Teaching brief: Equipping students with Industry 4.0 competencies in supply chain management

What the paper says

Abstract This teaching brief highlights innovative adaptations of established pedagogical techniques to equip students with critical skills for success in Industry 4.0. More specifically, this brief focuses on two courses: an undergraduate Operations and Supply Chain Management course and an MBA Supply Chain Management course, both designed to foster critical thinking, adaptability, and analytical skills aligned with the principles of Education 4.0. The MBA course is detailed, showcasing a dynamic structure that blends flipped classroom sessions, collaborative group activities, industry news discussions, real‐time simulations like the Beer Game, and guest speaker engagements to deepen industry awareness and refine professional skills. The undergraduate course is presented with a brief overview, emphasizing an interconnected approach where students progress through foundational topics using iterative learning and culminate their experience with a competitive simulation. These approaches demonstrate how thoughtful integration of well‐established methods with tailored innovations can support student learning in a technology‐driven, globalized world. In this way, this teaching brief extends the current literature on deliberate practice in business education by offering a more comprehensive framework that integrates technical, strategic, and interpersonal competencies tailored to the demands of the modern supply chain landscape. In doing so, this pedagogical approach bridges the gap between academic instruction and industry practice, equipping students with the hard and soft skills essential for thriving in digital, automated, and interconnected supply chain environments.