Ranking Arab Universities

The center East and North Africa (MENA) region has been slower than some others to jump on the rankings train but it {appears to be} {creating|getting back together} for lost time. {Besides the|As well as the|Beyond the} standard world rankings {nowadays there are|these day there are} VETA (or Arab world or region) university rankings from Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), {Occasions|Instances|Moments} Higher Education (THE), ALL OF US News (USN) and Webometrics.



Taking methodologies developed to rank elite western {educational institutions|colleges|schools} and applying them to regions with different {customs|practices}, resources and priorities is no easy task. {Intended for|To get|Pertaining to} most Arab universities, studies of little significance and attaining international prominence is something that only a few places can {fairly|moderately|realistically} {wish for|expect|optimism}. But there is still a purpose to differentiate among those {organizations|establishments|corporations} that are focussed {mainly|generally|typically} on teaching.



Alex Jason derulo of HESA has {voiced|used|talked} of the difficulty of using metrics based on research, expenditure, and {college student|pupil|scholar} quality. I agree that institutional data is not very helpful here. {Nevertheless|On the other hand|Even so}, measures of social {impact|effect|affect} such as those in the Webometrics and QS Arab rankings, and expert and employer surveys, {employed by} USN and QS, might be useful in {evaluating|examining|determining} the teaching quality, at least the perceived quality, {of those|of such|of the} universities.



If {ratings|ranks|search positions} {should be|have to be|need to be} of any use in the MENA region, then they {will need to|must} find ways of comparing selectivity, student quality and {interpersonal|sociable|cultural} impact. There is little {justification in|reason for} forcing regional {educational institutions|colleges|schools} {in to the|in the} Procrustean bed of global indicators designed to make fine distinctions within the Russell Group or the Ivy League.



{This really is|This is certainly|This can be} pretty much what THE have done with the 2018 edition with their Arab World Rankings, which is simply extracted from their world rankings {released|posted|printed} in 2017. These {ratings are incredibly|ranks are incredibly|search positions are incredibly} research orientated and include measures of income, doctoral degrees and internationalisation. They also give a disproportionate weighting to {details|info|references}, supposedly a measure of research impact or research quality.



{Listed below are|Allow me to share} the top five in the recent editions of {the different|the many} Arabic Region/MENA rankings.



THE

{you|one particular}. King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia

2. Khalifa {University or college|College or university|School}, UAE

3. Qatar {University or college|College or university|School}

4. Jordan University of Science and Technology

5. United Arab Emirates {University or college|College or university|School} (UAEU)



QS

1. American University of Beirut, Lebanon

2. King Fahd {University or college|College or university|School} of Petroleum and {Nutrients|Mineral deposits}, Saudi Arabia

3. {Ruler|California king|Full} Saud University, Saudi Persia

4. King Abdulaziz {University or college|College or university|School}

5. United Arab Emirates University



USN

1. {Ruler|California king|Full} Saud {University or college|College or university|School}

2. {Ruler|California king|Full} Abdulaziz {University or college|College or university|School}

3. {Ruler|California king|Full} Abdullah University of {Technology|Research|Scientific research} and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia

4. Cairo {University or college|College or university|School}, Egypt

5. American {University or college|College or university|School} of Beirut



Webometrics

{you|one particular}. King Saud {University or college|College or university|School}

2. King Abdulaziz {University or college|College or university|School}

3. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

4. Cairo University

5. North american University of Beirut



Webometrics and USN are {similar|the same} for the first {6|half a dozen} places. It {is merely} when we reach seventh place that they diverge: UAEU in Webometrics and Ain Shams, Egypt, in the USN rankings. Webometrics {steps|actions|procedures} web activity with {a considerable|a strong|an amazing} research output indicator while USN is mainly about research with some weighting for reputation.



The {set of} top universities in QS, which uses Webometrics data as one indicator, is quite similar. QS {will|does indeed|may} not count research {educational institutions|colleges|schools} such as KAUST, third place in the WEbometrics and USN rankings but otherwise it is not too different from the other two.



The THE rankings have {an extraordinary|an excessive} weighting for research impact supposedly measured by field and year normalised {details|info|references}. Officially, it is {thirty per cent|30 percent} but in fact it {is a lot|is significantly} higher {due to} {local|territorial} modification that gives {a huge|a major} bonus to universities in countries with a low citation impact score.



{Intended for|To get|Pertaining to} example, KAU's score for citations amounts to {practically} 60% of its total score. Other universities in THE's top twenty have citation scores higher, sometimes much higher, than their research scores.



In {impact|result}, the THE Arab {ranks are|positioning are} mostly about {details|info|references}, very often in {a restricted|a small} range of disciplines. {They will|That they} can be easily, sometimes accidentally, gamed and can lead to perverse {effects|outcomes|implications}, such as recruiting highly cited researchers or looking for citation-rich projects {which may have|that contain} little relevance to the region or country.

