Incorporating the academic performance of undergraduate students into the teaching material of an operations management course

Abstract

In this research, we open an operations management window over the 16-year performance data of a state-funded teaching-focused business-school (SFTFBS) on graduation rates and time-to-degrees. We implement operations management concepts and tools such as systems thinking, operations strategy, process flow analysis, predictive analytics, inventory management, and descriptive statistics to analyse the time-to-degree problem to find potential improving solutions. Through this process, we have learned that the students' interest and classroom interactions are increased when the teaching material is closer to the real-life of the students. Accordingly, the results of this study are brought into the classroom. They are embedded in the teaching material as real-life problems and assignments to teach and learn operations management. We have observed that this approach has a positive impact on the mental presence and intellectual engagement of students inside the classrooms.