tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/times-higher-education-rankings-3621/articlesTimes Higher Education Rankings – The Conversation2023-09-28T06:11:59Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2145552023-09-28T06:11:59Z2023-09-28T06:11:59ZAustralian universities have dropped in the latest round of global rankings – should we be worried?<p>Every year, <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/about-us">Times Higher Education</a> – a global higher education publication – ranks universities around the world. This one of three prominent international ranking systems for universities. </p>
<p>Its 2024 <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2024/world-ranking">list has just been released</a> and includes 1,904 universities across 108 countries. </p>
<p>The top five universities are all in the United Kingdom and United States: Oxford University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and the University of Cambridge. </p>
<p>In Australia, headlines have talked about a “<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/top-australian-universities-slide-down-world-rankings-20230926-p5e7po.html">slide</a>” down the world rankings for Australian universities, with our reputation also “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-28/where-australian-universities-sit-in-world-university-rankings/102911238">slipping</a>”. </p>
<p>Australia’s highest-ranking institution, The University of Melbourne, dropped from 34 to 37. Many other local universities also fell in the rankings. For example, The University of Sydney dropped six places to 60 and the Australian National University dropped five places to 67.</p>
<p>The Conversation spoke to <strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gwilym-croucher-12106">Associate Professor Gwilym Croucher</a></strong>, a higher education researcher at the University of Melbourne about what the latest rankings mean. </p>
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<img alt="The Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, featuring stone emperors' heads." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550786/original/file-20230928-19-i32lbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550786/original/file-20230928-19-i32lbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550786/original/file-20230928-19-i32lbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550786/original/file-20230928-19-i32lbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550786/original/file-20230928-19-i32lbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550786/original/file-20230928-19-i32lbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550786/original/file-20230928-19-i32lbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The UK’s Oxford University was top in the Times Higher Education rankings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/LrTt009Yf-k">Ray Harrington/Unsplash</a></span>
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<h2>How are the rankings calculated?</h2>
<p>The Times Higher Education takes in a range of measures, from teaching to research productivity, research citations, industry connections and international students. </p>
<p>The way the rankings are calculated is complicated. And there has been a change in the way universities are scored this year, with additional measures such as a weighting given to the relationship between research and patents.</p>
<h2>Why have we seen Australia drop in the rankings?</h2>
<p>One thing is there has been a change in the methodology this year, which has likely had some downside for how Australian universities have fared. </p>
<p>A second factor is the international landscape is becoming more competitive – two Chinese universities and the National University of Singapore are in the top 20. There’s <a href="https://egc.yale.edu/research/zilibotti-et-al-2022">significant higher education investment</a> in some countries, such as China, especially for their elite research universities.</p>
<p>This means on some measures, Australian universities are facing more competition. </p>
<p>The third thing is, while it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how Australia’s response to the pandemic affected the rankings, without a doubt, border closures during COVID had some impact on our international reputation.</p>
<p>The Times rankings take into account teaching and research reputation, both of which may have been affected by the pandemic when we saw classes go online.</p>
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<h2>Is this a problem?</h2>
<p>While nobody likes to go down in the rankings, we have to be careful not to read too much into this news. </p>
<p>Rankings can be useful for indicating there are areas we need to address. For example, we know Australia’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/nobel-laureate-brian-schmidts-big-ideas-for-how-australia-funds-and-uses-research-204015">research funding lags behind</a> other similar countries. </p>
<p>But these rankings are also based on somewhat narrow measures, such as research citations and ratios of students vs staff and undergraduate vs postgraduate students. These don’t necessarily tell us everything we need to know about teaching and research quality. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/international-student-numbers-hit-record-highs-in-canada-uk-and-us-as-falls-continue-in-australia-and-nz-173493">International student numbers hit record highs in Canada, UK and US as falls continue in Australia and NZ</a>
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<h2>Besides media outlets, who will be looking at these rankings?</h2>
<p>Many international students do pay attention to these rankings, it’s one way they judge the overall quality of education.</p>
<p>So this is another indication that competition for international students is fierce. Given international student fees <a href="https://theconversation.com/nobel-laureate-brian-schmidts-big-ideas-for-how-australia-funds-and-uses-research-204015">have played a key role</a> in funding much research in Australian universities, this is important.</p>
<p>Any change in the rankings should give us pause to think about what we might change in Australia. But we are also in the middle of a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-universities-accord-could-see-the-most-significant-changes-to-australian-unis-in-a-generation-194738">higher education reform process</a> in Australia with the Universities Accord. The final report is due in December. </p>
<p>This is looking at teaching quality, research quality, research funding and international students. So, we are having a national discussion about these issues right now. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1704748148516933883"}"></div></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214555/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
The Conversation talks to University of Melbourne researcher Gwilym Croucher about what the Times Higher Education rankings mean.Judith Ireland, Education Editor, The Conversation, Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1523132021-01-06T19:00:20Z2021-01-06T19:00:20ZNew global ranking system shows Australian universities are ahead of the pack<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377124/original/file-20210105-13-jkr9tv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C107%2C5982%2C3880&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/melbourne-australia-17-jul-2019-view-1589836228">EQRoy/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whether it’s <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/basics/ppp.htm">purchasing power parity</a> or the <a href="https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1131&context=jsc">Happiness Index</a>, global comparisons require benchmarking. Sport does this well with World Cups and the Olympics, or better still the single ranking familiar to tennis and golf aficionados. </p>
<p>The problem with universities is there are around a dozen rankings. Each is a variable mix of research, reputation and teaching metrics, leading to quite different and confusing results.</p>
<p>University rankings certainly have their critics, who point to the potential to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/global-rankings-are-distorting-universities-decisions-says-anu-chief-20201111-p56do9.html">mislead students and distort research priorities</a>. Our newly developed Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities (<a href="https://research.unsw.edu.au/artu">ARTU</a>) overcomes the flaws of singling out performance in any one ranking. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-the-black-hole-of-global-university-rankings-rediscovering-the-true-value-of-knowledge-and-ideas-140236">Beyond the black hole of global university rankings: rediscovering the true value of knowledge and ideas</a>
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<p>This aggregated ranking helps to broaden the range of assessment — from research citations (frequency referred to in the academic literature) and impact, through to reputation, and qualitative as well as quantitative measures. It also helps address the inherent imperfections of any one of the individual ranking systems, when seen on their own.</p>
<p>The ARTU orders universities by cumulative performance over the mainstream scoring systems. Condensing the three most influential — the Quacquarelli Symonds (<a href="https://www.qs.com/rankings/">QS</a>), Times Higher Education (<a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2020/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats">THE</a>) and Academic Ranking of World Universities (<a href="http://www.shanghairanking.com/">ARWU</a>) — gives a single broad overview of a university’s position.</p>
<h2>How does Australia fare?</h2>
<p>Australia now has 13 universities in the global top 200. That’s an increase from just eight two years ago. </p>
<p>Australia ranks fourth in the world in 2020, after the US, UK and Germany. Indeed per head of population, Australia is well ahead of these nations, and second behind the Netherlands for nations of more than 10 million.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377115/original/file-20210105-17-aell35.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bar chart showing Australian universities in the top 200 ARTU rankings" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377115/original/file-20210105-17-aell35.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377115/original/file-20210105-17-aell35.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=697&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377115/original/file-20210105-17-aell35.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=697&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377115/original/file-20210105-17-aell35.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=697&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377115/original/file-20210105-17-aell35.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=876&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377115/original/file-20210105-17-aell35.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=876&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377115/original/file-20210105-17-aell35.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=876&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://research.unsw.edu.au/artu/artu-results">The Conversation/ARTU/UNSW</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>This is no new entrant fluke, as Australia has seven universities in the top 100. That’s 7% of the best universities for <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/australia-population/">0.3% of the world’s population</a> (or <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2020/October/weo-report?c=512,914,612,614,311,213,911,314,193,122,912,313,419,513,316,913,124,339,638,514,218,963,616,223,516,918,748,618,624,522,622,156,626,628,228,924,233,632,636,634,238,662,960,423,935,128,611,321,243,248,469,253,642,643,939,734,644,819,172,132,646,648,915,134,652,174,328,258,656,654,336,263,268,532,944,176,534,536,429,433,178,436,136,343,158,439,916,664,826,542,967,443,917,544,941,446,666,668,672,946,137,546,674,676,548,556,678,181,867,682,684,273,868,921,948,943,686,688,518,728,836,558,138,196,278,692,694,962,142,449,564,565,283,853,288,293,566,964,182,359,453,968,922,714,862,135,716,456,722,942,718,724,576,936,961,813,726,199,733,184,524,361,362,364,732,366,144,146,463,528,923,738,578,537,742,866,369,744,186,925,869,746,926,466,112,111,298,927,846,299,582,487,474,754,698,&s=NGDPD,&sy=2018&ey=2025&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1">1.6% of global GDP</a>). Two Australian institutions, Monash and UNSW, are among the five that jumped more than 20 places within the top 100 between 2012 and 2020.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/university-rankings-how-do-they-compare-and-what-do-they-mean-for-students-104011">University rankings: how do they compare and what do they mean for students?</a>
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<h2>Asia on the rise</h2>
<p>Although rankings are compiled annually, performance is a lagging indicator <a href="https://recognition.webofscience.com/awards/highly-cited/2020/methodology/">assessed</a> over <a href="https://www.elsevier.com/research-intelligence/resource-library/scopus-scival-university-rankings-ebook">several</a> <a href="http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU-Methodology-2020.html">years</a>. For instance, research citations can be judged between five to 11 years later. </p>
<p>On the one hand, this should help cushion our pandemic-affected universities from precipitous falls over the next few years. On the other, it conspires against rapid rises up the global ladder. </p>
<p>This makes the ascendancy of East Asian universities, and in particular those from China, all the more remarkable. The top two Chinese universities now come in at 18th and 27th internationally, ahead of Australia’s lead, the University of Melbourne at 29th. The next four Chinese universities have risen more than 100 spots since 2012 to crack the top 75. This is especially impressive given that research is largely judged on English-language outputs.</p>
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://research.unsw.edu.au/artu/capita">Chart: The Conversation. Data: ARTU/UNSW</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>Australia has fared well in this battle of the old versus new order. Long-established universities benefit from major endowments, philanthropy and long-run reputation. Australia’s universities in the top 200 have an average age of 78, compared to over two centuries for overseas unis in top 200. </p>
<p>China has this disadvantage too. But China does have the benefit of a booming economy, which drives top-down investment in cutting-edge technologies and academic excellence through STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) research at scale.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-rise-of-china-a-threat-or-opportunity-for-australian-universities-49145">The rise of China: a threat or opportunity for Australian universities?</a>
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<h2>A measure of the value of international students</h2>
<p>It can be argued that Australian universities thrived on the back of 28 years of growth, a desirable location, political stability and relatively open borders to knowledge-based entrants. But the standout contribution has been from international students. In absolute terms universities in Australia have the <a href="https://monitor.icef.com/2019/11/australian-international-student-enrolments-up-11-through-september-2019/">second-highest number</a> after the US.</p>
<p>Simply put, the margin between international and domestic student income covers the indirect costs of strategic investment in research, teaching and other areas. Australian universities need to <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportrep/024212/toc_pdf/AustralianGovernmentFundingArrangementsfornon-NHMRCResearch.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf">raise around an additional dollar</a> in support and infrastructure spending for every dollar won in grant income. And all this while fulfilling the core mission of educating local students, with <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/qualifications-and-work/latest-release">43% of 25-to-34-year-olds now having a bachelor degree</a>, up from 34% in 2010. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/7-6-billion-and-11-of-researchers-our-estimate-of-how-much-australian-university-research-stands-to-lose-by-2024-146672">$7.6 billion and 11% of researchers: our estimate of how much Australian university research stands to lose by 2024</a>
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<p>But coronavirus has laid bare the Achilles heel in this business model. Closed borders and geopolitical shifts have delivered a major blow to cross-subsidisation, as well as to the international collaboration so crucial for team-based research addressing the world’s grand challenges.</p>
<p>Vaccines now offer some light at the end of the tunnel, but it will be many years before the world resembles its former self, if ever. Trust in science and an R&D-led economy argue for a major role for universities in the recovery from COVID-19. But the only certainty is uncertainty.</p>
<p>So expect considerable volatility in higher education. How well our universities stack up will depend in part on how international competitors fare, and in particular their relative economies and resourcefulness. Australia looks well positioned here, but will need to weather the threats posed by contraction, domestic constraints and a challenging business model.</p>
<p>Rankings are not perfect. They do not assess all aspects of the mission of Australian universities and are rightly subject to criticism, often from institutions not doing so well. But rankings are the best surrogate measure of global standing that we have and they are here to stay, whether we like them or loathe them. </p>
<p>As the aggregate scoreboard for top universities around the globe, ARTU is well placed to track the shake-up from COVID-19 as it plays out in our universities over the next five to ten years.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152313/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicholas Fisk is a Board member of Research Australia.
