Theme 5: Considerations when Participating

Some interviewees mentioned aspects universities should keep in mind before deciding to participate in rankings. Theme 5 describes the lessons the university learns and reflects upon after the ranking process.

6.10.1 Participate in Ranking that Best Suit your Mission and Regional Needs

This category relates to the third theme ‘National Commitments are at Odds with Rankings Indicators’, interviewees suggest that universities should keep their context in mind when deciding to participate in HERS. They propose that universities participate in the HERS and/or rankings that best suits the university’s mission. Some interviewees stress the importance of having a differentiated HE system and warn against the dangers of isomorphism emanating from the generic research-orientated nature of the rankings criteria and indicators. Aspects perceived to be at risk are student access, student experience and teaching quality.

Tension with Rankings Criteria Tension between academic beliefs and rankings criteria and indicators.

Staff believe there is an overemphasis on rankings indicators at institution. Tension between academic beliefs and management.

Not all things good for rankings is good for staff. Prestige & Recognition High degree of ignorance of how rankings are constructed. Not concerned If it affects them directly (KPI). Not Concerned Good on cv = prestige (Career building). Beneficial for young academics. Want to be associated with globally competitive institutions, take their work seriously. Recognition from public. Think it is important. Recruitment Renewal of

contracts (or not) or recruiting staff.

146 “I think it is not for everyone and they shouldn’t be for everyone because there are certain methodology they are based on and if every institution followed that, we will not have the diversity, we will not have the access to education which is so crucial”. Participant F

“It is inherent for people to be competitive. It is normal to want to take part/human nature and I think people always want to compete and when they compete and they do not win the race. They then compete in a different race and sometime they will also blame the race”. Participant O

“At least now that there is several rankings universities can choose to participate in those that they identify with most”. Participant A

6.10.2 Assessment Perspective

Many interviewees are of the opinion that an institution should tread lightly when deciding to participate in the rankings, because it could negatively affect their reputation. The university should be at a certain standard otherwise it could demoralise the staff. Participating in HERS, demands energy and resources, which could have perhaps been allocated elsewhere.

“In summary if you bring your institution up to the national standard you can look to international systems”. Participant Q

“You should know that you can perform well. So if an institution for whatever reasons will not perform well, then I don’t think they should do it because it is kind of telling the world I’m horrible”. Participant. J

6.10.3 Part of the Global HE Economy/Language

An institution should see rankings as a global language like the economy, and if the institution wants to attract international students or attract research funding or expertise it needs to be able to communicate with those stakeholders via HERS and rankings. If institutions choose not to participate, they are at a disadvantage when seeking international universities to collaborate with or when seeking to attract funding or top students and staff.

147 “I think students are looking at ranking and therefore all universities should be in it. It is all part of the business”. Participant H

“…there is a global language in the whole mix and world is not going to wait to understand your rank which I understand is very important but I think there are two levels to it. One level is aspects which is relevant to our own country, it is almost like global economy, if you are not linked to everyone you can say how wonderful you are but when other compare your just never there.” Participant E

6.10.4 Rankings Can Blind You

The category implies that universities should be careful not to get obsessed or blinded by ranking thereby neglecting other responsibilities, plans or goals. This relates to a statement made by a participant who suggested that rankings have a washback effect, which refers to the effects assessment practices have on everybody involved. The fact that universities are being assessed will inevitably have an effect on them and everybody involved.

“Rankings has a washback effect on institutions”. Participant Y

“There are down sides – it can almost blind you to be more responsive to environmental issues because you are so focused on rankings that all your energy and resources are directed at rankings to the detriment of other things that could be extremely valuable. Like a tunnel vision”. Participant N

“So there are certain important things in the rankings but the concern is not to lose your mandate. You have got to choose your focus/mission and when you start to diversify too much you may stray”. Participant R

6.10.5 Unintended Stakeholders

This category emerged after successive passes at the data. International students, local students and other universities are the main target of HERS. However, it seems that the number of stakeholders has increased over the last few years. The publication of annual rankings results

148 has awakened increased interest from governments. Some interviewees suggest that their government interrogates HERS and their rankings when devising national funding or migration policies. The aforementioned is especially evident for countries without a formal external quality monitoring system. Employers have begun to look at rankings when considering applicants or internships. Overseas governments have used rankings tables to establish immigration policies. Scholarship bodies employ rankings when considering candidates and foreign investors have used the HERS and rankings to pursue funding opportunities in a particular area. The unintended consequences of these new role players have expanded the reach and importance of a university’s global rank.

“Some are of more interest because they relate more to the purpose of the organisation, some because they gain the interest of students and families and some of more interest to the government to allocate funding.” Participant I

“The minister really want push HE for international constituents of all universities, especially public institutions because we want to be on the same level as any other HE system. So we have to agree with the views of the minister otherwise we are in trouble”. Participant X

“The rankings of universities matters to investors, it is because investors would like to know whether the country’s HE can cater for high tech industries which is the kind of industries they would like to attract. We are moving away from low cost assembly manufacturing to high impact higher value capital-intensive industry. You need a higher skills workforce, hence the target by the government to have a certain ratio researchers, scientists etc. to the population by 2020.” Participant K

“...if you look at external stakeholders like governments looking to invest and perhaps looking at a quick and dirty measure to decide where to send their students it gives them an indicators.” Participant M

New ideas and perceptions developed after or while participating will feed into the way the university handles the next rankings assessment. This theme resembles a concept called the “washback effect” (Cheng & Fox, 2013, p. 525). The washback effect is described as the influence that an exam has on the way in which a student is taught, either positive or negative.

149 The contents of the examination influence the course books on what the students are taught and upon what they are expected to know, which does not necessarily correspond to what the students actually need to know (Cheng & Fox, 2013).

Similarly, rankings have a washback effect on the participating institutions; the existence of ranking metrics itself affects the way universities operate, the plans they make and the way they perceive the ranking process. The lessons learned may also manifest as advice to institutions when they consider HERS participation. The figure below is a very simple visual representation of the theme and will later be used again in combination with the other themes.

Figure 6.6: Theme 5: 'Considerations when Participating' – Categories

Ranking

Participation

Unintended Stakeholders

• Local government

• International and local companies • Overseas governments

• Scholarship bodies

• International and local investors

Participate in Rankings that Suits your Mission

• We need different institution types and some need to focus on access

• Ranking that suits your mission • Should take part in regional ranking

Part of Global Knowledge Economy

• International students look at them and take makes them important

• Intra-institutional communication, (Global language, like economy)

• Research active universities should definitely participate

Rankings can Blind you

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