Advances in Operations Research

Education European Studies 1st Edition

Jeroen Beliën
Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://textbookfull.com/product/advances-in-operations-research-education-european
-studies-1st-edition-jeroen-belien/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Qualitative Research in European Migration Studies

Ricard Zapata-Barrero

https://textbookfull.com/product/qualitative-research-in-
european-migration-studies-ricard-zapata-barrero/

Operations Research-Operations Research: Theory and

Practice 1st Edition N.V.S Raju (Author)

https://textbookfull.com/product/operations-research-operations-
research-theory-and-practice-1st-edition-n-v-s-raju-author/

Handbook Of Theory And Research In Cultural Studies And

Education 1st Edition Peter Pericles Trifonas

https://textbookfull.com/product/handbook-of-theory-and-research-
in-cultural-studies-and-education-1st-edition-peter-pericles-
trifonas/

Advances in Virus Research 1st Edition Kielian

https://textbookfull.com/product/advances-in-virus-research-1st-
edition-kielian/
Operations Research Applications in Health Care
Management 1st Edition Cengiz Kahraman

https://textbookfull.com/product/operations-research-
applications-in-health-care-management-1st-edition-cengiz-
kahraman/

Innovation in Hospitality Education: Anticipating the

Educational Needs of a Changing Profession 1st Edition
Jeroen A. Oskam

https://textbookfull.com/product/innovation-in-hospitality-
education-anticipating-the-educational-needs-of-a-changing-
profession-1st-edition-jeroen-a-oskam/

25 Years of Transformations of Higher Education Systems

in Post-Soviet Countries Jeroen Huisman

https://textbookfull.com/product/25-years-of-transformations-of-
higher-education-systems-in-post-soviet-countries-jeroen-huisman/

Operations Research Proceedings 2013 Selected Papers of

the International Conference on Operations Research
OR2013 organized by the German Operations Research
Society GOR the Dutch Society of Operations Research
NGB and Erasmus University Rotterda 1st Edition Dennis
https://textbookfull.com/product/operations-research-
proceedings-2013-selected-papers-of-the-international-conference-
Huisman
on-operations-research-or2013-organized-by-the-german-operations-
research-society-gor-the-dutch-society-of-operatio/

The Palgrave International Handbook of Higher Education

Policy and Governance 1st Edition Jeroen Huisman

https://textbookfull.com/product/the-palgrave-international-
handbook-of-higher-education-policy-and-governance-1st-edition-
jeroen-huisman/
Lecture Notes in Logistics
Series Editors: Uwe Clausen · Michael ten Hompel · Robert de Souza
Hans W. Ittmann
Margarida Vaz Pato
Jeroen Beliën
Marco Laumanns
Ana Paula Teixeira
João Luís de Miranda Editors

Advances in
Operations
Research
Education
European Studies
Lecture Notes in Logistics

Series editors
Uwe Clausen, Dortmund, Germany
Michael ten Hompel, Dortmund, Germany
Robert de Souza, Singapore, Singapore
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11220
Hans W. Ittmann Margarida Vaz Pato
•

Jeroen Beliën Marco Laumanns

•

Ana Paula Teixeira João Luís de Miranda

•

Editors

Advances in Operations
Research Education
European Studies

OR/ MS
Education
A S T U DY 123
Editors
Hans W. Ittmann Ana Paula Teixeira
Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies Polo CMAT-UTAD
University of Johannesburg Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto
Johannesburg Douro
South Africa Vila Real
Portugal
Margarida Vaz Pato
CMAF-CIO and ISEG João Luís de Miranda
Universidade de Lisboa Departamento de Tecnologias, Escola
Lisboa Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão
Portugal Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre
Portalegre
Jeroen Beliën Portugal
Faculty of Economics and Business
University of Leuven and
Leuven
Belgium CERENA—Centro de Recursos Naturais e
Ambiente, Instituto Superior Técnico
Marco Laumanns Universidade de Lisboa
ETH Zürich Lisboa
Zürich Portugal
Switzerland

ISSN 2194-8917 ISSN 2194-8925 (electronic)

Lecture Notes in Logistics
ISBN 978-3-319-74103-1 ISBN 978-3-319-74104-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74104-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017963524

© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar
methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from
the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or
for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to
jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Printed on acid-free paper

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer International Publishing AG
part of Springer Nature
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Foreword

Just like its predecessor, this volume sheds light on what used to be a completely
underdeveloped topic: education in OR/MS at the bachelor and master level. Even
though most of our colleagues in the research domain OR/MS also teach various
subjects at different levels, a broad picture was lacking. The various contributions to
this book will no doubt be instrumental in creating a clearer view on both the
practice and the theory of teaching OR/MS.
EURO, the association of national Operations Research societies, has always put
a heavy focus on education. Its viewpoint throughout the years has been that
high-quality research can only be attained if enough highly skilled researchers are
available. But highly skilled researchers need to be trained by highly skilled
teachers. Initiatives like this will no doubt be instrumental in the professionalization
of teaching practices in OR/MS.
Without reservations, EURO is proud to support the OR/MS education initiative.

