International University Rankings Research Articles

China's Research Evaluation Reform: What are the Consequences for Global Science?

In the 1990s, China created a research evaluation system based on publications indexed in the Science Citation Index (SCI) and on the Journal Impact Factor. Such system helped the country become the largest contributor to the scientific literature and increased the position of Chinese universities in international rankings. Although the system had been criticized by many because of its adverse effects, the policy reform for research evaluation crawled until the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic, which accidently accelerates the process of policy reform. This paper highlights the background and principles of this reform, provides evidence of its effects, and discusses the implications for global science.

International rankings on the competitiveness of universities in global educational space

International university rankings are a relatively new phenomenon in the global educational space, yet over the years, they have become an authoritative tool for assessing the effectiveness of universities’ functioning. The present study aims to determine the impact of the position of higher educational institutions in international rankings on the level of their competitiveness. Based on the analysis of scientific literature, the authors identify international university rankings they consider the most important and compile a typology of international university rankings. Based on an expert survey of 64 representatives of the management of Russian universities, competitive advantages of universities are defined, and the most popular international university rankings are distinguished. International rankings serve as a sophisticated tool for assessing the competitiveness of universities due to the recognition of the university in the global educational and scientific space.

Moving towards multipolarity: shifts in the core-periphery structure of international student mobility and world rankings (2000-2019).

Over the past 20 years, international student mobility has experienced a three-fold increase, as planned and emerging education hubs have attracted increasing numbers of students. The appeal of alternative destinations is strengthened by their cultural, linguistic, and geographic proximity, as well as a growing number of internationally ranked universities. This article quantifies shifts in international student mobility and world university rankings over a consequential 20-year period (1999/2000–2018/2019) at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It examines shifts in the number of county-to-country connections (density), relative country importance in the network (centrality), and network structure (multipolarity). The results indicate the overall network density steadily increased year-to-year, with a three-fold increase in the number of country-to-country connections, as influence was more widely and evenly distributed among a larger number of core countries within the network. As the number of universities in planned and emerging destinations listed in the rankings doubled, the network structure indicated a movement toward multipolarity, where a more diverse set of countries exerted greater relative influence in the overall network. The results suggest that while core-periphery dynamics in international student mobility persist, they also have begun to shift, as a larger and more diverse subset of planned and emerging educational hubs in Asia, South America, Africa, and the Middle East exert increasing influence in the overall network.

Uluslararası Üniversite Derecelendirme Kuruluşlarında Türk Üniversitelerinin Yeri: Times Yükseköğretim (THE) Örneği

Bu çalışmada, üniversite derecelendirme kuruluşları arasında yer alan Times Yükseköğretim Kuruluşunun (THE) 2010-2020 yılları arasındaki verileri dikkate alınarak Türk üniversitelerinin durumunu ortaya konması ve konu ile ilgili paydaşlara faydalı bilgiler sunarak mevcut durumun betimsel bir haritası hazırlaması amaçlanmıştır. Nitel araştırma desenlerinden sistematik inceleme deseni kullanılarak yürütülen çalışmanın veri kaynakları THE Yükseköğretim Kuruluşunun 2010-2020 yılları arasında yayımlamış olduğu 11 rapordan oluşmaktadır. Araştırma verileri doküman analizi yöntemi ile toplanmış ve içerik analiz yöntemi ile çözümlenmiştir. Verilerin analizi sonucunda Türk üniversitelerinin ilgili sıralamalardaki sayısının yıllar içinde sürekli bir artış gösterdiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ancak son yıllarda sıralamada yer alan üniversitelerin büyük bir bölümünün sıralamanın son basamağında yer aldığı bulunmuştur. Analiz sonuçları ayrıca gerek Türk üniversitelerinin on yıllık süreçteki genel ortalamalarının gerekse vakıf ve devlet üniversitelerinin ayrı ayrı ortalamalarının öğretim, araştırma ve uluslararası görünüm kategorilerinde dünya ortalamalarının altında bir grafik çizdiğini göstermiştir. Atıf kategorisinde, devlet üniversitelerinin ortalamaları genel anlamda dünya ortalamalarının altında kalırken vakıf üniversitelerinin ortalamaları son üç yıl dışında dünya ortalamalarının üstünde olmuştur. Endüstriyel gelir kategorisinde ise devlet üniversiteleri ilk iki yıllık sürecin ardından dünya ortalamalarının üstüne çıkmıştır. Bu durum sürecinin bütününde süreklilik kazanmıştır. Bu kategoride benzer durum vakıf üniversiteleri için de ortaya çıkmış, 2010-2014 yılları arasında dünya ortalamasının altında kalan vakıf üniversitelerinin ortalamaları 2015 yılı itibariyle ortalamanın üstüne çıkmış ve geri kalan yıllarda da bu başarı devam etmiştir.