Ian Jacobs is a Board member of the Group of 8 universities and Universities Australia</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Jacobs is a Board member of the Group of Eight (Go8) and Universities Australia.</span></em></p>With 13 universities in the top 200 in the new aggregated ranking system known as ARTU, Australia ranks fourth in the world and is part of a rising new order in the global higher education sector.Nicholas M Fisk, Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Enterprise), UNSW SydneyIan Jacobs, Vice Chancellor, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/877932018-09-26T14:44:08Z2018-09-26T14:44:08ZForget university rankings, open days are the biggest factor in student choice<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238099/original/file-20180926-48665-1wfqow2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Open days are the main way students choose their future university.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>According to the <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2019/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats">Times Higher University Rankings</a>, which positions more than 1,200 institutions worldwide, the University of Oxford (which came top), the University of Cambridge (second), Imperial College London (9th) and University College London (14th) are the only <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-universities-uk">UK universities</a> in the top 25. </p>
<p>Other high-scoring institutions in the UK include the London School of Economics and Political Science (ranked five in the UK and 26 overall), the University of Manchester (ranked eight in the UK and 57 overall) and the University of Glasgow (ranked 11 in the UK and 93 overall). </p>
<p>Rankings have always been a popular way for universities seeking to quantify how much “better” they are than others. But over recent years this has moved beyond league tables to universities making <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/uk-universities-forced-axe-misleading-rankings-claims">broader claims</a> – such as being in the “top 1% in the world” or “number one in the UK”. </p>
<p>In 2017 the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) forced <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-41984465">six institutions</a> to change their marketing campaigns and remove claims they couldn’t prove to be true. The ASA is now updating its advertising guidelines for UK universities, to prevent institutions from being able to make further unsubstantiated claims.</p>
<h2>Real-life experience</h2>
<p>When it comes to actually selecting a university to apply for, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0309877X.2015.1070400">research</a> shows that students’ perceptions are heavily influenced by anecdotal evidence from friends or family. Websites and prospectuses – where most of these claims are made – also help to shape impressions and support or refute perceptions. </p>
<p>But, while initial impressions are all very well, they only help students to compile a short list of universities to visit. And as <a href="https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/an-exploration-of-the-effect-of-servicescape-on-student-institution-choice-in-uk-universities(de3db61a-3aa8-4d43-9771-68051e36f87e)/export.html">our research shows</a>, when it comes to choosing a university, there is no substitute for personal experience – with many students making their decision after a visit or open day. </p>
<p>So while location, nightlife and transport links, all come into it, one of the most important factors to students is their experience of the open day and the feel they get from the town or city. A <a href="https://universitybusiness.co.uk/Article/how-do-uk-students-choose-their-university/">previous study</a> has also shown that one of the most important factors for students when selecting an institution, is the academic appeal of a university. This is followed by the institution’s overall reputation – as well as its ability to boost future career prospects.</p>
<h2>Fancy new buildings</h2>
<p>At a time when many universities are embarking on ambitious building developments, it might be a concern to realise that students aren’t impressed by fancy buildings and state-of-the-art facilities – <a href="https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/an-exploration-of-the-effect-of-servicescape-on-student-institution-choice-in-uk-universities(de3db61a-3aa8-4d43-9771-68051e36f87e)/export.html">they expect them</a>. Reflecting on the escalating cost of tuition fees, students need to be able to see their money is being spent on something they will benefit from. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238164/original/file-20180926-48641-1t6ss65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238164/original/file-20180926-48641-1t6ss65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238164/original/file-20180926-48641-1t6ss65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238164/original/file-20180926-48641-1t6ss65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238164/original/file-20180926-48641-1t6ss65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238164/original/file-20180926-48641-1t6ss65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238164/original/file-20180926-48641-1t6ss65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Snazzy buildings at the University of Antwerp in Belgium.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Beyond the fancy buildings, when it comes to the open day experience our research shows it is the <a href="https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/an-exploration-of-the-effect-of-servicescape-on-student-institution-choice-in-uk-universities(de3db61a-3aa8-4d43-9771-68051e36f87e)/export.html">social encounters</a> that provide the greatest opportunity for leaving a positive impression in students’ minds – and enables them to rank one institution as “better” than another. </p>
<h2>What students want</h2>
<p>Most open days offer course talks by a member of staff and our research showed these talks create the biggest impression for prospective students. Students are drawn towards institutions where staff are not just knowledgeable, but enthusiastic and passionate about their course. </p>
<p>Being able to interact with staff is also a key factor in decision making. Students are much more likely to choose institutions where they leave feeling that staff have taken the time to <a href="https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/an-exploration-of-the-effect-of-servicescape-on-student-institution-choice-in-uk-universities(de3db61a-3aa8-4d43-9771-68051e36f87e)/export.html">build a rapport</a> and engage with them.</p>
<p>The impact of social encounters is not just limited to interactions with staff either – both students and local residents are important too. Genuine encounters with existing students who speak positively about their institution are key. And students feel reassured to visit a town centre with seemingly happy, friendly local residents. </p>
<h2>A good fit</h2>
<p>As well as reflecting on whether they feel comfortable with the staff, our research revealed that prospective students also consider the other visitors on the day and assess whether or not they feel they “fit in” with the other prospective students.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238100/original/file-20180926-48647-1ugidpg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238100/original/file-20180926-48647-1ugidpg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238100/original/file-20180926-48647-1ugidpg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238100/original/file-20180926-48647-1ugidpg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238100/original/file-20180926-48647-1ugidpg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238100/original/file-20180926-48647-1ugidpg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238100/original/file-20180926-48647-1ugidpg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Open days give prospective students an insight into university life.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ultimately, when the social environment is at its best, a university can both excite and reassure a student and generate an all-important sense of belonging. And staff and existing students are key players in this process.</p>
<p>So while the ASA is busy reviewing the validity of various universities’ claims to be the “top university”, prospective students continue to make their choices based on their actual experience. So a university could well be in the top 1% of universities worldwide – but without genuine, friendly and enthusiastic staff and students to build a sense of belonging, it won’t make it to top place on a UCAS form.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/87793/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Winter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When it comes to choosing a university, a positive personal experience is much more influential for students than rankings or league tables.Emma Winter, Principal Lecturer, Marketing, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/854512017-10-24T19:05:09Z2017-10-24T19:05:09ZWhat makes a good university? Academics and students have different ideas<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190312/original/file-20171016-27711-zyhel0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There is no good reason the views of students should be disregarded in what defines quality higher education.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>New analysis of the Federal Government’s <a href="https://www.qilt.edu.au/">Quality Indicators of Learning and Teaching</a> (QILT) and the <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings">Times Higher Education</a> (THE) reveals a divide between what academics think defines quality and what students actually experience. This is demonstrated by world university rankings and student satisfaction surveys.</p>
<p>Quality teaching is an essential component of the QILT program. Generally, satisfaction levels among Australian university students are high at around 80%. However, there is often a significant gap between what students consider a quality teaching experience and what academics consider quality teaching.</p>
<p>World university rankings continue to attract attention, with almost all Australian universities now participating. Millions of potential students from around the world use ranking information to make choices about their future studies. Rankings guide policy, investment, jobs and partnerships across the globe.</p>
<p>The THE university ranking, operated by <a href="https://www.tesglobal.com/">TES Global</a>, has a media reach of almost 700 million. It ranks 2,150 institutions worldwide, 35 in Australia. Overall, Australia performs well in the rankings.</p>
<h2>Student perspectives absent from reputation surveys</h2>
<p>Half of the Times’ measure for quality teaching is based on an <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/academic-reputation-survey-explained">academic reputation survey</a>. The reputation survey claims to be the largest of its kind in the world with more than 10,320 respondents, and underpins ranking results. </p>
<p>The academic reputation survey asks respondents which universities are “the best”, based on their experience in a particular field. QILT on the other hand, asks a series of targeted questions about the quality of teaching. These include overall experience, learning engagement, explanations on assessment, course structure and focus.</p>
<p>The ranking is a major source of information for students, but the Times are entirely devoid of student experience data. Despite this, universities are drawn to using the ranking to promote a quality education experience, based on information that provides only part of this assurance, and none from a student experience perspective.</p>
<p>Analysis indicates the academic reputation survey conducted by the Times has almost no bearing on actual experience recalled by students. In many cases, there is a significant divide between what academic peers and students consider to be quality teaching.</p>
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<hr>
<h2>Size and ranking correlate, but ranking and satisfaction do not</h2>
<p>Interestingly, universities whose academic peers are critical of their institution actually tend to rate better with students.</p>
