Global University Rankings Research Articles

PLANNING FOR INCREASING LECTURER RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY

The World Class University trend in higher education has an impact on the need for planning in the research aspect because the quantity and quality of research are very influential in global university rankings. This research explores planning strategies as well as challenges and obstacles in efforts to increase the research productivity of lecturers in the Building Engineering Education Study Program, Universitas Negeri Jakarta based on the perspective of the study program coordinator. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach using data collection techniques in the form of documentation complete with interviews with the study program coordinator. The research productivity increases in some years, such 2021 and 2023, but there are inconsistent research trends from 2017 to 2024. Some of the plans carried out by the study program to increase lecturer research productivity include the 1 lecturer 1 publication per year program, expanding cooperation and collaboration with national and international universities in research and scientific publications, holding international scientific article publication workshops, initiating collaboration with industry in the field of research and forming a research team of lecturers. The obstacles and challenges faced by the study program include lecturer workload, resources, funding, and research administration burden

Strategic alliances and global competitive actions: Unveiling collaborative pathways in higher education ranking

The escalating competition among higher education institutions in global university rankings necessitates an examination of their actions and reactions within a competitive dynamics framework. Utilising regression panel data, this study scrutinises the initiatives of 100 universities across 22 Asian nations over a decade, drawing from the QS World University Rankings and SciVal databases. Exposure, research intensity, and high-impacted research are identified as drivers of competition escalation. Moreover, the impact of international collaboration and university-industry collaboration on this dynamic is analysed, revealing varied moderating effects. By delving into the influence of international academic collaboration and university-industry collaboration, this research unveils opportunities for adopting a cooperative-competitive strategy among universities to excel in global ranking competitions.

(How) do universities listen? Evidence from institutional websites of the world's top universities

Introduction: this study investigates the implementation of organizational listening methods in Higher Education through a comparative analysis of institutional websites from top global universities and leading Lithuanian institutions. Emphasizing the role of these websites as pivotal digital platforms, the research aims to discern the extent to which universities facilitate two-way communication with stakeholders through digital platforms. Methodology: Websites were selected based on world university rankings, encompassing institutions from each continent. Websites were selected based on global university rankings, spanning institutions across continents. Qualitative content analysis employed predefined and emergent categories to evaluate interactivity and organizational listening features on these platforms. Findings reveal consistent stakeholder mapping but significant disparities in communication tools and channels, which impacts real-time, asynchronous, and symmetric engagement effectiveness. Communication structures range from integrated governance roles to fragmented responsibilities, influencing stakeholder accessibility and institutional transparency. Discussion: implications for organizational communication practices are discussed, highlighting strategies to enhance stakeholder engagement via institutional websites. The study underscores the pivotal role of communication management teams in fostering transparency and responsiveness. Conclusions: advocating for leveraging technological advancements, conclusions propose transforming websites into proactive platforms for organizational listening. Recommendations emphasize developing tailored communication strategies to optimize engagement and effectiveness in Higher Education contexts.

How are global university rankings adjusted for erroneous science, fraud and misconduct? Posterior reduction or adjustment in rankings in response to retractions and invalidation of scientific findings

Global university rankings (GURs), such as the Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THE WUR), Quacquarelli Symonds University World Rankings (QS UWR) and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) are positively incremental, that is, they do not reflect any level of penalisation in response to unscholarly activity, especially in the field of research and publication. In the light of an increasing trend in fraud, such as the use of paper mills and authorship-for-sale schemes, this letter proposes that GURs need to be reduced, or penalised, in response to cases of misconduct and instances of retractions. In the absence of a transparent corrective system, GURs will be further criticised for being unfair, biased and not reflective of an evolving and unstable academic publishing ecosystem.

