Master Orientation Tool

Abstract

This paper describes our ongoing work on developing a Master Orientation Tool for University College Maastricht (UCM). UCM Bachelor students use the tool to discover Master programs that fit their academic profiles. The tool includes a memory-based collaborative recommender system. The system memory contains data on academic profiles of UCM alumni students, labeled by the Master programs they have chosen. The tool operates as a collaborative system: given the academic profile of a Bachelor student, it recommends Master programs for that student based on the proximity of her profile to the profiles of the alumni. The Master Orientation Tool allows students to modify their own profiles and thus to explore alternatives in their study and how they influence their Master program possibilities. The tool is operational at UCM since September 2011 and is popular among the students.