<p>The typical profile of an Australian university with very optimistic academic peers is: 106 years old, has over 55,000 students, performs 71% better in quality teaching according to the rankings – but is below or average according to students. Examples are Monash University, The University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales, the University of Queensland and Sydney University.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Australian universities with very pessimistic academic peers are on average: 29 years old, with about 27,000 students, perform - 36% worse in quality teaching according to the rankings, but up to 13% better according to students. Examples include Australian Catholic University, Bond University, Edith Cowan, Murdoch University, University of Sunshine Coast and Western Sydney University.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191306/original/file-20171023-13966-pfq6w4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191306/original/file-20171023-13966-pfq6w4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191306/original/file-20171023-13966-pfq6w4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191306/original/file-20171023-13966-pfq6w4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191306/original/file-20171023-13966-pfq6w4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=650&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191306/original/file-20171023-13966-pfq6w4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=650&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191306/original/file-20171023-13966-pfq6w4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=650&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided/Times Higher Education rankings</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>In Australia, there is a relationship between size and ranking. Highly ranked institutions are usually big. The expansion of the higher education sector coincides with Australia’s comprehensive ranking results on the world stage. The catch is that when it comes to student satisfaction, being big doesn’t seem to help.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191503/original/file-20171024-1748-1cm8t9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191503/original/file-20171024-1748-1cm8t9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191503/original/file-20171024-1748-1cm8t9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191503/original/file-20171024-1748-1cm8t9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191503/original/file-20171024-1748-1cm8t9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191503/original/file-20171024-1748-1cm8t9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191503/original/file-20171024-1748-1cm8t9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided/Times Higher Education rankings</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<h2>Elation & peril</h2>
<p>There is also a circular logic to quality teaching in the rankings. High rankings build reputation, while reputation is required to achieve a high ranking. So it makes sense that the rankings are generally stable at the top and volatile in the middle, with a long tail.</p>
<p>The Times does attempt to gather data on student experience, but only 1,000 students are included and all are based in the UK. In Australia, the Commonwealth supported QILT program <a href="https://www.qilt.edu.au/about-this-site/student-experience">administers a survey</a> to more than 123,000 students each year and is overwhelmingly more comprehensive.</p>
<p>While rankings can be a source for elation, a fall in the rankings is the dread of almost all universities. However, rankings are a mainstay of the global higher education landscape and are useful. Policy makers, like students, should consult the rankings with careful deliberation. If expectations are high among students, those expectations should be respected.</p>
<p>All this confirms that lower-ranked universities are not simply an assembly of “easy-to-please” students. Rather, the ranking of quality teaching using reputation indicators is incomplete.</p>
<p>Notions of quality are a subjective matter with many facets and competing perspectives. That said, the views of students should be respected not ignored in what defines quality higher education.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85451/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Omer Yezdani does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Lower ranked universities often outperform their highly ranked peers in student satisfaction.Omer Yezdani, Director, Office of Planning and Strategic Management, Australian Catholic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/400712015-05-25T20:06:45Z2015-05-25T20:06:45ZUniversities should change the way they measure success<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78684/original/image-20150421-12015-9nf9a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How do universities measure their success? How should they?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/benbeiske/4099931431">Ben Beiske\Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Universities have a vast array of measures to gauge how successful they are. Most of the measures have a lot to do with prestige and not much to do with the outcomes of their graduates or the quality of the education their students receive. </p>
<h2>Cut-off scores</h2>
<p>Probably the most pervasive measure of universities’ success in Australia and in many other countries is their selectivity of undergraduate student entry, measured in Australia by cut-off scores. A program’s <a href="http://www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/atar/cut-offs.shtml">cut-off score</a> is the lowest score needed to gain entry to the program. </p>
<p>Cut-off scores are not a good indicator of the quality or even of the prior attainment of entering students because most students have a score above the cut-off. Often programs with a cut-off score around 60, for example, admit most students with a score above 80. A far better measure of the attainment of students entering a program, inasmuch as it is a good measure of anything, is the median or middle entry score of students.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, cut-off scores are widely viewed as an indicator of a program and university’s quality by students, parents, schools, governments, members of the public and even by university staff who should know better. A good example is NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli and the Group of Eight elite universities <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/unis-vow-to-fight-teaching-cut-off/story-e6frgcjx-1226581416720">who sought to require minimum entry scores</a> for admission to teacher education programs or to all higher education bachelor programs.</p>
<h2>Student surveys</h2>
<p>Australia, with many other countries, relies heavily on student surveys to evaluate universities’ performance. The <a href="http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/research/researchreports/">course experience questionnaire</a> is administered to graduates some four months after they complete their program. </p>
<p>It has been <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03075079112331382944?journalCode=cshe20#.VTOf12RViko">rigorously evaluated</a> and several studies have refuted the common criticisms that it favours shallow teachers or soft markers. There is now over 20 years of course experience questionnaire results, providing a valuable sequence of data on university teaching. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78689/original/image-20150421-12025-1wszkpj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78689/original/image-20150421-12025-1wszkpj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78689/original/image-20150421-12025-1wszkpj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78689/original/image-20150421-12025-1wszkpj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78689/original/image-20150421-12025-1wszkpj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78689/original/image-20150421-12025-1wszkpj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78689/original/image-20150421-12025-1wszkpj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students complete satisfaction surveys.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/2681686220">Flickr/Ed Yourdon</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Administered with the course experience questionnaire is the <a href="http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/Research/ResearchReports/GraduateDestinations">graduate destination survey</a>. This reports graduates’ employment, study or other activity four months after graduation.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/research/surveys/beyondgraduationsurvey/">beyond graduation survey</a> reports on graduates’ activities, outcomes and experiences three years after graduation. </p>
<p>The Australian government also funds a <a href="https://education.gov.au/university-experience-survey">university experience survey</a>. This surveys current students during second semester. </p>
<h2>Statistics</h2>
<p>The Australian government reports numerous <a href="https://education.gov.au/selected-higher-education-statistics-2013-student-data">student statistics</a> to assess universities’ performance on the admission and performance of students from equity groups and on students’ attrition, success and retention.</p>
<p>The Commonwealth also reports data on universities’ <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/selected-higher-education-statistics-2014-staff-data">staff</a>, <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/category/program-139">financial results</a> and performance. </p>
<h2>My University web site</h2>
<p>Much of this data from student surveys and student and staff statistics are reported for each university program on the government’s <a href="http://myuniversity.gov.au/">My University</a> website. </p>
<p>While the website is reasonably comprehensive and has a function allowing users to compare university programs, there is no evidence that it informs prospective students’ choice of programs extensively. </p>
<p>The site is therefore being replaced by <a href="https://education.gov.au/upholding-quality-quality-indicators-learning-and-teaching">quality indicators for learning and teaching</a>. These will include a new <a href="https://education.gov.au/employer-satisfaction-survey">employer satisfaction survey</a> if grave methodological difficulties can be overcome.</p>
<h2>Excellence in research for Australia</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://www.arc.gov.au/era/era_2012/outcomes_2012.htm">excellence in research for Australia</a> (ERA) assessments are strong evaluations of each university’s research performance in each of 157 detailed fields aggregated into 22 broad fields and eight discipline clusters. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.arc.gov.au/era/era_2015/era_2015.htm">2015 assessments</a> are currently being conducted. While the ERA assessments are reasonably rigorous and accordingly strongly influence university research policy, they need some time and expertise to interpret informatively.</p>
<h2>World rankings</h2>
<p>Well-funded universities’ reputations and their demand from international students are influenced strongly by world ranks. There are dozens of world ranks of very variable rigour, coverage and subject matter. There is, for example, a <a href="http://www.gottshall.com/squirrels/campsq.htm">campus squirrel listing</a>, which rates some USA and Canadian campuses by the size, health and behaviour of their squirrels.</p>
<p>Of the prominent world ranks, the most rigorous is Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s <a href="http://www.arwu.org/">academic ranking of world universities</a>. The rank’s relative rigour is achieved at the expense of a narrow focus on research, particularly empirical research. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78862/original/image-20150422-23627-ricmr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78862/original/image-20150422-23627-ricmr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78862/original/image-20150422-23627-ricmr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78862/original/image-20150422-23627-ricmr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78862/original/image-20150422-23627-ricmr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78862/original/image-20150422-23627-ricmr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78862/original/image-20150422-23627-ricmr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78862/original/image-20150422-23627-ricmr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Which uni ranks best?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/sidneiensis/12263332156/in/photolist-jFEMpj-6HAE5q-jFEcMC-jFECXh-kFYN4E-pDCGUW-kFUgHg-kFYrLA-kFWyyh-kFYCBJ-kFWaCZ-kFUNBR-jWkJaa-kFVUSr-kFWXhe-jWkscg-fKdiPa-7w9gdp-7w9fbK-aCHyoX-766wgJ-jFCFLM-kFZezu-jWmaoK-4VYVGU-jFEdoC-kFXkQZ-jWmosv-jHLCfF-kFZjPt-aCLfYu-8t59nR-pTVpeL-766BrX-ngXZV1-8ZE79P-9Yiw94-7w9ixi-7842Yd-78438w-76azc1-77Z6gx-783Z87-77Z6WX-7wd6kN-77Z7BM-766Cn2-766D1B-9La8JH-766zPc">Jason James/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The other two prominent ranks rely on reputation surveys. The rankers publish little information about their surveys, but from what information is available it is clear that they <a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/29/methodology-qs-rankings-comes-under-scrutiny">fail basic undergraduate social sciences methods</a>.</p>
<p>Half of QS Quacquarelli Symonds’ rank is based on reputation surveys, so it is particularly vulnerable to the <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10734-010-9339-1#page-1">bias introduced and amplified by reputation surveys</a>.</p>
