出版社:Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
摘要:Engineering design is a difficult task. Designers work at the boundaries between physical laws, societal or governmental regulations, the need for efficiency, and the desire to develop creative or aesthetic solutions. Teaching engineering design is therefore a difficult task. How is it possible to stimulate students to think of creative solutions while adhering to established principles and necessary rules? Certainly, it is important for students to have deep-seated roots in engineering fundamentals. These fundamentals include both a strong overall engineering core and coursework specific to the particular branch of engineering study undertaken by the student. For industrial engineers, the study of operations research is fundamental in preparing them for careers in engineering design. This paper addresses one way of encouraging creativity in teaching operations research in industrial engineering design curricula. Specifically, this paper provides examples of the use of games as pedagogical tools in teaching operations research. These games cannot be used as a substitute for teaching practical applications, but they are excellent supplementary tools that encourage students to tackle highly structured problems creatively while working on interesting and enjoyable tasks. Four examples are provided within the paper.
关键词:creative problem solving ; integer programming ; puzzles