Development of a Classification Model for Predicting Student Payment Behavior Using Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Techniques

Abstract

Artificial intelligence today has become a valuable tool for decision-making, where universities have to adapt and optimize their processes, improving the quality of their services. In this context, the economic income from collections is vital for sustainability. There are several problems that can contribute to student delinquency, such as economic, financial, academic, family, and personal. For this reason, the study aimed to develop a classification model to predict the payment behavior of enrolled students. The methodology is a proactive, technological study of incremental innovation with a synchronous temporal scope. The study population consisted of 8,495 undergraduate students enrolled in the 2022 - II academic semester, containing information on academic performance, financial situation, and personal factors. The result is a classification model using the H2O.ai platform, discretization algorithms, data balancing, and the R language. Data science algorithms obtained the base from the institution's computer system. The data sets for training and testing correspond to 70% and 30%, obtaining the GBM Grid model whose performance metrics are AUC of 0.905, AUCPR of 0.926, and logLoss equivalent to 0.311; that is, the model efficiently complies with the classification of student debtors to provide them with early intervention service and help them complete their studies.