University rankings in the context of research evaluation: A state-of-the-art review

Abstract Initially created as a marketing and benchmarking tool, global university rankings have evolved into a part of research evaluation and policy initiatives. Governments around the world, concerned about the low rankings of national universities, have launched numerous excellence initiatives in higher education. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the literature on the use of university rankings in research evaluation and excellence initiatives. A systematic review of the literature on rankings in the context of research evaluation and excellence initiatives was performed. The majority of the review is based on English-language sources, but the review also covers literature from Russia, where the role of rankings is emphasized by their mention in the title and goal of the policy project 5top100. In addition, the review also includes gray literature. The general academic consensus is that rankings cannot be used in research assessment, though a few authors have a positive or neutral attitude. The literature reveals a lot of issues, such as technical and methodological flaws; biases of different nature, including bias towards research in evaluation of both universities and individual researchers; conflicts of interest; and risks to national identity. However, we must acknowledge the complexity of rejecting rankings.

Decolonising data in higher education: critical issues and future directions

ABSTRACT This paper revisits the concept of ‘data colonialism’ and its critiques, suggesting a reframed conceptual framework tailored to interrogating and resisting data colonialism in the context of higher education, with the aim of advancing decolonial insights. Theorising data colonialism needs to move beyond simply identifying processes of data extractivism – e.g., how global university rankings and citation indexes are used to shape education policy, teaching and learning – towards a holistic project of decolonising higher education. A decolonial project that entails datafication interrupts both data extraction and data dispossession at all levels of higher education institutions – from the assessment methods of teaching, learning and research to student recruitment processes and so on. The analysis in this paper contributes to existing scholarship on datafication in higher education by paying explicit attention to the epistemic violence that is reproduced through data-dependent technologies and data practices and discussing how this violence may be counteracted.

Charting Excellence: Unveiling the Influence of Scientific Publications on Global University Rankings

ABSTRACT The global ranking of universities has grown substantially within both academia and industry. This study aims to explore how scientific publications, their visibility, and citations contribute to improving university rankings. A survey was conducted online involving 2000 faculty members at the University of Dhaka. Email addresses were gathered from the university website, and 311 faculty members provided responses, resulting in a response rate of 15.55%. Faculty members acknowledged that writing scientific articles for top-ranked journals requires statistical, analytical and other relevant skills. The benefits of publishing in prestigious journals indicating a generally positive perception among the respondents. This study empirically demonstrated that publishing in journals listed in databases like Scopus or Web of Science enhances visibility, which in turn leads to more citations. Together, these factors contribute to improving university rankings. Dhaka University must focus on increasing its publications in top-tier journals by implementing incentive programs, fostering research collaborations, and allocating additional research grants. By understanding these universal standards for scholarly excellence, other universities can tailor their strategies to enhance faculty support and foster a culture conducive to impactful research publication. The findings from this study offer valuable insights that can be applied to other universities worldwide.

Are faculty members aware of global university ranking? A study in the context of a developing country

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to measure the awareness of the global university ranking and its parameters among the faculty members at Dhaka University. This also identifies the challenges linked to university ranking and explores opportunities to overcome these challenges.Design/methodology/approachThe target population of this study is the faculty members of Dhaka University. This study used the online survey questionnaire method, contacting approximately 2,000 faculty members individually through their email addresses. In total, 311 faculty members responded, and the response rate was 15.55%. Data were collected from September to December 2022, and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to analyze the survey data.FindingsThe findings indicate that a majority of the faculty members are acquainted with global university rankings, with Times Higher Education being the most recognized. Faculty members at Dhaka University are confident in their ability to excel in research and citation weighting scores in the ranking parameters. However, challenges such as a lack of incentives, inadequate recruitment policies, limited research funding, minimal collaboration, a scarcity of international students and faculty and limited local journal publications hinder the university’s ranking.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the limited number of responses, the findings may not accurately represent the entire faculty. The findings of this study can guide Dhaka University and other universities to design policies for overall improvement of university ranking.Originality/valueThis is the first time an attempt has been made to measure the awareness of university ranking by collecting primary data in the context of a public university in Bangladesh.