<p>The Times Higher Education (THE) rank is <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2927316/">too volatile</a>, which is the result of <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/times-higher-rankings-weak-methodologies-and-the-vastly-overblown-rise-of-asia/">poor methods</a>. Times Higher Education <a href="http://rankingwatch.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/the-times-higher-education-rankings.html">changed its method and data supplier</a> again last year, so changes from year to year are largely uninformative. Unless THE improves on its previous practice, its 2015 ranks shouldn’t be compared with previous years.</p>
<h2>Evidence of university standards</h2>
<p>Much as universities rail against the current league tables and indicators of quality, they boast about their results in shoddy league tables and invest very little in developing alternatives. Universities should provide publicly verifiable evidence of the standards of their graduates. Instead there are numerous indications that <a href="http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20100226130940456">standards vary markedly between years, qualifications and institutions</a>. </p>
<p>One possible measure of the standards of university graduates is the OECD’s <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/testingstudentanduniversityperformancegloballyoecdsahelo.htm">assessment of higher education learning outcomes</a> (Ahelo), which trialed exams for graduates in economics and engineering. The trial involved 23,000 students from 248 higher education institutions in 17 countries, including Australia. </p>
<p>The results from the Ahelo trial were mixed and the project is controversial. That might be expected from a project that was initially presented as higher education’s version of the international school-aged test <a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/aboutpisa/">PISA</a> (Program for International Student Assessment). </p>
<p>Nonetheless, Ahelo still has potential and offers the best prospect of improving on current methods for measuring universities’ success. It would be the only internationally comparative measure of teaching or learning, and it would assess graduates’ attainment, not just report their experiences or satisfaction.</p>
<h2>Trust us - we are the experts</h2>
<p>Australia is probably more advanced than most in measuring its universities’ success. However, it suffers with many other countries in relying excessively on numerical measures and their associated ranks. </p>
<p>There is a tension between peoples’ understandable interest in a simple indicator of quality and even the most rigorous indicator’s distortion by “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell%27s_law">Campbell’s law</a>”, which means the more an indicator becomes a target, the more it measures targeting rather than performance and the more it distorts performance. </p>
<p>In the absence of an array of better indicators, particularly of teaching and learning, it would be better to rely less on simple indicators and more on expert judgement.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong><em>The Conversation is running a series on “What are universities for?” looking at the place of universities in Australia, why they exist, who they serve, and how this is changing over time. Read other articles in the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/what-are-universities-for">here</a>.</em></strong></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40071/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gavin Moodie is an adjunct of RMIT which is ranked by the various measures discussed in this piece.</span></em></p>Currently universities have a vast array of measures they use to gauge how successful they are. Most of the measures have a lot to do with prestige and not much to do with the outcomes of their graduates or the quality of the education their students receive.Gavin Moodie, Adjunct professor, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/411902015-05-05T04:53:33Z2015-05-05T04:53:33ZWhy are young Australian unis punching above their weight?<p>The <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2015/one-hundred-under-fifty">latest Times Higher Education rankings</a> of universities under 50 years old paints a positive picture for the Australian higher education sector. </p>
<p>Of the Top 100 Under 50, Australia has more high-ranking universities (16) than any other country. What is it about the Australian higher education system that allows new universities to flourish more so than in the US or UK? What does the THE Top 100 Under 50 result say about our “need” for reform in the higher education sector?</p>
<p>To put this result into perspective, the UK, with nearly triple our population (64 million) and well over triple the number of universities (162), had 15 listed in the Top 100 Under 50. </p>
<p>The United States, with a population of 320 million and over 4,700 degree-granting public and private universities, liberal arts and community colleges, could only manage seven in the Top 100 Under 50.</p>
<p>Admittedly, none of Australia’s 16 are in that list’s top 20. UTS came closest (21st). Higher honours instead go to universities across a host of countries including Switzerland, Korea, Germany, France, Turkey, the Netherlands, the UK and US. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, with 16 in the Top 100 Under 50, the Australian picture is arresting: of consistent, strong overall standards beyond the country’s older universities, of high quality across many young institutions – not just a couple of standout cases, as is typical for most other countries on the list.</p>
<p>Given that, comparatively, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-high-road-and-low-road-of-public-investment-in-universities-28953">Australia grossly under-invests in higher education as a percentage of GDP</a>, the result is all the more remarkable. We haven’t bought our way to success. What, then, are the factors that allow our young universities to perform so well?</p>
<h2>Geography and population structure</h2>
<p>Unlike several other countries represented that have only a couple of outstanding young universities, Australian has a very dispersed population, long distances between cities and in between universities, and suburban catchment areas that generate a strong base for both metropolitan and regional universities. </p>
<p>This is a breeding ground for replication and consistency rather than concentration. Australia’s entrants in the Top 100 Under 50 come from wide and far with representatives from state capital cities (UTS, QUT, RMIT, UniSA, Flinders, Murdoch), the regions (Newcastle, Wollongong, Deakin, CDU) and also relative newcomers (RMIT, Swinburne, Edith Cowan).</p>
<h2>Cultural factors</h2>
<p><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/0033-0124.00265/abstract">English language provides a massive cultural advantage</a> over the French, German or Asian counterparts, comparatively enhancing our international activity and research publishing success. </p>
<p>Australian researchers across the board also tend to be outward-looking and collaborative internationally – out of necessity given distance and limited critical mass.</p>
<p>Australian universities are also arguably less burdened by hierarchical thinking, or dependent on inherited wealth or private benefactors that perpetuate elite privilege in countries such as the UK and US. </p>
<p>It would be naïve to assume that the Australian higher education system is somehow a classless utopia of equal opportunity. Regional and socioeconomic disadvantages do exist.</p>
<p>Yet in general Australia has a healthy degree of respect for quality and achievement from wherever it emanates. High-quality researchers across many disciplines view young, regional and technical universities as viable places to base productive and intense research careers. </p>
<p>They are often seeking a balance between work and lifestyle, fresh or nimble workplaces, or are attracted to specialisms that young universities have cultivated as a consequence of being relatively fleet-footed. </p>
<h2>Public subsidy and a robust regulatory environment</h2>
<p>Third, and perhaps most influential, has been what the THE rankings editor, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/11570249/Top-100-new-universities-the-list-in-full.html">Phil Baty, has described</a> as “a richer and more diverse university mix” produced by the relatively flat playing field that has prevailed in Australia since the Dawkins reforms of the 1980s. </p>
<p>We have had a regulated, limited number of institutions and a long period of consistent, if constrained, public subsidy base. From this Australia has been able to steadily foster new, high-quality universities of diverse sorts, in diverse locations – without completely opening up the sector to a “long tail” of sub-standard, non-research-intensive (dare I say, American-style) college institutions.</p>
<h2>Deregulation - or renewed public investment for dispersed excellence?</h2>
<p>All this again raises the substance and relevance of the drawn-out higher education deregulation debate. </p>
<p>The rankings results expose the weakness in arguments in support of deregulation: that a system of dispersed universities somehow hampers capacity to climb ranks, generate diversity or achieve critical mass sufficient for excellence.</p>
<p>Australian universities are already among the absolute top ranks in a host of disciplines, as <a href="http://www.topuniversities.com/subject-rankings/2015">QS subject ranking</a> results show. They have done so without the phenomenal benefactors <a href="https://theconversation.com/top-ranked-universities-have-more-money-than-australian-unis-could-dream-of-39189">present in the United States</a>. </p>
<p>And more to the point, a well-regulated, stable, publicly subsidised higher education system has produced consistency, diversity and quality just about everywhere else in the system too.</p>
<p>Australia has a substantive, consistent and diffuse knowledge estate of profound benefit to the nation. We should not think of it as a cost or a drain on resources. We need debate about funding reform - but it must also be about why sustained public investment is worth it, and the benefits of an overall robust research landscape.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/41190/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Gibson has received funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>The latest Times Higher Education rankings of universities under 50 years old paints a positive picture for the Australian higher education sector.Chris Gibson, Director, UOW Global Challenges Program & Professor of Human Geography, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/377832015-03-12T06:24:08Z2015-03-12T06:24:08ZWhat are universities becoming? A plea from the future<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74069/original/image-20150306-13579-n4q3vq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Their successors could enter a very different world.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/a_sorense/2586961309/sizes/l">a_sorense</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The role of the university as a place of education and research, as an employer, and as an important part of the social landscape has changed dramatically in the past decade. </p>
<p>As PhD students from various European and North American academic backgrounds, we are keenly aware of these developments and have been involved within or against them – often both at the same time. One of the most pressing issues from our perspective is that of the workforce in universities, especially the collapse of working conditions for many academic and non-academic staff.</p>
<p>Professors, who once enjoyed excellent working conditions in Europe and North America, are now being subjected to stricter, stranger, and more noxious standards. They are pressured into constant external grant applications, and are threatened with severe sanctions if the administration considers the results of this search inadequate. The <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/imperial-college-professor-stefan-grimm-was-given-grant-income-target/2017369.article">case of Stefan Grimm</a>, a professor at Imperial College London who was found dead in September 2014 shortly after a distressing email exchange about funding, is one tragic example. </p>
<p>Professors are increasingly being judged according to various forms of ranking, both state sponsored (such as the <a href="http://www.ref.ac.uk/">Research Excellence Framework</a> in the UK) and international ones such as the <a href="http://www.shanghairanking.com/">Shanghai ranking</a> and the Times Higher Education ranking of global reputation. These rankings, <a href="http://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n20/stefan-collini/sold-out">as Cambridge historian Stefan Collini argues</a>, do not actually reflect the excellence of the research, or the quality of the university. And yet, they <a href="http://campus.lemonde.fr/campus/article/2015/01/29/les-classements-obsession-risquee-des-universites_4566532_4401467.html?xtmc=classements_universites&xtcr=1">matter tremendously</a> to university administrators, students, and state officials.</p>
