A Data-Driven Approach for Engineering Degree Programme Review Based on Graph Theory

This research full paper proposes a novel data-driven approach for programme review that leverages module assessment data in an undergraduate engineering degree programme and graph theory concepts. The approach involves constructing a curriculum correlation graph, where nodes represent modules and edge weights are determined by correlation coefficients between assessment results of all modules in the engineering programme. Based on the curriculum correlation graph, graph-theoretic techniques and metrics, such as the minimum spanning tree, clustering coefficients and centrality measures, are employed to perform quantitative analyses, which evaluate the coherence of the programme's curriculum delivery. Furthermore, the approach facilitates a quantitative evaluation of the alignment between the programme's intended curriculum structure, as encapsulated in the designed curriculum graph, and its actual delivery, represented by the curriculum correlation graph. By comparing centrality measures between these two graphs, the approach highlights areas where the programme's curriculum delivery may deviate from its original design expectations, allowing targeted interventions to address potential misalignments. The proposed approach is applied to a UK-China transnational education undergraduate engineering degree programme. The analysis results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed data-driven approach in providing comprehensive and quantitative insights into the programme's curriculum design and delivery. By leveraging the power of graph theory and data analysis techniques, this approach offers a valuable tool for programme review, enabling programme teams in higher education institutions to identify both strengths and potential discrepancies in the alignment between a programme's curriculum delivery and its original design expectations, so that informed decision and targeted efforts can be made towards continuous improvement and enhancement of the academic degree programme.