International University Rankings Research Articles

Scientific publishing at Al-Azhar University and its impact on the university's ranking in the international rankings of universities

Scientific publishing at Al-Azhar University and its impact on the university's ranking in the international rankings of universities

Аналіз дискурсу міжнародних рейтингів університетів в межах офіційного освітнього дискурсу України крізь призму підходу Н. Феркло

Аналіз дискурсу міжнародних рейтингів університетів в межах офіційного освітнього дискурсу України крізь призму підходу Н. Феркло

Ranking Egyptian Universities Using Fuzzy Logic

During the last quarter of a century, university ranking systems have been developed as an outcome of new academic fields and metrics. Although they have attracted wide attention from policy makers, students, academicians, authorities and the media, they have been subjected to criticism. Any university that does not change as with the environment around them is doomed to fail. The results of universities in international rankings are a disturbing and foreboding danger. Universities are seeking to improve its services, students, citizens and visitors, to achieve better results in the international rankings. The objective of this study is spread public awareness of the importance of ranking of universities and higher education institutions, and push these institutions towards excellence and competition in the quality of scientific research and academic performance, and spreading the culture of the orientation about the universities rankings and higher education institutions in Egypt. By using web service we have collected data on Egyptian Universities of interest from a more number of web Services for fifteen Indicator each Egyptian University, We have constructed the weight matrix for the Indicator, Where an algorithm was created to Ranking the Egyptian universities using the membership function (trapezoidal ) in fuzzy logic Has been applied the fuzzy logic algorithm on the that data, we have compared the results with some International rankings for example (QS,U.S Nwes, Webmatix).This study showed positive results about comparing the results we get with some of the global rankings, the study confirmed that the Egyptian universities have high capabilities in the field of scientific research.

UNIVERSITIES’ COMPETITIVENESS MODELS IN ACADEMIC MANAGEMENT: A NATIONAL-LEVEL APPROACH

The developing international education market requires additional qualitative and detailed information on the comparative characteristics of universities. This study suggests a single synthetic model for describing and assessing universities’ competitiveness at the national level for advanced, emerging, and transitioning economies. The model is based on the same methodology as international university rankings, but employs different techniques for initial clustering and further analysis. We identified four different university clusters in the Russian Ministry of Education and Science database, distinguished by specific development goals. We argue that applying these clear and welldefined criteria as clustering attributes allows us to compare competitiveness in different settings, formulate academic management strategy and recommend policy guidelines tailored precisely for each university’s requirements.

The Index Number Problem with DEA: Insights from European University Efficiency Data

An increasing effort has been put into dealing with the question of time-series analysis regarding institutional efficiency, including in the area of higher education. Universities are important institutions for economies and societies and are expected to provide excellence as well as efficiency in their processes and outputs. This is reflected in the context of an increased global competitive environment by more refined international university rankings. Combining the two areas, this paper points towards a methodological challenge in comparing different ranking datasets for their use in a data envelopment analysis (DEA) Malmquist index time-series efficiency analysis, namely, index-based data compared to additive data. The problem is discussed in a theoretical framework and complemented with an empirical application: calculations for 70 European universities with budget and staff input data and different ranking output data for the timeframe of 2011–2016 show that there is no evidence for a specific index data problem. Important implications regarding university management and higher education policies are outlined. Efficiency improvements among the analyzed universities are significant but also unevenly distributed and not easy to obtain for individual institutions.

National university rankings based on open data: A case study from Serbia

We investigate the potential of using open data about higher education and research activities as a basis for constructing university rankings at the national level. In our case study, open data from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development of Serbia served as a foundation for deriving indicators of university performance and calculating ranks of universities from Serbia. In addition to reviewing notable international rankings of universities, we extracted the international standings of universities from Serbia and discussed the national university rankings that were generated during our investigation.

Integral Evaluation of the Investment Effectiveness into Universities Development

Abstract In this article we examine the impact of international university rankings on their further development. The answers on questions about the influence of ratings indicators on higher educational institutions, as well as the effectiveness of universities financing in proportion to the position in the rating, were identified. The effectiveness of financial investments in universities when promoting one point in international rankings was calculated using an integrated assessment. Our hypothesis is that due to the achievement of target variables of the rating changes the universities structure: the effectiveness of scientific and innovation activity increases, which leads to an increase in the volume of income from this type of activity. From the point of view of scientific and practical importance, it is possible to group higher education institutions on the basis of the results obtained and allocate funds for them, which will allow achieving target indicators. Thus, this method allows you to evaluate the achievement of maximum results and optimize the funding flow.