<h2>Working conditions under strain</h2>
<p>Of course, professors are not the only academic workers at a university. There are throngs of other individuals involved in the production of knowledge. These include temporary teaching staff, “research assistants”, or graduate students who often combine their own thesis-related work with teaching and with non-thesis related “research assistance”. It has been argued that some of these schemes provide valuable experience for graduate students, allowing them to be more competitive in the <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/hundreds-of-phd-students-chasing-every-early-career-post/2016799.article">clogged-up academic labour market</a>.</p>
<p>But this experience can come with unpleasant strings attached, such as less than adequate <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2338.2004.00299.x/abstract">working conditions</a>. Or teaching opportunities without pay, as <a href="http://www.eui.eu/News/2014/04-23EUIandFirenze.aspx">recently proposed</a> by our own institution, the European University Institute.</p>
<p>Temporary teaching staff are frequently employed in dire conditions, as <a href="http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/1956_reg.html">in the United States</a>, but also in the “social-democratic paradises” of Scandinavia. High competition, low pay, few to no benefits and very unstable contracts have become the rule, rather than the exception. <a href="http://www.universitetsavisa.no/forskning/article44987.ece">In Norway</a>, for example, as much as 20% of all university and college employees are hired on temporary contracts. </p>
<p>Such harsh conditions make it particularly difficult for members of historically disadvantaged groups, such as women, people from lower social classes, and those with a migrant background to succeed, as they are the ones most affected by the low pay and lack of benefits. The result is a less socially and intellectually diverse university.</p>
<h2>Labour issues boil over</h2>
<p>We should not forget that an often neglected but huge part of the university-employed labour force consists of non-academic staff. As an institution, the university does not simply produce knowledge – it also consumes a vast amount of services. These run from university administration to cleaning and catering. </p>
<p>The workers who perform these tasks are to a significant extent, the life-blood of the university. And yet their important contribution often remains unnoticed even when their working conditions, and therefore their livelihoods, are being attacked, as has happened in recent years. As with young academics, those who are overwhelmingly affected by these degrading labour conditions come from <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9781118349229">underprivileged backgrounds</a>. They are often women, migrants or both and do not usually have ready access to the media to fight back.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74070/original/image-20150306-13573-1mqvqg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74070/original/image-20150306-13573-1mqvqg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74070/original/image-20150306-13573-1mqvqg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74070/original/image-20150306-13573-1mqvqg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74070/original/image-20150306-13573-1mqvqg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74070/original/image-20150306-13573-1mqvqg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74070/original/image-20150306-13573-1mqvqg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Protests at McGill University, Montreal, in 2011.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/shahk/6349505648/sizes/l">shahk</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In late 2011, in Montreal, members of the McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association <a href="http://www.mcgilldaily.com/2011/09/munaca-declares-strike/">went on strike</a> for almost four months. They did so in opposition to a new contract proposed by the administration. The university wanted wage cuts in real terms, and negative (or dangerous) changes to benefit schemes including pensions. </p>
<p>Across the Atlantic in 2013, students and staff at the University of Sussex, occupied a medical school lecture theatre, protesting against the university’s <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/mar/01/why-we-are-occupying-sussex-university">continued privatisation</a> of services that threatened working conditions of staff including porters, caterers and security workers.</p>
<h2>State-led privatisation</h2>
<p>The responsibility of national governments for “marketisation” and the drive for privatisation in higher education is sometimes underestimated, both within and outside academia. Reforms aimed at privatisation are very often the result of <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/non-fiction/2010/01/neoliberal-state-market-social">government intervention</a> in the management of universities, and have been imposed from the top down. This has been done by governments of both the centre-right and the centre-left. </p>
<p>Similarly, resistance to these trends comes from both a diverse alliance of the radical-left, who draw on theories of <a href="http://publicuniversity.org.uk/2012/04/26/the-challenge-of-financialization-%E2%80%A6/">financialisation</a> and neo-liberalism to explain our current economic situation, and from more conservative scholars who see themselves as the protectors of ancient academic tradition.</p>
<p>As young scholars, we are part of the university’s future. It seems evident to us that we should ask questions about <a href="http://www.penguin.co.uk/books/what-are-universities-for/9780141970370/">what universities are for</a>. But in so doing, we must not forget to ask another, bolder question: “what should universities be?” </p>
<p>There is no “going back” to any perceived golden age, but it is beyond doubt that there are aspects both of the academic tradition and of the post-war ideal of affordable or free higher education that are worth defending. As institutions charged with the important task of producing new knowledge, universities should not be desperately mimicking already outdated forms of corporate organisation, but rather be leading the way towards something better. </p>
<p><em>This article was written with the assistance of Tiago Matos, Kimon Markatos, Hannah Elsisi and Tommaso Giordani. It is part of a series on <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/universities-at-the-crossroads">Universities at the crossroads</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/37783/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John-Erik Hansson receives funding from the Swedish research council (Vetenskapsrådet). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nguyen Vu Thuc Linh receives funding for her PhD from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ola Innset receives funding from the Norwegian Research Council. Is a member of the Rødt political party in Norway.</span></em></p>A warning from a group of PhD students about the path universities are on.John-Erik Hansson, PhD student, European University InstituteNguyen Vu Thuc Linh, PhD Student, European University InstituteOla Innset, Phd Student, European University InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/323552014-10-02T05:36:48Z2014-10-02T05:36:48ZWhat do world university rankings actually mean?<p>From the “best beaches” to the “best slice of pizza” to the best hospital to have cardiac surgery in, we are inundated with a seemingly never-ending series of reports ranking everything that can be ranked and even things that probably shouldn’t be. </p>
<p>Over the last few decades, schools and universities in many parts of the world have become targets of this ranking mania. Some of these are official, state sponsored rankings, such as those used in various <a href="http://www.rae.ac.uk/">performance-based funding formulas</a> or, in the US, President Barack Obama’s yet undefined plan to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-propose-college-ranking-system-that-could-increase-affordability/2013/08/22/73e674c0-0b17-11e3-b87c-476db8ac34cd_story.html">rank American universities</a>. Some are unofficial, such as the <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/">World University Rankings</a> just released by the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine, or the <a href="http://www.shanghairanking.com/index.html">Shanghai Rankings</a> and <a href="http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges">US News & World Report</a> ranking of American universities also recently released.</p>
<h2>A real measure of quality?</h2>
<p>But do all these rankings actually tell us anything substantive about the relative quality of universities? Should US or UK universities be concerned with their slippage in the latest THE rankings? There are 74 US universities on the new list – the most from any country – but this was down from 77 last year, and 60% of American institutions lost ground in the rankings. The UK, in second place, now has 29 universities in the top 200, two fewer than last year. </p>
<p>Do such rankings separate the chaff from the wheat, or the pure from the dangerous, or are they distractions and distortions to achieving a real equality of quality? Are they incentivising universities to perform better or actually inviting cynical “gaming” of the system?</p>
<h2>Natural pecking order</h2>
<p>Despite the various methodological caveats contained in the small print, in their more positivist moments, the agencies and magazines who produce university rankings contend that rankings do in fact unearth and quantify a naturally occurring pecking order. There is never much difference at the very top. In this year’s 2014-15 ranking, California Institute of Technology retained its top spot, followed by Harvard University in second and Oxford University in third. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
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<p>University rankings are merely rational social science in action and, when done properly following sound methodological procedures, they constitute a valid and value free means for quantifying amorphous things called “excellence” or “world class.” </p>
<p>Some proponents extend this further by arguing that rankings also serve moral and political purposes, particularly in these neoliberal times of austerity and tight governmental budgets. They shame the slackers and arouse the complacent into “upping their game”. </p>
<p>In the end, ranking universities creates a “consumer sovereignty” where finicky students and in-demand professors use rankings to carefully determine which university they will attend or work at. All this creates quasi-market conditions for universities, fuelling competition and creative destruction. At the same time, and in terms that would have made British sociologist <a href="http://www.iep.utm.edu/spencer/">Herbert Spencer and the social Darwinists proud</a>, it sheds the weaklings and hones the fittest.</p>
<h2>Politics behind the metrics</h2>
<p>But the metrics used in these rankings tend to hide all the “value work” that takes place underneath them and the political purposes they often serve. They also tend to greatly overvalue the “haves” at the expense of the “have nots”. </p>
<p>Rankings often conceal a purposeful politics hiding underneath the veneer of objectivity. Just as GDP uses selective measures to determine the underlying health of an economy and becomes factual as it is continually used, university rankings use items selected from a sea of possibilities to establish a higher education reality. The <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2013-14/world-ranking/methodology">THE rankings use 13 indicators</a>, including research income, citation impact and percentage of international students. Deliberately or not, they steer organisations toward particular political outcomes. </p>
<p>Rankings do have real effects on what universities value and how they operate. Their increased popularity also signals a profound historical change in our attitude toward equality and quality in public institutions. No longer can public institutions be “good enough” or “roughly equal”. Under the ethos of competition, some now must necessarily be better than others. There must always be winners who go up the rankings and losers who go down in order to stoke the fires of competition.</p>
<h2>Pursuit of excellence</h2>
<p>Certainly the case can be made that all our public institutions should be of the highest quality, and, dare I say, “excellent”. So the question must be asked: does the generation of competition in public enterprises actually make them better? </p>
<p>Rather than encouraging excellence they may actually extinguish it as universities turn from doing their job to “gaming”, and “juicing the results”. An <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/30/us/racketeering-trial-opens-in-altanta-schools-cheating-scandal.html?_r=0">ongoing testing scandal in Atlanta</a> is a good example of how this can happen lower down the educational chain.