Antwerp, Belgium Kenneth Sörensen

EURO Vice President
University of Antwerp

v
Preface

The world is changing at an unprecedented rate with the expectations, needs, and
demands of government and business evolving faster than ever. The challenges
facing the workforce of the future will be huge given the evolving political,
environmental, technological, digital, economic, demographic, and social land-
scape. Solving skills, linked with innovation and creativity, will be required to
ensure clear judgment and sound decision making in face of the large and complex
problems ahead. Operations research/management science (OR/MS) is ideally
positioned to address these problems, and it plays an increasingly significant role in
the analysis, resolution, and solution finding of such complex problems. The
opportunities to develop new processes and tools are also challenging higher
education, and it must be ensured that OR/MS education and curricula evolve and
stay abreast with the needs of the near future.
The main purpose of the book “Advances in OR Education” is to contribute to
an overview of innovative practices in OR/MS education within the European
context. The covered topics are transversal and multi-disciplinary; namely, the first
two chapters include some of the most recent developments and changes on the
educational environment, while a set of general topics on OR/MS education at
European level are addressed in Chaps. 3–6. Specific topics on teaching and
learning are also addressed in Chaps. 7–10, respectively, in the health sector, for
engineering programs, and in experiences concerning the introduction of opti-
mization concepts and techniques either in higher education or school education.
The “European Study on OR/MS Education”, which was conducted over the
period 2015 to 2016, was an effort to contribute and assist OR/MS researchers and
practitioners by endeavoring to identify and address problems faced in the area of
OR/MS Education. The book presents a view and aims to contribute to a better
understanding of the current state of OR/MS education in Europe. The study was
supported by the Association of European Operational Research Societies (EURO).
Currently, EURO includes 31 member countries as well as a number of integrated
member countries from other continents outside of Europe (e.g., Israel, South
Africa, Turkey, or Tunisia). In this regard, the wording Europe and European, as it
is used throughout this book, shall be perceived in a wide and broader sense. It was

vii
viii Preface

a pleasure to edit the contributed manuscripts, as it is now to introduce the book as a

main reference of the referred study.
Chapter 1 outlines the main results from the survey that was done at the outset
of the “European Study on OR/MS Education.” Five key factors were identified
covering various aspects of OR/MS education in Europe, and these were included
in the survey questions. The chapter, thus, gives an updated insight of OR/MS
education in Europe, and it intends to serve as an introduction to the remaining
chapters, where various authors present their perspective and/or experience on this
theme. The results outlined in this chapter can be used in various ways for com-
parison purposes; for example, how OR/MS education at an individual university
can be compared to the entire European situation.
A future perspective, or a context, of the environment within which OR/MS
education will be conducted into is presented in Chap. 2. The world is changing at
accelerating speed, and it is difficult to keep track of technological innovations and
developments. Furthermore, there is closer connectivity between countries through
globalization while climate change is now a reality. It is within this perception of a
changing world that OR/MS professionals have to operate. It is, thus, essential that
OR/MS courses at educational institutions evolve continuously, being revised,
upgraded, and changed, in a way to empower OR/MS students to meet the enor-
mous challenges of this changing world.
Šorić and Zekić-Sušac present in Chap. 3, an analysis of the current situation as
it relates to OR-related programs and courses offered at university level in Croatia.
Aspects such as the collaboration between higher education institutions and the
business community as it relates to OR are presented, as well as the role that the
Croatian Operational Research Society plays both as the country’s OR community
and as the promoter of OR/MS as a scientific discipline. The analysis is based on a
survey that was conducted, and it reveals interesting and useful results. Therefore,
suggestions to improve the current OR situation at Croatian universities, such as
adapting and changing OR/MS courses, were made. Additionally, the study also
enabled society, in general, to acknowledge the impact of OR/MS on the economy
of Croatia.
In Chap. 4, Carravilla and Oliveira outline and discuss the various OR/MS
educational resources that are currently available. One of the aspects they highlight
is the development in technology, while they focus the most important resources on
computer-based education at international level. Beyond the emphasis on what is
currently done in this regard in Portugal, their home country, the analysis enables
them to identify shortcomings of educational resources in OR and opportunities for
its development. They concluded that the promotion of OR/MS as academic field is
intimately related to educational issues, and the educational resources directly
impact on the ability to attract people to the field and the education thereof.
Ittmann gives a perspective on OR/MS education in South Africa in Chap. 5. It
is shown that the education system in South Africa itself is currently under severe
pressure. This is especially true in critically important subject areas that are directly
impacting OR/MS education, not only in terms of quality but also concerning the
number of students: mathematics and sciences. As a complement to this important
Preface ix

context, the rest of the chapter focuses on OR/MS education at the South African
tertiary, or higher education, institutions. The current status of OR/MS education in
South Africa is analyzed; a replica of the European study on OR/MS education
presented in Chap. 1 was carried out.
In Chap. 6, Miranda and Teixeira provide an overview of good practices of
OR/MS education while also present different European projects of OR/MS nature.
The sources of information were the presentations on the topic at two of the most
relevant international OR/MS conferences, namely the EURO and IFORS confer-
ences, and the Portuguese OR/MS conference, as well as projects developed on
behalf of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency. The insights
gained from the main trends in OR/MS education are highlighted. Good practices
and international cooperation initiatives are presented. This includes two different
aspects, namely educational practices such as classroom approaches, courses
design, courses assessment, and the applications of OR/MS tools to education.
Reuter-Oppermann, Zander, and Nickel outlined an innovative approach to
teaching how to apply OR/MS to healthcare problems in Chap. 7. In their course
“Operations Research in Health Care Management” within the MSc program on
“Industrial Engineering and Management,” the authors introduce the German
healthcare system. Additionally, a variety of OR/MS methods and their application
to healthcare planning problems are covered. Furthermore, a practical seminar
“Health Care Management,” where students work in groups to solve real-world
problems from hospitals or other healthcare facilities using OR/MS methods, is
offered. This practical work is done in close collaboration with those that will
benefit from this in the various facilities. Finally, the seminar “Hospital
Management” taught by a former hospital director gives additional insight into the
hospital processes as well as the regulations and the best practices. The aim ulti-
mately is to attach students to health care and to prepare them for managerial
positions.
In Chap. 8, Krassadaki, Doumpos, and Matsatsinis are comparing the interna-
tional practice with their teaching experience in a Greek engineering school. These
authors have spent more than twenty years tutoring OR-based courses, and they
present the results of a pilot teaching study undertaken during a three-year period,
from 2009 to 2011. The study specifically aimed at enhancing the scientific
knowledge, communication (writing and speaking), and team-working skills of the
students. The results were very encouraging showing, inter alia, that the key skills
required are analytical skills, verbal communication, mathematical,
problem-solving, interpersonal, critical thinking and written communication, as
well as the knowledge of related software such as statistical and modeling packages.
Fernandes and Pereira discuss and illustrate the use of the GLP-Tool (Graphical
LP), an active learning technical tool, in Chap. 9. As described in other chapters of
this book, there is strong evidence of the importance and effectiveness of using
active learning tools. The GLP-Tool enables an active learning environment
whereby the user can explore the fundamental LP concepts in a dynamical manner.
Implemented within the computer algebra system Mathematica, this tool allows the
user to explore small LP problems with different objective functions and sets of
x Preface

