Web-Based Applications for Teaching Multi-Criteria Decision-Making: A Comparative Case-Study Approach

Abstract

This paper presents two web-based applications developed as educational tools for teaching Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods. Despite their widespread use in technical and security domains, MCDM methods remain insufficiently represented in education due to their conceptual complexity and the lack of accessible interactive tools. The proposed applications offer various evaluation approaches through an interactive environment that supports step-by-step tracking of computations, comparison of results, and analysis of differences between methods. The applications are designed as a modular system integrating selected MCDM methods and providing a unified user interface for data handling and results interpretation. Emphasis is placed on transparency of the decision-making process, interface clarity, and pedagogical applicability in teaching technical and security-oriented subjects. The paper presents two web-based tools for teaching MCDM and demonstrates a methodology for determining the final ranking of alternatives through two case studies in the fields of fire safety and information security, with emphasis on the consistency of the results produced by both tools.