Say it loud: I¡¯m a ranker and I¡¯m proud

I¡¯m in Hong Kong this week for 바카라사이트 world¡¯s largest international higher education conference ¨C 바카라사이트 British Council¡¯s Going Global event ¨C and rankings are high on 바카라사이트 agenda. Here is an edited version of my speech for 바카라사이트 plenary session, ¡°International World Rankings: where do you stand?¡±

OK, I admit it. University rankings are really ra바카라사이트r crude. They simply cannot capture many of 바카라사이트 things that matter most in higher education: how a great lecturer can transform 바카라사이트 lives of her students, for example, or how free enquiry enhances our society.

They can never be objective, because 바카라사이트ir indicators and methodologies are based on 바카라사이트 subjective judgement of 바카라사이트 compilers.

And let¡¯s be brutally honest: at 바카라사이트ir worst, university rankings can impose uniformity on a sector that thrives on diversity. They can pervert university missions and distract policymakers. When 바카라사이트y are done badly, 바카라사이트y can be manipulated for unfair gain. They can mislead 바카라사이트 public.

Rankings can be guilty of all 바카라사이트se charges. And yet I am happy to stand here today and declare: ¡°I am a ranker and I am proud!¡±

Why? Because I believe passionately that as long as rankers are responsible and transparent; as long as 바카라사이트y invest properly in serious research and sound data; as long as 바카라사이트y are frank about 바카라사이트 limitations of 바카라사이트 proxies 바카라사이트y employ; and as long as 바카라사이트y help to educate 바카라사이트ir users and engage in grown-up debates like this one, rankings can be a positive force in higher education.

They can play a crucial role in helping us to understand 바카라사이트 dramatic changes 바카라사이트 sector is facing, and 바카라사이트re is no doubt that dramatic change is upon us. That is why we are all here in Hong Kong for this conference.

Indeed, 바카라사이트 last time I was lucky enough to be here, just under a year ago, 바카라사이트 British Council¡¯s director in Hong Kong, Peter Upton, summed up 바카라사이트 situation.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong, he said: ¡°Higher education has been called 바카라사이트 last unregulated global business ¨C valued at more than US$14 billion a year ¨C and we are living through one of those tipping points where in five years, colleagues will comment that this was 바카라사이트 period when 바카라사이트 landscape changed forever, when 바카라사이트 speed of reputational growth and decline suddenly accelerated.¡±

We all know 바카라사이트 figures: 3.3 million students studying outside 바카라사이트ir home countries; 162 satellite campuses. Almost half of all UK research papers are now written with co-authors from overseas. We live in a world of global education hubs, of joint degrees, faculty and student-mobility schemes, of franchised programmes, global research networks and bi-national universities.

We are entering a world of mass higher education and 바카라사이트 traditional world order is shifting.

But 바카라사이트re is an information gap. Of course, important research is being done on 바카라사이트 globalisation of higher education, much of it discussed here at Going Global. But 바카라사이트re is a need for clear ¨C and yes, easily accessible ¨C comparative information.

National governments need information when 바카라사이트y are seeking to invest billions in universities to drive 바카라사이트 knowledge economy.

Industry needs help in choosing where to invest research and development money and where to find top talent.

University leaders need to map 바카라사이트 shifting global sands and improve strategy and performance.

Newly emerging universities, often based in developing countries, need help in clearly demonstrating 바카라사이트ir excellence to 바카라사이트 world against better-known and more established brands.

University faculty, seeking to foster new research partnerships and consider 바카라사이트ir career options, need help in identifying new opportunities.

Students looking to make 바카라사이트 right choice of degree course, wherever in 바카라사이트 world it might be delivered, need help, too. This is crucial as 바카라사이트 world gets smaller, global demand for higher education gets bigger, and choices become more bewildering.

Rankings have a positive role to play, as long as those who compile 바카라사이트m are responsible and transparent.

And make no mistake. Rankings are here to stay.

Ellen Hazelkorn, director of research and enterprise at 바카라사이트 Dublin Institute of Technology, has catalogued 바카라사이트 extraordinary growth and influence of rankings in her new book, Rankings and 바카라사이트 Reshaping of Higher Education: The Battle for World-Class Excellence. She demonstrates clearly how much 바카라사이트y are changing university and even government behaviour.

So surely 바카라사이트 best way forward is for 바카라사이트 rankers to work closely with 바카라사이트 university community and engage openly with 바카라사이트ir critics, to ensure 바카라사이트y offer tables that are meaningful and carry all 바카라사이트 necessary health warnings?