constraints. All the functionalities are represented graphically and updated in real
time, which makes it a powerful tool for teaching and learning LP, both in
undergraduate and high school courses.
In Chap. 10, Colaço, Branco, and Vaz Pato addressed the topic of teaching
optimization in school education, from the first to the twelfth grade, with various
levels of difficulty. They present the outcomes of a study involving three
well-known optimization problems within the OR/MS community. These three
problems, namely network flow optimization, packing optimization, and LP pro-
vide an interesting context to explore connections between mathematics and real
life within the classroom. The authors made it clear that the proposed problems
promote reasoning, communication, representation skills, and problem-solving
processes. In addition, teaching optimization provides a rich context to involve
students in their learning process and to stimulate mathematics discussions.
The book “Advances in OR Education” will hopefully serve as an important
reference to the European higher education area. The editors believe it can provide
an overview of different but very important topics on OR and MS Education that
can be used by higher education boards, deans and school directors as well as
OR/MS program coordinators, course developers, professors, researchers, and other
OR/MS professionals.
Finally, we would like to thank all the contributors. Without their inputs, this
book would not have been possible. In addition, we would like to express our
appreciation and gratitude to all the reviewers, who played a vital role in ensuring
high quality and standard, for their time and valuable inputs.

Johannesburg, South Africa Hans W. Ittmann

Lisboa, Portugal Margarida Vaz Pato
Leuven, Belgium Jeroen Beliën
Zürich, Switzerland Marco Laumanns
Vila Real, Portugal Ana Paula Teixeira
Portalegre, Portugal João Luís de Miranda
Contents

European Study on OR/MS Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Ana Paula Teixeira, Hans W. Ittmann, Jeroen Beliën, João Luís de
Miranda, Marco Laumanns and Margarida Vaz Pato
OR/MS Education in a Changing Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Hans W. Ittmann, Jeroen Beliën and João Luís de Miranda
Is Operational Research Attractive Enough
at Higher Education Institutions in Croatia? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Kristina Šorić and Marijana Zekić-Sušac
Resources for the Education in Operations Research:
Past, Present and Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Maria Antónia Carravilla and José Fernando Oliveira
A South African Perspective on OR/MS Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Hans W. Ittmann
OR/MS Education: Good Practices
and International Cooperation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
João Luís de Miranda and Ana Paula Teixeira
An Innovative Concept for Teaching Operations
Research Applied to Health Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Melanie Reuter-Oppermann, Anne Zander and Stefan Nickel
Teaching OR Courses to Satisfy Educational and Professional
Needs in an Engineering School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Evangelia Krassadaki, Michalis Doumpos and Nikolaos F. Matsatsinis

xi
xii Contents

Providing an Active Learning Environment

for Introducing Linear Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Susana Fernandes and José C. Pereira
Optimization Problems at School: Some Examples
from the 1st to the 12th Grades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Susana Colaço, Neusa Branco and Margarida Vaz Pato
Contributors

Jeroen Beliën Research Center for Information Management, Modeling and

Simulation, Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
Neusa Branco Escola Superior de Educação, Instituto Politécnico de Santarém
and Unidade de Investigação do Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa,
Lisboa, Portugal
Maria Antónia Carravilla INESC TEC and Faculty of Engineering, University
of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Susana Colaço Escola Superior de Educação and Unidade de Investigação do
IPSantarém, Instituto Politécnico de Santarém, Santarém, Portugal
Michalis Doumpos School of Production Engineering and Management,
Technical University of Crete, University Campus, Chania, Greece
Susana Fernandes FCT-Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
Hans W. Ittmann Institute for Logistics and Transport Studies ITLS (Africa),
University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Evangelia Krassadaki School of Production Engineering and Management,
Technical University of Crete, University Campus, Chania, Greece
Marco Laumanns ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Nikolaos F. Matsatsinis School of Production Engineering and Management,
Technical University of Crete, University Campus, Chania, Greece
João Luís de Miranda Departamento de Tecnologias, Escola Superior de
Tecnologia e Gestão, Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre, Portalegre, Portugal;
CERENA—Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente, Instituto Superior Técnico,
Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

xiii
xiv Contributors

Stefan Nickel Institute of Operations Research—Discrete Optimization and

Logistics (IOR-DOL) and Karlsruhe Service Research Institute (KSRI), Karlsruhe
Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
José Fernando Oliveira INESC TEC and Faculty of Engineering, University of
Porto, Porto, Portugal
Margarida Vaz Pato ISEG and CMAF-CIO, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa,
Portugal
José C. Pereira FCT-Universidade Do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
Melanie Reuter-Oppermann Institute of Operations Research—Discrete
Optimization and Logistics (IOR-DOL) and Karlsruhe Service Research Institute
(KSRI), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
Kristina Šorić Zagreb School of Economics and Management, Zagreb, Croatia
Ana Paula Teixeira Polo CMAT-UTAD and Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e
Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
Anne Zander Institute of Operations Research—Discrete Optimization and
Logistics (IOR-DOL) and Karlsruhe Service Research Institute (KSRI), Karlsruhe
Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
Marijana Zekić-Sušac Faculty of Economics in Osijek, University of Osijek,
Osijek, Croatia
European Study on OR/MS Education

