Assessment of sustainability science education criteria in online-learning through fuzzy-operational and multi-decision analysis and professional survey

Abstract

Sustainable development in education is growing a public awareness and is gaining an increasing importance to improve a long-term learning program. However, a higher sustainability education is an initial phase as ever in many universities. E-learning systems in science education based on innovative information and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have close relationship in effective long-standing learnings of sustainability and numerous criteria. Also, the technological challenge integrated to sustainability science education has been focused on e-learning programs, which can fill current educational niche. This paper presents a combined application, Fuzzy-DEcision-MAking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory/Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (F-DEMATEL/MCDA) technique, identifying and analyzing e-learning systems' the most essential criteria for sustainability science education. The main criteria to accomplish this goal proposed are delineated, weighted, appraised and assigned into four groups such as sustainability, science education, e-learning and technology criteria. Sixteen sub-criteria were analyzed by the participatory F-DEMATEL technique on the basis of coefficients' value and computation in the context of impact and examination. For the final decision problem, the most important criteria are acquired with the help of Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) assessed by six implementation strategies’ sensitivity analysis (A to F) and the sub-criteria by a professional online survey. Analysis on F-DEMATEL/MCDA shows sustainability criteria (Strategy A, 0.54 with 84% most likely and likely professional perception survey) that is the most essential criteria in sustainability and e-learning systems science education. Also, it indicates information environmental (0.57 with 77% most likely and likely professional perception survey) is the most essential variable among sub-criteria. Strategy F considering the most important criteria as equal (0.25) got 19% positively perception professional assessment. Consequently, fuzzy-operational and multi-decision analysis and professional survey could be utilized to find out the most essential sustainability science e-learning criteria that also could be engaged to make pliable and pertinent decision features.