Degree and Course Recommendation Systems: The Future of Advising?
Abstract: In 2011, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN, implemented a “Netflix approach” program called Degree Compass. The idea was formulated and subsequently implemented by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Tristan Denley, after consideration of and employing ideas emerging from reading on preferential decisions in recent literature. Denley (2011) described Degree Compass as a course recommendation system developed by Austin Peay State University. Inspired by recommendation systems implemented by companies such as Netflix, Amazon, and Pandora, Degree Compass successfully pairs current students with the courses that best fit their talents and program of study for upcoming semesters. The model combines hundreds of thousands of past students’ grades with each particular student’s transcript to make individualized recommendations for each student.
Presider: Peter Weber, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences