Comprehensively Evaluating Higher Education in North America Based on a Weighted Hierarchical Indicator Model: Specific to Different Study Abroad Students

Abstract

Receiving higher education abroad has become a promising way for international students to increase competitiveness. Despite the global outbreak of COVID-19 in recent years, still a large number of international students are inclined to study abroad, especially regarding North America as their first choice. University rankings recommended by distinct institutions are commonly considered as a useful guide to evaluate the quality of higher education, which is critical for international students to determine the target university for their further study. However, major problems identified in existing university ranking systems include insufficient integration of potential facets, weak measurement and quantification, and lack of taking personal demands and preference into account. To tackle these challenges, this study proposed an integrated conceptual model based on a hierarchical index system for comprehensively evaluating higher education in North America. This model attempts to improve the current university ranking philosophy by incorporating both subjective and objective weights using statistical and geospatial techniques, providing a theoretical basis for comprehensive evaluating higher education in North America as well as a personalized guide of selecting universities for different international students. Finally, results were effectively visualized on an interactive web-based platform with users' personalized preference as the input weights.