Educational Data Mining 2009 41
Current approach at EE department. To support students in making this decision,
every enrolled student receives a study advice in December. This advice tells the student
whether or not he or she is encouraged to proceed his study career at the faculty. It is
based upon the grades and other results of the student so far and upon information
obtained from 1st-semester-teachers and student-mentors, examined and interpreted by
Educational Data Mining
the department's student counselor. The final semester examinations are not taken into
account, because they are in January; postponing the advice until after the results are
known would preclude students from switching to Fontys. The advices seem to be quite
accurate in practice: students who are assessed as potentially successful are in general the
same students that are successful after a year. Moreover, the students who are not
encouraged to proceed their current study program, generally do not continue into the
second year.