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STUDY PROGRAM DETERMINATION BY DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING *
Author(s) -
PEGELS C. CARL
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
decision sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.238
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1540-5915
pISSN - 0011-7315
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-5915.1970.tb00794.x
Subject(s) - subject (documents) , computer science , function (biology) , selection (genetic algorithm) , curriculum , mathematical optimization , dynamic programming , computer program , mathematics education , algorithm , artificial intelligence , mathematics , programming language , pedagogy , world wide web , psychology , evolutionary biology , biology
The problem this paper deals with is the selection of an optimal study program or curriculum, tailored to an individual student, by maximizing educational potential. Educational potential in a subject area is defined as a non‐linear function of the number of courses taken in the respective subject area. Parameters of the educational potential function include a type of learner parameter, a type of teaching parameter, and a subject area parameter. The latter is a function of the number of courses available in the subject area. The educational potential or learning function is based on a body of empirical data accumulated by experimental psychologists, and has the shape of a stretched‐out letter S. The optimal study program is obtained by finding the maximum sum of the subject areas' educational potentials. The technique used to find this maximum sum is called dynamic programming. A computer program was written to perform the solution procedure on a digital computer.