Early Prediction of Student Dropout in Higher Education Using Machine Learning Models

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Early Prediction of Student Dropout in Higher Education Using Machine Learning Models
Language: English
Authors: Or Goren, Liron Cohen, Amir Rubinstein
Source: International Educational Data Mining Society. 2024.
Availability: International Educational Data Mining Society. e-mail: admin@educationaldatamining.org; Web site: https://educationaldatamining.org/conferences/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Dropout Characteristics, Prediction, Potential Dropouts, Student Characteristics, At Risk Students, College Students, Artificial Intelligence, Predictor Variables, Intellectual Disciplines, Learning Management Systems, Student Behavior, Grades (Scholastic)
Abstract: The problem of student dropout in higher education has gained significant attention within the Educational Data Mining research community over the years. Since student dropout is a major concern for the education community and policymakers, many research studies aim to evaluate and uncover profiles of students at-risk of dropping out, allowing timely intervention. Many students who eventually drop out of university display signs during their first year of studies, thus early identification of these students is both beneficial and feasible. Prediction studies typically use administrative data, encompassing a wide range of student attributes, as well as learning behavior data from an institute's learning management system. In this study, we evaluate the early prediction of at-risk students within a traditional classroom setting at a higher education institute through machine learning methods, particularly Neural Networks and XGBoost. In an attempt to generalize our results, we compare different fields of study, namely exact and social sciences. Our results show that integrating learning behavior has little effect on prediction quality metrics. We also propose a novel aggregated 'studentship' feature, containing both cognitive and social elements, which improves the AUC metric for XGBoost at early stages of the semester. Furthermore, our results indicate that prediction patterns vary among different fields of study. We believe this research presents a compelling case study and provides several valuable insights into the expanding corpus of studies on dropout prediction in higher education. [For the complete proceedings, see ED675485.]
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED675569
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Early Prediction of Student Dropout in Higher Education Using Machine Learning Models
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Or+Goren%22">Or Goren</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Liron+Cohen%22">Liron Cohen</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Amir+Rubinstein%22">Amir Rubinstein</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22International+Educational+Data+Mining+Society%22"><i>International Educational Data Mining Society</i></searchLink>. 2024.
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  Data: International Educational Data Mining Society. e-mail: admin@educationaldatamining.org; Web site: https://educationaldatamining.org/conferences/
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  Data: 11
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Dropout+Characteristics%22">Dropout Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Prediction%22">Prediction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Potential+Dropouts%22">Potential Dropouts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Characteristics%22">Student Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22At+Risk+Students%22">At Risk Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Students%22">College Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Artificial+Intelligence%22">Artificial Intelligence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Predictor+Variables%22">Predictor Variables</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intellectual+Disciplines%22">Intellectual Disciplines</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learning+Management+Systems%22">Learning Management Systems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Behavior%22">Student Behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Grades+%28Scholastic%29%22">Grades (Scholastic)</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: The problem of student dropout in higher education has gained significant attention within the Educational Data Mining research community over the years. Since student dropout is a major concern for the education community and policymakers, many research studies aim to evaluate and uncover profiles of students at-risk of dropping out, allowing timely intervention. Many students who eventually drop out of university display signs during their first year of studies, thus early identification of these students is both beneficial and feasible. Prediction studies typically use administrative data, encompassing a wide range of student attributes, as well as learning behavior data from an institute's learning management system. In this study, we evaluate the early prediction of at-risk students within a traditional classroom setting at a higher education institute through machine learning methods, particularly Neural Networks and XGBoost. In an attempt to generalize our results, we compare different fields of study, namely exact and social sciences. Our results show that integrating learning behavior has little effect on prediction quality metrics. We also propose a novel aggregated 'studentship' feature, containing both cognitive and social elements, which improves the AUC metric for XGBoost at early stages of the semester. Furthermore, our results indicate that prediction patterns vary among different fields of study. We believe this research presents a compelling case study and provides several valuable insights into the expanding corpus of studies on dropout prediction in higher education. [For the complete proceedings, see ED675485.]
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  Data: 2025
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PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED675569
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Dropout Characteristics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Prediction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Potential Dropouts
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Characteristics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: At Risk Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Artificial Intelligence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Predictor Variables
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Intellectual Disciplines
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Learning Management Systems
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Grades (Scholastic)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Early Prediction of Student Dropout in Higher Education Using Machine Learning Models
        Type: main
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          Name:
            NameFull: Or Goren
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          Name:
            NameFull: Liron Cohen
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            NameFull: Amir Rubinstein
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              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2024
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            – TitleFull: International Educational Data Mining Society
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