Network Analysis of Outcome-Based Education Curriculum System: A Case Study of Environmental Design Programs in Medium-Sized Cities
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Review of Related Research
2.1. The Theoretical Basis and Development of OBE
2.2. Limitations and Challenges of Existing OBE
2.3. Innovation and Application of Network Analysis Methods in OBE
3. Data Description
4. Research Method
4.1. Network Construction
4.2. Assessment of Network Centrality Indicators
4.3. Data Standardization
5. Results
5.1. Computer Basics Courses Serve as Critical Hubs and Interdisciplinary Bridges Within Knowledge Transmission Networks
5.2. The OBE Support Network Shows Core–Periphery Structure with Professional Courses as Central Hubs
5.3. Course Network Integration Effects and Optimization Outcomes
5.4. Comparative Analysis of Course Indicators and Statistical Study of Teaching Effectiveness for 3dmaxV and idm (2022–2023)
6. Discussion
6.1. Theoretical Significance and Practical Value of the Core Status of Computer Basics Courses
6.2. Characteristics of the OBE Curriculum System and the Core–Periphery Structure Model
6.3. Overstepping of Teaching Effectiveness in Technical Courses and Its Methodological Implications
6.4. Challenges of Isolation and Integration Strategies for Innovative Practice Courses
6.5. Innovative Applications and Research Contributions of Network Analysis Methods in Educational Assessment
6.6. Research Limitations and Future Directions
7. Conclusions
- The computer basics course plays a crucial hub role in the knowledge transmission network. Network centrality analysis reveals that fundamental computer science courses such as Design Application (Dap) and Professional Knowledge (PK) occupy central positions in the CSCN, exhibiting the highest degree and betweenness centrality, serving as bridges between different disciplinary domains and providing essential knowledge foundations for subsequent specialized courses.
- The OBE curriculum support network exhibits a distinct core–periphery structure. Within the curriculum system, core professional courses occupy critical hub positions, with the PK ranking first with a degree value of 20, establishing it as the most highly connected core node in the network. However, certain courses such as Innovative and Comprehensive Design of Interior Space (Incdois) and Comprehensive Practical Training on Spatial Innovation (cptsi) exhibit isolated states, presenting issues of inadequate connectivity with the main network.
- Teaching effectiveness of technical courses demonstrates significant improvement. The 3DSAMX+VRAY Indoor Digital Environment Design (3dmaxV) course achieved remarkable progress during the 2022–2023 academic year, with average scores increasing from 87.06 to 88.87 points, standard deviation dramatically decreasing from 6.81 to 2.70, and excellence rate rising from to . These improvements fully demonstrate the significant advantages of digital teaching instructional tools.
- Structural differences exist between the CSCN and CTN. The CTN exhibits a relatively flat structural profile, highlighting the temporal sequencing and scheduling of course offerings, whereas the CSCN emphasizes inter-course logical dependencies. Together, these two networks form a comprehensive analytical framework for examining curriculum structure.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Name | Formula | Description |
---|---|---|
Degree Centrality () | represents an element of the adjacency matrix A, indicating whether nodes i and j are connected. | |
Closeness centrality () | denotes the total number of shortest paths from course s to course t, and represents the number of shortest paths from course s to course t that through course i. | |
Closeness centrality () | denotes the shortest path distance from course i to course j. |
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Wang, Y.; Zhan, Z.; Wang, H. Network Analysis of Outcome-Based Education Curriculum System: A Case Study of Environmental Design Programs in Medium-Sized Cities. Sustainability 2025, 17, 7091. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157091
Wang Y, Zhan Z, Wang H. Network Analysis of Outcome-Based Education Curriculum System: A Case Study of Environmental Design Programs in Medium-Sized Cities. Sustainability. 2025; 17(15):7091. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157091
Chicago/Turabian StyleWang, Yang, Zixiao Zhan, and Honglin Wang. 2025. "Network Analysis of Outcome-Based Education Curriculum System: A Case Study of Environmental Design Programs in Medium-Sized Cities" Sustainability 17, no. 15: 7091. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157091
APA StyleWang, Y., Zhan, Z., & Wang, H. (2025). Network Analysis of Outcome-Based Education Curriculum System: A Case Study of Environmental Design Programs in Medium-Sized Cities. Sustainability, 17(15), 7091. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157091