Refocusing on the Operational Level of Pedagogy: A Military Analogy for Bridging Educational Strategy and Classroom Tac

1. Refocusing on the Operational Level of Pedagogy:A Military Analogy for Bridging Educational Strategy and Classroom Tactics American Society for Engineering Education New England Section Annual Conference 17 March 2006 MAJ Ernest Y. Wong Department of Systems Engineering United States Military Academy

2. The United States Military Academy Diverse Faculty Academic Programs Systems Engineering * Operations Research Engineering Management * Information Engineering Systems Management 39 Faculty (33 military, 6 civilian) 15 Ph.Ds (+ 3 ABD) and 49 M.S. All military career fields represented 4 White House Fellows in 11 years Nationally recognized Academic & Research Programs State of the Art Facilities Unique Capabilities • Integrated laboratories: • Combat Simulation Lab (CSL) • Systems Methodology & Design Lab • (SMDL) • Acquisition Management Systems • Design (AMSD) Lab • Computer Aided Systems Engineering (CASE) Labs • Information Visualization Lab (IVL) Academic Expertise Military Experience Department of Systems Engineering- Serving the Academy & the Army since 1989 - * ABET Accredited

3. Core Systems Engineering Sequence Model Crawl Walk Run Methods Course SE350 Introductory Course SE300 Design Course SE450 • Introduces non-Engineering majors to a systematic problem solving framework • Acquaints undergraduate students to engineering concepts and terminology • --Stakeholder Analysis • --Problem Definition • --Value Hierarchy • --Alternative Generation • --Cost Benefit Analysis • --Pareto Principle • --Functional Decomposition • --Assessment & Control • Develops student teams capable of helping satisfy client needs and proposing solutions to actual problems • --West Point Cemetery • --Army/Navy Game Site • --Cadet Summer Training • --Cadet Ethics Training • --Post 9/11 Traffic Flow • --Officer Branch Selection • --Army UAV Cmd & Cntl • --Soldier Pre-Deployment Tng • Builds upon the mathematics and basic science concepts learned in • the undergraduate core curriculum • Introduces non-Engineering majors to various quantitative • methods • Focuses on the application of economic, deterministic, and stochastic • models • --Decision Analysis (Risk and Uncertainty) • --Engineering Economy (Time Value of Money) • --Optimization Techniques • --Forecasting • --Spreadsheet Modeling • --Monte Carlo Simulation

4. Educational Strategy, Operations, and Tactics Classrooms that educate, train, and inspire students towards higher levels of cognitive functions HOW? WHY? WHAT? Tactics Employed techniques and procedures for classroom interaction & communications Strategy General direction and overall plan of the educational vision Operations Content and processes that bridge theoretical concepts with practical knowledge “Tactics is the art of using troops in battle; strategy is the art of using battles to win the war.” --Carl von Clausewitz

5. Military Strategy, Operations, and Tactics • All Three Help Commanders: • Visualize a logical flow of operations • Allocate resources • Assign tasks • FM 3-0, Operations, states: • The levels have “no finite limits or boundaries between them” • The “interdependent relationship of all three” helps achieve military victory The U.S. Army’s Field Manual Number FM 3-0, Operations

6. Operational Initiatives to Help Bridge Pedagogical Strategy & Classroom Tactics in SE350 • Engineering Economy—Personal Finance Project • Stimulate interest • Provide post-graduation financial awareness • Leverage spreadsheet modeling for real-world problems • - Model loan payments • - Understand credit cards and credit card debt • - Examine future income streams • - Examine anticipated living expenses • - Analyze inflation • Monte Carlo Simulation—Actual Investment Ideas • Make course material relevant • Excite students into doing “what-if” analyses • Illustrate math concepts • - Understanding histograms & risk • - Central Limit Theorem & diversification • Spreadsheet Modeling—Federal Income Taxes • Introduce tax filing requirements • Show practical purpose for spreadsheets • Demonstrate spreadsheet as a management tool

7. Summative Student Feedback in SE350

8. Formative Student Feedback in SE350 • “I see a lot of potential for Excel.” • “I thought the projects were very applicable.” • “I liked learning how to use the simulation models.” • “I really liked the systems modeling and design portion of the course—it was straight-forward and applicable.” • “I liked the projects; they gave me a chance to actually figure out which course of action to take instead of me knowing exactly which decision making process to use.” • “I wish I had more of these projects.” • “I wish I had majored in Systems Engineering instead of xxxxxxxx.”

9. Goal of Systems Engineering at USMA “We are preparing graduates who are scientifically literate and capable of applying mathematical, engineering, and computational modes of thought to the solution of complex problems.” --Dean, USMA

10. An inscription dedicated to Dennis Hart Mahan, Professor of Engineering at the United States Military Academy from 1832 to 1871, describes him as “a man who emphasized that theoretical knowledge should be applied with common sense.” Pros and Cons of the Military Setting for Class • Cons • Standardized Curriculum • --Core courses • --Technology baseline • Common graduation prospects • --Duties and responsibilities • --Military environment • --Role as Second Lieutenant • Pros • Standardized Curriculum • --Core courses • --Technology baseline • Common graduation prospects • --Duties and responsibilities • --Military environment • --Role as Second Lieutenant

11. Operational Context—The Bridge Between Strategy and Tactics

12. Questions? ernest.wong@usma.edu