WSEAS Transactions on Advances in Engineering Education
Print ISSN: 1790-1979, E-ISSN: 2224-3410
Volume 9, 2012
Multi-Criteria Decision Making Model for Higher Education
Authors: ,
Abstract: The Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy faced significant strain on program resources which impact the Department’s ability to effectively conduct senior year independent study projects. Accordingly, the program made a strategic decision to reduce the number of independent study projects offered. To do so, the Department implemented a Multi-Criteria Decision Model. The focus of this paper is the process of exploring, developing, and evaluating that mode. The stakeholders and parameters used in the development of our Multi-Criteria Decision Model are detailed in this report. The model was evaluated relative to multiple years of department records of prior authorized independent study projects and has now been applied in the evaluation (pre- and post-performance) of four independent study project terms. The results of this decision modeling development process are likely to be of interest to engineering educators charged with the process of making curriculum decisions, particularly those decisions in which the influence of multiple stakeholders and parameters must be considered.