Graphical Toolbox For Enhancements in Operations Research Education Author: Ramzi Kesrouany Research Advisor: Dr. Nan Kong Department of Industrial & Management System Engineering Shortest Path Problem Using the diagram of nodes, determine the shortest path from node 1 to 7. The objective is to determine the value of the optimal distance and the optimal route from node 1 to 7. Abstract The main concept behind Operations Research (OR) is the use of mathematical and statistical models and algorithms to aid in decision- making for real-world problems. However, operations research techniques, particularly solution techniques, are abstract and sometimes hard to teach in a traditional classroom teaching environment. The main purpose of this project is to enhance classroom teaching of OR solution techniques using a graphical toolbox with many features, e.g., view teaching tutorials, create new OR problems, and obtain their solutions. NCUR 2006 Poster No. XX Traditional Traditional vs. Toolbox Teaching OR targets the best decisions by using mathematical models What is OR? Traditional way of displaying the solution We have the following stages to solve the problem recursively: Stage 3: f3(5) = 6, f3(6) = 4 Stage 2: f2(2) = min{d25 + f3(5), d26 + f3(6)} = 16 (via node 6). f2(3) = min{d35 + f3(5), d36 + f3(6)} = 7 (via node 6). f2(4) = min{d45 + f3(5), d46 + f3(6)} = 12 (via node 6 or 5). Stage 1: f1(1) = min{d12 + f2(2), d13 + f2(3), d14 + f2(4)} = 18 (via node 4). The optimal route is – 7 or , the optimal distance is 18 for both routes. The instructor draws the two routes in different colors (red & orange) Weaknesses: Students will only get frozen images of a dynamic procedure Students will only get frozen images of a dynamic procedure More time-consuming compared to the second method due to hand drawn figures and hand written concepts More time-consuming compared to the second method due to hand drawn figures and hand written concepts Cannot follow the pace of each individual student in the classroom Cannot follow the pace of each individual student in the classroom Toolbox way of displaying the solution Toolbox Components ‘Print’ command allows student to print the information on the ‘Interactive Blackboard’ directly on paper ‘Help’ command will open a popup window to answer the frequently asked questions on the components of the toolbox This combo box contains a list of the OR models and techniques covered in the toolbox ‘START THE TEACHING’ command will star displaying the solution procedure on the ‘Interactive Blackboard’ Conclusions and Future Work The aim of this project is to raise the awareness of innovative teaching in OR and mathematics, and advance the educational means in those fields. The graphical toolbox is proven to be very promising because of the positive feedback from students and professors in performance surveys. Acknowledgments The author would like to gratefully acknowledge support for this work from the Center for 21st Century Teaching Excellence and the College of Engineering Research Experience for Undergraduate program at the University of South Florida. Also, the author would like to expand his appreciation to Dr. Nan Kong for his advice and support during the implementation of this project.