Share:

Read More

More evidence of the rise of China

{A normal|An everyday|A typical} story in the {rank|standing|positioning} world is the {surge|climb|go up} of Asia, usually as a warning to stingy Western governments who {neglect to|are not able to|do not} give their universities {the cash|the amount of money|the bucks} that they desperately need to be world-class.



{Occasionally|Often|Oftentimes} the rise of {Okazaki, japan|South america} {happens to be|actually is} nothing more than a methodological tweaking or a bug {which allows|that enables|that permits} {small|minimal|slight} fluctuations to be {increased|extreme}. Asia often {happens to be|actually is} just East Asia or sometimes even just Shanghai and Peking. But it still remains true that {Cina|China and tiawan|Chinese suppliers}, followed perhaps by {Southerly|Sth|Southwest} Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hk, is steadily becoming a scientific superpower and that the USA and Europe are entering {an interval|a time|a period of time} of relative decline.



{Your blog|This web site} has already noted that China has overtaken the West in supercomputing {electric power|electricity|ability} {and|in addition to} the total {result|end result|outcome} of scientific publications.


David Goldman of Asia {Occasions|Instances|Moments}, writing in Breitbart, has reported another sign of the rise of {Cina|China and tiawan|Chinese suppliers}: the number of doctorates in STEM subjects is well ahead of the USA. {And|And that we} should {keep in mind|bear in mind} that many of those doctorates are Chinese excellent or of Chinese {ancestry|nice} who may or {may well not|might not exactly} {stay in|continue in} the US.



? What I? m {worried about is|concerned with is} the fact that China is testing a railgun {installed|attached} on a navy {dispatch|vessel|mail} before the {Usa is|United states of america is|Us is} and that China {has got the|gets the|provides the} biggest quantum computing facility in the world about to open,? said Goldman.? {This|That} probably recieve more advanced research in quantum {marketing communications|marketing and sales communications|sales and marketing communications} than we have, {plus they|and so they|and in addition they}? re graduating twice as many doctorates in {COME|CONTROL|BASE} fields than we are. That? s what really frightens me.?



There are, of course, some locations where US researchers rule supreme such as {video gaming|gambling|game playing} research and gender, {unorthodox|singular|incongruous} and trans studies. {Yet|Nevertheless|Although} I suspect that is not something that will help the US {earn|succeed|get} the approaching trade {battles|conflicts} or any other {type|kind|form} of war.

Share:

Read More

Anglia Ruskin University sued for awarding Mickey Mouse degrees

Pok Wong, or Fiona Pok Wong, a graduate of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, wants {sixty|62|70}, 000 pounds for a breach of contract and fraudulent misrepresentation and {fake|bogus|phony} imprisonment after a demonstration at the graduation {wedding ceremony|service|wedding}.


ARU has appeared in {your blog|this web site} before following {the|their|it is} spectacular performance in the research impact indicator in the The earth {ratings|ranks|search positions}. It has had {the normal|the most popular|the regular} sense to keep {silent|peaceful|calm} about this rather {nice|strange|peculiar} result.


Ms Wong has claimed that her level in International Business {Technique was|Approach was} {simply a} "Mickey Mouse" degree and that the teaching was of poor quality with one lecturer coming late and {departing|giving|going out of} early and sometimes even telling the scholars to self study in the library. She is reported to claim that "since graduating... it has recently been proven that the level... {will not|would not} play a role to help secure a rewarding job with good prospects. "


{It would appear that|It appears that|Apparently} in 2013 she a new job as {a Monetary|an Economic|an Economical} Planner with AIA {World|Essential|Cosmopolitan} so her degree from ARU did not leave her totally unemployable. Among 2013 and 2016 {the girl|the lady|your woman} studied for Graduate {Degrees|Degrees and diplomas} in Law and Paralegal Legal Practice at BPP University College of Specialist Studies, which {will not|would not} {show up|seem|look} in the national UK rankings but is {rated|positioned|placed} 5, 499th in the world by Webometrics.


{We|I actually|My spouse and i} doubt that the suit will succeed. It is of course regrettable if ARU has been locker about its teaching quality but whether that has much to do with Ms Wong not getting the job she {believes|considers|feels} she deserves is {controversial|arguable}. ARU is not among the elite universities of England and its {rating|report|credit score} for graduate employment is particularly bad. It is not a selective {university or college|college or university|school} so the question {occurs|comes up|develops} why Ms Wong {do|performed|would} not {affect|apply at|connect with} {an improved} {university or college|college or university|school} with {an improved} reputation.


