A comparative analysis of two computer science degree offerings

Abstract

This article presents an in-depth analysis and comparison of two computer science degree offerings, viz., the Bologna BSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, offered by the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon, Portugal, and the BSc in Computer Science offered by the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The analysis is based on the student transcripts collected from the academic systems of both institutions over circa one decade. The article starts with a description of the degrees and global statistics of the student population considered. Then, it presents a comparative analysis of the curricula, which focuses on how close students follow the recommended curricula, based on data visualization techniques and academic performance indexes. The indexes indicated a mismatch between the semesters that the curricula recommend for the courses and the semesters that students enroll in those courses. Furthermore, a visualization of course advances and delays indicated that a significant fraction of the students failed in the semester that the curricula recommend for the courses. The article moves on to present a comparative analysis of student performance in individual courses, and then applies a technique borrowed from Market Basket Analysis to investigate student performance in multiple courses that are taken in the same semester. The analysis pointed out sets of courses, at both degrees, that students are struggling with, when they take the courses in the same semester. Finally, the article summarizes the lessons learned, which invite academic administrators to reflect on the weaknesses and strengths of each degree analyzed. Specifically, the analysis suggests that the curricula should be reorganized to avoid that students take certain courses together, not because of conceptual reasons, but because students frequently fail if they do so. Some of these patterns are common to both degrees.

Computer Science

“…The professionals are at diverse levels for working in different occupations [8]. During the disclosure of computer science simultaneously, various problems arise from computer technology and produce scientific units systematically, each specifically referred to as a unit of lecture material from a curriculum [9], [10].…”

Multi-Objective Design of Profit Volumes and Closeness Ratings Using MBHS Optimizing Based on the PrefixSpan Mining Approach (PSMA) for Product Layout in Supermarkets

“…The authors of [15][16][17][18] found that factors that may significantly influence customers' purchasing decisions include shelf space allocation and layout display. Personal or social factors may also influence the urge to purchase another product, a phenomenon that has been studied via Market Basket Analysis [19][20][21][22][23][24][25], which analyzes the correlation of products that customers are most likely to buy at the same time [26][27][28]. The management of shelf space was found to be a problem affecting consumers' purchasing behaviors; the effectiveness of shelf layouts between nearby supermarkets was compared to investigate how to increase profits and improve customer satisfaction [29][30][31].…”