In higher education, <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/Playing-the-Rankings-Game/4451">reports</a> and <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w7227.pdf">research</a> have examined what lengths colleges go to in order to boost their ranking. </p>
<p>So as administrators around the world now anxiously pore over the THE rankings to see if their university went up or down, it is perhaps important to keep in mind that rankings may not tell us much about actual quality, except in blunt and often obvious ways: the haves will always have. But they do say a great deal about the political direction of current global higher education reform.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32355/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steven C. Ward does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>From the “best beaches” to the “best slice of pizza” to the best hospital to have cardiac surgery in, we are inundated with a seemingly never-ending series of reports ranking everything that can be ranked…Steven C. Ward, Professor of Sociology , Western Connecticut State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/323072014-10-01T20:22:36Z2014-10-01T20:22:36ZAsian universities continue their upward climb in global rankings<p>Asian universities continue to stun the academic world. In just one year, four more have joined the ranks of the world’s top 200 universities. Now, almost one eighth of the world’s top 200 universities, ranked in the <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2014-15/world-ranking">Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014-15</a>, are Asian. At this pace, a quarter of the world’s best universities could be Asian by 2040, excluding Australian universities – which some consider as being within the Asian block. </p>
<p>Of the 24 Asian universities in the top 200, the University of Tokyo retained its crown as the highest-ranked at number 23 in the world, with National University of Singapore (25th) and the University of Hong Kong (43rd) in the second and third slots yet again. The surprise this year is Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, which jumped 15 places to 61st. Also included as part of the Asian continent in the list is Turkey, with four universities topped by the Middle East Technical University, and Israel with Tel Aviv University. </p>
<p>China’s universities held steady with negligible or very slight moves up or down the slippery pole, including Peking University from 45th to 48th, Tsinghua University from 50th to 49th, and Shanghai’s Fudan University with a jump into the top 200 for the first time at number 193. South Korea again has three of its universities in the top 200 and Taiwan National University is there again too at 155.</p>
<p>Japan has five of its universities in the top 200, though four have slid backward in this year’s rankings. Tiny Hong Kong managed to challenge both Singapore and Japan by having four of its eight research universities in the top 200, despite spending a smaller portion of its GDP on research and development than the others.</p>
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<h2>Malaysia and India in waiting</h2>
<p>These Asian universities, all with Confucian heritages, have put to rest any hint of an abbreviated rise. What’s more, South-East Asian universities are beginning to spend more time studying universities in the Asian neighbourhood than those in North America. Malaysia is doing just that and is determined to make sure that one or more of its universities will soon join the elite, as are its South-East Asian neighbours. </p>
<p>India remains in the doldrums of university rankings, but that will change. With indications that India is now following the same growth pattern as China, albeit 13 years behind, its top-tier universities will not be held back forever. There is already evidence that Indian universities are highly sought-after online, with <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29240959">five of Google’s top 20</a> most searched-for universities based in India. </p>
<p>Timing is not everything but it has helped Asian universities. The salience of the global rankings of universities began in the late 1990s, when Japan’s universities were already well established, and China and Korea were racking up impressive GDP figures. As China followed Korea’s path toward mass higher education, the entire region became committed to make higher education drive their global competitiveness.</p>
<h2>21st-century visions</h2>
<p>Unlike Hong Kong and Singapore which have small, highly selective systems anchored in service economies, the other three are industrial giants that received enormous financial support from their governments in the form of policies, plans and programmes such as <a href="http://www.useoul.edu/research/bk21-groups">Brain Korea</a>, Japan’s <a href="http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-21coe/">programme to be a 21st-century centre of excellence</a> and <a href="http://www.chinaeducenter.com/en/cedu/ceduproject211.php">China’s 211 & 985 plans</a> to bolster research and higher education excellence. These government initiatives gave their universities a jump-start just as the rankings became a measure of prestige, confidence and investment potential. </p>
<p>The challenge for the eastern Asian region in the years to come is to forge mutually beneficial cross-border partnerships and programmes of teaching and research. These could help ensure that Asia will become a centrepiece for the world’s knowledge production and innovation by 2050. </p>
<p>This is no small order. While Asia’s top-tier universities have made excellence a priority, only Singapore and Hong Kong have has been able to ensure quality across the entire higher education system. With more than 90% of young people enrolling in higher education in Korea, the task remains daunting. For China, with the most university students in the world, it will be some time before a satisfactory standard becomes the norm across the board.</p>
<h2>Challenge for academia</h2>
<p>To position itself as a global hub, the entire system needs to cement its reputation for excellence. Reforms in Asia need to place the onus on the academic profession to adapt to rapid change, integrate teaching and research with knowledge exchange that addresses the pressing problems in their societies. Performance based assessment will need to become increasingly common among academia in Asia. </p>
<p>For all of these Asian systems, except the high fliers of Singapore and Hong Kong, sustaining their rise into the stratosphere requires major compromises in multiculturalism. </p>
<p>It will mean continuing to jettison any residual vestiges of xenophobia about hiring foreign scholars and scientists as fully-fledged members of their academic staff, something that does not have to equate with converting to English-language medium instruction. </p>
<p>Korea has hired many capable returnees in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths. Japan has even begun to hire a few Chinese professors. China has continued to hire star returnees, but has also begun to open the door to non-Chinese national professors. The leading universities in the world choose the best, regardless of nationality, and find ways to retain them, integrate them into the university community and provide them with the technological resources to maximise their effectiveness in teaching and research.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32307/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gerard A. Postiglione has received research grants in the past from them Hong Kong Research Grants Council.</span></em></p>Asian universities continue to stun the academic world. In just one year, four more have joined the ranks of the world’s top 200 universities. Now, almost one eighth of the world’s top 200 universities…Gerard A. Postiglione, Associate Dean/Research, Faculty of Education and Director, Wah Ching Centre of Research on Education in China, University of Hong KongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/187652013-10-03T00:51:17Z2013-10-03T00:51:17ZThe ritual dance of university rankings<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32347/original/482qh5w8-1380759314.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Each time a new ranking is released, universities and rankers dance the international higher education two-step.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dance image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whenever an unfavourable political opinion poll comes out, you can count on one thing: at least one politician saying they never pay attention to polls. And so it goes for university leaders when the results are in from world university rankings.</p>
<p>The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2013-14 released today were <a href="https://theconversation.com/university-rankings-show-asian-rise-and-australian-slip-18740">not universally good news for Australian universities</a>. While some improved their rank, the overall result was less encouraging. </p>
<p>The University of Melbourne lost six places, going from 28 to 34; while the ANU went from 37 to 48 and the University of Adelaide dropped out of the top 200 altogether.</p>
<p>The THE’s press release was blunt in its assessment, saying:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>After a strong 2012-13, Australia has fallen back to earth with a bump.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And now for many universities, the ritual dance around a rankings release will proceed with vigour. Universities will variously welcome or dismiss the result, depending on the good or bad news. </p>
<p>But do university rankings really mean much for the institutions involved - beyond something to add to glossy advertisements? And do ever new rankings and university measures just mean more music for universities to dance to?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/university-rankings-show-asian-rise-and-australian-slip-18740">University rankings show Asian rise and Australian slip</a>
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<h2>Many different ways to be ranked</h2>
<p>There are clearly many ways to measure what universities do – from research spending to student accommodation, as this UK University League Table from 30 years ago shows.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32305/original/d23x3x3y-1380690657.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32305/original/d23x3x3y-1380690657.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32305/original/d23x3x3y-1380690657.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32305/original/d23x3x3y-1380690657.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32305/original/d23x3x3y-1380690657.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32305/original/d23x3x3y-1380690657.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32305/original/d23x3x3y-1380690657.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32305/original/d23x3x3y-1380690657.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A UK University League table from 30 years ago.</span>
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<p>Increasingly, there are more specific measures that try to capture some novel aspect of university offerings and the list of large-scale rankings <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_and_university_rankings">published around the world</a> seems to be getting longer. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/alma-mater-index-global-executives-2013/2007032.article">THE’s Alma Mater Index: Global Executives 2013</a>, for example, measures degrees awarded to CEOs, alongside the number of CEO alumni and the revenue of their companies. This begs the question of whether such a measure tells us more about perceived prestige than anything else.</p>
<p>Perhaps unsurprisingly, those US universities that rank well in other lists are also heavily represented on the Alma Mater Index. But so are other institutions that do not rank as highly, though they are often ones that are prestigious in a particular nation.</p>
<p>A new European experiment in university rankings is <a href="http://www.u-multirank.eu/our-project/">U-Multirank</a>, which measures and ranks different dimensions of universities, such as teaching and learning, research, knowledge transfer, international orientation and regional engagement. It shows differences between institutional focus and allows similarly profiled universities to be better compared.</p>
<p>Here in Australia, a project by the LH Martin Institute and the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) looks at the diversity of <a href="http://www.lhmartininstitute.edu.au/research-and-projects/projects/35-australian-institution-profiles">Australia’s institutions today</a>, using evidence-based profiles and the method employed by U-Multirank.</p>
<p>Also in Australia, there is the <a href="http://myuniversity.gov.au/">My University</a> website and the <a href="http://www.hobsonscoursefinder.com.au/">Good Universities Guide</a>. With the variety of rankings and measures on offer, it appears that there is abundant data to compare universities.</p>
<h2>The international student market</h2>
<p>Rankings, such as the THE world rankings, attract increasing press coverage. There are legitimate fears that a change in ranking affects international student preferences, for both individual institutions and the Australian higher education sector.</p>
<p>Predicting the exact impact that rankings have on the international student market is fraught. There are several factors that appear to affect the attractiveness of Australian higher education - such as the exchange rate, changing <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/pyne-to-extend-streamlined-visa-processing/story-e6frgcjx-1226700138732">visa arrangements</a> and the international press reporting of Australia as a study destination. </p>
<p>Fees from international students effectively cross-subsidise much research and, at times, domestic teaching in most <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/foreign-students-prop-up-research-analysis/story-e6frgcjx-1226088334947">universities</a>. Estimates find that on average each international student contributes around A$5100 per year. </p>
<p>Universities can ill-afford to lose this critical revenue.</p>
<p>By recent count, Australia has about 7% of the international student market, a very good proportion compared to our share of world population. But higher education is becoming more competitive globally and technology threatens existing campus-based teaching. </p>
