Abstract
This chapter raises the question of whether university league tables deliver relevant information to one of their key target groups – students. It examines the inherent biases and weaknesses in the methodologies of the major rankings and argues that the concentration on a single indicator of excellence (research) and single function of an institution ignores the diverse needs and motivations of prospective students in choosing a university. It also raises the issue of rankings that proclaim the ‘excellence’ of an entire institution, which may not be an accurate reflection of the performance of individual departments. The authors then present some principles and examples of good practice in ranking and discuss alternative classification systems.
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Notes
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The THE bases its rankings on the same source, Thomson Reuters, as the ARWU and Leiden Rankings.
- 2.
Cited after the download version: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2000/norc.html
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http://www.oecd.org/document/22/0,3746,en_2649_35961291_40624662_1_1_1_1,00.html, last accessed May 19, 2011.
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Federkeil, G., van Vught, F.A., Westerheijden, D.F. (2012). An Evaluation and Critique of Current Rankings. In: van Vught, F., Ziegele, F. (eds) Multidimensional Ranking. Higher Education Dynamics, vol 37. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3005-2_4
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