In 1986, Bodily stated that practitioners could use spreadsheets to model management science/operations research (OR/MS) problems. We surveyed OR practitioners to determine the ex tent of implementation of these OR/MS problems in a spread sheet environment and found that end users are solving OR/ MS problems using spreadsheets across many functional areas of business, though in varying degrees. Some areas show higher use than others and spreadsheet models are being used to implement various OR tools in a pattern very similar to their use in the nonspreadsheet environment. Bodily [1986] stated that end users were adopting spreadsheets as a deci sion-making aid because they provide a natural interface for model building, they are easy to use in terms of inputs, solu tions, report generation, and they allow users to perform what-if analyses. He con tinued that, because of these key proper ties, end users could use the spreadsheet to solve operations research/management science (OR/MS) problems and to improve decision making. We conducted a survey to determine to what extent Bodily's observations have been implemented, particularly in view of the rapidly evolving spreadsheet technol ogy. Are practitioners indeed using spread sheets to solve OR/MS problems and, if so, under what circumstances? We sent a questionnaire to OR practitioners to deter mine what industries have accepted and are using spreadsheets for OR/MS prob lems and to identify the most common functional areas and the OR/MS tools
Do students learn to model OR/MS problems better by using computer-based interactive tutorials and, if so, does increased interactivity in the tutorials lead to better learning? In order to determine the effect of different levels of interactivity on student learning, we used screen capture technology to design interactive support materials for modeling and solving the transportation problem in a spreadsheet. A controlled experiment was carried out and the results indicate a general support for the effectiveness of interactive tutorials in enhancing students' learning of modeling concepts. However, the study also found that excessive interactivity increased the cognitive load for the students and hindered their learning by making it difficult for them to consolidate concepts, integrate previous knowledge, and create meaningful mental models of the process.
Kolb's experiential theory of learning, later modified by McCarthy to develop the 4MAT model, shows that active experimentation is a large part of learning for all types of learners. We use the 4MAT model as the theoretical underpinning to explore and develop some illustrative interactive tutorials to support the teaching of OR/MS spreadsheet modeling. Due to a much shallower learning curve on the new generation of screen capture technology, the design and creation of such spreadsheet support modules can now realistically be done by individual faculty in a reasonable amount of time. Three levels of interactivity are used in the modules to match the learning stages of the 4MAT model. We discuss implementation issues with current screen capture software and the benefits and limitations of this approach for supporting the teaching of spreadsheet modeling in OR/MS.
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