A multiple criteria framework to assess learning methodologies

Abstract

New job skills required by the professional market have been causing significant changes in the learning process of undergraduate students. Different learning methodologies can be adopted to assist in the development of those skills, and the process of choosing the most suitable learning methodology for each situation may be complex, involving multiple and conflicting criteria. In order to support the choice of learning methodologies for the development of the “4C skills”, i.e, collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking, we propose a new framework based on the multiple criteria decision-making approach PROMETHEE II (Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment of Evaluations), considering as criteria the “4C skills”, student motivation, level of learning, student comfort, decision-making capacity and time required for class preparation. Passive methods and active learning methodologies such as Guided Reciprocal Peer Questioning (GRPQ), Think-Pair-Share (TPS), and Problem Based Learning (PBL) are compared. Each methodology was applied to three groups of students of Industrial Engineering of a Brazilian University, totaling 138 students. As a result, PBL obtained the best assessment in the three groups, followed by GRPQ. The proposed framework validates the assessment of learning methodologies, providing a structure and guideline for its replication in other educational institutions.