The role of geopolitics of knowledge in the mediatization of global university rankings

The role of geopolitics of knowledge in the mediatization of global university rankings

A Comparative Analysis of the Baghdad and Babylon Universities Exploring Factors Affecting Their Competitiveness in World University Rankings

في السنوات الأخيرة، اكتسبت تصنيفات الجامعات العالمية شعبية كوسيلة لتقييم جودة مؤسسات التعليم العالي لأنها توفر رؤى قيمة حول أفضل المؤسسات في جميع أنحاء العالم؛ لذلك، يستخدم أصحاب العمل والأكاديميون والطلاب هذه التصنيفات لتحديد من أي مكان يمكن توظيف موظفين جدد، ومتابعة التعليم العالي، وإجراء البحوث. ويصدق هذا على الجامعات العراقية أيضا، حيث تسعى جاهدة لتقييم مكانتها وقدرتها التنافسية على نطاق عالمي. في هذه الدراسة، يتم تحليل ومقارنة نتائج جامعتي بغداد وبابل في تصنيف التايمز العالمي. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، يتم أيضا فحص العوامل التي أثرت على تصنيفهما على مدى خمس سنوات (2017-2022). تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى تسليط الضوء على مزايا وعيوب كل مؤسسة تعليمية من خلال تحليل مجموعة متنوعة من المتغيرات، بما في ذلك التدريس، والمخرجات الدولية، ونتائج الصناعة، وجودة البحث، ومقاييس الأداء الأكاديمي، و الاستشهادات. كما تسعى لتحديد الميزات التي تميز كل واحدة عن غيرها. من أجل إجراء تحليل مقارن، تستخدم هذه الدراسة بيانات تصنيف مؤسسة التايمز البريطانية، والتي تعتبر واحدة من أكثر التصنيفات التي توفر مؤشرات موثوقة ودقيقة للأداء الجامعي و أيضا قواعد بيانات Elsevier's Scopus . تشير نتائج هذه الدراسة إلى مجالات التطوير وتعطي المشرعين والإداريين والطلبة المحتملين فهما شاملا للعوامل الرئيسية التي تؤثر على تصنيفات هاتين الجامعتين.

Competitive capabilities of higher education institutions from their Employees' perspectives: A case study of King Khalid University.

This study aimed to uncover the competitive advantages of King Khalid University (KKU) as a higher educational institution and identify the strategies needed to strengthen its competitive stance through a qualitative case study approach. Data were collected via detailed interviews with 30 university staff, comprising 19 faculty members and 11 academic leaders. Following this, the data were qualitatively analyzed using MAXQDA 2022 software. The results showed that KKU has 30 sub-competitive strengths, including work ethics, future vision, academic excellence, creativity, teamwork, respect for intellectual property, continuous customer-focused improvement, a positive workplace environment, organizational trust, and the ability to attract international students. Additionally, the study identified 8 challenges hindering KKU's advancement in global university rankings, spanning academic, human, and administrative areas. To improve its standing in international rankings, thematic analysis revealed 11 strategies to enhance KKU's competitiveness. These include aligning academic programs with job market demands, enhancing research facilities, boosting funding for academic and research endeavors, fostering international academic and scientific partnerships, and upgrading the technological infrastructure for academics and administration. The analysis underscores the need for KKU to adopt a comprehensive suite of academic, human, and administrative strategies to bolster its competitive position. This is crucial for KKU's rise in global university rankings and its alignment with the National Vision 2030, aiming to place over five Saudi universities among the top 100 or 200 globally.

Beyond green campuses: Sustainability rankings as strategic tools for university branding

The paper introduces and compares four prominent sustainable university rankings: People & Planet’s University League, QS World University Rankings: Sustainability, Times Higher Education Impact Ranking, and UI GreenMetric. In the paper, the authors analyse the methodologies, thereby revealing similarities, differences, and top global performers. Additionally, the positions of Hungarian universities are evaluated in these rankings. The study addresses the need for universities to provide more information on their impacts and examines the relationship between sustainability rankings and overall university rankings. Based on the analysis of two global university rankings, no evidence was found about global leaders being the top performers in sustainability dimensions. Large international universities can benefit from overall university rankings, while sustainability rankings might be a good opportunity for smaller universities to differentiate themselves from their competitors. To put it simply: if a university is not performing super well in education and research, focusing on sustainability issues can provide a pathway to achieving a favourable position in sustainability rankings, which offers an alternative recognition and competitive advantage.

