A new way of ranking universities
(PhysOrg.com) -- An academic at the University of Hertfordshire has challenged the way university league tables are calculated and presents a radically different way of formulating university rankings in the UK, in a paper released this month.
The paper, entitled ‘A New Approach to University Rankings’, published in the January edition of Higher Education - The International Journal of Higher Education Research, Dr. Christopher Tofallis shows an alternative way to calculate league table results by avoiding the problem of having to add together ‘apples and pears’ – quantities which are measured in different units.
This research could make a significant change to how universities are ranked. By using data published in The Complete University Guide, Dr. Tofallis shows a comparison to current league table calculations against his own methodology, which raises the question – are current university rankings a fair representation of UK institutions?
Dr. Tofallis said: “The paper focuses on the issue of how different measures are aggregated. All current publishers of league tables use an additive approach which includes a normalisation step to allow the data to become ‘comparable’. The problem is that there are different ways of achieving this comparability, and each way leads to a different ranking.”
The paper proposes a multiplicative approach to aggregation which overcomes these difficulties. The attraction of multiplying the data, rather than adding it together, means a normalisation step is not required. The idea for this method of combining variables measured in different units comes from the way it is achieved in scientific equations.
He continues: “When the multiplicative approach is used the fact that some variables are numerically much greater than others does not matter since a rescaling of any variable (by multiplying by a positive constant) would have no effect on the rankings. For example, consider a switch from measuring expenditures in thousands of pounds to pounds; this would simply lead to a multiplication of the score by 1000 for every institution.”
Dr. Tofallis’ methodology is very general and can be applied to many other types of ranking problem, forming part of wider research that will see a similar formula applied to other large data sets.
The full paper is available now and can be viewed online at: http://www.springe … 557511x7006/
Provided by University of Herfordshire
-
From lemons to lemonade: Reaction uses carbon dioxide to make carbon-based semiconductor,
32 comments
-
Thioridazine kills cancer stem cells in human while avoiding toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments,
3 comments
-
SpaceX private rocket blasts off for space station (Update),
42 comments
-
Climate scientists say they have solved riddle of rising sea,
31 comments
-
SpaceX capsule has 'new car' smell, astronauts say (Update),
4 comments
-
Interesting WWII Public INformation Leaflet
May 19, 2012
-
Treaty of the Pyrenees
May 08, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - History & Humanities
More news stories
Change in developmental timing was crucial in the evolutionary shift from dinosaurs to birds: study
At first glance, it's hard to see how a common house sparrow and a Tyrannosaurus Rex might have anything in common. After all, one is a bird that weighs less than an ounce, and the other is a dinosaur that ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
6 hours ago |
5 / 5 (4) |
0
|
Social welfare cuts ultimately come with heavy price, researchers say
(Phys.org) -- Slashing government funding for Medicaid, food stamps and other programs that serve the poor – while politically popular with some lawmakers and many conservatives – may do more harm ...
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
May 24, 2012 |
4.2 / 5 (20) |
155
Ancient Bethlehem seal unearthed in Jerusalem
Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 2,700-year-old seal that bears the inscription "Bethlehem," the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday, in what experts believe to be the oldest artifact ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 23, 2012 |
3.3 / 5 (15) |
24
Dollars and sense: Why are some people morally against tax?
As the U.S. presidential election campaigns heat up, the economic debate is dominated by bailouts, austerity and, inevitably, taxation. Now a new study published in Symbolic Interaction asks why tax is such an important issue ...
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
May 23, 2012 |
2.3 / 5 (3) |
16
Oldest Jewish archaeological evidence on the Iberian Peninsula
German archaeologists of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena found one of the oldest archaeological evidence so far of Jewish Culture on the Iberian Peninsula at an excavation site in the south of Portugal, ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 25, 2012 |
4.2 / 5 (6) |
12
Stunning image of smallest possible five-ringed structure
Scientists have created and imaged the smallest possible five-ringed structure – about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair – and you'll probably recognise its shape.
'Unzipped' carbon nanotubes could help energize fuel cells, batteries
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes riddled with defects and impurities on the outside could replace some of the expensive platinum catalysts used in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, according to scientists at ...
Computer model used to pinpoint prime materials for efficient carbon capture
When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it's a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking.
T cells 'hunt' parasites like animal predators seek prey, study shows
By pairing an intimate knowledge of immune-system function with a deep understanding of statistical physics, a cross-disciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania has arrived at a surprising finding: T cells use a movement ...
Land and sea species differ in climate change response: study
(Phys.org) -- Marine and terrestrial species will likely differ in their responses to climate warming, new research by Simon Fraser University and Australia’s University of Tasmania has found.
Yale study concludes public apathy over climate change unrelated to science literacy
Are members of the public divided about climate change because they don't understand the science behind it? If Americans knew more basic science and were more proficient in technical reasoning, would public consensus match ...
