Creating individualized data sets for student exercises using Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic

In this paper we describe an approach that utilizes Excel macros to help OR/MS instructors to enhance and assess their students' learning. We begin by explaining a specific macro, Data Generator, which mainly helps statistics instructors to create assignment questions where numbers or data sets used in the questions are randomly generated according to the instructions specified by instructors. Because of the potentially narrow application range of our particular macro, we also describe an approach that can be used for more general questions. For the most part, this more general approach requires simply recording a macro and then pasting a few other instructions into the resulting code to make the recorded macro more user-friendly. We also provide a suggested procedure to help instructors to grade the students' answers automatically.