APPLYING CENTRALITY MEASURES TO THE COURSE PREREQUISITE NETWORK ANALYSIS OF THE UNDERGRADUATE CIVIL ENGINEERING CURRICULUM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18173/2354-1075.2025-0137Keywords:
centrality measures, curriculum, curriculum design, network, prerequisitesAbstract
This study utilized graph theoretical analysis to examine the undergraduate curriculum of the Civil Engineering (BSCE) program at the university by constructing and evaluating its Course Prerequisite Network (CPN) representation. The curriculum is modelled as a directed graph with vertices denoting courses and directed edges connecting courses having prerequisite relations, and then analyzed using centrality measures, specifically, degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and eigenvector centrality, to identify pivotal courses that play critical roles in student academic progression. Using the Social Network Visualizer (SocNetV) software, the researchers constructed the CPN and examined the curriculum's structural relationships. The analysis revealed that CE Project 1 Laboratory (T-CEET413LA) consistently ranked highest across all centrality measures, establishing its primary role in the curriculum. Its position within the curriculum emphasizes its influence as both a capstone and a bridge course, connecting foundational subjects to advanced specializations. The findings provide curriculum designers, educators, and students with quantitative insights into course significance and sequencing, contributing to more coherent, efficient, and learner-focused academic planning within the civil engineering program.
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