Teaching data envelopment analysis in production operations management through an undergraduate research project based on real-world data

This teaching note reflects the recent experience in teaching an undergraduate production operations management course through the implementation of a real-world-problem-based research project. In this project, students investigated a multi-million dollar effort Access database compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and applied a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to benchmark production efficiency among the coal-fired power plants within the states that they selected in the USA. This research project did much to developing students' quantitative problem-solving skills by weaving the research project throughout the whole semester, engaging students in illustrating DEA models with a real industrial production problem, and enhancing students' awareness of sustainability in production operations management.