Российские вузы в отечественных и международных рейтингах: от обезличенности наукометрии к оценке качества развития

The article describes the trend data for Russian universities in domestic and international ratings. It provides sociological commentary on the project by the Moscow International University Ranking (MosIUR) called “The Three University Missions”. It employs the results from monitoring domestic universities between 2015–2017 by the Expert research center. The authors raise general questions regarding the problems of rating universities, and proposes the discussion of recommendations on the optimal balance between three parameters (groups of indicators) of MosIUR. The article describes the trajectory in domestic and international ratings of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI – a university which meets to the highest worldwide educational standards and, along with other national research universities of a technical or polytechnic character, remains a unique driver of development for the domestic education system, leading the way towards the optimal use of human capital in education. It has earned its place in domestic ratings, and regularly appears in international ratings with few understandable difficulties in evaluating its status and potential. Emphasis is made of fact that high-quality education and universities’ engagement in scientific and research activities involves mutually strengthened progress based on reciprocity.

The Impact of Governance on the Research Performance of European Universities in Cross-Country Comparisons

Abstract The article concentrates on the impact of selected aspects of governance - the level of autonomy and the involvement of stakeholders in the internal governance of a university - on the research performance of universities measured by indicators of international university rankings in cross-country comparisons. The analyses are geographically situated in Europe. They follow two paths which are from the theoretical point of view based on the concepts of the principal-agent problem and stakeholder theory. Using linear regression, the author identifies statistically significant aspects of governance and compares them with results of previous studies. The findings serve as a basis for a discussion regarding how to create appropriate conditions for universities in order to improve their prospects for international success in research. The limitations of the results relating to the data, methodology and their application in the European context are discussed and general recommendations are formulated.

Scopus Database as a Source of Representing Bulgarian Science to the International Academic Community: The Present and Future Prospects

The assessment of research performance using international abstract and citation databases, or so-called global citation indexes, is currently the key criterion against which the advance of science is measured practically in all countries. In 2004 the publishing company Elsevier launched a new database – Scopus, which became a major competitor with the reputable resource Web of Science operating since 1964. Developing very successfully, Scopus has become the leading and largest abstract and citation database in the world. The indicators and data provided by Scopus are used in international university rankings and, in general, in the performance assessment of researchers, scientific schools, organizations and countries all over the world. The sources of such information are publications coming from over 150 countries, both from leading international journals and publishing houses, as well as from regional titles indexed in international databases. This paper sets out to characterize the Scopus database as a whole, along with its categories and inclusion criteria. Bulgarian Scopus publications and titles are analyzed, with the information about 48 Bulgarian journals reviewed for inclusion and included in Scopus given. The number of Bulgarian journals included in Scopus is expected to rise, provided that international publication standards and Scopus requirements are met.

The Pursuit of Excellence in Malaysian Higher Education: Consequences for the Academic Workplace

Over the last twenty years the Malaysian government has put increasing pressure on faculty members at Malaysian universities to increase their research and publication rates, in large part, aimed at increasing the international rankings of Malaysian universities. This study examined the extent to which faculty members believe that this heightened emphasis on research productivity has affected the nature of their work lives and their professional relationships with colleagues and students. The study was grounded in job characteristics theory and on Gappa, Austin, and Trice’s (2007) conceptual framework of the “essential elements” in academic work. Data were collected through interviews with 67 faculty members across six universities. Findings indicate that most faculty felt that they had sufficient academic freedom and autonomy, flexibility in their work setting, and professional growth opportunities. However, there was a widespread view that personal performance is disconnected from the financial reward structure, particularly in public universities. Given the compensation structure of public universities, increased research and publications have only limited relationship to financial payoff. This has fueled a widespread view among faculty that the intensified pressures for research and publication are reshaping the nature of their work lives in ways that are not widely welcomed.