Ana Paula Teixeira, Hans W. Ittmann, Jeroen Beliën,

João Luís de Miranda, Marco Laumanns and Margarida Vaz Pato

Many studies have been done regarding the higher education international context
in general, however none of these studies specifically focussed on the way that
Operations Research/Management Science (OR/MS) education is perceived at
European level as well as the related key factors. Suitable European level actions to
support OR/MS education include, inter alia, coordination of efforts in different

A. P. Teixeira (&)
Polo CMAT-UTAD and Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro,
Quinta de Prados 1013, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
e-mail: ateixeir@utad.pt
H. W. Ittmann
Institute for Transport and Logistics Studies, University of Johannesburg,
Johannesburg, South Africa
e-mail: hittmann01@gmail.com
J. Beliën
Research Center for Information Management, Modeling and Simulation,
Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
e-mail: jeroen.belien@kuleuven.be
J. L. de Miranda
Departamento de Tecnologias, Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão,
Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre, P7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal
e-mail: jlmiranda@estgp.pt; joaoluismiranda@tecnico.ulisboa.pt
J. L. de Miranda
CERENA-Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente, Instituto Superior Técnico,
Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, IST, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
M. Laumanns
ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
e-mail: laumanns@ethz.ch
M. V. Pato
ISEG and CMAF-CIO, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
e-mail: mpato@iseg.ulisboa.pt

© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 1

J. Beliën et al. (eds.), Advances in Operations Research Education,
Lecture Notes in Logistics, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74104-8_1
2 A. P. Teixeira et al.

countries, avoiding replication and improving resources utilisation, especially in the

case of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that are under severe finance con-
straints. This chapter gives a view on the “state” of OR/MS education in Europe and
intends to be an introduction to the remaining chapters, where various authors
present their perspective and/or experience on this theme.

1 Introduction

Significant progress has been made in OR/MS Education in Europe. Nonetheless,

further developments that may contribute to an improved overview of educational
practices in this field, namely to identify key factors related to OR/MS programs in
HEIs, are still in need. In this regard, a study on OR/MS education, supported by
the Association of European Operational Research Societies (EURO), was devel-
oped in order to obtain detailed insight into the current state of this field in Europe.
EURO currently includes 31 member societies; mainly from Europe but three
non-European countries are also EURO member societies, namely Israel, South
Africa and Tunisia. In the first phase, it was intended to identify the main topics
related to: (i) enrolment of students; (ii) first year students failure reduction;
(iii) continuity promotion; (iv) classroom practices in OR/MS courses; and
(v) transition of graduates onto the Labour Market. With this purpose, a survey
(available at https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/ORMSeducation) was conducted
amongst European universities and HEIs from June to October 2015.
Based on the survey results, a general and shared view of the current state of OR/
MS education in European countries has been developed, of which the main
insights and results are presented here.
The following parts of this chapter address: the survey and its main goals in
Sect. 2; the survey respondents, in Sect. 3; the main results in topics (i)–(v) are
described in Sect. 4, finally, some conclusions and prospects are discussed in
Sect. 5. Related literature can be found, namely Belien et al. (2016a, b), Teixeira
et al. (2016), Ranyard et al. (2011).

2 The Survey

The major focus of the “European Study on OR/MS Education” survey was to get an
appraisal and a general sense or understanding of the state of OR/MS education, in
order to obtain a common view of OR/MS education in Europe. The survey was
directed at HEI boards, deans and school directors, OR/MS program coordinators,
OR/MS professors, researchers, and other OR/MS professionals and was conducted
with the active collaboration of EURO, OR/MS national societies and HEIs (various
society newsletters, mailing-lists, websites were used). Additional dissemination
and information sessions took place during several national and international
conferences.
European Study on OR/MS Education 3

The purpose of the survey was to use its results to provide those involved in OR/
MS education with pointers on what is happening within the broader educational
environment, in order to enable them to make more informed decisions about their
own curricula.
On one hand, as some countries were fairly well represented in the survey and
this created some additional research opportunities. Namely, country specific
analysis was possible, as well as getting a better understanding of the differences
amongst countries. For instance, the interpretation and use of the survey results can
highlight some country specific issues, or demands, thus influencing OR/MS
educator’s decisions. Additionally, educators can deepen their knowledge of the
differences between a specific country’s OR/MS education and that of all the other
countries involved in the study.
On the other hand, for countries with a relatively small number of participants, or
no participants at all, a “separate country” analysis may be carried out; this can be
achieved by carrying out an additional survey or a qualitative analysis of the way that
different universities in a specific country promote, offer and handle OR/MS edu-
cation in that country. These new and individual results can then be used to perform
an analysis, or comparison, with the results obtained from the entire survey.

3 Survey Respondents

Respondents did not have to disclose their identity; however, with the aim of
gaining support for further possible studies, such as responding to other surveys and
interviews, there was an option that allowed the respondents to identify themselves.
To encourage this procedure, sixty electronic copies of the first book from the
EURO Advanced Tutorials series on Operational Research (Mansini et al. 2015)
were randomly distributed among the identified respondents.
The survey dissemination had good support from OR/MS communities and the
total number of responses was significant with a total of 191 respondents. About
31% of these answered positively to the Yes/No question about personal infor-
mation and provided at least partial information with regards to the country where
their institutions are located. In fact, this information was crucial to promote
comparison between countries, and special emphasis was placed on communicating
this issue. In spite of this effort, about 9% of respondents did not answer this
question, while the remaining 60% answered negatively.
The profile of identified respondents is presented in Fig. 1. Note that a small
fraction of the respondents identified their affiliation in European countries that are
not represented in EURO (e.g., Ukraine), or stated that they are visiting fellows
from abroad (e.g., India); in this regard the terms Europe and European, used in this
article, includes these cases.
The active participation of collaborators from Belgium, Croatia, Denmark,
France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, The
Netherlands, UK, and Ukraine, shows the general interest in this topic. In particular,
4 A. P. Teixeira et al.