International University Rankings and The Accessibility of University Websites: An Analysis of Arabic and Iraqi Universities

Prioritizing educational achievements, notably higher education, is critical for economic and social growth in developing or developed countries. Educational institutions in general, whether universities, institutes, or others, seek to apply their academic programs to their inputs through the most advanced scientific methods to produce program-digesting outputs prepared for entry into the labor market. As a result, educational institutions are often classified according to many worldwide classifications, ranked sequentially according to the type in charge of this process and the criteria and indicators used. One of the most well-known classifications in this field is that of China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The Times THES-QS ranking of world universities THES QS World University Rankings, and a third classification, no less significant than the previous two, is that of the Spanish Webometrics website. Arab institutions have typically been excluded from higher ranks in these three rankings, save one of Saudi Arabia's universities. Nevertheless, it was listed among the top 200 institutions in the online metrics webometrics ranking when King Saud University was placed 99th after being ranked 100 in the second edition of 2010.

The impact of university rankings on higher education in Russia

High-quality higher education has long been a necessity in the modern world, because it is often one of the few "social elevators". This paper examines the impact of university rankings (international and Russian) on higher education. The study of changes in the availability of higher education, indicators reflecting the quality of education, and also identified indicators that distort the places of Russian universities in international rankings, underestimating them. At the same time, the university's desire to "enter" the rating or improve its position in it may have negative consequences.

FEATURES OF EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS FORMATION

Introduction. The article analyzes certain structural indicators which characterize education development in different countries of the world according to Eurostat, national education systems, and international university rankings. Levels of education according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), as a comprehensive statistical description of national education systems developed by UNESCO, are also considered. Indicators of the quality of education used by a number of agencies for education quality assurance are reviewed. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to study modern features of quality of education indicators formation, taking into account the latest trends in the market of educational services. Method (methodology). The methodological basis of the research is scientific works on the current state and peculiarities of education development indicators’ formation in the world. Dialectical, systemic and synergistic approaches and methods of general scientific knowledge: comparison, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, were used at all stages of the research. Results. The complex of structural indicators and levels of education characterizing the development of education in different countries of the world is based on the existing methods of Eurostat, national education systems, international university ratings, which are the basis for ensuring the quality of education. Levels of education in most countries of the world do not have significant differences, despite the peculiarities inherent in each country, they reflect the development of the education system throughout life. This educational system includes all age groups of the population. The indicators characterizing the higher education development are the basis for external quality assurance according to the agreed approach in the European area of higher education according to the relevant standards. According to current global trends in the higher education development, it is possible to distinguish the directions of higher education system decentralization, autonomy of higher education institutions, and strengthening of entrepreneurial component in higher education system. The purpose of further research is structuring and improvement of education development indicators and the formation of their integral system in the context of ensuring sustainable development.

РЕЙТИНГИ КАК ИНСТРУМЕНТ АДАПТАЦИИ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ К ВЫЗОВАМ ПОСТИНДУСТРИАЛЬНОЙ ЗАНЯТОСТИ

Organizational and technological changes taking place against the background of a change in the technological structure have a profoundly transformative effect on the entire spectrum of economic relations, including their socio-labor component; accelerate the processes of restructuring the labor market; set the need to adapt existing public institutions to work in new conditions. Analyzing the dynamics and directions of the development of higher education as a key subject of the system of vocational training, the author turns to the study of the phenomenon of international university rankings, which act as the subject of this study. The relevance of the chosen research perspective is explained by a number of reasons: in just a few decades since its inception, the ratings have successfully integrated into the educational systems of various countries and have found their own niche in this field. The expert community has confirmed the opinion that the entry of universities into international rankings provides countries with opportunities for the formation of world-class labor resources. All this, on the one hand, allows us to consider rankings as a fullfledged subject of the modern system of vocational education. On the other hand, the attitude to rankings as a socio-economic and, partly, cultural phenomenon, both in the public and in the expert environment remains ambiguous. Researchers pay attention to serious flaws in ranking projects, imbalances introduced by participation in rating "competitions" for individual countries and economic systems. The aim of the paper is to study the impact of international university rankings on the state and prospects for the development of university education as the basis of the current system of professional training. The article analyzes the reasons and prerequisites for the emergence of higher education rating practices. The strengths and weak- nesses of the most popular rating projects are evaluated. Particular attention is paid to the study of the practices of participation of the national system of vocational education in rating projects. In this context, the author identifies two areas of development: the creation and promotion of their own rating projects in the global market of educational services, as well as initiatives related to the inclusion of rating projects in national development programs. The author comes to the conclusions about a certain reassessment of priorities in the development of modern university rankings, outlines the further development of the rating movement in the field of education. The methodological basis of the study was institutional, systemic approaches and methods, means of content and comparative theoretical analysis. The results of the study expand the understanding of the phenomenon of international university rankings, which can be used when forming the social policy of the state, programs for the development of higher professional education, as well as for the purposes of harmonizing relations between the labor market and the educational services market.