Assessing the legitimacy of HEIs’ contributions to society

PurposeThis paper aims to inquire about the types of measurements used by international university rankings and their connection to the higher education institutions’ (HEIs) third mission activities, namely, the contribution to society.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a review of literature and content analysis of nine international rankings.FindingsThis empirical study corroborates that rankings focus on teaching and research activities but rarely measure the HEIs’ connection to practice.Originality/valueAs the measurements used by international university rankings are claimed to have a huge impact on the structuring of the academic environment, this paper shows that international rankings fail to measure the HEIs’ success in developing third mission activities.

Quality of MBA Programs-Challenges for Thai Universities in the New ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

Thailand as a country has been experiencing rapid increases in student enrollments in higher education. This has also led to creation of a variety of MBA programs. While it is largely debated, it is possible that the demand for MBA degrees would continue to grow. Although MBA programs in Thailand are proliferating but institutions with a good brand value are still lacking. The problem of MBA programs is more than rapid proliferation of below average management institutions. They impart substandard training through inefficient processes to youngsters who lack aptitude for management and leadership skills. Many of them are virtually teaching shops to make money in the garb of imparting management training. These so called MBAs provide paper certificates and degrees with hardly any training, skills, and competencies to manage systems, processes or people. This is the main reason most MBA degree appears to be outdated. Some experts believe that most MBA programs have already reached their pinnacle. New crop of students are now seeking outcomes which are measurable at the end of the MBA program- an employment guarantee. This pressure on Business Schools could lead to reforms in the traditional MBA programs. New approaches to learning such as skill-based training in collaboration with public and private sector will help in improving the quality of MBA programs. Many experts believe that MBA as a subject of study is not losing its sheen; rather it has become a necessary degree to reach pinnacles of successes in most areas of organized activities. This paper provides an insight into the ongoing struggle for improving MBA programs in Thailand in context of the new Asean Economic Community (AEC). While quality of higher education is struggling, changing times warrant a change in priorities. Time has come to radically evaluate MBA programs in Thailand and revamp and realign them with digital economy and business practices driven by new technologies in Singapore and Malaysia, the two dominant economies in the new AEC. Objectives: This case study is an attempt to explore the status of MBA programs because of their special significance for Thailand and other members of Asean Economic Community (AEC) aspiring to become digital economies. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Methodology for this case study involves 10 years of personal observations and firsthand experiences in MBA programs in Thailand and Vietnam. The author who came to Bangkok as a Fulbright Scholar hails from Seattle, USA where he worked as a business faculty. To support my own assertions about the quality of MBA programs in Thailand many other research studies have been cited and included in the references. Findings: In some small ways this case study brings forth the evidence that suggest that the current MBA programs need to reconsider their role and value in Thai businesses. Lack of proficiency in English language remains a key barrier. While increasing number of institutions in the region are offering international MBA programs, the English language proficiency of students in Thailand remains very low. The other reason behind declining quality of MBA is that the curriculum is not up to date. This puts a significant impact on international rankings of Thai universities. Thai business schools should also strive to enhance collaboration with industry to improve the quality of MBA graduates can successfully get a job in Thailand and elsewhere in AEC. The message to those Thai students considering the MBA route is that employers in the region have wised up: all MBAs are not the same, and it pays to choose carefully. More so, if they are looking for work in the rapidly expanding digital economies in AEC. Conclusion/Improvements: There is enough evidence to prove that quality of MBAs in Thailand is low because of the sheer number of business schools offering it, the outdated curriculum and lack of industry alliances.

Influencia del programa Campus de Excelencia Internacional en la posición de las universidades españolas en el ranking de Shanghái

The Campus of International Excellence (CIE) initiative was launched in Spain in 2009. Among its objectives was to improve the position of Spanish universities in international rankings by 2015. The present work analyses the impact of CIEs on the ARWU–Shanghai Academic Ranking. The comparison between the average across the first three years of the CIE initiative (2009–11) and the last three (2013–15) reveals that the Spanish university system has notably improved its research performance, judging by the increase in average scores and the hike in positions. Universities coordinating CIE projects present a more stable evolution (an increase of 9% in scientific output) than those that don’t (increase of 21%), resulting in a more homogeneous university system. Institutions with CIE projects comprising a single university achieve better positions in the rankings. Despite the context of the economic crisis, a tight timeframe and limited funding for the CIE initiative, the experience is found to have been positive in view of the evolution of Spanish universities in these rankings.

