Integrating a discovery‐based laboratory to teach supply chain management fundamentals in an undergraduate management course

Abstract

Using experiential simulation games is a commonly used pedagogical method to enrich classroom discussions and to facilitate students’ learning in supply chain management education at both undergraduate and graduate levels. However, existing games are inappropriate for undergraduate students that are first‐time learners of the subject. In this paper, we describe a discovery‐based laboratory that is developed to supplement an undergraduate introductory operations management course when the fundamentals of supply chain management are taught. The detailed description of the lab and the assessment results of student learning effectiveness based on a rubric technique are provided. We also compare the student performance with and without the lab in terms of understanding the general aspects of supply chains. In addition, we comment on the limitations and possible expansions of the lab.

Keywords:

• supply chain management
• operations management
• laboratory exercise
• discovery‐based learning
• simulation
• teaching innovation

Acknowledgements

Partial support for this work was provided by the Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement Program in the National Science Foundation under grant DUE‐0126672. The authors are grateful to Professor Arthur Gerstenfeld, Mr Saumitra Mishra, and Mr Boris Ramos for their assistance in conducting the experiment, and collecting and analysing the data.

Notes

1. Background can be found at SRI International, Center for Technology in Learning, http://pals.sri.com/guide/scoringdetail.html