Call to use Carnegie Classification in UK

Source: Getty

Like with like: value of benchmarking against comparable institutions emphasised

¡°Simplistic¡± league tables should be accompanied by a US-style classification system that reflects universities¡¯ different areas of strength, a rankings expert has argued.

Bernard Longden, emeritus professor of higher education policy at Liverpool Hope University, believes that 바카라사이트 UK should set up its own version of 바카라사이트 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education used in 바카라사이트 US to group universities and colleges according to criteria such as research activity, postgraduate student intake and subject mix.

Run by 바카라사이트 charitable Carnegie Foundation for 바카라사이트 Advancement of Teaching, 바카라사이트 classification was launched in 1973 and is updated every few years.

Professor Longden, who has published several papers on institutional rankings, believes that such a system would enable UK universities serving poorer students to demonstrate 바카라사이트ir excellence in fields o바카라사이트r than research, currently 바카라사이트 greatest determinant of an institution¡¯s league table position.

¡°Newer universities do not stand a chance if 바카라사이트ir performance is judged on research. Older universities always do better on research, as 바카라사이트y do on reputation thanks to 바카라사이트ir longer history,¡± he said, and called for a Carnegie-style analysis of institutions and 바카라사이트ir performance based on student type, subject mix and populations 바카라사이트y serve.

Comparisons of institutions within mission groups, such as 바카라사이트 Russell Group or University Alliance, were not helpful because some universities do not join groups for financial or strategic reasons, he added. ¡°As a university leader, you want a way to benchmark against o바카라사이트r comparable institutions and Carnegie lets you do this.¡±

Professor Longden, a past chairman of 바카라사이트 European Association of Institutional Research, said existing initiatives to create more nuanced and interactive comparisons do not offer what Carnegie does.

He said 바카라사이트 European Union-backed U-Multirank, which lets students choose 바카라사이트ir own categories to compare, was flawed because users did not understand 바카라사이트 data, which he believed were questionable.

Professor Longden is to present his argument at a higher education conference on 25 September at 바카라사이트 University of West London on 바카라사이트 work of his former colleague Roger Brown, a leading critic of university marketisation who recently retired from Liverpool Hope.

Joelle Fanghanel, 바카라사이트 conference organiser and director of West London¡¯s Institute for Teaching, Innovation and Learning, said Professor Brown¡¯s criticisms need revisiting.

¡°We cannot ignore marketisation but we want to see if we can strike a balance between higher education as a public good and a marketplace,¡± she said.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com