Uluslararası Üniversite Sıralama Endekslerinde Türk Üniversitelerinin Yeri

Üniversitelerin performanslarını eğitim, araştırma, yayın, uluslararasılaşma gibi çeşitli kriterler boyutunda ölçümleyen uluslararası derecelendirme endekslerinin yükseköğretimde kaliteyi ölçmeye yarayan bir araç olup olamayacağı tartışmaları akademik camiada devam ederken kamuoyunda bu endeksler büyük oranda ciddiye alınır hale gelmiştir. Her yıl dünyanın önde gelen uluslararası üniversite derecelendirme endeksleri önceden belirledikleri kriterler, kriterleri ölçen göstergeler ve göstergelerin ilgili ağırlıkları doğrultusunda çoğunlukla tek bir skorla ifade edilen sıralamalarını paydaşları ile paylaşmaktadır. Kullanılan kriterler ve metodolojik farklılıkların fiili sıralamaları nasıl etkilediği bir sorun iken, Türk üniversitelerinin bu sıralamalardaki görünürlüğü bir başka araştırma alanı oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışmada 2011 ve 2015 yılları arasında THE World, QS World, ARWU ve URAP gibi önde gelen endekslere giren Türk üniversiteleri, bu üniversitelerin benzer ve ayırt edici özellikleri ve zaman içerisinde sıralamalardaki değişimleri ele alınmaktadır. Üniversitelerin büyüklüğü, devlet ve vakıf üniversitesi farklılığı, tıp fakültelerinin varlığı ve zaman içerisinde yerleşmiş üniversite itibarı gibi faktörlerin Türk üniversitelerinin uluslararası endekslerde sıralamalara girmesinde etkili olduğu gözlemlenmiştir.

How can differences in international university rankings be explained?

University rankings are typically presenting their results as league tables with more emphasis on final scores and positions, than on the clarification of why the universities are ranked as they are. Finding out the latter is often not possible, because final scores are based on weighted indicators where raw data and the processing of these are not publically available. In this study we use a sample of Scandinavian universities, explaining what is causing differences between them in the two most influential university rankings: Times Higher Education and the Shanghai-ranking. The results show that differences may be attributed to both small variations on what we believe are not important indicators, as well as substantial variations on what we believe are important indicators. The overall aim of this paper is to provide a methodology that can be used in understanding universities' different ranks in global university rankings.

Changing higher education practice in Malaysia: the conundrum of incentives

International university rankings are a widely used measure of higher education excellence. Since publication rates are an important element in most ranking systems, pushing faculty to increase their publication in top-tier international journals is viewed by many government and university officials as an important strategy for improving ratings and thus gaining international recognition. This study examined the manner in which public universities in Malaysia have created and aligned incentives in an effort to encourage faculty members to increase their publication rate in top-tier international journals. The study is grounded in principal–agent theory and utilized data from 47 interviews conducted with faculty members from across four public universities in Malaysia. Findings suggest that while university administrators’ aspirations for higher international rankings are high, administrators are limited in the incentives they can utilize in effecting the change they seek. Their levers of influence over faculty work are limited in the Malaysian context.

English

The aim of this research is to determine classification in which level of accuracy in Turkish universities rankings is detected by international assessments according to independent variables students ratio, number of students per faculty member and scores. The data of research were obtained from University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) in Turkey. The data were divided into three groups to international university ranking top 500 (group A), 500 to 1000 (group B), and 1000 and 1500 (group C). Discriminant analysis was used to analyze data. According to findings of study PhD students’ ratio is variable to distinguish groups of universities who have contributed most variable. Then article score and last the number of students per faculty member” are seen. Classification results are analyzed, a total of 10 universities in A group, 9 (90%), a total of 15 universities in B group, 10 (66.7%) and, finally, a total of 26 universities in C group and 19 (73.1%) were classified correctly. The total percentage of correct classification of discriminant function is 74.5%. Classification accuracy of discriminant analysis is higher than chance criterion (33 %). In other words, function obtained from research makes a more accurate classification than change classification. Key words: University ranking, Turkish higher education, students’ ratio, scores, discriminant analysis.