The predictability of QS ranking based on Scopus and SciVal data

The use of international university rankings is an internationally recognized way of evaluating higher education systems and institutions. The QS ranking is one of the best-known among them, and it ranks institutions along six indicators. This study has two objectives. We first examine how the QS ranking and the university rankings derived from the variables obtained from the Scopus/SciVal database by the TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) ranking procedure relate to each other. We find that the QS ranking and the ranking obtained with the Scopus/SciVal data show strong similarity. The second goal was to test the place of the countries on the ranking. A comparison of universities from countries on the QS ranking led to the conclusion that the top-ten ranked countries were mainly smaller Western European countries as well as two city-states from the Far East. Our analysis can be considered somewhat unique as the method for calculating the data determining the QS rankings is not always available on the QS website, so the ranking cannot be repeated. In addition, the ranking results are only available once a year, so only the results of the most recent QS measurement are available between the two dates.

Measuring the quality of patents among Latin-American universities

ABSTRACT Patents are essential for university technology diffusion to society; however, patent quality in universities, especially in Latin America, has been poorly studied. We create a quality index for patents granted to regional universities by using patent quality variables as patent production, technical relevance, use of top knowledge, technological scope, cooperation, and internationalization. Results show that, on average, Brazilian universities had higher quality than their peers in other countries and that Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá occupies the first position of the ranking for 2016. The main contribution of this paper is to create the first Index for patent quality at universities in the region, and for what we know, the first country aggregated measure of patent quality for universities. This nobel measure is related to research quality in Scopus and Web of Science databases and can be used to complement international university rankings to measure a dimension not previously used by those rankings.

INTERNATIONALIZATION AS A STRATEGIC DIMENSION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS

The paper is devoted to the analyses of specific features of internationalization of academic research institutions, first of all at National Academy of Educational Sciences (NAES) of Ukraine. We conducted a brief observation of contemporary English language literature in the area of internationalization of academic institutions and evaluation of its effectiveness. We tried to analyze the situation with internationalization at academic institutions in situation of limited financial support and restrictions, connected with pandemic situation with COVID-19. Special stress was made on elaboration and implementation of successful strategy of internationalization with realistic, accurate and measurable dimensions of internationalization. Using as an example the Strategy of Internationalization of NAES of Ukraine, which was approved by the Presidium of NAES of Ukraine on March, 18, 2021, we observed the main dimensions of internationalization with the relevant indicators, which could be implemented in other academic institutions in Ukraine. Also, we compare some of these indicators with the indicators of internationalization at leading international university rankings (QS and THE).

Two strategies for the higher education development: which from its does for Ukraine lack?

