. <LI> Send press releases to the local media. <LI> Call local TV stations. <LI> Seek exposure in the national media. </UL> Publicity brings recognition and contributes to enhancing the image of MS. It is important to identify all stakeholders and attempt to reach them with relevant news and stories. In the recent past, we have successfully used all but one of the outreach avenues listed above (and we keep trying for an appearance in the national media).<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> When a team of our students won the best presentation award at a student conference in Calgary in 2000, we did not just announce this in our core course; we paraded the two-foot silver trophy into the class, accompanied with appropriate music (Queen's "We Are the Champions"). Such exposure creates a buzz among students and increases the number of students who attend conferences in the future. When a University of Calgary team won the same trophy a year later, it was taken to six different classes, fuelling a healthy rivalry between the two universities.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Final Thoughts</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> We are convinced that we offer some of the most valuable material taught in business schools. We should not resign ourselves to minor or supporting roles; we should demand our rightful position in the school. However, we cannot expect others to appreciate the significance of MS on their own  we must make the case for the value of MS. Reaching and convincing the relevant parties requires a concerted effort and long-term planning.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> This article is about teaching  extended teaching. The activities we have listed require energy and effort. Their implementation will take time away from other academic activities, notably research. Research is what defines us as academics, and shifting all resources to teaching and neglecting research is a poor plan. The problem is one of portfolio design: how do we allocate our time between different academic activities? While it is crucial to maintain a research program, neglecting teaching-related activities is probably as costly in the long run as neglecting research. One of the goals of this article is to point out that "teaching" is not limited to contact with students in class, and time spent on improving the broader aspects of the MS supply chain can bring great returns in the long run.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=6 border=0><br> We are not merely suggesting that it is <I>possible</I> to create MS success stories everywhere. Of course it is. We are saying that it is <I>simple</I> to make MS a major player in business schools, and to sustain success over time. All it takes is desire and planning. It may not be part of your job description, but efforts that succeed in creating an environment where students and colleagues value what you do can make your job much more enjoyable. We have given examples from our experience of how this can be accomplished. There must be many other worthy initiatives to increase the effectiveness of MS programs. We hope others will provide more examples.<BR> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=12 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>References</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> <OL> <font size=1> <LI> Grossman, T.A. Jr. (2001), "Causes of the Decline of the Business School Management Science Course," <I>INFORMS Transactions on Education,</I> Vol. 1, No. 2, <A HREF="http://ite.informs.org/Vol1No2/Grossman/Grossman.html" TARGET="_new">http://ite.informs.org/Vol1No2/Grossman/Grossman.html</A> <LI> Marsh, H.W. (1987), "Students' evaluations of university teaching: Research findings, methodological issues and directions for future research," <I>International Journal of Educational Research,</I> Vol. 11, No. 3, 255-388. </font> </OL> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=4 border=0><br> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=2><I>Erhan Erkut (<A HREF="mailto:erhan.erkut@ualberta.ca">erhan.erkut@ualberta.ca</A>) and Armann Ingolfsson (<A HREF="mailto:armann.ingolfsson@ualberta.ca">armann.ingolfsson@ualberta.ca</A>) are professors at the University of Alberta School of Business. Erkut is the founding president of INFORM-ED, the former chair of the INFORMS Education Committee and the founding editor-in-chief of</I> INFORMS Transactions on Education. <I>Ingolfsson is former VP-Publications of INFORM-ED and editor of </I>OR/MS Today's <I>Issues in Education column and current associate editor of </I>INFORMS Transactions on Education.<I> Both have received a number of teaching awards.</i><BR>  <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=5 border=0><br>  <img src="../barblue.gif" width=468 height=1 border=0 alt=" "><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=8 border=0><br> <font face="verdana, arial, helvetica" size="1"> <CENTER><script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script></CENTER><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=8 border=0><br> <LI> <A HREF="tocfr.html" Target="_top"><I>Table of Contents</I></A><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=4 border=0><br> <LI> <A HREF="../../ORMS.shtml" TARGET="_top"><I>OR/MS Today</I> Home Page</A><br>  <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=8 border=0><br> <img src="../barblue.gif" width=468 height=1 border=0 alt=" "><br> <b><i>OR/MS Today</i></b> copyright � 2002 by <A HREF="http://www.informs.org/" target="_new">the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences</a>. 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