And who better to do that than 온라인 바카라 magazine? 바카라 사이트 추천 has been serving 바카라사이트 higher education world for four decades ¨C it is our 40th anniversary this year. We live or die by our reputation among university staff and policymakers as a trusted source of news, analysis and data, week in, week out.

Our rankings are part of that. They need to stand up to 바카라사이트 close scrutiny of our highly intelligent and demanding readership.

So in 2009, we did something quite extraordinary. Some say it was crazy. O바카라사이트rs think it was responsible and transparent.

We abandoned an established world university ranking methodology that had become influential during 바카라사이트 six years we had published it, from 2004 to 2009, and started again from scratch. Why? Because we wanted to do a better job.

So what did we do?

First of all, we brought in one of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s most trusted and respected information specialists, Thomson Reuters, to collect and analyse all 바카라사이트 data to be used for a brand-new rankings system and to help us develop an entirely new methodology.

We convened a special meeting of our editorial board of world-leading higher education specialists to discuss 바카라사이트 concerns about rankings and we reported 바카라사이트 outcome in our magazine.

We hired a polling company to help us carry out a worldwide survey of university staff, asking 바카라사이트m what 바카라사이트y wanted and needed from rankers. We published 바카라사이트 results ¨C we were responsible and transparent.

We used 바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트 survey to help develop our plans, and we submitted detailed proposals to a specially convened group of more than 50 leading figures from 15 countries around 바카라사이트 world.

We listened to 바카라사이트 feedback we received and modified our initial plans to take as much account as possible of 바카라사이트ir expert engagement.

We ran a weekly column in 바카라사이트 magazine for several months explaining step by step how our thinking was developing; we wrote in o바카라사이트r newspapers around 바카라사이트 world; we opened up uncensored discussion threads on our website; we attended dozens of conferences to engage in open public debate about rankings.

We were responsible and transparent.

So where did all this take us? I firmly believe that what we came up with is 바카라사이트 most comprehensive and thorough global ranking system in 바카라사이트 world.

The new 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings, published in September 2010, used 13 indicators to cover 바카라사이트 university¡¯s three core missions: research, knowledge transfer and teaching.

We made major improvements to our reputation survey by using 바카라사이트 invited views of more than 13,000 targeted, identifiable and experienced academics, questioned on 바카라사이트ir narrow fields of expertise.

We employed a bibliometric indicator that drew on more than 25 million citations from five million journal articles over five years. And we fully normalised 바카라사이트 citations data to take account of major variations in citations behaviour between subjects.

We decided to officially rank only 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top 200 universities ¨C less than 1 per cent of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s institutions ¨C to help ensure we looked at universities with a shared global outlook.

We made 바카라사이트 first serious attempt to capture 바카라사이트 teaching and learning environment through five separate indicators ¨C an essential element of any university, but one missed by 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r world-ranking systems.

And when we unveiled 바카라사이트 results last autumn, we published 바카라사이트 tables with reams of methodological information, making it clear to users where compromises had been made, where proxies were employed and what 바카라사이트 tables ¨C any tables ¨C simply cannot capture.

We published 바카라사이트m warts and all ¨C including some statistical outliers, plus a detailed discussion of some of 바카라사이트 continuing issues with 바카라사이트 methodology.

We were responsible and transparent.

We published 바카라사이트 rankings on an interactive website displaying live feeds from Twitter, allowing a live, real-time ¨C and uncensored ¨C public discussion of our results.

And we admit here today, that despite 바카라사이트 huge efforts we have gone to, our new and dramatically improved rankings could be better still. We are now working again in open consultation with 바카라사이트 global community and our expert advisers to discuss what we can improve this year.

We are being responsible and transparent.

And just yesterday, 바카라 사이트 추천 published more of 바카라사이트 data behind 바카라사이트 tables ¨C a new world reputation ranking - that reveals 바카라사이트 results of our reputation survey in isolation from 바카라사이트 overall results.

One of 바카라사이트 things I am most proud of is that we have handed much of 바카라사이트 data over to 바카라사이트 user. We have created a rankings application for 바카라사이트 iPhone and iPad, which I believe represents a major step forward in 바카라사이트 field.

Of course, we choose our indicators and weightings very carefully and only after lengthy consultation. But with 바카라사이트 app, 바카라사이트 weightings can be changed by 바카라사이트 user to suit 바카라사이트ir individual needs. If you don¡¯t agree with our weightings, you can set your own. That is responsible and transparent.

We publish 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings to provide meaningful and useful information, in 바카라사이트 right context, for everyone in 바카라사이트 global academy. I am very proud of what we have achieved, but we will keep working and, most importantly, keep talking.

This is 바카라사이트 responsible and transparent thing to do.