Educational improvement to whose images? – A coloniality perspective of higher education policy in Taiwan

The recent reform movement of higher education policies, which are modeled on the top-ranked Western higher education institutions globally, has significantly impacted the administrative model among universities in Taiwan. This study takes the Higher Education Sprout Project, one of the current governmental higher education policies, as an example to examine the problem representation of the policy discourse and how one regionally selective university responds to the policy. This study aims to provide an alternative perspective to unpack how the global university rankings and the entrenched “world-class” imaginary have represented higher education improvement agenda in Taiwan. By bringing light to a coloniality perspective, this study argues that the ongoing colonial logic has been promoted and perpetuated by current higher education policies, which have reshaped the institutional mission of Taiwanese universities. The long-term misinterpreted connotation of “internationalization” and the entrenched “world-class” ideology within policy discourses have overlooked and systemically denied the Western hegemony of epistemic violence, as well as the Anglo-American dominated academic coloniality.

Developing green education: The path for Wageningen University to become smart university in the Netherlands

Wageningen is a research-oriented university in the Netherlands. Following nearly ten years of transition (2014-2023), Wageningen has established a strategy and steadily built a smart green education ecosystem in which modern technology and sustainable development principles are the focal points of all endeavors, including scientific research, startup innovation, university administration, training, and international collaboration. Wageningen's green education ecosystem has evolved into a model for the smart green university movement with the appropriate development strategy that is in line with current trends. Thanks to this gateway, Wageningen is now the smartest university in the Netherlands and is listed in numerous prominent global university rankings.

The Mediating Influence of Leadership Style within the Nexus of Organizational Agility and Performance Outcomes in Public Universities in Kenya

Public universities in Kenya have been operating in an environment that has been changing over the past few years, and the numerous uncertainties have made survival difficulty. Ineffectiveness and inefficiencies in the public universities, low global ranking of public universities, low research output and the weak university-industry partnerships due to the closed system nature of public universities and other internal and external factors have continued to affect university performance. The application of the concept of organizational agility may be viewed as a panacea to addressing the above pertinent issues and bring the public universities to a higher level of performance in uncertain changing environment. Therefore, the goal of this study is to examine the mediating influence of leadership style within the nexus of organizational agility and performance outcomes of public universities in Kenya. The research is anchored on Dynamic Capability theory, Resource based view theory and Learning organization theory. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to measure both quantitative and qualitative data, using descriptive and explanatory research methodologies for empirical analysis. Content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data, and the results presented in accordance with patterns and themes. The target population was the 31 fully fledged public universities in Kenya out of which 10 were sampled systematically from best to worst ranked institution based on January 2023 web metrics global university ranking scale. The study targeted 220 respondents comprising of Deputy Vice Chancellors, Deans of schools and faculty, academic department heads and key senior staff in administration. Out of this, only 207 returned the questionnaire accounting for 94.1% success rate. Due to the characteristics of the respondents and the goal of the investigation, a proportionate random sample technique was employed to choose the respondents for the study. A drop-and-pick methodology was used to collect data by trained research assistants. The questionnaire was subjected to both validity and reliability tests by carrying out a pilot test on different group from the study group but with similar characteristics and use of SPSS version 27 to process the data. Using a multiple regression analysis approach, descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the data in accordance with the specific research objectives and hypotheses. Results from quantitative data analysis were presented using figures and tables while qualitative data was analyzed based on common themes and presented in narrative form. The findings of the study established that leadership style fully mediated effect on relationship between organizational agility and university performance outcomes. These findings were found useful in management of public universities in the face of uncertainties. Furthermore, these findings are expected to provide a framework for enhancing performance outcomes of public universities in the midst of adverse environmental circumstances.by forming appropriate policies and strategies through application of appropriate leadership styles.

Exploring the role of ranking systems towards university performance improvement: A focus group-based study

The development of multiple university ranking systems at national and global levels has been driven by increasing interest in improving efficiency in the national educational sector without compromising the demand for international standards. Global university ranking systems play an important role by providing the foundation for competing in this global era. One approach could be developing and evaluating criteria to reduce the unnecessary use of standard, less productive indicators. This study aims to systematically exploit national and global university ranking systems in terms of their indicators and relevance to national educational needs. This study uses two online qualitative focus groups with 10 participants each. The participants were purposively sampled, and the transcribed data from the focus group were thematically analyzed. Findings indicate that university ranking should include indicators like governance and digital presence, as these are missing in global ranking indicators. These findings will guide the development of a university ranking framework that policymakers and universities can implement to improve institutional performance.