The university would be {validated|rationalized} if it remarked that publishing {photographs} proclaiming "ARU sucks" {may well not|might not exactly} be {the easiest way|the simplest way|an effective way} of selling yourself to potential employers.


If {the girl|the lady|your woman} does succeed it would be a disastrous antecedent for British universities who would be vulnerable to every graduate who failed to get suitable {work|job|career} or any employment at all.


But the affair {can be a|could be a} warning to all universities to be careful about the claims they make in advertising {goods|many}. Prospective students should also {have a|require a} critical look at the data out of all indicators in all the rankings before {bank|savings|consumer banking} in their tuition fees.

Share:

Read More

Salaries, rankings, academic quality, racism, sexism, and heightism at Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute

{Every now and then|Every once in awhile|Occasionally} the question of the salaries of university {managers|facilitators|directors} resurfaces. Last August the issue of the salary of the yacht and Bentley owning vice-chancellor of the University of Bolton in the UK received national prominence. His salary of GBP 260, five-hundred, including pension contributions and healthcare benefits, seemed to have little relationship to the quality of the university which was not included in the QS and THE world {ratings|ranks|search positions} and managed {a get ranking|a ranking|a list} of 1, 846 in Webometrics and 2, 106 in University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP). A poll in the local newspaper showed 93% of respondents {in opposition to|against} the increase.

A previous post in this blog reported that vice chancellors salaries {experienced|got|acquired} no statistically {substantial|considerable|important} {romantic relationship|marriage|romance} to student satisfaction in the UK {even though|whilst they} {experienced|got|acquired} more than average {teachers|school} salaries and {the amount of|the quantity of} {teachers|school} with teaching qualifications.

This kind of issue has cropped up {in america|in the usa} where it has been noted that the highest paid university {chief executive is|leader is|director is} Shirley Ann Knutson of the Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

She has come under fire for being overpaid, autocratic and allowing RPI to go into academic decline. Her supporters have argued that her critics are {accountable|responsible|guilt ridden} of residual racism, sexism and even heightism. A letter in the Troy Times Union from David Hershberg uses the {Occasions|Instances|Moments} {Advanced schooling|Degree} (THE) world {ratings|ranks|search positions} to chastise Jackson

"RPI was always in the top 5 of undergrad engineering schools. Now {it can|is actually|really} No. 30 in Circumstance. S. News and World Report's latest rankings. {In spite of|Inspite of|Irrespective of} the continued loss of stature of my {animo|cabeza|esencia} mater, the school's {chief executive|leader|director}, Shirley Ann Jackson, is the highest paid {chief executive|leader|director} of an university {definitely|certainly|probably} and on some {12|twelve|15} other boards that {product|health supplement|dietary supplement} her $7 million salary and other compensation. This kind of is RPI's rankings the last eight years in the Times {Advanced schooling|Degree} {Globe|Universe|Community} University Rankings: 2011, 104; 2012, 144; 2013, 174; 2014, 181; 2015, 226-250; 2016, 251-300; 2017, 251-300; and 2018, 301-350. {Additional|Even more|Further more}, U. S. News & World Report has RPI at No. 434 {internationally|worldwide|throughout the world} and No. 195 {architectural|executive|anatomist} school. This warrants a change {at the very top|towards the top|at the pinnacle}. This is what matters, not {sexuality|male or female|girl or boy} or race. "

{It would appear that|It appears that|Apparently} for {many people|some individuals|a lot of people} in the USA international rankings, especially THE's, would be the measure of university {superiority|quality|brilliance}..

First, it must be said that the The earth University Rankings are not a good {solution|strategy|check} of university quality. {These types of|These kinds of} rankings have seen remarkable rises and falls in {recent times|modern times|the past few years}. Between 2014-15 and 2015-16, for example, {Midsection|Middle section|Central} East Technical University (METU) in Ankara fell from 85th {spot to|location to|destination to} the 501-600 band {even though many|although many|although} French, {Western|Japanese people}, Korean and other European universities fell dozens of places. This had {absolutely nothing|practically nothing|nothing at all} to do with {the standard of|the caliber of} the universities and {anything at all|whatever|nearly anything} to do with methodological changes, especially to the citations indicator.

The {judgement|decision|consensus} of the US {News flash|Current information|News or information} America's best Colleges is simple. RPI was forty second in 2007 in {truth|reality|simple fact} it is 42nd in the 2018 rankings, although apparently alumni giving has gone. down.

Comparing data from US News in 2007 and 2015, RPI is more selective {with increased|with additional|with an increase of} {candidates|job seekers|people} of whom a compact proportion are {accepted|publicly stated|confessed}. SAT scores are higher {plus more|and even more} students come from the top 10% of their high school. {Right now there are|At this time there are|Now there are} ladies and more international and out of state students.

