Project Management in Education: A Case Study for Student Learning Pathway Evaluation in a Lifelong Learning Program Using Fuzzy CPM and Fuzzy PERT

Time to degree and graduation are paramount concerns in higher education today and have caught the attention of educators, policy makers, and researchers in recent years. Delays in student flow through learning pathways may result in undesired consequences and this fact has made educators and the public start to regard timely degree completion as a critical measure of accountability for colleges and universities. Project management is defined as application of techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. It has techniques that can help Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) standardize education and quality, reduce costs, improve effectiveness and decrease prolonged education periods. The current study is carried out in a University's Division of Lifelong Learning to understand the student flow of the offered program with respect to the Fuzzy Critical Path Method (FCPM) and Fuzzy Program Evaluation Review Technique (FPERT). The reason for incorporating fuzzy sets is stemmed from that fuzzy numbers are more effective for high uncertainty processes as in learning environments. Activities affecting student flow through the learning pathways are identified and project network is drawn. 72 student’ data about the times of each activities are obtained from the observed university. Findings through application of FCPM and FPERT, the expected time for completion of the project, slack times and the critical path are determined.