An undergraduate curriculum evaluation with the analytic hierarchy process

An undergraduate curriculum committee has developed the use of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for the evaluation of alternative curriculum designs. The hierarchy consists of four levels of interaction-from the top most objective through affected parties (students, faculty, employers, etc.), curriculum components (design, science, math, etc.), to curriculum alternatives at the bottom. An Internet web site has been designed and is being implemented to collect AHP judgments from the affected parties. This collected information can then be used to rank the various curriculum alternatives generated by the committee and others. A description of AHP development for this curriculum design problem is provided. The implementation of an Internet web site to collect the AHP judgments is detailed. Finally the combination of the various AHP inputs for the ranking of the curriculum alternatives is discussed.