A Fuzzy-Neural-Monte Carlo Method to Estimate Online Content Delivery Cost in E-learning

This paper concerns with an economic analysis in e-learning environment. Regarding to the virtual nature of e-learning, uncertainties are inevitable. Learning consists of different integrated factors and due to real-time structures of e-learning in online content delivery, the components cost analysis help the decision makers to analyze the system economically. Here, the aim is proposing a comprehensive economic analysis model considering uncertainties in online course delivery. The input data being the online content delivery factors are considered to be fuzzy and the processing unit is a neural network based on Monte Carlo simulation as an adjustment core. The output of the proposed neural network is the cost estimation. The effectiveness and applicability of the proposed methodology is illustrated in a numerical example.

E-Learning; Online Content Delivery; Cost Estimation; Fuzzy Sets; Neural Network; Monte Carlo Simulation