Issues in Education
Keep INFORM-ED with Column
By Salwa Ammar
This special issue featuring innovative education marks the fifth anniversary of the regular column entitled "Issues in Education." The column is written by rotating authors on a variety of subjects, ideas and tools related to ORMS education. The first column in August of 1996, "Become an INFORM-ED Member" by Erhan Erkut, drew much attention to the causes of ORMS education in general and INFORM-ED (INFORMS Forum on Education) in particular.
One sunny afternoon in a small conference room of the New Orleans Sheraton, during the Fall 1995 INFORMS Meeting, a group of participants got together and shared ideas about ORMS education. That same afternoon the education forum was established under the leadership of Erhan Erkut, Tom Grossman and Armann Ingolfsson.
INFORMS conferences now include an education cluster where participants present and share ideas. INFORM-ED sponsors colloquia geared toward providing new teachers of ORMS with skills and tools for effective teaching. INFORM-ED also sponsors a competition for best new cases in ORMS education and a series of teaching management science summer workshops. The forum maintains a Web site, http://education.forum.informs.org, which includes a variety of educational material and resources. More recently INFORMS launched a peer reviewed on-line journal, INFORMS Transactions on Education (http:// ite.informs.org), dedicated to ORMS education. Last but not least, INFORM-ED sponsors this regular column in OR/MS Today, "Issues in Education."
On this fifth anniversary of the column, I wish to reiterate Erhan Erkut's call to become an INFORM-ED member and to participate in the many opportunities for discussion of ORMS education (to join contact John Lawrence, secretary-treasurer of INFORM-ED: jlawrence@fullerton.edu). In particular I want to invite interested readers to contribute to the OR/MS Today column, "Issues in Education." We hope to widen our circle of contributors and help introduce new ideas, expertise and topics of discussion related to ORMS education.
Who should write for the column?
Education is a significant part of our lives and not only to those of us who are in academia. ORMS education in particular is multidisciplinary and encompasses a variety of philosophies, approaches and contents. It is continually evolving to meet the renewed demands of changing environments. The objective of the column is to share experiences, successes and failures at various levels and for all stakeholders of ORMS education. We encourage contributions from all teachers, students, engineers, managers and college administrators who wish to participate in shaping the education of ORMS.
Why write for the column?
This is a very effective medium for informal exchange of ideas, opinions and experiences. The readership of OR/MS Today is large and diverse. The column provides the opportunity for many to be creative, far reaching and thought provoking — free from the usual burdens of academic writing. My personal experience with writing for the column generated numerous responses from colleagues who helped me further refine my thoughts on experiential learning, as well as from long lost friends with whom I welcomed the renewed professional and personal contacts.
What to write about:
The scope of the column is ORMS education in general. It includes topics of education that support and are supported by ORMS. The column can express general opinions on the direction of ORMS education. It can describe innovative and effective pedagogy. It can highlight strengths and weaknesses in current curricula. It can serve as announcements for education-related events and opportunities. It can review tools and teaching material. It can relate unique classroom practices and experiences. It can describe relevance and applicability of skills and knowledge provided in ORMS curricula.
Contribution to the column need not be comprehensive and in-depth analysis of educational issues. In fact, one of our objectives for the column is to share simple and effective ideas and tools that can help us all become better educators. As a teacher, write about that "perfect" example that helps you introduce concepts of simulation (for example), or the role of OR in your e-commerce course. Is VBA a must learn for OR students? What is a good case for supply-chain management? As a student, what approach helped you understand the relevance of queueing theory (for example)? What is the "ideal" learning/assessment environment? As a practitioner, what skills are ORMS graduates lacking? What is the role of continuing, on-the-job education? As an administrator, what challenges do IT departments have in supporting ORMS education? Is enrollment in ORMS programs an issue that needs to be addressed? In essence, as a person interested in ORMS education, what specific issue do you wish to share with the many other invested readers?
How to write for the column:
The column is approximately 800 words and may include a figure or illustration. Please send your submission to ammar@mail.lemoyne.edu. Submissions are generally considered on a first-come, first-serve basis. I look forward to reading about a variety of new and interesting "Issues in Education."
Salwa Ammar is a professor of Operations Management and Management Science at Le Moyne College. She is an officer of INFORM-ED and edits the "Issues in Education" column.
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