Using the Introductory Simulation Course to Teach Process Dynamics and Extended Operations Management Concepts

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Vaughan
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Process Dynamics ◽  
Management Concepts

How mode of delivery affects comprehension of an operations management simulation

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason M. Riley ◽  
William A. Ellegood ◽  
Stanislaus Solomon ◽  
Jerrine Baker
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Mode Of Delivery ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Interaction ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Management Concepts

Purpose This study aims to understand how mode of delivery, online versus face-to-face, affects comprehension when teaching operations management concepts via a simulation. Conceptually, the aim is to identify factors that influence the students’ ability to learn and retain new concepts. Design/methodology/approach Leveraging Littlefield Technologies’ simulation, the study investigates how team interaction, team leadership, instructor’s guidance, simulation’s ease of use and previous software experience affects comprehension for both online and face-to-face teaching environments. Survey data were gathered from 514 undergraduate students. The data were then analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings For the face-to-face population, this study found that team interaction, previous software experience, instructor’s guidance and simulation’s ease of use affected student comprehension. This differed from the online population who were only affected by the simulation’s ease of use and instructor’s guidance. Originality/value Understanding how the mode of delivery affects comprehension is important as educators develop new online teaching techniques and experiment with innovative technologies like simulation. As demand for online education grows, many instructors find they need to refine their methods to ensure students comprehend the concepts being taught regardless of modality.

Integrating the Case Method and Design Projects in the Industry-Sponsored Academic Education

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel A. Nunez ◽  
Zbigniew M. Bzymek
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Process Analysis ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Case Method ◽  
Academic Education ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Life Problems ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Design Projects

This is a companion paper to IMECE 2013 - 63278. The paper describes a course in which practical designing of industrial products and processes is supported by the analysis of operations management cases taken from actual manufacturing companies. Through the case method, students assume the role of decision-makers who have to use their engineering and business knowledge to deal with real-life problems. Such an approach helps to support and complement the students’ senior design experience and cover those subjects left out from their sponsored design projects. The cases emphasize operations management concepts; economic analysis of manufacturing processes; process analysis, design, and improvement; integration of experimental analysis and research methodologies in diverse manufacturing industries; as well as the interaction between manufacturing technologies and the competitive strategy of the firm. This way, students not only practice solving manufacturing problems, but also develop a framework for dealing with practical situations they are likely to face in their career development. We provide teaching recommendations and practical examples of the case method in this context.

Developing in engineering students a critical analysis about sustainability in productive systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izabela S. Rampasso ◽  
Rosley Anholon ◽  
Dirceu Silva ◽  
Robert Eduardo Cooper Ordóñez ◽  
Osvaldo Luiz Gonçalves Quelhas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Action Research Approach ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Productive Systems

PurposeThe Mechanical Engineering course at the University of Campinas is composed of different disciplines in the areas of materials, mechanical design, manufacturing (production and manufacturing), computational systems, thermal and fluids. In the manufacturing area, in particular, there is a discipline entitled Productive Systems whose main objective is to offer to the student a global vision about operations management. In the field of operations management, sustainability is gaining more and more importance; thus, it is important to develop in the students a critical sense about social and environmental aspects. Thus, this paper aims to present the main initiatives developed in the discipline to promote sustainability in engineering students.Design/methodology/approachSince 2015, the professors responsible for the Productive Systems discipline, assisted by post-graduate students and professors from other universities, have begun to redesign the discipline, including debates, lectures, projects and other initiatives to provide a critical view concerning the traditional concepts taught. The discipline has been performed three times with this new conception. The methodology to structure this research was literature review, documental analyses of the discipline records and meetings with professors that participated in the initiatives. An Action Research approach was performed by two professors and a graduate student. The authors of this paper also compared the results with those obtained by initiatives performed at Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden).FindingsThis study allowed to reinforce some results from initiatives performed at Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden); however, some differences were identified. For example, similar to the initiatives mentioned, the professors of University of Campinas had problems with didactic books, as they loosely integrate the basic operations management concepts with sustainable development fundamentals. On the other hand, debates related to social sustainability were considered positive from the point of view of the professors and students, differing from initiatives performed at Chalmers University of Technology.Research limitations/implicationsResults come from one field study (University of Campinas) when professors of the Mechanical Engineering course try to integrate operations management concepts and sustainable development. Different results may be observed by other higher education institutions.Practical implicationsThe authors of this paper believe that the diffusion of these initiatives can stimulate other professors and researchers in the field to broaden the academic debate about the insertion of sustainability into engineering courses.Originality/valueThere are few papers presenting didactic experiences and empirical results about the integration of operations management concepts and sustainable development. Results of this paper reinforce some good practices and they also present other ones, in a way that extend the debate about educational engineering.

USING SIMPLE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ACTIVITIES ENCOURAGE LEARNING OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Peiro-Signes ◽  
Oscar Trull-Domínguez ◽  
María del Val Segarra-Oña ◽  
Blanca de Miguel-Molina
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Management Concepts

Operations management e sanità: un sistema di supporto alle decisioni per la programmazione della chirurgia elettiva

MECOSAN ◽  
2014 ◽  
pp. 55-69
Author(s):  
Alessandro Agnetis ◽  
Alberto Coppi ◽  
Matteo Corsini ◽  
Gabriella Dellino ◽  
Carlo Meloni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management

Use of vent stack temperature as a feedforward variable for dissolver total titratable alkali (TTA) control

TAPPI Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (05) ◽  
pp. 261-269
Author(s):  
Wei Ren ◽  
Brennan Dubord ◽  
Jason Johnson ◽  
Bruce Allison
Keyword(s):  
Feedback Control ◽  
Current Practice ◽  
Feedforward Control ◽  
Control Variable ◽  
Indirect Measurement ◽  
Tight Control ◽  
Transfer Lines ◽  
Green Liquor ◽  
Process Dynamics ◽  
Downstream Processes

Tight control of raw green liquor total titratable alkali (TTA) may be considered an important first step towards improving the overall economic performance of the causticizing process. Dissolving tank control is made difficult by the fact that the unknown smelt flow is highly variable and subject to runoff. High TTA variability negatively impacts operational costs through increased scaling in the dissolver and transfer lines, increased deadload in the liquor cycle, under- and over-liming, increased energy consumption, and increased maintenance. Current practice is to use feedback control to regulate the TTA to a target value through manipulation of weak wash flow while simultaneously keeping dissolver density within acceptable limits. Unfortunately, the amount of variability reduction that can be achieved by feedback control alone is fundamentally limited by the process dynamics. One way to improve upon the situation would be to measure the smelt flow and use it as a feedforward control variable. Direct measurement of smelt flow is not yet possible. The use of an indirect measurement, the dissolver vent stack temperature, is investigated in this paper as a surrogate feedforward variable for dissolving tank TTA control. Mill trials indicate that significant variability reduction in the raw green liquor TTA is possible and that the control improvements carry through to the downstream processes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document