Statistics, lies and university rankings ...

[marshlander]

I'm not sure if its government sanctioned, but MacLeans magazine usually does a ranking of the universities in Canada.

It looks as though they take at least some of their data from a US assessment tool, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE or Nessie!) and the Canadian Undergraduate Survey Consortium.
http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/20...r-schools/

I think there are many British institutions that would welcome a more organic student-focussed operation such as this rather than the top down UK model. It doesn't look as though there is a direct correlation with funding. Are Canadian universities self-financing? I know that across the border, universities seem to charge for everything including charging candidates a massive sum of money just for reading their applications :frown:

... I don't think you or princealbertofb were around for my breakdown in October/November (in the Sleep Deprivation thread).

It was one of the threads I read back on when I was trying to get a feel for the site. So pleased things began to get better for you.

I have recently been thinking of trying to finish my M.A. in Classical Studies, and then do a B.Ed. I think I could manage that instead of going on and doing a PhD. Hopefully, it will all work out.

The very best of luck to you. You can always study for a PhD later. Save your energy for your teaching, you'll need it all!

[wouldlikemuscle]

A satisfied customer then?

Indeed... quite honestly, I'd love to relive those 3 years of my life!

[studded_belt]

I think wat is important to understand here that league tables as such mean nothing, and they do not rly interfere with the delivery of Uni's... and we must also take into account the fact tht sum unis specialise and are better at delivering certain subjects... It was intersting to see my university at Number 95 in the ranking, which was also surprising as it didnt hav a big ranking in the student satisfaction section either as my University's students uniob has won students union award of the year 2yrs in a row, which no other uni in England has done... Back to this specialising stuff well my university for example is one of the top universities in the uk for its art, graphics and computer game design subjects, Loughbrough university also has very good (world class actually) sporting facilities so we must all take these statistics with a pinch of salt and realise tht yest we do live in a very meritocratic society where things are judged and judged unfairly and these statisics are nt rly surprising to me on the whole as they are compiled by the typical southern, white, upper-class, conservative male

[marshlander]

... so we must all take these statistics with a pinch of salt and realise tht yest we do live in a very meritocratic society where things are judged and judged unfairly and these statisics are nt rly surprising to me on the whole as they are compiled by the typical southern, white, upper-class, conservative male

Really? For many years now, schools have had to work out their own statistics as part of a self-evaluation routine. I wouldn't be surprised that universities were compelled to do something similar. The compilation is generally done by office staff who are unlikely to fit your profile. As regards "upper-class" though ... Maybe universities are different, but I have worked in schools that actually lie within the grounds owned by the queen and have yet to meet anyone remotely upper-class on the premises ... although, come to think of it, one of the schools caused a bit of a hoohah when they decided to get rid of a large, ugly cabinet filled with bits of tat donated by a former queen. The (ahem) exhibits were all things given to the royals on foreign trips that she didn't want or know what to do with. Aristotat ...?

But, back on topic, why do we just accept the unfairness of the meritocratic system you mention?

[princealbertofb]

That last question lacks a word or two, doesn't it?