文章基本信息

标题：The Marketing of Canadian University Rankings: A Misadventure Now 24 Years Old
本地全文：下载
作者：Ken Cramer ; Stewart Page ; Vanessa Burrows 等
期刊名称：Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching
电子版ISSN：2368-4526
出版年度：2016
卷号：9
DOI：10.22329/celt.v9i0.4434
语种：English
出版社：University of Windsor
摘要：Based on analyses of Maclean’s ranking data pertaining to Canadian universities published over the last 24 years, we present a summary of statistical findings of annual ranking exercises, as well as discussion about their current status and the effects upon student welfare. Some illustrative tables are also presented. Using correlational and cluster analyses, for each year, we have found largely nonsignificant, inconsistent, and uninterpretable relations between rank standings of universities and Maclean’s main measures, as well as between rank standings and the many specific indices used to generate these standings. In our opinion, when assessed in terms of their empirical characteristics, the annual data show generally that this system of ranking is highly limited in terms of its practical or academic value to students. Among other difficulties with the interpretation of ranks, we also discuss the possibility that ranking exercises have unintended, though potentially serious, negative consequences for the intellectual and personal welfare of students.