Demystifying The university of Nairobi’s Academic quality through third party ranking assessment

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue VII, July 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Demystifying The university of Nairobi’s Academic quality through third party ranking assessment

Li Hongbo; Joseph Muiruri Thige; Ssali Max William
Jiangsu University, Kenya

Abstract: University of Nairobi is in a race to become internationally and academically viable to an increasingly interconnected world. Its rankings have gradually become an issue of concern in its management of academic stratification in a globally competitive community. Several mechanisms with different methodologies by these ranking systems have been developed to rank the university. Ranking of University of Nairobi (UON) has been done qualitatively and quantitatively. While most of the ranking systems are qualitative, there are those that are quantitative and this study makes a comparison of a qualitative and quantitative assessment of UON through two ranking systems while drawing a correlation with other ranking systems to establish the trajectory of such ranking system and identifying academic bias in their assessment. To achieve this, the study uses a qualitative review to highlight a number of inconsistencies in the methodologies applied to rank UON. Five main ranking tools commonly applied to the world’s universities are reviewed, namely Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Webometrics ranking (WRWU), Times Higher Education (THE), U.S News.com and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The study established that bias exists in the rankings thus causing inconsistencies in UON’s placement in different rankings. Suggestions for academic transparency through timely publications and quick access to departmental and institutional data for better ranking exercises are proposed.

Key Words: Higher education; academic ranking; variances; ranking reliability

I. INTRODUCTION

The widening availability of education opportunities has increased the desire for better academic assessment, quality and increased reputation attention globally. This resulted in third parties (external reviewers) availing qualitative and quantitative academic assessment of HEIs in their attainment and retention of academic excellence which became a competitive edge for HEIs to gain visibility. In Africa, gaining a higher education degree is considered a great achievement for learners. Having a degree from a reputable HEI is an added advantage for graduates. UON’s higher academics through ranking systems (Dill, 2005). Since higher education is a long-term investment that may be costly to extend, prospective students demand information from universities or other institutions of higher learning that could help them decide. Since then, an increasing number of universities have competed to become highly placed in university rankings.
Individuals refer to university rankings to guide their future employment decisions, while investors to decide on their contributions (Chan et al., 2015). Stakeholders and
policymakers need to evaluate the research performance of universities and make long-term goals and decisions (Huang, 2012). University rankings also improve public awareness of the importance of higher education and help to bring increased

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