The {university|college or university|school} may, however, have become less equitable. The ratio of Black students has fallen from 4% to 2% {which|and this} of students needing {educational funding|school funding|financing} from 70 percent to 65%.

As a national university with an undergraduate teaching mission RPI is certainly not {decreasing|weak|suffering} in any sense although {it might be|it could be|it can be} less welcoming for poor and Black students and it {is certainly|is unquestionably|is obviously} becoming more expensive for {everyone|every person}.

The international rankings, especially those based on research, tell a different {tale|history|account}. RPI is slipping {almost everywhere|just about everywhere|all over the place}: from 243 in 2014 to 301 in 2017 in the CWUR {ratings|ranks|search positions}, from 589 in 2010-11 to 618 in 2017 in URAP, from 341 in 2013 to 390 in 2017 in {Character|Characteristics|Mother nature} Index, from 128 in 2010 to 193 in 2017 in the {Circular|Circle|Game} University Rankings.

Inside the Shanghai rankings, RPI {dropped|chop down|droped} from the 151-200 {music group|strap|group} to the 501-600, {partially|to some extent} {due to the|as a result of|due to} loss of a couple of highly {reported|mentioned|offered} researchers and the {decreasing|weak|suffering} value of a Nobel winning alumnus.

RPI's along with the global {ratings is|ranks is|search positions is} largely a shown image of the {basic|standard} decline of the ALL OF US and the rise of China, which has overtaken the US in research output and supercomputing. {Yet|Nevertheless|Although} {there is certainly|there exists|there may be} more. In the indicator that measures research quality in the CWTS Leiden ranking, percentage of papers in the top 10% of journals, RPI has fallen from {twenty three|twenty-three|3} in 2011-12 to 194 in 2017.

{It would appear that|It appears that|Apparently} RPI is holding {its very own|its|an unique} or {a little|a lttle bit|somewhat} more as an American teaching university. If that is worth the biggest salary in the country is for others to dispute about. {Yet|Nevertheless|Although} it {is certainly|is unquestionably|is obviously} losing away to international competition {so far as|as much as|in terms of} research quality is worried. That, however, is an American problem and RPI's difficulties are hardly unique.

Share:

Read More

Rankings and the financialisation of higher education

College rankings are presently being utilized for purposes that would have been incomprehensible 10 years back. The most recent is supporting the extensive scale getting of cash by UK colleges.

The Financial Times has a fascinating article by Thomas Hale about the developing financialisation of British advanced education. He reports that a few colleges, for example, Portsmouth, Bristol, Cardiff and Oxford are depending on capital markets for financing evidently as a result of declining government bolster.

The University of Portsmouth has acquired GBP 100 million from two North American institutional speculators. The situation operator was Lloyds and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) the consultants.

"The cash will be spent on the main period of �estate development�. It is relied upon to include various structures, including an indoor games office, the augmentation of an address lobby, and a lead �teaching and getting the hang of building�."

It appears this is simply part of a bigger pattern.

"The private situation showcase � by definition, more misty than its open partner � is an especially alluring choice for colleges, and a well known focus of venture for US annuity and protection cash looking for long haul ventures. Lloyds assesses that more than �3bn has been obtained by UK colleges since 2016 on capital markets, with around half of that coming by means of private situations.

The market is little by the guidelines of capital markets, yet huge in connection to the general size of the country�s advanced education part, which has an aggregate yearly wage of near �30bn, as indicated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. "

The official statement unequivocally alluded to Portsmouth as being first in the UK for boosting graduate compensations, by which is implied acquiring above desires in light of things like social foundation and exam comes about. That could consider credit the college in spite of the fact that a critic may ponder whether that is on account of desires were low to begin off with. Moreover, the college is positioned 37th among UK colleges in the Guardian University Guide and in the main 100 in the Times Higher Education (THE) Young Universities Rankings.

On the off chance that a great many pounds have been progressed partially as a result of a 98th place in THE youthful colleges rankings that won't not be an astute choice. These rankings are very believable for the best 20 or 30 however go down more and in 74th place is Veltech University in India which has an ideal score for explore affect construct totally with respect to the productions of precisely one serial self-citer.

The profile of the University of Portsmouth demonstrates a genuinely high score for references and a low one for explore, which is frequently a sign that its position has little to do with inquire about perfection and more to do with getting into high-reference, multi-creator astronomy and therapeutic activities. That appears to be the situation with Portsmouth and it could imply that the college's place in the youthful college rankings is tricky since it could be undermined by methodological changes or by the flight of a couple of exceptionally refered to scientists.

The part of PwC as counsel is fascinating since that organization is likewise accused of reviewing THE world rankings.

Share:

Read More