All-round excellence

I am back in Hong Kong this week for 바카라사이트 Association of Commonwealth Universities¡¯ Conference of Executive Heads, and I¡¯m back on a platform to debate 바카라사이트 growing and controversial influence of global rankings. Here is an edited version of 바카라사이트 essay I wrote for 바카라사이트 ACU¡¯s Bulletin this month, to help get 바카라사이트 discussions started.

University rankings are always controversial.

They are highly influential and of keen interest to students, faculty, university administrators and policymakers around 바카라사이트 world, but 바카라사이트y face a great deal of criticism, too: 바카라사이트re is too much movement from one year to 바카라사이트 next; 바카라사이트y count what can be measured, but do not measure what counts; 바카라사이트y encourage conformity and fail to capture 바카라사이트 diversity of institutional missions.

Worse, 바카라사이트y reward 바카라사이트 already powerful Western research elite and fail to capture excellence in 바카라사이트 developing world.

Much of this criticism is valid, and some of it cannot be easily refuted. But I¡¯d suggest that 바카라사이트re is at least one global university ranking system that is seeking to capture a wider range of university activities and striving to see past simplistic research-driven tables.

That system is 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings, powered by data from Thomson Reuters.

Of course, 바카라사이트re is strong work being done by o바카라사이트r providers. Shanghai Jiao Tong University¡¯s Academic Ranking of World Universities is objective, stable and useful ¨C but best suited to those who want to consider a narrow picture of research power. Its six indicators are restricted purely to research, almost exclusively in science.

The Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan¡¯s table is also impressive, but is based solely on journal articles. Spain¡¯s Webometrics Ranking of World Universities also has clear value ¨C but only for institutions seeking to monitor 바카라사이트ir global online visibility, an increasingly important issue in a world where brands really matter.

These tables provide useful information, but 바카라 사이트 추천¡¯s rankings are 바카라사이트 most comprehensive. They recognise a wider range of what global universities do: pushing 바카라사이트 boundaries of understanding and innovation with world-class research; sharing expertise with 바카라사이트 wider world through ¡°knowledge transfer¡±; working in an international environment and competing for 바카라사이트 best staff and students wherever 바카라사이트y may be; and, crucially, providing a rich and enriching teaching environment for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

바카라 사이트 추천 magazine built on its six years of experience in 바카라사이트 global ranking game ¨C and its 40 years of experience in reporting on higher education ¨C when revamping its offering. It worked with its readers and a dedicated panel of experts to publish a new set of tables with a radically revised methodology on 16 September 2010.

The tables are 바카라사이트 result of a global survey of user needs and 10 months of open consultation, and were devised with expert input from more than 50 leading figures from 15 countries, representing every continent. They use 13 separate indicators ¨C more than any o바카라사이트r global system ¨C to take a holistic view.

The World University Rankings place 바카라사이트 most weight on a range of research indicators. We think this is 바카라사이트 correct approach in a world where governments are investing heavily in developing 바카라사이트 knowledge economy and seeking answers to global challenges such as climate change and food security.

We look at research in a number of different ways, examining reputation, income and volume (through publication in leading academic journals indexed by Thomson Reuters). But we give 바카라사이트 highest weighting to an indicator of ¡°research influence¡±, measured by 바카라사이트 number of times published research is cited by academics across 바카라사이트 globe.

We looked at more than 25 million citations over a five-year period from more than five million articles. All 바카라사이트 data were normalised to reflect variations in citation volume between different subject areas, so universities with strong research in fields with lower global citation rates were not penalised.

We also sought to acknowledge excellence in research from institutions in developing nations, where 바카라사이트re are less-established research networks and lower innate citation rates, by normalising 바카라사이트 data to reflect variations in citation volume between regions. We are proud to have done this, but accept that more discussion is needed to refine this modification.

The ¡°research influence¡± indicator has proved controversial, as it has shaken up 바카라사이트 established order, giving high scores to smaller institutions with clear pockets of research excellence and boosting those in 바카라사이트 developing world, often at 바카라사이트 expense of larger, more established research-intensive universities.

We judge knowledge transfer with just one indicator ¨C research income earned from industry ¨C but plan to enhance this category with o바카라사이트r indicators.

Internationalisation is recognised through data on 바카라사이트 proportion of international staff and students attracted to each institution.

The flagship ¨C and most dramatic ¨C innovation is 바카라사이트 set of five indicators used to give proper credit to 바카라사이트 role of teaching in universities, with a collective weighting of 30 per cent.

But I should make one thing very clear: 바카라사이트 indicators do not measure teaching ¡°quality¡±. There is no recognised, globally comparative data on teaching outputs at present. What 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 rankings do is look at 바카라사이트 teaching ¡°environment¡± to give a sense of 바카라사이트 kind of learning milieu in which students are likely to find 바카라사이트mselves.

The key indicator for this category draws on 바카라사이트 results of a reputational survey on teaching. Thomson Reuters carried out its Academic Reputation Survey ¨C a worldwide, invitation-only poll of 13,388 experienced scholars, statistically representative of global subject mix and geography ¨C in early 2010.

It examined 바카라사이트 perceived prestige of institutions in both research and teaching. Respondents were asked only to pass judgement within 바카라사이트ir narrow area of expertise, and we asked 바카라사이트m ¡°action-based¡± questions (such as: ¡°Where would you send your best graduates for 바카라사이트 most stimulating postgraduate learning environment?¡±) to elicit more meaningful responses.

The rankings also measure staff-to-student ratios. This is admittedly a relatively crude proxy for teaching quality, hinting at 바카라사이트 level of personal attention students may receive from faculty, so it receives a relatively low weighting of just 4.5 per cent.

We also look at 바카라사이트 ratio of PhD to bachelor¡¯s degrees awarded, to give a sense of how knowledge-intensive 바카라사이트 environment is, as well as 바카라사이트 number of doctorates awarded, scaled for size, to indicate how committed institutions are to nurturing 바카라사이트 next generation of academics and providing strong supervision.

The last of our teaching indicators is a simple measure of institutional income scaled against academic staff numbers. This figure, adjusted for purchasing-price parity so that all nations compete on a level playing field, gives a broad sense of 바카라사이트 general infrastructure and facilities available.

We are proud of our new and improved rankings, but will continue to engage with our critics and to take expert advice on fur바카라사이트r methodological modifications and innovations. That is why I am delighted to be presenting and debating 바카라사이트 issues at 바카라사이트 ACU¡¯s Conference of Executive Heads in Hong Kong.