국내대학 인증평가와 주요 세계대학 순위평가의 연계 방안 연구

[Purpose]As we enter the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, characterized by intensified global competition, the importance of high-quality education and research capabilities has grown significantly. However, there is a projected significant decrease in the number of college admissions due to a declining school-age population, which has led to increased interest in university evaluation systems that influence university reform and government support policies. Nevertheless, recent South Korean universities have experienced declines in some rankings in global university evaluations, and their efforts to enhance international competitiveness are facing limitations.
 [Methods] In this study, I examined indicators from the South Korean domestic university accreditation evaluation known as the “3rd Cycle University Institutional Accreditation”, as well as evaluation indicators from major global university rankings such as QS and THE. I compared the evaluation indicators of QS and THE world university rankings and calculated their similarities. Additionally, detailed indicators between university institutional accreditation evaluations and major global university rankings were compared.
 [Results]The similarity between university institutional accreditation evaluations and major global university rankings(including sustainability evaluations) is very low. However, in the “University Performance and Social Responsibility” domain, which is closely related to global university rankings, there is a high potential for linkage. As a result, I have derived “strengthening indicators” with the aim of enhancing the international competitiveness of universities and indicated “linkage indicators”.
 [Conclusion]By aligning the indicators of legally binding the university accreditation evaluations with those of major global university rankings, it is anticipated that the preparation for domestic university institutional accreditation and the preparation for global university ranking assessments can be conducted simultaneously, thereby assisting in improving universities' international competitiveness and enhancing their internal competitive capabilities.

A reappraisal of global university rankings’ influence in Canada: a senior university leaders’ perspective

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the debate on university organisational actorhood by surveying the drivers of university strategic behaviour and choice. Utilising organisational literature and interviews with senior leaders from three Canadian research-intensive universities, the article elucidates the dynamics underlying universities’ behaviours associated with global university rankings. Contrary to previous studies, the analysis suggests that global rankings exert more influence on Canadian universities than it is commonly assumed. Findings show that (1) global rankings are integral to the case universities’ strategic positioning, legitimacy managing, and revenue-generating efforts in an era where government funding has become a source of constant concern; (2) global rankings are perceived more important than Maclean’s – Canada’s national university ranking – for institutional priorities and promotional strategies; and (3) specialised personnel and units have been created by universities to optimise data flows and improve their ranking positions. The article additionally examines contemporary issues on the academic landscape that create the conditions for institutionalising global rankings, a course of action commonly perceived as irreconcilable with the egalitarian ethos and flatter hierarchical structure of Canada’s postsecondary education. The article offers a new perspective on the determinants of strategic behaviour and organisational change in higher education and outlines directions for future research.

Defining standards for rankings: An investigation of global university rankings according to the Berlin Principles

AbstractThe role of universities as the engines of knowledge‐based economies drives global internationalisation of higher education. This contributes to a competitive environment where higher education rankings indicate market value. Even though rankings are influential and are used a lot, ranking systems have been heavily critiqued. One of the problems is that there are few if any external checks on how rankings are created. The purpose of the study on which this article reports was to evaluate ranking systems. Within the scope of the study, we have sought to reveal to what extent current ranking systems comply with the Berlin Principles—prepared to create certain rules for rankings, and to ensure that rankings represent quality. A document analysis of publicly available documents online was carried out together with a review of printed and electronic publications on ranking systems. An evaluation form was prepared and used in this study for field experts to fill in. Findings show that ranking systems comply with the Berlin Principles in terms of methodology, transparency, and acceptability at a level that ranges from moderate to low. Overall, rankings do not consider differences in higher education and are not transparent about the processes by which rankings are developed. Rankings should for this reason be interpreted carefully and methodological weaknesses of rankings that can lead to false inferences should be recognised.

Michelle Stack, ed. Global University Rankings and the Politics of Knowledge

Michelle Stack, ed. <i>Global University Rankings and the Politics of Knowledge</i>