RHEM: A Robust Hybrid Ensemble Model for Students’ Performance Assessment on Cloud Computing Course

Abstract

Creating tools, such as a prediction model to assist students in a traditional or virtual setting, is an essential activity in today's educational climate. The early stage towards incorporating these predictive models using techniques of machine learning focused on predicting the achievement of students in terms of the grades obtained. The research aim is to propose a robust hybrid ensemble model (RHEM) that can warn at-risks students (on Cloud Computing course) of their likely outcomes at the early semester assessment. We hybridised four renowned single algorithms – Naive Bayes, Multilayer Perceptron, k-Nearest Neighbours, and Decision Table – with four well-established ensemble algorithms – Bagging, RandomSubSpace, MultiClassClassifier, and Rotation Forest – which produced 16 new hybrid ensemble classifier models. Hence, we have thoroughly and rigorously built, trained, and tested 24 models all together. The experiment concluded that the Rotation Forest + MultiLayer Perceptron model was the best performing model based on the model evaluation in terms of Accuracy (91.70%), Precision (86.1%), F-Score rate (87.3%), and Receiver Operating Characteristics Area detection (98.6%). Our research will help students identify their likely final grades in terms of whether they are excellent, very good, good, pass, or fail, and, thus, transform their academic conduct to achieve higher grades in the final exam accordingly.