<p>Countries with a strong history of higher education, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-push-to-grow-uks-175-billion-education-exports-industry">such as the UK</a>, are seeking a larger share of the world market. Technology, of which MOOCs – or <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/massive-open-online-courses">Massive Open Online Courses</a> – are flavour of the month, could dramatically change the attractiveness of campus based teaching. </p>
<p>So if a change in rankings will make Australia less attractive to international students, those in universities might legitimately fear some unwelcome consequences.</p>
<p>But we should be wary of arguing too strongly that a change in rankings alone will dramatically affect international (or domestic) student preferences. Many factors influence why students choose a particular university or country over another.</p>
<p>And universities should probably be extra careful to avoid any <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200802/magical-thinking">“magical thinking”</a>: how universities do in various rankings (good or bad) may not affect the world they exist in at all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/18765/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gwilym Croucher works for the University of Melbourne as a higher education policy analyst in the office of the Vice-Chancellor.</span></em></p>Whenever an unfavourable political opinion poll comes out, you can count on one thing: at least one politician saying they never pay attention to polls. And so it goes for university leaders when the results…Gwilym Croucher, Higher Education Policy Adviser, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/187042013-10-02T22:24:06Z2013-10-02T22:24:06ZWhat rankings don’t tell you about university excellence<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32327/original/42fvkwjx-1380704294.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A prize for everyone in rankings season.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">RichardTurnerPhotography</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Autumn is the season for university rankings. We’ve already had the the Academic Ranking of World Universities, produced in Shanghai, the QS ranking and the Leiden Ranking. Now the <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/">Times Higher Education Rankings</a> have got universities in a spin once again. </p>
<p>Does your university go up or down? How is it placed relative to its competitors? Which countries are climbing? Which universities are falling? There are lots of “good stories” for the press and the public every time the latest “definitive” chart is produced.</p>
<p>Before rankings, we had to rely on university leaders to tell us which universities were good and which weren’t. Of course, each claimed their own was the best for a range of different reasons. Rankings appeal because they appear to offer the publisher a simple objective measure they can use to cut through the hype. </p>
<p>The vice-chancellors would argue that it is no simple matter to compare universities with very diverse missions, funding regimes and histories. But if you cannot measure what you ought to measure, you measure what you can measure and then you claim that what you measure is a proxy for what you cannot measure – and hocus-pocus, you have a way to compare all the universities of the world. This is how all the rankers do it, THE included.</p>
<p>The first world ranking, <a href="http://www.shanghairanking.com/index.html">ARWU</a>, appeared in 2003. It used – and uses - the number of Nobel Laureates to have worked at each institution as a proxy for the quality of the teaching that goes on there.</p>
<p>Do we really believe that the quality of the teaching is zero at the roughly 16,000 universities of the world that have never produced a Nobel Laureate? This is perhaps one of the more striking examples of how the system of using proxies functions – or rather, does not function - but it is not a unique example.</p>
<p>THE claims to have a more <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/world-ranking/methodology">nuanced approach</a> but I would argue that rankings, as they exist today, do not measure teaching quality, service to society, and activities in arts, humanities and large parts of the social sciences, including business studies.</p>
<p>What they do is give a good representation of the parameters that have been used to evaluate the quality of research in the natural sciences, medical sciences and related fields for years. That means, if you wish to find out how the scientists themselves would rate and rank research universities primarily specialising in these fields, the ranking of the world universities is a good tool.</p>
<p>However, if the rankers claim that their ranking measure the overall quality of comprehensive universities with a broader mission, I tend to disagree with them. That is especially true if the bulk of the activity of the university is not in science and related fields.</p>
<p>Is it a coincidence that the top 10 is dominated by some of the richest universities in the world, many of whom generate a significant part of their income by charging high tuition fees? </p>
<p>Europe is home to a huge number of institutions that charge little to no fees, they make significant contributions to their regions, not least by offering higher education to local students, regardless of whether they can afford $30,000 or £9,000 a year to pay for it. You might argue that spreading knowledge is part of a university’s core mission but this is not something that is reflected in rankings.</p>
<p>Many universities have excellent records in both arts and science so it may very well be that the universities that come out in the top of the ranking are indeed in the top in all fields. By focusing so much on research, and often only some areas of research, rankings have the power to influence the direction of higher education. Universities and even whole countries strive to advance in the rankings and as a result risk focusing only on those areas that are valued by the rankers. How good is a university that has an exceptional record for citations if it has neglected teaching excellence and services to society in its quest to gather them?</p>
<p>If success in the rankings becomes the most important criteria in developing your university, you may end up with universities trying to copy the very best university of the kind that tops the ranking lists at the moment. However, given the economic and demographic realities in most countries of the world, they may never succeed. In the meantime, they may neglect some of the more important missions of a university as educating the next generation of citizens. </p>
<p>Rankings are here to stay. They will not go away. They give useful information about the university but must be treated with care and must not be viewed as the complete story.</p>
<p>So, congratulations to all of you who do well in the THE ranking. And to those vice chancellors who don’t find themselves at the realm of a “top university”, do not despair. You may be excellent in ways that are much harder to quantify.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/18704/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jens Oddershede does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Autumn is the season for university rankings. We’ve already had the the Academic Ranking of World Universities, produced in Shanghai, the QS ranking and the Leiden Ranking. Now the Times Higher Education…Jens Oddershede, President, University of Southern DenmarkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/99492012-10-03T20:26:58Z2012-10-03T20:26:58ZLimited numbers: what university rankings can (and can’t) tell us<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/16123/original/9pv2whvt-1349242621.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C5%2C3859%2C2586&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ranking universities is useful for only understanding the bigger picture.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">University image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The release of <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/">The Times Higher Education World University Rankings</a> will be welcomed by many people in the Australian university sector.</p>
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<p><em>See the full list of The Times Higher Education World University Ranking <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/world-ranking">here</a></em></p>
<p><em>View rankings by <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/">region</a></em></p>
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<p>Australia now has eight universities in the top 200, one more than last year, with the University of Adelaide joining this top grouping at 176. </p>
<p>Six of this group improved their positions, with Melbourne University rising to 28 (up from 37 last year) while ANU, moved from 38 to 37. </p>
<p>The other Australian universities were: Sydney University (62), Queensland University (65), UNSW (85), Monash (99) and UWA (190).</p>
<figure><table><thead><tr><th>Australian Institution</th><th>2011-12 rank</th><th>2012-13 rank</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>University of Melbourne</td><td>37</td><td>28</td></tr><tr><td>Australian National University</td><td>38</td><td>37</td></tr><tr><td>University of Sydney</td><td>58</td><td>62</td></tr><tr><td>Queensland University</td><td>74</td><td>65</td></tr><tr><td>University of New South Wales</td><td>173</td><td>85</td></tr><tr><td>Monash University</td><td>117</td><td>99</td></tr><tr><td>University of Adelaide</td><td>201-225</td><td>176</td></tr><tr><td>University of Western Australia</td><td>189</td><td>190</td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption>Sourced from The Times Higher Education World University Rankings.</figcaption></figure>
<p>But an important story here is not how well individual universities have done, but what the rankings say about the sector overall. </p>
<h2>What goes into the rankings ‘sausage’</h2>
<p>While this is generally good news for Australian universities, we should view the results carefully and be mindful of the limitations in the story they tell us. The challenge of rankings, is recognising their value without using them in perverse ways.</p>
<p>The Times Higher Education (THE) ranking was developed in 2004, based initially on surveys of reputation, staffing ratios, research and other indicators. In recent years, the majority of the ranking (around 70%) has been derived from indicators around research, predominantly research reputation, citations and funding. The rest of the ranking captures teaching, learning and a few other markers. </p>
<p>This creates limits in what the rankings can tell us. The reliance on surveys means that “perceptions” can distort the story that (more) objective indicators, such as citations, tell us about an institution. The rankings become a delicate mix of hard data and ingrained prejudice by the world’s academics. </p>
<p>A second issue is the (necessarily) retrospective nature of much of the hard data. Citations measures pick up research often started a decade or longer ago, failing to tell us much about important research just building momentum now.</p>
<h2>The bigger picture</h2>
<p>Despite the limitations in what any ranking can tell us, they still have an important story to tell. It is not what individual institutions have done in the past or how their peers view them, but rather that the Australian system is doing well, and in this way we “punches above our weight” (to use the obligatory phrase since <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Darcy">Les Darcy</a> when discussing anything Australia does well in the international arena).</p>
<p>Like any imperfect proxy, the rankings of individual institutions hint at the health of the system overall, even if there are inevitable instances where we can do better. As the Times press release reflects, Australia does well on the average movement of our top 200 institutions, with our universities from this top group raising an average of 15 places. </p>
<p>The other established (though bigger) systems in the US and UK had institutions demoted. </p>
<p>Australia has also joined the increasing appearance in the top rankings of universities in the Asia-Pacific, which are challenging the position of the long established university systems around the world. This indicates perhaps that on reputation Australian academics appear increasingly well-regarded. </p>
<h2>Using rankings wisely</h2>
<p>The trick then is to appreciate that rankings can be a useful proxy, giving us a partial picture of what is going on at universities. But they don’t yet capture all the valuable features of Australian higher education. </p>
<p>We should not fund universities based on their performance in the Times or other major rankings such as the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. As much as this would be another way to reward excellence, much of what universities accomplish is not (yet) picked up in any ranking system. </p>
<p>For instance, a great achievement of the Australian system is its commitment to broad access higher education on a massive scale. But this is an achievement that probably has not so far won any university a higher placing. </p>
<p>Rankings then are useful as the proverbial canary in the coal (research) mine, telling us over a period of years where our performance is lagging. As long as we remember that by the time our canary shows signs of serious ill health, the problem (lagging research performance) is probably worse than we think. </p>
<p>So they may tell us where we are doing better in research performance and the popularity contest, but this can only be so useful over the long run. Popularity and reputation, may fail to tell us where research that makes the lives of Australians better, or builds our national prosperity, is occurring today. Or where the best education is on offer here and now.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9949/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gwilym Croucher works for the University of Melbourne as a policy analyst in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor.</span></em></p>The release of The Times Higher Education World University Rankings will be welcomed by many people in the Australian university sector. See the full list of The Times Higher Education World University…Gwilym Croucher, Higher Education Policy Adviser, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/95102012-10-03T04:32:00Z2012-10-03T04:32:00ZWhen rankings and research rules, students come last<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15812/original/2zjrbp88-1348471598.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=33%2C8%2C5582%2C3606&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Universities need to play closer attention to how they teach students, not just rankings.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">University image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Times Higher Education rankings will be released tomorrow and universities around the world will be clamouring to find out how they place. </p>
