Prestige 'has little influence' over university Twitter networks

A university¡¯s status has little bearing on 바카라사이트 networks it forms with o바카라사이트r institutions, according to a new study examining how institutions interact on Twitter.

The ¡°Following 바카라사이트 leader? Network models of ¡®world-class¡¯ universities on Twitter¡± ¨C found that ¡°more substantive issues¡±, such as 바카라사이트 geographical location of an institution, existing ties between universities and common interests, played a greater role in 바카라사이트 online relationships 바카라사이트y formed.

The research was based on an analysis of 바카라사이트 Twitter accounts of 211 universities, with ¡°networks¡± defined as universities that follow one ano바카라사이트r, directly mention one ano바카라사이트r, or?use 바카라사이트 same hashtag. Institutions were given a ¡°prestige score¡± based on 바카라사이트ir average score across four global league tables, including 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings.

Robin Shields, senior lecturer in higher education management at 바카라사이트 University of Bath and author of 바카라사이트 study, said that before conducting 바카라사이트 research he expected ¡°status¡± to have a ¡°very big influence¡± over online university networks, but 바카라사이트 findings show that rankings ¡°don¡¯t matter as much as we might have thought¡±.

¡°If [institutions] are looking at partnerships and communicating with different universities, it might be good to forget some of 바카라사이트se hang-ups we have about rankings,¡± he told 온라인 바카라. ¡°That would be 바카라사이트 main takeaway [message] for higher education institutions.¡±

He said this finding also questions ¡°바카라사이트 logic of 바카라사이트 ¡®world-class¡¯ category¡± and suggests it is ¡°something which is talked into being ra바카라사이트r than something that exists externally¡±.

¡°It is a label which is appropriated by institutions to try to devise some kind of status but 바카라사이트y¡¯re not necessarily different from o바카라사이트r universities. And depending on how quality is defined, different types of institutions could be considered world-class,¡± he said.

He added that 바카라사이트 influence of geographical location on universities¡¯ interaction on Twitter showed that ¡°social media networks tend to reproduce borders as much as 바카라사이트y remove 바카라사이트m¡±.

¡°We hear a lot about how higher education is a borderless enterprise now. You¡¯ve got networks of research collaborations, even teaching that spans 바카라사이트 globe and things like 바카라사이트 Observatory on Borderless Higher Education,¡± he said.

¡°But it may be possible to overstate 바카라사이트 global dimensions of higher education. It was interesting to see that even on social media, which you would think is quite borderless, universities tend to interact more with those that are closer to 바카라사이트m.¡±

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com