Teaching effectiveness in agricultural higher education: insights from PCA-based indexing and AHP constraint prioritization

Introduction Teaching effectiveness is a critical determinant of learning quality, skill development, and academic performance in agricultural higher education. However, empirically grounded assessments remain limited in Indian agricultural universities, where challenges related to pedagogy, student engagement, and institutional support persist. This study develops a multidimensional, statistically derived Teaching Effectiveness Index (TEI) to evaluate student-perceived teaching effectiveness across three premier agricultural institutions. Methods Data were collected from 180 postgraduate students using a structured questionnaire comprising 75 sub-indicators across three dimensions: Pedagogical Proficiency, Learning Engagement, and Educational Environment Dynamics. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to derive empirical weights for constructing the TEI, and institutional differences were assessed through non-parametric tests. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied in parallel to identify and prioritize student-perceived constraints affecting teaching effectiveness. Results The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) achieved the highest TEI score (0.74), followed by GBPUAT and BHU (0.71 each). PCA indicated that innovative teaching strategies, technology integration, meaningful internships, and resource adequacy contributed most strongly to teaching effectiveness. AHP analysis ranked research-related constraints as the most critical barriers (priority weight = 0.267), followed by knowledge-development (0.229) and course-related constraints (0.206). Discussion Prominent challenges included the non-provision of research funds, inadequate laboratory facilities, limited software-related guidance, and insufficient practical exposure. This study demonstrates the value of integrating PCA-based empirical weighting with AHP-based prioritization to produce a comprehensive, scalable framework for evaluating teaching effectiveness. The findings underscore the need for targeted reforms to enhance pedagogical innovation, strengthen research and digital infrastructure, and expand experiential learning opportunities in agricultural universities.