Markov Chains and Student Academic Progress.

Abstract

With data obtained from enrollment records, absorbing Markov chains are used to model the academic progress of students attending the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire over a specific period of time.Useful statistics, such as the amount of time a student enrolling in UWEC as a freshman can expect to spend before graduating, are derived from the Markov model. With this information, the University may more accurately measure the academic progress of its students, and thus better reflect on its own institutional effectiveness.