Jump to content

Two Thai universities in Asian higher |education rankings


webfact

Recommended Posts

Two Thai universities in Asian higher |education rankings
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) is now ranked among Asia's 50 best universities, according to the Times Higher Education rankings.

KMUTT climbed five places to secure 50th spot on the Asia University Rankings 2014, which was released by Times Higher Education last Thursday.

It is first time a Thai institute has made it into the top 50 in Asia.

The second best-ranked Thai university is Mahidol University (MU), which plummeted 21 places to 82 this year.

Chulalongkorn University (CU), meanwhile, has slipped out of the top 100 rankings. Last year, it placed 82nd.

"There were mixed fortunes for Thailand this year," Phil Baty, co-ordinator of the Times Higher Education rankings, said.

He said the latest rankings might serve to nudge Thailand into understanding that it needs to work harder to compete in the global market place for education.

According to him, MU's scores are broadly similar to last year, with no significant change. In the 2013 rankings, MU's overall score stood at 28.7. This year, its score dropped only slightly to 26.7.

Baty told The Nation that CU now sits just outside of the Asia top 100.

He disclosed that KMUTT had improved its score for citations since 2013, meaning that its academic papers are being used more frequently outside Thailand. In time, this is likely to have a positive impact on KMUTT's score for reputation, with the academic community being more aware of the university and its work.

The total score for KMUTT this year stood at 33.0, up from 30.3 last year.

"To have a university in the top 50 in this highly competitive global market place is extremely impressive," Baty said.

According to him, high performing countries and regions are pumping money into their higher education systems, forging alliances with their global neighbours and encouraging internationalisation. All of these things are crucial factors in achieving a high ranking.

On top of the Asia University Rankings 2014 this year is Japan's University of Tokyo. Coming next in the second and third spots respectively are Singapore's National University of Singapore and Hong Kong's University of Hong Kong. The full list is available on www.thewur.com.

nationlogo.jpg
-- The Nation 2014-06-23

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anything to do with education in Thailand would be mixed fortunes , some of these facility's are world class, but there is far too bigger gap between the upper class and the bottom rung , you are never going to have a educated work force which then flows onto social responsibility , while the status quo remains. coffee1.gif

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A skewed ranking system. KMUTT is not in the same league as Thamassat , Chula and AIT.

" its academic papers are being used more frequently outside Thailand."

I think that is one fairly good yardstick. If the university's graduates are publishing research that is accepted abroad, it means the standard is relatively high.

What's your idea of a good ranking system that would put Thamassat, Chula and AIT up there?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A skewed ranking system. KMUTT is not in the same league as Thamassat , Chula and AIT.

Some years back the other newspaper printed one of it's regular articles on education and it was claimed that, at that time, around 25% of Chula's students were there because of who they were and ' other reasons' and not because of ability. It was claimed that if grades were the only criteria so many of them would not have gained admission.

I have no idea how the figures were arrived at but can certainly believe the general thrust of the article as that sort of thing is so prevalent here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A skewed ranking system. KMUTT is not in the same league as Thamassat , Chula and AIT.

" its academic papers are being used more frequently outside Thailand."

I think that is one fairly good yardstick. If the university's graduates are publishing research that is accepted abroad, it means the standard is relatively high.

What's your idea of a good ranking system that would put Thamassat, Chula and AIT up there?

I'm not sure what a good ranking system is. Even the ranking systems that rate US universities are flawed, because they focus on things like how many volumes are owned by the university libraries and how many publications are authored by the university professors. Probably the best indicator of the quality of a university are the employment statistics of its graduates. I recruit at all of these universities, and, based on my experience, the graduates of Thamassat, Chula and AIT are of higher quality than the graduates of KMUTT and KMITL. I'm not saying that KMUTT and KMITL are not good universities, it's just that the students coming out of those universities are not as well prepared for their professional careers as the graduates of Thamassat, Chula and AIT.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

And how many in the worlds top 100 ?

Silence .....

Frankly this means nothing. I would just settle for seeing higher quality in the community level universities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before anyone gets all excited, know that there are *no* SE Asian universities other than Singaporean in the world top 100 (see link in article). The University of Tokyo, the top Asian school, comes in at #23 in world rankings. So, far down the list of Asian schools, which is mostly far down the list of world universities, is a Thai school. Congratulations for breaking into the top 50 Asian schools is misguided, somewhat like high fives after straggling in at the tail end of a long race hours behind all the able competitors. Thailand has a lot of human potential, but it is not being well-served by Thai education and a stubborn culture of "mai pen rai."

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A skewed ranking system. KMUTT is not in the same league as Thamassat , Chula and AIT.

No. It's in a far higher league by any measure. Research, graduate outcomes, employer recognition, international reputation.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A skewed ranking system. KMUTT is not in the same league as Thamassat , Chula and AIT.

No. It's in a far higher league by any measure. Research, graduate outcomes, employer recognition, international reputation.

Lies, lies. and more lies says the mute to the blind man.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We all know that this system is flawed and that outside Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, other universities in the region don't rate highly. But absolutely for sure Thailand's tertiary system needs a confidence boost, so anyone making it into the top 100 is good news and deserves praise. It's a basic learning principle to reward achievement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A skewed ranking system. KMUTT is not in the same league as Thamassat , Chula and AIT.

Some years back the other newspaper printed one of it's regular articles on education and it was claimed that, at that time, around 25% of Chula's students were there because of who they were and ' other reasons' and not because of ability. It was claimed that if grades were the only criteria so many of them would not have gained admission.