Ukraine
3% Czech Republic
United Kingdom Belgium 3%
7% 3% Croatia
Turkey 14%
The Netherlands 9% Denmark
3% 3%

Estonia
Switzerland 2%
7%

South Africa France

7% 12%

Germany
3%
Portugal
19%

India
Norway 2%
2%

Fig. 1 Identified respondents by country

the highest percentage of identified participants are affiliated to a Portuguese HEI,

19.3%, followed by a Croatian 14%, and a French, 12.3%, institution, see Fig. 1.
From the identified respondents, almost all (95%) indicated their specific field(s)
of teaching. A significant part (27%) selected multiple fields. Figure 2 represents
the “bulk” of all the teaching fields, aggregating all the options: it can be seen that
Economics/Management represents the largest identified field of teaching, followed
by Mathematics and Computer Sciences. These three fields of teaching total to
about 80% of the indicated fields, while the total of Engineering, Exact/Pure
Sciences, and other fields of teaching does not exceed the complimentary 20%.

Computer
Sciences
Other 21%
8%
Mathematics
29%

Economics /
Management
Engineering 30%
9%

Exact / Pure
Sciences
3%

Fig. 2 Fields of teaching indicated by respondents

European Study on OR/MS Education 5

4 Some Results on Important Factors in OR/MS

Education

Throughout this section, some of the results obtained from the survey are presented.
The introductory question concerns to what extent OR/MS courses are taught at
HEIs: is there a bachelor/masters degree in OR/MS, do they form a major/minor
specialisation (as part of other bachelor/masters), or are they curricular units or
modules (which do not constitute a specialisation).
The graph in Fig. 3 shows that 45% of the respondents referred that at their HEI
OR/MS courses only exist as curricular units or modules. Furthermore, OR/MS is
offered as a bachelor/master degree in the HEI of 28% of the respondents, while
26% of the HEIs offer a major/minor in OR/MS.

4.1 Enrolment of Students

The first section of the survey, Enrolment of Students, was dedicated to the HEIs’
relationships with pre-university institutions and covers important aspects related to
enrolment planning, the pertinence of a dedicated interlocutor in this subject area,
the development of joint collaboration with pre-university teachers, the develop-
ment of OR/MS material for scholars, and the assessment of enrolment activities.
From Fig. 4 one can conclude that European HEIs are aware of the importance
of attracting and enrolling new students and develop efforts to carry out this task,
since about 69% of the responses were positive (Excellent, Good or Satisfactory),
and just a minority of respondents (7%) indicated they lack the relevant

Other
1%

Bachelor/Master
28%
Curricular Units
45%

Major/Minor
26%

Fig. 3 The OR/MS modules considered in my HEI

6 A. P. Teixeira et al.

30
27 27

20
Percentage

15
13
11
10
7

0
N/A Poor Fair Satisfactory Good Excellent

Fig. 4 In my HEI there are plans to promote the enrolment of students

30 28

20 19
Percentage

17
15
14

10
7

0
N/A Poor Fair Satisfactory Good Excellent

Fig. 5 In my HEI there is assessment of activities related to the enrolment of students

information. Additionally, these HEI activities are carefully managed and assessed,
since more than half (54%) of the respondents positively evaluated their HEI’s
assess enrolment activities and only about 15% of the respondents indicated these
activities as non-existent, Fig. 5.

4.2 1st Year Students

The second section of the survey, 1st Year Students, is dedicated to the efforts of
HEIs to promote continuity and reduce failure of students attending the first year of
graduation programs for the very first time. The aspects surveyed covered important
considerations related to the planning of such activities, the importance of a ded-
icated interlocutor in this subject, the development of joint collaborations with
European Study on OR/MS Education 7

30
27

25
22
Percentage

20
15
15 14 14

10 8

0
N/A Poor Fair Satisfactory Good Excellent

Fig. 6 My HEI has plans to promote continuity and reduce the failure rate of 1st year students

pre-university teachers, the development of OR/MS material specifically for 1st

year students, and once again the assessment of these activities.
The majority of the respondents recognised their HEI’s efforts to promote study
continuity and reduce the failure rate of 1st year students, since approximately two
thirds evaluated those efforts positively, of which more than 40% valued them as
Good or even Excellent, Fig. 6. These efforts include, among others, tutoring,
mentoring or counselling 1st year students as well as supporting the development of
specific training programmes.
European HEIs behave very diversely in what concerns the assessment of the
activities designed to promote continuity and to avoid failure of 1st year students;
although half of the respondents rated it positively, all the response options
obtained a share between 12 and 23% of the total submissions, Fig. 7.

30

23
20
20 18
Percentage

14
13
12

10

0
N/A Poor Fair SaƟsfactory Good Excellent

Fig. 7 In my HEI there is assessment of those activities designed to promote continuity and to
avoid failure of 1st year students
8 A. P. Teixeira et al.

4.3 Restructuring Procedures

The section Restructuring Procedures is dedicated to the redesign of HEI pro-

grammes, for example, the procedures resulting from the Bologna Agreement that
proposed more comparable High Education (HE) programmes within the signing
countries (http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/higher-education/bologna-process_
en.htm). The possibility of whether OR/MS may benefit from these proposed
programme restructurings, the opportunity to develop international co-operation
programmes, the importance to equip and develop OR/MS laboratories, and to
assess the impact of these restructurings on OR/MS activities are surveyed next.
These factors seem important to better understand any possible restructuring pro-
cedures, as well as to better promote the OR/MS education area, both with regards
to support material and human resources.
In European HEIs, the number of OR/MS courses or modules in the programmes
(namely of Economics, Engineering, Exact Sciences, and Management) did not
increase as a result of the implementation of what was proposed in the Bologna
Agreement. As can be observed from Fig. 8, an overall negative perception prevails
while there is not a clear pattern prevalent. Although only about 14% of the
respondents did not have sufficient information, about half of them indicated that in
their HEI the number of OR/MS courses decreased after the programme restruc-
turing, with almost 30% rating these procedures poorly, against 17% that indicated
the number of OR/MS courses, when programmes were restructured, as Good or
Excellent. On the other hand, although 27% of the respondents are not aware
of any impact of OR/MS follow-up education on the post-graduate programmes
(like Ph.D., M.Sc. and advanced courses) restructuring in their HEI, a largely
positive perception prevails, with 42% of the respondents rating this impact as
Satisfactory, Good, or Excellent, Fig. 9.

40

29
30
Percentage

20 20
20
14 14

10
3

0
N/A Poor Fair Satisfactory Good Excellent

Fig. 8 In my HEI when programmes are restructured, the number of OR/MS courses or modules
in Economics/Engineering/Exact Sciences/Management programmes increased
European Study on OR/MS Education 9

30
27

22

20
Percentage

16 16
15

10

0
N/A Poor Fair Satisfactory Good Excellent

Fig. 9 In my HEI the assessment of “OR/MS based” post-graduate programmes or “OR/MS

based” expertise-courses has an impact on the subsequent programmes’ restructuring

4.4 OR/MS Teaching Practices

The section Teaching Practices is specifically aimed at classroom activities and

the context within which these are developed. The comparison and transparency of
OR/MS syllabi, the balance between the theoretical and the practical approaches of
OR/MS courses and modules, as well as the learning formats are all evaluated in
this section. These factors are important in mapping the education approaches and
formats in the European OR/MS education area, to gain insight that can be used for
particular or local comparisons. In particular, concerning the proper monitoring of
the relevance of their OR/MS education (e.g., by comparing their programs with

30

24
22

20 18
Percentage

16

11
10 9

0
N/A Poor Fair Satisfactory Good Excellent

Fig. 10 In my HEI syllabus comparisons with other HEIs occur often, OR/MS techniques are
up-to-date, company needs are regularly checked
10 A. P. Teixeira et al.

other HEIs, regularly updating OR/MS techniques, or checking materials alignment

with company needs), in spite of a generally positive opinion, the survey results
suggest that European HEIs still have significant space for improvement, as only
55% of the respondents classified it positively (22% Satisfactory, 24% Good, 9%
Excellent) and 11% of them indicated this activity as non-existent or that they
lacked information about it, Fig. 10.

4.5 Labour Market

The section Labour Market focuses on HEI relationships with Labour Market
organisations. The aspects surveyed cover considerations related to curricula con-
tent, to HEI boards and decision-makers, employability concerns and the transition
of graduates into the Labour Market. All of these are important factors for both
program accreditation and students enrolment.
Concerning the European HEIs’ promotion of the transition of graduates into the
Labour Market (“for example, by providing: a website, a support office, business
materials, professional computer/facilities, professional software, dedicated
activities/events, and consultation with employers/organisations when designing
new programmes”), almost two thirds of the respondents evaluated their HEI’s
efforts favourably (with 42% rating it as Good or Excellent) and just 7% indicated
this as a non-existent activity or said that they lacked information about it, see
Fig. 11. Similarly, more than half of the positive answers on the assessment of
Labour Market activities were positive, although about 14% of the respondents
indicated non-existence or lack of information on this, Fig. 12.

30
27

21
20
Percentage

17
15
13

10
7

0
N/A Poor Fair Satisfactory Good Excellent

Fig. 11 HEIs promoting graduates’ transition onto the Labour Market

European Study on OR/MS Education 11

30

24
22

20
Percentage

16
15
14

10 9

0
N/A Poor Fair Satisfactory Good Excellent

Fig. 12 In my HEI there is assessment of activities related to the Labour Market

5 Some Conclusions and Prospects

The described survey, as outlined above, intended to contribute to an improved

view on OR/MS education in Europe addressing various relevant topics.
We conclude that most of the European HEIs covered by this survey are, in the
opinion of respondents, aware of the importance of attracting and enrolling new
students. HEIs not only develop effective efforts to carry out this task, but also
manage and assess their own enrolment activities. Furthermore, in general, HEIs
promote study continuity and reduce the failure rate of 1st year students, for
example, by tutoring, mentoring or counselling these students, as well as supporting
the development of specific training programmes; however, a third of the HEIs that
carry out these promotions do not assess the effectiveness of these activities.
Generically, in European HEIs, the number of OR/MS courses or modules in the
various academic programmes did not increase as a result of the implementation of
what was proposed in the Bologna Agreement. Nonetheless, a significant number of
the respondents consider that the prerequisites and demands of OR/MS based
follow-up expert courses and OR/MS based post-graduate programs impact the
programmes’ restructuring in their HEI. Moreover, despite the fact that the majority
of the respondents considers that a proper monitoring of the relevance of their OR/
MS education is being done in European HEIs, the results show that considerable
improvement can still be done.
Enhancing the relationships with organisations in the Labour Market improves
graduates’ employment opportunities. European HEIs play an active role in pro-
moting the transition of graduates into the Labour Market and need to assess the
effect of these activities.
In order to increase OR/MS relevance, the promotion of OR/MS activities to
HEI directors and decision-makers within Engineering and Exact/Pure Sciences
programs is suggested. Furthermore, the awareness of the importance of OR/MS for
12 A. P. Teixeira et al.

students’ enrolment, the success of 1st year students, restructuring procedures, and
teaching practices should also be properly addressed through promotion activities.
The study provides useful insights in the way HEIs from different European
countries address and describe OR/MS education. The differences between specific
countries and the European situation may lead to more detailed studies. For
example, it will be possible to confirm and/or to explain the survey results by
interacting with and interviewing identified respondents. Presenting the survey
results at national and international conferences can spur further discussions about
enhancing OR/MS education and its prospects.
Additional analysis is still needed to clarify the key- and sub-factors impacting
OR/MS education which will hopefully direct subsequent study phases. Those
colleagues who were involved in disseminating the survey results at a EURO level
are encouraged to pursue the study (a contact list was made available at https://ec.
europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/ORMSeducation). The study approach and the interest
shown by many academics may enable extending it to other IFORS regional
groupings.
This study was made possible through the kind support of EURO, a significant
number of OR societies in EURO, collaborating colleagues, the EU-Survey services
from the European Commission, and Springer Verlag. We gratefully acknowledge
and thank all of them for that.

