Speak Your Mind! – “Rethinking the Value of University Rankings” by Dejan Trpkovic

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Should universities be judged more on their impact and contributions to society rather than their position on a ranking list? Is there a danger that university rankings are perpetuating biases and inequalities in higher education?

06–MAY–2024 | University rankings, like the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, stir up a lot of talk. They are lists that rate universities based on things like how many research papers they publish. But some universities, like Utrecht University in the Netherlands and the University of Zurich in Switzerland, are saying “no thanks” to these rankings. They’re worried that the focus on scores and competition isn’t good for education.

Utrecht University used to be a regular in the top 100 of these rankings. But in September, they decided to step back. They’re not alone in their concerns. Many people are starting to question whether these rankings are fair. Especially in Europe, where there’s a push to judge researchers based more on the quality of their work than just how much they produce.

When universities are ranked, it’s not just for fun. They use these rankings to attract students or find partners for research projects. Governments also pay attention because they want to bring talented people to their country. And researchers look at these lists when they’re thinking about their careers.

But there are problems with these rankings. One big issue is that ranking organizations rarely make public the algorithms used to draw up their lists, raising transparency issues. They don’t tell us how they come up with their lists.

And sometimes, universities might try to trick the system. For example, they might hire a really famous professor just to boost their ranking, even if it doesn’t make the education any better.

There’s also a feeling that these rankings are biased toward English-speaking countries, like the US and the UK. Most of the top spots usually go to universities from these places.

In the end, it’s clear that while rankings can be helpful, they are far from perfect. Universities, governments, and researchers all have reasons to pay attention to them. But we also need to think about how they’re made and whether they really show us which universities are the best.