Assessing a new academic model using artificial neural networks

Zayed University is a young University that adopted a new Academic Program Model-APM. The new academic program is an outcome based education-OBE model that was developed to address challenges that face a rapidly changing society such as the UAE. The Learning Outcome LO academic model was designed around six learning outcomes, Information Literacy and Communication, Information Technology, Critical Thinking and Reasoning, Global Awareness, Teamwork, Leadership, to help students develop critical intellectual capacities and skills that will help them. Furthermore the new academic model focuses on the process of student learning. To simulate the APM performance, a mathematical model that uses neural networks and fuzzy logic was developed. The neural network was trained on mapping 40 activities into a set of 24 indicators. Then, we used a number of well chosen fuzzy If-Then rules obtained from expert knowledge to classify the 24 indicators into the six ZU Learning Outcomes. The simulations were all successfully performed using the MATLAB simulation package. We believe that the combined neural networks-fuzzy logic modeling technique is a very effective and efficient tool to study how the APM performs under various conditions.