ТЕОРЕТИКО-МЕТОДОЛОГІЧНІ ПІДХОДИ ДО ОЦІНЮВАННЯ ЯКОСТІ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ В КОНТЕКСТІ СВІТОВИХ РЕЙТИНГІВ ВИЩИХ НАВЧАЛЬНИХ ЗАКЛАДІВ

Theoretical and methodological approaches to the evaluation of the quality of higher education WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF the world's higher education institutions rating S А. V. Kaydalovа, О. V. Posylkina National pharmaceutical University,Kharkov Summary : In the article we have reviewed the world rankings of the higher education institutions; principles and methodology of ratings, their key indicators, the indices of ranking the higher education institutions and their role in assessing the quality of education. Keywords : quality of education, world rankings of the higher education institutions, indicating indices in determining ratings, criteria for evaluation of the quality level. Іntroduction. The question of the participation of local educational institutions, including medical and pharmaceutical ones, in the world rankings is regarded as a serious problem during the recent years, which is widely discussed inUkraine. At the present stage of development of the higher education the ratings of HEI turn to be seen not only as a means of competitiveness, but also as instruments of assurance of the higher educational quality. To form the national system of ranking of the universities, including medical and pharmaceutical profile, it is important to analyze the international experience of building different ratings. In the system of providing and evaluating the quality of education, the internal and external monitoring of the university plays an important role. If the internal monitoring - is an assessment by the university of its own activity, the external monitoring - is an assessment of the quality of education by the state, society and the educational environment. The aim of this publication is to analyze the methodology of forming global university rankings of the universities, formulation of guidelines and indicators of ranking, the study of the specificity of the external evaluation of the quality of education to strengthen the international domestic medical and pharmaceutical universities that train future specialists in the pharmaceutical field. Results and discussion. Analysis of foreign experience has highlighted that the processes of formation, development and improvement of the world educational systems have been developing in different ways at the international level. In scientific sources it is noted that the European system of the quality of education is based on the standards and recommendations, the principles of which are: the interest of students and employers in the quality of education, autonomy of institutions, internal and external quality of assurance of educational services [3, 5, 11]. It should be noted that the history of the world university ranking was absent up to the eighties. This was due to the lack of competition, both in domestic and foreign educational space. The first step in conducting the external evaluation of the university was the publication by the magazine US News & World Report in 1983 the first in the world ranking of universities, which launched the process of globalization of the higher education. The main purpose of this rating was to provide applicants with information. In aspects of the studing problem it has been found out that for the time being there are more than 50 national and over 10 international ratings for the evaluation of universities [1, 8]. The aim of international ratings is to determine the best universities in the world and evaluation of their activities, but each rating involves the use of its own indices to determine the competitive potential in the universities. During our research we have analyzed the most famous and internationally recognized the global systems of monitoring and ranking of universities and compiled a chronology of the world rankings and summarized their main quantitative characteristics. According to the analysis of the official sources [12-25] it has been found out that the world university rankings have both general trends and significant differences. Common principles of ratings are the following ones: consideration of different indicators with their further grouping due to the validity coefficients, which are determined in each rating individually and also principles of ranking of universities without taking into account their scientific and educational activities. Сonclusions The results of the research methodology and the formation of the international ratings of higher educational institutions showed, first of all, the multiplicity of approaches to assessing the quality of education, variety of criteria for assessing the quality of education, lack of scientifically validated studies of indicators ranking. To ensure quality at the national level and the University level, including pharmaceutical and medical profile, the formation of certain ratings to assess the activities of domestic universities, which requires further research methodology of domestic and national rankings of various countries based on the experience of the world rankings and the use of the most important indicators in the construction of the system of internal monitoring of the activities of the university.

Pitfalls in Aggregating Performance Measures in Higher Education

National and international rankings of universities are now an accepted part of the higher education landscape. Rankings aggregate different performance measures into a single scale and therefore depend on the methods and weights used to aggregate. The most common method is to scale each variable relative to the highest performing entity prior to aggregating. Other approaches involve transforming the data to allow for the different spread of the variables. We evaluate alternative methods and the sensitivity to weights with illustrations from the Times Higher Education and Shanghai Jiao Tong rankings of universities and the U21 rankings of national systems of higher education. We conclude that transforming the data clouds interpretation; the choice of included variables is more important than the weights attached to them; and there are limitations in extending ranking to a large number of universities/countries.