Aproximación cuantitativa para valorar los requisitos curriculares en un plan de estudios

Abstract

This work proposes a methodology to assess the rigor of curriculum requirements for a higher education student, expressed in terms of requisites and co-requisites. This methodology uses a weighting of restriction system based on the severity and impact that these restrictions represent on curriculum flow, and defines a constraint index. The method can be applied in different contexts, from a one-semester course to a full curriculum of a university career. The methodology was designed by the Chemical Engineering Department at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Colombia and it was applied to a curriculum of 2014 and to an updated curriculum. The constraint index decreased from 0.54 to 0.38. Thus, the use of a weighting of restrictions system allows getting insights of their influence on curriculum in a wider way and helps in the decision making process towards a more flexible curriculum.