References

Belien, J., Ittmann, H. W., Laumanns, M., Miranda, J. L., Pato, M. V., & Teixeira, A. P. (2016a).
European Study on OR/MS Education: First results and prospects. CRORS News Magazine,
CRORS, Croatia. ISSN: 1849-2762. http://hdoi.hr/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/CRORS-
News-Volume-3-Number-1-April-2016.pdf.
Belien, J., Ittmann, H. W., Laumanns, M., Miranda, J. L., Pato, M. V., & Teixeira, A. P. (2016b).
European Study on OR/MS Education: Preliminary insight into relations with the Labour
Market. ORMS Today, 43(4), 48–51. www.ormstoday.org.
Mansini, R., Ogryczak, W., & Speranza, G. (2015). Linear and mixed integer programming for
portfolio optimization. In EURO advanced tutorials on operational research. Springer.
Ranyard, J., Hoffman, K., del Rosario, E., Dunstall, S., & Ittmann, H. W. (2011). OR practice
stream. In Book of Abstracts of IFORS 2011—19th Triennial Conference of the International
Federation of Operational Research Societies, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Teixeira, A. P., Ittmann, H. W., Belien, J., Miranda, J. L., Laumanns, M., & Pato, M. V. (2016).
European Study on OR/MS Education, aggregate report—preliminary results. Portugal:
Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre. ISBN 978-989-8806-09-3.
OR/MS Education in a Changing
Environment

Hans W. Ittmann, Jeroen Beliën and João Luís de Miranda

1 Introduction

In today’s complex and fast changing world, where uncertainty is a reality, society
cannot function or prosper without well-educated citizens. Education is also criti-
cally important and beneficial for any individual. The benefits extend to society as a
whole as well as to nations. There is increasing evidence that education contributes
positively towards economic growth of a country (Hanushek et al. 2015). Many
other benefits derive from education for individuals such as the enhancement of the
knowledge, skills, and intelligence of a person and enable him or her to lead a
successful, quality life. Furthermore education is of utmost importance for eradi-
cating unemployment while it is essential to improve trade and commerce, and
bringing prosperity to a country. As the world enters what the World Economic
Forum calls the beginning of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Leopold et al. 2016)
it is clear that the world is changing at a growing pace. These changes and

H. W. Ittmann (&)
Institute for Transport and Logistics Studies ITLS (Africa),
University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
e-mail: hittmann01@gmail.com
J. Beliën
Research Center for Information Management, Modeling and Simulation,
Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
e-mail: jeroen.belien@kuleuven.be
J. L. de Miranda
Departamento de Tecnologias, Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão,
Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre, P7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal
e-mail: jlmiranda@estgp.pt; joaoluismiranda@tecnico.ulisboa.pt
J. L. de Miranda
CERENA-Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente, Instituto Superior Técnico,
Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, IST, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal

© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 13

J. Beliën et al. (eds.), Advances in Operations Research Education,
Lecture Notes in Logistics, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74104-8_2
14 H. W. Ittmann et al.

developments are putting pressure on institutions of higher education to ensure that

the curricula they offer are adapted and restructured continuously to keep up with
the rapid changing environment. Students need to be properly equipped when they
enter this dynamic changing labor market. Like educators involved in other disci-
plines, those involved in Operations Research and Management Science (OR/MS)
education are also continually striving to enhance, improve and adapt OR/MS
courses to better meet the needs of the labor market.
There have been improvements in OR/MS Education over the last numbers of
years but further enhancements, changes and developments are required. In the
European context an effort has been made to look at some of the key factors relating
to OR/MS programs in institutions of higher education. This culminated in a survey
focused on European countries, and specifically members of EURO, to gain insight
into a number of important aspects related to OR/MS education, courses and pro-
grams (Teixeira et al. 2016). The study results suggest further improvements
regarding the co-operation with labor market organizations as well as the scientific
and technical updating of the OR/MS field. In addition, it was clear that more in
depth studies were required to gain a better understanding of what happens in
individual countries.

2 Literature Review

Ever since the beginnings of OR/MS the profession has debated the methods for
teaching operations research (Borsting 1987). None of the pioneers of OR/MS had
any formal training in operations research. Most of them had studied one of the
basic sciences namely physics, mathematics or chemistry. As early as 1953 there is
reference in McCloskey (1953) of a Report by the Education Committee of the
Operations Research Society of America (ORSA) while McCloskey (1954)
reported on the training for operations research. Here it was outlined that such
training can be classified under three general headings namely: “on-the-job training
in existing groups, formal academic training in universities; and training of users
of operations research, both actual and potential”. All three these approaches are
self-explanatory. It was however noted that at that stage there was more emphasis
placed on formal training in the US compared to what was being done in the UK
and elsewhere. The emphasis in the UK, Canada and other countries was much
more on on-the-job training.
Reflecting on OR/MS education in the US and contrasting OR/MS education
with medical and statistical education, the question is asked whether the right type
of student is attracted to OR/MS (Borsting 1987). The feeling was strongly that OR/
MS education should produce professionals that have the appropriate skills to solve
complex, real-life problems in a pragmatic way. Should the emphasis in training
courses be more on in depth theoretical and technical training or more practical,
problem solving skills? This is an issue that has been central in OR/MS education.
OR/MS Education in a Changing Environment 15