<p>As all academics know, rankings are closely tied to research. Where a university ranks depends largely on how many academics got into how many journals in the year since the rankings were last posted. </p>
<p>But many prospective university students would be surprised to find that the priority given to rankings and research often means their needs are the last to be met.</p>
<h2>Nothing has changed</h2>
<p>I have been an academic for nearly forty years, and recently, while going through my old papers, I came across the following excerpt:</p>
<p>“[Academics] come to the university with virtually no experience… [They are] expected not only to teach but to plan our teaching. The only analogous situation I can think of is parenthood; and yet we are being paid to be university teachers… With the stimulus of the [Inquiry into Education and Training] <a href="http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3446139?uid=22053&uid=3737536&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3&uid=5910120&uid=67&uid=22036&uid=62&uid=5909656&sid=21101227414581">Williams Report</a>, it is now time for the university administrators to pull their head out of the sand and do something.”</p>
<p>This was not a recent observation of mine, this paper was published in 1980 – 32 years ago. So little has changed that I could have written almost exactly the same paper today. </p>
<p>Students might reasonably assume that, given the substantial monies provided by government to fund tertiary education, university managers would place high priority on improving the student experience in their institution.</p>
<p>Sadly, with a few significant exceptions this is not the case. Research rules and our university leaders put much more effort into climbing the higher education rankings than creating a transparent reward system for their staff that excel in teaching.</p>
<h2>Two steps forward</h2>
<p>Although there are many outstanding teachers in our universities, ask the majority of
Australian academics why they do not put more effort into teaching and they will reply that
they are under continuing pressure from their Vice-Chancellors, Deans and Heads of
School to lift their research performance. Universities claim to have promotion systems
that reward excellence in teaching but in reality most staff know that the key to success is the number of research grants and publications they achieve. </p>
<p>An academic’s research output is much more important to universities than evidence they have created a truly outstanding learning experience for their students.</p>
<p>Over the last decade or so, there have been efforts to change this dynamic and place a greater emphasis on teaching in our universities – the Learning and Teaching
Performance Fund provided incentives to improve teaching quality and the creation of the <a href="http://www.deewr.gov.au/highereducation/programs/quality/pages/altc.aspx">Australian Learning and Teaching Council</a> provided some symmetry with the work of the well-established <a href="http://www.arc.gov.au/">Australian Research Council</a>. </p>
<p>Alas, these initiatives are no more and we are back we were 32 years ago.</p>
<h2>Is there light on the horizon?</h2>
<p>When my grandchildren go through my boxes in another decade or two will they too be struck by the continuing status quo of little incentive for better university teaching or will things have changed?</p>
<p>As an optimist, I can see a way forward. The recently-formed Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA) could stimulate the much-needed change in environment. In The Conversation there have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/hilmer-unis-should-copy-approach-of-mining-industry-8396">alarms raised by some university leaders</a> that TEQSA will be an unnecessary bureaucratic burden for established universities. They argue they should be left alone and the Agency should mainly protect the public from the risk of shonky private providers. </p>
<p>But I say not enough has been done to bring teaching to the forefront, so let the Agency play its part. The Teaching Standards to be developed by the <a href="http://ministers.deewr.gov.au/evans/professor-alan-robson-take-key-higher-education-quality-role">Higher Education Standards Panel lead by Professor Alan Robson</a> will be vital in this.</p>
<h2>Better incentives</h2>
<p>This quality assurance need not be too onerous. The standards help universities put in place a transparent reward system for excellence in teaching, including promotion criteria. </p>
<p>This would give hardworking academics hope that the prevailing culture will change. A university, for its part, would be required to have its promotion policy and criteria publicly available (say on the web) and provide evidence of its implementation.</p>
<p>If universities are required to adhere to the Standard in order to be registered as a tertiary institution then university leaders will be prompted to review their priorities and insist that the Teaching Standards are fulfilled to the ultimate benefit of their students.</p>
<p>To assure quality, TEQSA should be able to request a small expert panel to visit a university at short notice to review their policies and assess progress. Universities don’t need a glossy portfolio that takes months to prepare, just a regularly-updated website that contains relevant policies and data to demonstrate that policies are being implemented (i.e the number of promotions based on outstanding teaching compared to outstanding research performance).</p>
<h2>Students should demand more</h2>
<p>All potential students and their parents should demand evidence that their prospective university takes teaching seriously. All universities should aim to convince potential students that they will be provided with a first class learning experience; not simply be herded into lecture theatres.</p>
<p>Of course, excellence in research is important. I used to love researching and I feel the students benefited from my research. But excellence in teaching and excellence in research are not mutually exclusive. It is just that there is an urgent need, as there has been for these past 32 years, for a better balance between effort put into teaching compared to that put into research. </p>
<p>If universities want to lift their game, they should raise the profile of excellence in teaching. After all, there are more ways than ever of learning and more institutions than ever offering opportunities to learn. Those without a clearly demonstrable commitment to teaching quality will surely lose out.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9510/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrian Lee currently receives no finding but previously received NHMRC funding from 1971- 2001</span></em></p>The Times Higher Education rankings will be released tomorrow and universities around the world will be clamouring to find out how they place. As all academics know, rankings are closely tied to research…Adrian Lee, Emeritus Professor, previously Pro Vice Chancellor (Education & Quality Improvement) and Professor of Medcial Microbiology at UNSW, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/73062012-08-21T00:51:31Z2012-08-21T00:51:31ZMade to measure? Why university rankings are flawed<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14392/original/dwq36cz5-1345423026.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The measurement of many dimensions is sometimes reduced to a single value.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julie Magro</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>An unwritten law has emerged in both the sciences and social sciences – that it is better to measure than not to measure. Perhaps our affinity to measurement is attributable to Galileo who is purported to have said count what is countable, measure what is measurable and, what is not measurable, make measurable. </p>
<p>In a forthcoming paper in the academic journal <a href="http://www.journals.elsevier.com/measurement/">Measurement</a>, my co-authors and I examine the question of measurability and what constitutes a measure, as opposed to an opinion or an estimate. </p>
<p>Measurement is stronger than opinion or estimation. It’s analogous to counting and requires the measured values to satisfy the mathematical operations of addition and ordering, and also the standards represented in the <a href="http://www.bipm.org/utils/common/documents/jcgm/JCGM_200_2008.pdf">International Vocabulary of Metrology</a> (the science of measurement), which tries to find a common language for measurements. </p>
<p>But there’s an increasing tendency to confuse opinion with measurement, especially in the social sciences and in multidimensional data where the measurement of many dimensions is reduced to a single value. Measuring the quality of a university, or the quality of research, for instance, or the liveability of a city.</p>
<p>In our paper, we establish conditions for measurement related to changeability and continuity with respect to observers, characteristics, and time. In simple terms, these conditions are designed to impart reliability to measurement, so that a measure doesn’t change instantaneously, or change markedly when there’s a small change in attributes. Physical quantities such as length, mass, temperature and hardness satisfy these conditions; but measurements in the social sciences often do not. </p>
<p>Measurement in the social sciences is usually by humans of human behaviour, and typically this measurement cannot be replicated and is strongly dependent on its model. In the paper, we characterise measurement in the social sciences as akin to constructing a financial portfolio. The ranking of universities is a good example. Three different rankings, Webmetrics, the <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/">Times Higher Education World University Rankings</a> and the <a href="http://www.arwu.org/">Shanghai-Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities</a> weight different indicators, such as teaching and research, into a portfolio of indicators. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14395/original/yrsqqz78-1345423543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14395/original/yrsqqz78-1345423543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=727&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14395/original/yrsqqz78-1345423543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=727&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14395/original/yrsqqz78-1345423543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=727&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14395/original/yrsqqz78-1345423543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14395/original/yrsqqz78-1345423543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14395/original/yrsqqz78-1345423543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Steve Harris</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The competition between ranking agencies is then like a tournament of portfolios, and their objective is to persuade observers to converge to their portfolio. They want observers to be anchored by their ranking. When a proposed measure becomes widely accepted, universities minimise risk by adopting practices maximising that ranking. </p>
<p>In terms of our financial markets analogy, it is akin to a fund manager persuading clients that their asset allocation is the optimal portfolio for investors. But unlike financial portfolios, there can be no ex-post assessment of the reliability of a measure relative to a true value, because the true value is unknown. The problem is that these measures are no more than opinions, and opinions don’t satisfy the conditions for measurement. </p>
<p>For the rankings of universities, when we considered the three ranking measures for 2011, we found a very high rank correlation across the measures for the top ten universities. It would be difficult to imagine that any ranking measure could omit Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, Princeton, UC Berkeley from its top ten. </p>
<p>But for universities ranked in the fifth decile, that is 41st to 50th, it’s an entirely different story. There’s a very low rank correlation across the three measures in 2011; that is, very little agreement as to the rankings, suggesting greater uncertainty and opinion dependence. But, more importantly, in the lower deciles, the volatility of rankings over time is appreciably greater, reinforcing the notion that these rankings are more uncertain. </p>
<p>And for the lower deciles, cross-correlations over time across rankings are very low, again suggesting opinion dependence, rather than measurement. Universities are long-term institutions and their rankings should not change so quickly; nor should the divergence between measures change so quickly.</p>
<p>Measurability involves a process of convergence to an accepted measure satisfying invariance and continuity conditions. In most physical measurement, the conditions are almost always satisfied with competing measures converging to values that are highly correlated across the measures and invariant to small changes in attributes. </p>
<p>For a characteristic that is not measurable, convergence is not possible because differences between competing measures cannot be minimised. And that is the problem with measuring opinion-laden concepts such as the quality of universities, the quality of research and the liveability of cities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/7306/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kim Sawyer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>An unwritten law has emerged in both the sciences and social sciences – that it is better to measure than not to measure. Perhaps our affinity to measurement is attributable to Galileo who is purported…Kim Sawyer, Honorary (Senior Fellow) in Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.