The studio approach toteaching the craft of modeling

Abstract

Successful applications of MS/OR depends on striking a balance between the science ofMS/OR (its tools and a body of related technical knowledge) and the craft of MS/OR, which isa much less well-defined collection of practical skills. Many observers note that the teaching ofMS/OR has emphasized the scientific aspects of the field to the near exclusion of the craft aspects.The major focus has been on the tools of MS/OR: linear programs, decision trees, queueingmodels, and so on. But for the practitioner, the tools or models themselves are only part of abroader modeling effort. Successfully teaching the craft of modeling has been a long-termchallenge in MS/OR. In this paper, I describe one successful approach, called the “studioapproach”, to teaching the craft of modeling to practitioners. This approach resembles the wayother arts such as painting or architecture are taught. I explore the analogy between teaching thecraft of modeling by first examining how the arts are taught, and then comparing how modelingis taught in a studio setting. One of many interesting connections between these two domains liesin the development of a specialized language by which the teacher communicates his or her craftto the student. I propose a number of modeling heuristics, or rules of thumb, which begin tocapture some of the language of the practising modeler.