OR/MS education covers a wide spectrum of different techniques, problem

types, problem approaches, etc. An example of this is the brief overview given in
(Stecke 2005) of how some industrial problems can be solved using relatively
simple mathematical models. Models that address various types of industrial
problems, such as inventory models, linear programming, network flow, decision
analysis, queuing models and simulation are examined.
Over many years lots of papers have been published on different aspects of OR/
MS education. It is impossible to list them all and the idea is not to give a com-
prehensive literature review here. Nevertheless some of the aspects that have been
touched on include:
• General OR/MS education (Haley 1976; Bailey and Weal 1993; Bowen 1991;
Williams and Dickson 2000; Scott 2001; Cook 1965; Kendall 1958);
• OR/MS course content (Mingers 1991);
• A Framework for teaching OR techniques (King 1988);
• Independent learning as opposed to OR in the classroom (Belton and Scott
1998);
• Communication Skills (Norman and Simpson 1977);
• OR taught to other disciplines (Bissell et al. 2012); and
• OR Education in Developing Countries (Walsham 1978).
Today the OR/MS education fraternity finds itself in a similar position as is
capture so well in an editorial in the first edition of the INFORMS Transactions on
Education journal published in 2000 (Erkut 2000). The former editor states: “In the
last decade, many business and engineering schools have been demanding major
changes in the way MS/OR is being taught: use of real-world applications, cases,
spreadsheets, and collaboration with other functional areas. MS/OR teaching is
also experiencing a number of revolutions simultaneously: end-user computing, the
worldwide-web, distance learning, cooperative learning, all of which demand
significant changes in teaching”. Exactly the same sentiments hold in 2017 how-
ever the issues, the environment and the challenges facing the world are totally
different. Given this changing environment, what is the best way to educate and
equip today’s and future OR/MS students?

3 A Fast Changing World

A vast literature is available outlining different elements of the changing world

within which mankind finds itself. The effects of many of these changes, be it,
technological, political, environmental, etc. are already being felt and experienced
by people on a daily basis. It is clear that these changes are going to accelerate. In
what follows, some of this vast literature is highlighted.
In Goldin and Kutarna (2016) the authors suggest that humanity finds itself
currently in a golden age with similarities to another golden age namely the
European Renaissance. They see this as a period of the most rapid change the world
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Holly berries
from Dickens
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.

Title: Holly berries from Dickens

Author: Charles Dickens

Release date: October 12, 2023 [eBook #71858]

Language: English

Original publication: Boston: DeWolfe Fiske & Co, 1898

Credits: Carla Foust and the Online Distributed Proofreading

Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced
from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOLLY

BERRIES FROM DICKENS ***
 Holly
Berries

From
Dickens
 Holly
Berries
From
Dickens ·
 Copyright
DeWolfe Fiske & Co
Boston · 1898 ·
 First Day.

A good action is its own

reward.

Dickens.

The will to do well ... is the next

thing to having the power.

Mr. Pecksniff.

Forgiveness is a high quality,

 an exalted virtue.

Martin Chuzzlewit.

In love of home the love of

country has its rise.

Old Curiosity Shop.

Tears never yet wound up a clock or worked

a steam-engine.

Sam Weller.
 Second Day.

how me the man who says

anything against women,
as women, and I boldly declare,
he is not a man.

Pickwick.

Natural affection and instinct are the

most beautiful
of the Almighty’s works.

Charles Cheeryble.

It must be somewhere written that the

virtues of the mothers
shall occasionally be visited on the children,
as well as the sins of their fathers.

Mr. Jarndyce.

We can all do some good, if we will.

Dickens.
 Third Day.

n the cause of friendship ...

brave all dangers.

Pickwick Papers.

Let us be among the few who do their duty.

Martin Chuzzlewit.

Fortune will not bear chiding.

We must not reproach her, or she shuns us.

Old Curiosity Shop.

It is an undoubted fact that all remarkable

men have had
remarkable mothers.

Haunted Man.

Every man has his enemies.

Old Curiosity Shop.

 Fourth Day.

For Heaven’s sake

let us
examine sacredly
whether there is any
wrong entrusted
to us to set right.

Little Dorrit.

Surprises, like misfortunes,

 rarely come alone.

Dombey and Son.

What the poor are to the poor is little known

excepting to themselves and God.

Bleak House.

An honest man is one of the few great works

that can be seen for nothing.

Martin Chuzzlewit.

Thinking begets thinking.

Oliver Twist.
 Fifth Day.

t’s a world of sacred mysteries,

and the Creator only
knows what lies beneath the surface
of His lightest image.

Battle of Life.

There is hope for all who are softened

and penitent.
There is hope for all such.

Haunted Man.

What I want is frankness, confidence,

less conventionality,
and freer play of soul. We are so dreadfully
artificial.

Dombey and Son.

 Sixth Day.

Only time shall show us

whither each
traveler is bound.

Little Dorrit.

Women, the tenderest and most

fragile of all
God’s creatures, were the oftenest
superior to sorrow, adversity and distress.
 Pickwick Papers.

The consciousness that we possess the sympathy

and affection of one being,
when all others have deserted us, is a hold, a stay,
a comfort, in the deepest affliction,
which no wealth could purchase, or power bestow.

Pickwick Papers.
 Seventh Day.

Cheerfulness and content are great

beautifiers, and
are famous preservers of good looks.

Barnaby Rudge.

The sea has no appreciation of great men,

but knocks them about like small fry.

Bleak House.
 A joke is a very good thing ...
but when that joke is made at the expense of
feelings, I set my face against it.

Nicholas Nickleby.

There can be no confusion in following Him

and seeking no other footsteps.

Little Dorrit.
 Eighth Day.

here is no situation in life so bad

that it can’t be mended.

Pickwick Papers.

If the good deeds of human creatures

could be traced to their source, how beautifully
would even death appear;
for how much charity, mercy, and purified
affection would be seen to have
their own growth in dusty graves!

Old Curiosity Shop.

Use and necessity are good teachers—

the best of any.

Stagg.

Philosophers are only men in armour after all.

Pickwick Papers.