There are a variety of discrete facility location models that have practical relevance for operations management and management science courses. Integer linear programming (ILP) is the standard technique for solving such problems. An alternative approach that is often conceptually appealing to students is to pose the problem as one of finding the…

Single-period inventory models with uncertain demand are very well known in the business analytics community. Typically, such models are rule-based functions, or sets of functions, of one decision variable (order quantity) and one random variable (demand). In academics, the models are taught selectively and usually not completely. Students are…

Business educators are struggling with how better to engage their students in the learning process. At the same time, stakeholders are reporting that business students are ill prepared in problem solving techniques and the effective use of spreadsheets. The systemic use of Excel as a teaching tool in the business curriculum may be the answer to…

This experiment investigates the effectiveness of Excel spreadsheets in a high school algebra class. Students in the experiment group convincingly outperformed the control group on a post lesson assessment. The student responses, teacher observations involving Excel spreadsheet revealed that it operated as a mindtool, which formed the users'…

Do students learn to model OR/MS problems better by using computer-based interactive tutorials and, if so, does increased interactivity in the tutorials lead to better learning? In order to determine the effect of different levels of interactivity on student learning, we used screen capture technology to design interactive support materials for…

This article uses one of the authors' classroom experiences to explore how teachers can create technology-rich learning environments that support upper elementary students' mathematical understanding of algebra and number and operations. They describe a unit that presents a common financial problem (the use of credit cards) to engage sixth graders…

Presents a model based on a bicycle metaphor for teaching problem solving and computer-mediated solutions, discusses its implications for education, and lists ten strategies applied using the model. Provides a unit plan on using spreadsheets to explore Australian convict history, outlining establishment, development, interpretation, and…

U.S. mathematics education has been criticized for being too broad. This article examines ways middle school students use simple problems and situations to foster a deeper understanding of underlying concepts. Presents a sample area and perimeter problem, describes extending the problem using tiles to determine minimum perimeter, and discusses…

This document contains the second volume of the proceedings of the 29th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Conference papers are centered around the theme of "Learners and Learning Environments." This volume features 43 research reports by presenters with last names beginning between Adl…