Adding Lean to a Traditional SCM Course Through Hybrid Course Design

Teaching SCM using lean as well as traditional methods is in demand by students and their employers. Teaching lean and traditional coursework in one term is a challenge. Also, lean is best learned by student-active exercises that reinforce lean principles but consume a lot of class time. This presentation outlines an approach taken using a hybrid course structure to contrast lean with traditional techniques including the use of several student-active exercises in one term. The hybrid structure uses video lecture to move some coursework “outside class” to make time for “inside class” hands-on exercises including two versions of The Beer Game, a lean materials handling exercise, VSM for SCM, and the ERPsim Logistics Simulation. The approach and lessons learned from two terms of course instruction are presented.