Constructing a ranking of higher education institutions based on equity: is it possible or desirable?
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Constructing a ranking of higher education institutions based on equity: is it possible or desirable? Tim Pitman 1 & Daniel Edwards 2 & Liang-Cheng Zhang 2 & Paul Koshy 1 & Julie McMillan 2
# Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract
This paper presents findings from a research project which aimed to rank Australian higher education institutions on their ‘equity performance’; that is, the extent to which they were accessible for, supportive of and benefiting students traditionally underrepresented in higher education. The study comprised a conceptual consideration of how higher education equity might be defined and empirically measured, drawing on extant scholarly research as well as observations from key stakeholders, including equity practitioners, researchers, policymakers and higher education executives and institutional planners. Based on these findings, a theoretical framework for higher education equity performance was constructed, and performance indicators identified and subjected to systematic assessment for real-world application. The ensuing ranking system was populated with institutional data from the 37 public universities in Australia. The findings from this analysis indicate that a ranking system may not be the optimal method for assessing higher education equity performance and highlights the subjective nature of both higher education equity and higher education ranking systems. Keywords University ranking . Higher education equity . Comparative . Performance measurement
Introduction Higher education ranking systems (HERSs) are ubiquitous. Initially driven by a desire for global comparisons regarding higher education quality (Dill and Soo 2005), HERS are now also used for classifying, evaluating and holding institutions accountable across an ever-
* Tim Pitman [email protected]
1
Curtin University, PO Box U1987, Perth 6845, Australia
2
Australian Council for Educational Research, Camberwell, VIC 3124, Australia
Higher Education
increasing range of issues and concepts (Marginson and Van der Wende 2007; Stolz et al. 2010). HERs now function as a mean of measuring not only perceived quality but also performance (Collyer 2013) and universities expend considerable resources on analysing and promoting specific ranking schemes that they believe will show their institutions in the best light. Contemporaneously, in an era of mass higher education, governments of nation states increasingly are holding higher education institutions answerable to a wide range of issues. This has given rise to performance measures for accountability/governance, affordability, access and equity (Conner and Rabovsky 2011). Of these, equity in higher education has been a perennial issue for decades and has come under even greater scrutiny internationally, following the adoption of the sustainable development goals (SDGs)—specifically SDG4 relating to the provision of equitable and inclusive education for all—and the Education 2030 Framework for Action in 2015 (Chien and Huebler 2018). In Europe, this has translated int
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