In the article, the tendency to the formation of two strategies for higher education development in view of its quality was justified based on the authors’ fundamental research, new empirical data, modern world experience. The first strategy is to ensure the minimum sufficient quality of higher education, the second – to achieve the maximum perfect quality. Both strategies naturally anticipate and organically complement each other and are a powerful source of development in its synergy (dichotomous unity and struggle of opposites). Strategy-1 is based on mass standardized practice and accreditation mechanisms for ensuring threshold quality, strategy-2 is based on breakthrough innovations and ranking mechanisms for monitoring and motivating continuous quality improvement to its top levels. Progressive countries de facto make full use of both University development strategies. First, weak / backward higher education institutions (HEIs) are being tightened or cut off, in particular through the implementation of standards and recommendations, accreditation procedures within the framework of the Bologna Process. Second, in the intensifying competition, the best institutions are promoted to the level of the sub-world, world-class, including the extra class, using ranking mechanisms for assessing achievements as well as special initiatives of significant concentration and strong support of leading institutions in national policies and practices. The experience of the establishment and operation of the Ukrainian National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education shows that so far, it focused de jure and de facto only on the first strategy, which is insufficient.
 At the same time, Ukraine lacks the implementation of strategy-2, primarily due to the lack of appropriate legislation, in particular, legislation on the implementation of the national HEIs ranking on the methodological basis of the Shanghai ranking (objectivity, transparency, validity, reliability, etc.). Direct use of leading international University rankings (Shanghai, Times, QS) is impossible due to the lack of world-class Universities (in the top 500 group) and sub-world-class ones (group 501-1000) according to the Shanghai ranking, the so-called candidates in world-class Universities, in Ukraine. According to the latest versions of the Times and QS rankings, Ukrainian HEIs positions have generally deteriorated. Regarding the Shanghai ranking 2021, Ukraine is not represented at all among 63 countries / territories in the general version as well as among 93 countries / territories in the sectoral version in 54 academic subject areas. As a result, the gap between Ukrainian Universities and the world's leading HEIs continues to widen. Recommendations for the immediate formation and implementation of strategy-2 for the higher education development in Ukraine are provided.

Can India’s Higher Education Improve Through Better Management of Human Resources: A Comparative Study of India and the United States

This study investigates human resource management (HRM) practices in higher education institutions (HEIs) based on a comparative analysis of India and the US. Although higher education in India has grown over the decades, its quality, in general, has not kept up with global standards. On the other hand, many US universities have performed consistently well in international university rankings. Based on qualitative research collected from principal stakeholders of HEIs in India and the US, HRM practices and policies followed by them are presented and discussed. Data collection for the research study was through web interviews during the period August–October 2020. The study reveals that Indian public HEIs do not have professional HRM teams. Also, they are in a formative stage in autonomous and private institutions. On the other hand, many HEIs in the US have developed mature HRM systems. This difference resonates in attributes such as structure of HRM, recruitment and selection processes, training and development programmes, performance management, career progression and talent retention.

Multi-disciplinarity as a way to strengthen the positions of Russian technical universities in international rankings

Subject. The article is devoted to the problem of improving the ranking of the leading Russian technical universities by transforming them into multidisciplinary research universities with the limitation of technical faculties (programs) to 40–50% of the admission plan of entrants. Objectives. The study focuses on improving the position of Russian technical universities in international rankings, providing an opportunity for students to change their specialty or shape it, according to the requirements of the employer. Methods. I analyzed the structure of world-class technical universities in terms of differentiation of specialties and methods of improving the rankings. Results. The analysis shows that the leading positions in international rankings belong to multidisciplinary research universities that provide training and conduct integrated research at the intersection of different sciences. Conclusions. There is a need for gradual reforms of Russian research technical universities, in terms of compliance with global trends in multidisciplinarity, differentiation of funding, and research activities. Such reforms can be carried out in the form of mergers and creation of network structures on the basis of agreements on cooperation between technical universities and research institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Attracting International Students: Experiences of Asian Countries and the Case of University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh

In recent years, internationalization of higher education has become a guiding agenda and a policy both at the Party and Government’s levels, and of which international student recruitment is seen as an important measure which could improve higher education institutions’ international orientation, contribute to reputation and international university rankings. Hence learning from countries which have successfully internationalized their higher educations in order to draw lessons for universities in Vietnam to utilize their existing advantages and remedy shortcomings in internationalization is a necessity. This article serves as an overview of experiences of Asian countries based on studies conducted in China, Taiwan, and Korea, which suggest that languages and distinctive cultural elements could be important factors attracting international students to these Asian destinations. University of Social Sciences and Humanites will then be presented as a Vietnamese higher education institution that could become a destination of foreign students using its distinctive strengths, namely Vietnamese language and Vietnamese Studies programs and cultural exchange activities.

