Co-creating a Decision Support System for sustainable intermodal transportation design: A learning-by-doing perspective

Introduction. Intermodal transportation refers to the utilization of multiple transport modes to move shipments to their intended destination. It encompasses a variety of combinations, including both traditional (e.g., truck) and emerging (e.g., drones, advanced aircraft) transport modes. Each of these modes requires specific operating conditions for its actual usage, and is characterized by its distinct advantages and disadvantages in terms of costs, environmental impacts, and guaranteed service level. Consequently, all the sustainability pillars are influenced by the design of intermodal transportation networks. Additionally, transportation systems should be compliant with relevant national and international regulations. All these aspects make intermodal transportation a complex system, requiring particular attention for its management. Communicating this complexity, educating future Operations Management practitioners about possible approaches to face it, and stimulating the sensitivity towards these topics are not trivial tasks. Accordingly, novel educational practices based on the learning-by- doing perspective should be identified and introduced in Engineering degree programs. Purpose. This contribution proposes integrating research on sustainable intermodal transportation into higher educational curricula through the co-creation of a Decision Support System (DSS). Such a DSS aims to design intermodal freight transportation networks that combine traditional and emerging modes by optimizing a single sustainability dimension or the integrated sustainability performance. It is intended to support managers and operators of various organizations worldwide in the selection of transport modes, routing, and resources for the delivery of goods and services to customers, by considering any kind of constraints (e.g., infrastructure availability, geographic barriers). The developed DSS serves as both a research tool and a learning experience, with the objective of promoting tools that support sustainability assessments and developing decision-making competencies. DSS development. The development of such DSS necessitates a comprehensive set of activities, including: (i) the delineation of the requirements of managers and operators, (ii) the identification of criteria for selecting the most suitable combination(s) of transport modes, (iii) the establishment of sustainability-focused Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for diverse configurations combining traditional and emerging modes, and (iv) the implementation of Multi Criteria Decision Making and/or Operations Research approaches for conducting and comparing integrated sustainability assessments of candidate intermodal transportation networks. These activities may be undertaken by involving students on Operations and Supply Chain Management curricula, who will collaborate in the creation of the DSS from the system design to test decision-making scenarios. Students will be organized into small teams (i.e., 4-5 persons per each group), with each one focusing on a specific aspect of the DSS design. Some teams may be tasked with collecting user requirements by designing surveys for international researchers and practitioners in the operations and logistics field, and elaborating the obtained outcomes. Others may work on identifying and classifying traditional and emerging transport modes, gathering relevant data about costs, emissions, infrastructure availability, consumer acceptance, and service-level from academic literature, industry reports, or real-world case studies. Other teams will specialize in the definition of KPIs capturing environmental, social, and economic dimensions by searching for available indicators and interviewing experts, operators, and managers from various business functions (e.g., logistics, sustainability, operations). Finally, others will explore possible Multi-Criteria Decision Making and Operations Research approaches, also examining the required data to compare transport scenarios under varying conditions. Several educators will support these activities by dedicating ad hoc lectures to discuss methodological issues and preliminary results with each team. Teams will present their findings to other groups in-person lessons to jointly refine their contributions and collaboratively integrate their insights into the DSS. Additionally, some dedicated lectures will be dedicated to the test the DSS with researchers and practitioners contacted in the previous DSS design phases, allowing students to discuss and validate the made choices based on direct feedback from the intended users, ensuring the system aligns with business realities. In the final phase, teams will use the DSS in simulated decision-making scenarios regarding the sustainability-oriented optimization of intermodal transportation networks. Educational implications and conclusions. The integration of conventional and emerging modes in the design of intermodal transportation systems has the potential to inspire novel research and education activities. In particular, it can offer a rich learning experience on the current horizons for freight transportation across the different sustainable development goals. The co-creation of the DSS with students is a powerful driver for building global minds, fostering teamwork, and enhancing essential skills such as data analysis, system design, and communication with stakeholders and organizations. The employment of a multifaceted educational approach serves to reinforce students’ technical and analytical capabilities, while concurrently preparing them to navigate complex trade-offs across the sustainability pillars. The direct interactions with researchers and practitioners, the active participation in the creation of a practical tool, and the engagement with current trends of the transportation domain allow for increasing awareness on real-world challenges and the impacts of choices in the sustainability-oriented business environments.