On behalf of the Education Committee, Selin Ahipasaoglu attended the EURO Workshop on Education, the first event of its kind. Below is a brief summary of what took place.

The EURO Workshop on Education, a preconference event of the 34th European Conference on Operational Research (EURO 2025), was held on 21 June 2025 in Leeds, UK. Organised by the EURO OR Education Forum, the eight-hour workshop brought together educators and researchers to share experiences and explore new ideas in Operational Research (OR) education.

Chaired by Arne Heinold, Jeroen Belien, Maria Antónia Carravilla, and Stefan Creemers, the workshop provided an interactive platform for open discussion and collaboration. The morning session focused on participantled discussions about teaching OR courses, such as undergraduate linear programming and MSc analytics modules. Attendees shared effective practices and ongoing challenges, with common concerns including reduced investment in education, growing student-to-staff ratios, limited access to modern teaching infrastructure, and a shortage of trained teaching assistants. The impact of generative AI tools also came up frequently. It was argued that while they can be beneficial in creating more personalised learning experiences and can lead to efficient evaluation of coursework and exams, they can also lead to diminishing student understanding and over-reliance on such technologies can be dangerous for students and educators alike.

A strong emphasis was placed on bridging theory and practice in OR education. Effective strategies for both undergraduate and postgraduate level teaching included inviting guest lecturers from industry to classes regularly, developing case studies with external partners using real world data where possible, and integrating internships into the curriculum.

The afternoon showcased four insightful presentations:

  • “Tutoring Tool for OR Teaching – A Lesson Learned from a Technology University with No Tutoring Traditions” – Katarzyna Gdowska
  • “Challenge-Based Learning in Operations Research: Games and Interactive Strategies for Teaching Optimization”– Pablo Gonzalez-Brevis
  • “Enhancing Operations Research Learning with an Online Exercise and Assessment System” – Rafael Martinelli
  • “Who Runs the Factory? Teaching OR and Lean with a Manufacturing Game” – Samuel Moniz

“The event succeeded not only in knowledge-sharing, but also in laying the groundwork for future collaborative impact.”

Particularly inspiring was Dr Moniz’s presentation of a teaching factory in Portugal, where first-year students collaboratively design and operate a lean manufacturing system. The hands-on environment offers a practical, hands-on learning experience, helping students gain intuitive understanding on the complexities involved in modern operations before being exposed to the mathematical foundations that govern them.

The workshop attracted attendees from across Europe and beyond, fostering a vibrant network of professionals dedicated to advancing OR education. The event succeeded not only in knowledge-sharing, but also in laying the groundwork for future collaborative impact. Participants initiated several collaborative group projects aimed at co-developing new teaching resources and conducting long-term research in OR education. These international partnerships reflect a strong commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in the field. One of the potential projects is on collecting data on OR related courses offered by various institutions around the globe with the goal of recording what is considered an essential part of OR education now and how this will change in the coming years. OR Society is keen on playing a key part in this project by leading the data collection from the UK institutions.