GIS in Architectural Teaching and Research: Planning and Heritage

Geographical Information Systems (GISs) in architecture were initially limited to regional and urban development applications. Over recent years its potential has been recognized and its use has evolved to address urban planning and architectural heritage management subjects. Nevertheless, evidence shows that its use in architecture teaching is scarce and uneven. Directive 2007/2/EC, establishing the infrastructure for spatial information in the European Community (EU), is, in this way, an opportunity to develop a greater knowledge and application of GIS in the framework of higher education. In architecture, this can be achieved by problem solving based on real case scenarios, which can benefit from GIS-based techniques and analysis capabilities. In this paper, the authors aim to present a review of the use of GIS in teaching and research in architecture to assess its level in different European programmes. Experiences from three European universities (University of Seville, Spain, University of Beira Interior, Portugal, and Technical University of Crete, Greece), which are among the few in their respective countries that promote the inclusion of GIS in architectural education, particularly in the fields of urban and regional planning and architectural heritage, are compared and framed within the European scenario. The paper concludes with a reflection on the three universities’ practice compared to the leading European architecture programmes listed in the main international university rankings. Main trends of future evolution on the use of GIS in architecture teaching are also presented.

Methodology of Ranking Higher Education Systems of Universitas 21 (U21) and Lessons for South East Asia Countries

The quality of higher education is only assessed through “experience”, that is, through participating in the learning process. As a result, universities increasingly have to provide enough information for prospective students to choose from. The rankings were born to meet this requirement of learners and universities. International university rankings look primarily at indicators that reflect the results of scientific and teaching achievement and often ignore activities aimed at developing local communities. U21's method of ranking the world higher education systems has covered these indicators in its methodology. The four modules of U21 include: Resources, Environment, Connectivity and Outputs. Out of all 4 U21 ranking modules, Environment is the module that South East Asia countries have the best rankings. In the rankings of modules, normalization by GDP significantly reduces the scores and rankings of countries with high GDP, but increases the rankings of countries with low GDP. U21 also observed the pattern of connection between higher education institutions and enterprises. For the ASEAN countries, the transfer of common knowledge is more important than linking with business in the form of share scientific publications. Most of the countries in the U21 ranking are rich and research-oriented. The author has analyzed the U21 ranking results of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and drawn lessons learned for countries in South East Asia.

Factors Affecting Competitiveness in University Ranking Exercises

In recent years, international and national university ranking exercises have become commonplace, serving a host of stakeholders and beneficiaries including students, institutions, and governments. As such, they have drawn increasing scrutiny from academics and other observers, many of whom have called into question the integrity of the methodologies employed, and thus the outcomes of the process. By contrast, relatively little attention has been paid to largely external factors that can affect a given institution’s ability to compete within a given ranking exercise, such as their corporate status, geographic location, and/or access to resources. Building on previous work examining the impact of such “extraneous” factors, this study undertakes a quantitative analysis of the best-known university ranking exercise in Brazil to better understand the impact of such variables, both within other national contexts and well beyond.

Educational process in the context of innovative development of lifelong education: main features and prospects

The article is devoted to the consideration of the main elements of the educational process in the experimental complex of continuing education, thanks to which the high quality of education and key positions in the international rankings of universities are achieved. It is shown that the basic principles underlying the organization of the educational process can be divided into three groups: basic methodological (these include the principles of continuity, humanism and democracy, tolerance, collectivism and command, system, science, activity), organizational and methodological (partnerships, continuity of learning, research and education, innovation, providing conditions for independent learning and creativity, academic freedom, openness and transparency, individualization, academic integrity) and social context (compliance with national and international standards, competitiveness, elitism, equal access to education programs, social partnership, compliance with modern trends). The introduction of innovative approaches to the organization of the educational process, in particular distance learning technologies, game technologies, mechanisms for choosing disciplines and recognition of the results of non-formal and informal education, etc. is demonstrated. Emphasis is placed on the involvement of various categories of subjects in the educational process, including visiting professors, employers, practitioners, etc. The effectiveness of ensuring the quality of the educational process through the results of PUA participation in the international ranking MULTIRANK-2020 is shown.

Multivariate dynamics of Spanish universities in international rankings

Global rankings help boost the international reputation of universities, which thus attempt to achieve good positions on them. These rankings attract great interest each year and are followed attentively by stakeholders in higher education. This paper investigates the trajectory of Spanish universities in the ARWU and THE rankings over the last 5 years using the dynamic biplot technique to study the relationship between a multivariate dataset obtained at more than one time point. The results demonstrate that Spanish universities achieve low positions on international rankings when analyzed using this multivariate and dynamic approach. Indeed, only a small percentage occupy good positions in both studied rankings and stand out in terms of some of the indicators, whereas most achieve weak scores in the global context. Spanish universities should attempt to improve this situation, since the prestige resulting from a good position on these lists will always be beneficial in terms of the visibility of both the universities themselves and the whole Spanish university system.