Determining Optimal Number of K for e-Learning Groups Clustered using K-Medoid

Abstract

e-Learning is appropriate when the learners are grouped and facilitated to learn according to their learning style and at their own pace. Elaborate researches have been proposed to categorize learners based on various e-learning parameters. Most of these researches have deployed the clustering principles for grouping eLearners, and in particular, they have utilized K-Medoid principle for better clustering. In the classical K-Medoid algorithm, predicting or determining the value of K is critical, two methods namely the Elbow and Silhouette methods are widely applied. In this paper, we experiment with the application of both these methods to determine the value of K for clustering eLearners in K-Medoid and prove that Silhouette method best predicts the value of K.