Predicting graduate student performance – A case study

ABSTRACT

Graduate admission has become critical for quality assurance. An innovative solution is needed to achieve efficiency and consistency in the admission process at institutions. However, the existing research is lack of a simple practical method for informed decision-making for admissions. We develop a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model to calculate the probability of success in course-based graduate studies in engineering. This approach integrates a wide range of quality indicators found in the existing literature. We hypothesise that the model will improve post-graduate admission decisions.A case study was conducted on students enrolled in the Master of Applied Science (MASc) in Oil and Gas Engineering programme at EnBeyond University. The results show no significant difference between the calculated chances of success and the obtained average. The proposed model is effective in predicting the chances of success. It will help to prioritise admission opportunities to those who have higher chances of success in graduate studies. It can also help to build a pre-assessment system with which prospective students can assess their admissibility before filing an application. This study is a first step towards a plethora of future research to come in this important area.

KEYWORDS:

• Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model
• quality indicator
• graduate studies
• chances of success

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Notes

1. EnBeyond University is a fictional name. The real university name will be revealed if this paper is accepted.

2. Examples of soft skills are communication skills, problem-solving skills, work ethics, interpersonal skills, time management skills, leadership skills, and adaptability.

3. Minimum admission requirements refer to the general guidelines for graduate admissions at EnBeyond University:

1. a GPA of 2.75 out of 4 (OG = 3; GT = 3)

2. TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5 or has completed a degree in English (TS = 2; ES = 2)

3. 3 or 18–25 for writing on TOEFL or 6.5–7 for writing on IELTS (WS = 2)

4. At least two references are marked as ‘recommended’ (RC = 2)

4. Graduate students are required to maintain their academic standing by obtaining a minimum of 65% on each course they take, while the passing mark is 50% at EnBeyond University.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jinghua Nie

Jinghua Nie is the Manager, International Programmes in Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University. She received M.B.A. and M.Ed. degrees from Memorial University.

Ashrafee Hossain

Ashrafee Hossain is an Associate Professor in Faculty of Business Administration at Memorial University. He received his PhD from Concordia University. Dr. Hossain’s research interests include corporate finance, corporate governance, financial regulations, mergers and acquisitions, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability.