In this paper we look at alternative ways of teaching linear programming model formulation and show that the material needs to be presented within the context of a structure that improves the ability of students to apply the models to subsequent problems. This work builds on the cognitive psychology literature on formulating algebra word problems. We show that presenting a conceptual framework prior to teaching linear programming examples is better then either no conceptual framework or presenting the framework after teaching the examples.
Please scroll down for article-it is on subsequent pages With 12,500 members from nearly 90 countries, INFORMS is the largest international association of operations research (O.R.) and analytics professionals and students. INFORMS provides unique networking and learning opportunities for individual professionals, and organizations of all types and sizes, to better understand and use O.R. and analytics tools and methods to transform strategic visions and achieve better outcomes. For more information on INFORMS, its publications, membership, or meetings visit http://www.informs.org
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.