Enhancing fairness and transparency in student project evaluation: A spherical fuzzy alternative prioritization and assessment system-based decision support

Pitch days provide students with a valuable platform to present their innovative projects to potential investors, fostering entrepreneurial engagement and real-world application of academic learning. In this context, the present study aims to develop a decision support system (DSS) to enhance the evaluation process of pitch-based student projects. The primary objective of the research is to propose a fuzzy-based hybrid DSS model and demonstrate its applicability through a real-world case study. To this end, an interval-valued spherical fuzzy (IVSF)−stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA)−criteria importance through inter-criteria correlation (CRITIC)−alternative prioritization and assessment system (ALPAS) hybrid DSS is introduced for systematic and objective project evaluation. The proposed fuzzy-based hybrid DSS is implemented in a Pitching Day event to evaluate nine student projects across 14 criteria. The results reveal that the most influential evaluation criteria are “project risk level”, “novelty level”, and “viability/feasibility”. Among the evaluated projects, the “EYe's" (pitch-based project 5) is identified as the highest-performing initiative. Sensitivity and robustness checks are conducted to verify the reliability of the hybrid DSS. The outcomes confirmed the stability and consistency, offering valuable educational, methodological, and institutional implications for improving project evaluation practices in higher education environments.