Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
UNIVERSITY RANKING TABLES are flawed, should not be given so much weight, and can be damaging for institutions, new research has suggested.
A report by the UK’s Higher Education Policy Institute found that university rankings – which are taken very seriously by universities, governing bodies and governments – a lot of times fail to identify the best institutions.
This is down to the criteria used by ranking systems – such as THE World University Rankings, the QS World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
World rankings are taken very seriously in Irish university calendar, with moving up in the rankings seen as a great achievement.
Irish universities were forced to defend their records in September, after they failed to make the top 200 in THE World University rankings.
However, the author of the HEPI report Bahram Bekhradnia labelled university rankings “one dimensional”, putting too much focus on research activity.
“We have followed the evidence to its conclusion and show that international rankings are one-dimensional, measuring research activity to the exclusion of almost everything else,” he said.
They do not match the claims made for them. They fail to identify the “best” universities in the world, given the numerous functions universities fulfil that do not feature in the ranking.
The biggest omission in the ranking system, Bekhradnia points out, is measuring the effectiveness of how universities actually educate students.
He said universities should “heed our unavoidable conclusion” about rankings.
They should focus on their core functions because it is the right thing to do, not because it may improve their position in any rankings.
The report also argues that the data provided by universities should be audited and validated by the ranking bodies when it comes in.
It states that universities and governments should not exaggerate the importance of rankings when determining the priorities of a university.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
So the original Americans are Russians. Trump finally vindicated. Those he’s accused of colluding with are his own people.
@Féach News: What Russian ever affect hat election… Trump seems now to be an eejit chosen to get Hillary elected but it backfired because people hated Hillary.
@Alois Irlmaier: I agree that more choice of candidates would have been better. Actually people didn’t “hate” her. Most of them voted for her as a candidate, after all. It’s a mistake to subscribe to any personality cult. US voters mainly chose between the Republican and the Democrat candidates. Between political parties. They really didn’t support a particular individual, or a vice-candidate, but the party’s general policies.
Basically we are all kerrymen
@Eugene Walsh: Even the Vikings lol.
@Eugene Walsh: Noooooooooooooooooooooooo.
@Eugene Walsh: what a fu*kin depressing thought
@Billy McNamara: Tom , well at long last
Nooooooooooooooooo …. .. …
@Alois Irlmaier: 8)
@Eugene Walsh: except the Healy-Raes – Corkmen.
Interesting
There’s very little dna history of native Americans so anything like this is subject to interpretation.
@OU812: There’s a lot of information in one person’s DNA.
I seem to remember seeing a documentary showing that Australian Aboriginal settlements were found in America dating back to 50,000 years ago. Must see if it’s on YouTube.
@Alan De Morrighan: think that was more South America. DNA from tribes in Amazon matching aboriginal DNA . Still pretty cool tho
Great article really interesting. And shows that we were all immigrants at some stage.
I don’t hate trump or Hillary but I would like neither to be the president of the USA but it is really is no business of mine
have your say