Causal Analysis of First-Year Course Approval Delays in an Engineering Major Through Inference Techniques

TL;DR

This paper uses causal inference techniques to identify key factors causing delays in first-year course approvals in an engineering program, highlighting regulatory and evaluation issues as main contributors.

Contribution

It applies DoWhy and Causal Discovery Toolbox to uncover underlying causes of academic delays, providing insights for targeted interventions.

Findings

Regulatory structure influences delays

Evaluation methods impact student progress

Accumulation of subjects without passing final exams is a key factor

Abstract

The study addresses the problem of delays in the approval of first-year courses in the Civil Engineering Major at the National University of Tucum\'an, Argentina. Students take an average of 5 years to pass these subjects. Using the DoWhy and Causal Discovery Toolbox tools, we looked to identify the underlying causes of these delays. The analysis revealed that the regulatory structure of the program and the evaluation methods play a crucial role in this delay. Specifically, the accumulation of regular subjects without passing a final exam was identified as a key factor. These findings can guide interventions to improve student success rates and the effectiveness of the education system in general.