Using MENTOR to teach systems thinking and OR methodology to first-year students in New Zealand

MENTOR is a multi-media, interactive, educational package, developed as separate modules by OR teachers in the United Kingdom. In 1995, we contributed a module for teaching students how to approach MS/OR projects within a framework of systems thinking. We outline the philosophy underlying the module, highlight and demonstrate some of its distinct features, and report on our experience using it in a large first-year university course (600+ students each year).