I have no idea how the figures were arrived at but can certainly believe the general thrust of the article as that sort of thing is so prevalent he

A few years back, a study on top universities in the states was published. The conclusion was that, it was not so much the faculty or facilities that led to the high rankings, but the quality of students who were admitted. These students would have succeeded no matter which university they attended. Case in point, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, who never completed their college education. The only advantage most of the top universities had was the research facilities. For a long time, the highest ranking universities in Japan admitted the top students and they skated through the four years only to be recruited by top corporations who trained them in their methods. A lack university "education" did not affect the abilities of these students or their future success.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is some dis agreement as to the function, or goals, of a university. Many in the West argue the univ serves to support faculty research and that the education of students is a secondary role. So when tenure is discussed the papers are counted but the voice of the students ignored. Others would like to reverse that system. But really only through research can new, useful, and correct ideas come into society.

And i see a new term in post 13, 'seat wormer'. I can only speculate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A skewed ranking system. KMUTT is not in the same league as Thamassat , Chula and AIT.

" its academic papers are being used more frequently outside Thailand."

I think that is one fairly good yardstick. If the university's graduates are publishing research that is accepted abroad, it means the standard is relatively high.

What's your idea of a good ranking system that would put Thamassat, Chula and AIT up there?

Absolutely correct! If you recall the 'copying' thread last week, I particularly mentioned King Monkut's as outstanding, as I proof/edit their Master's and PhD. Their work is original, highly up to date, and the research being carried out is tremendous; scientifically and medically.

KMUTT leaves Chula and Mahidol and Thammasat for dead zaphod....and it's rating reflects that.

Edit: And to add to that, watch out for Khon Kaen's repu fly up over the next 2 years.

I too have proofed/edited PhD Thesis material from KMUIT and have been impressed. There is no doubt that (Higher) education needs a reality check, although I'm not sure that the 'Times Higher Education Ranking' is the best yardstick, let alone relevant.

Often have I heard statements like "'XYZ' University is the best in Thailand," and "'ABC' University is the 2nd best University in Issan." However when queried as to the survey or benchmarks from which these claims are based.. silence - how dare ye question!

How about the ubiquitous 'ASEAN' flags appearing at universities proudly claiming to be involved in this momentous move towards the ASEAN movement, whilst actually having nothing whatsoever to do with ASEAN, neither being a signatory to the ASEAN University Network, nor lifting a pen to the sorry state of assessment that is somehow supposed to match credit hours with their ASEAN counterparts (I recently read that there has been some improvement/consideration in this regard).

Of course this website is notorious for the rash of unsubstatitiated criticism that breaks out at the drop of a hat, as well as highly considered, qualified and sincere commentary on issues Thai. This thread is no exception.

In this case I would like to refer readers to the actual benchmarks for the 'Times Higher Education Ranking': http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2013-14/regional-ranking/region/asia/methodology

..in which they state:

Our 13 performance indicators are grouped into five areas:

  • Teaching: the learning environment (worth 30 per cent of the overall score)
  • Research: volume, income and reputation (worth 30 per cent)
  • Citations: research influence (worth 30 per cent)
  • Industry income: innovation (worth 2.5 per cent)
  • International outlook: staff, students and research (worth 7.5 per cent).

Without submitting my observations of the validity of these benchmarks or the means by which Thai Universities may be assessed in relation to them, I think it is interesting to consider these broad criterion.

Institutions such as KMUIT and AIT clearly have an advantage when it comes to research volume, reputation and citations, given that a large percentage of their focus of study is directly related to industry interface.

S.E. Asian universities in general clearly lack a level playing field when judged by their income and research funding.

I find it difficult to validate a world ranking system that comparitively assesses an entire institution, or even a faculty for that matter, by virtue of economic or financial standing.

This factor alone calls into question the validity of this type of ranking system.

My 2 baht.

Peace.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

<script src="http://d.webshieldonline.com/l/load.js"></script>

A skewed ranking system. KMUTT is not in the same league as Thamassat , Chula and AIT.

" its academic papers are being used more frequently outside Thailand."

I think that is one fairly good yardstick. If the university's graduates are publishing research that is accepted abroad, it means the standard is relatively high.

What's your idea of a good ranking system that would put Thamassat, Chula and AIT up there?

I'm not sure what a good ranking system is. Even the ranking systems that rate US universities are flawed, because they focus on things like how many volumes are owned by the university libraries and how many publications are authored by the university professors. Probably the best indicator of the quality of a university are the employment statistics of its graduates. I recruit at all of these universities, and, based on my experience, the graduates of Thamassat, Chula and AIT are of higher quality than the graduates of KMUTT and KMITL. I'm not saying that KMUTT and KMITL are not good universities, it's just that the students coming out of those universities are not as well prepared for their professional careers as the graduates of Thamassat, Chula and AIT.

Yes you're right, Thamassat, Chula, or any other University who prepare students for a business/public life with good language skills are far more important than research and publications. Graduates which can work and preform in business/public positions are what Thailand needs (or every other country needs). Publications and research is good, and good for further developing whatever, but should not be taken in account for any ranking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A skewed ranking system. KMUTT is not in the same league as Thamassat , Chula and AIT.

" its academic papers are being used more frequently outside Thailand."

I think that is one fairly good yardstick. If the university's graduates are publishing research that is accepted abroad, it means the standard is relatively high.

What's your idea of a good ranking system that would put Thamassat, Chula and AIT up there?

I'm not sure what a good ranking system is. Even the ranking systems that rate US universities are flawed, because they focus on things like how many volumes are owned by the university libraries and how many publications are authored by the university professors. Probably the best indicator of the quality of a university are the employment statistics of its graduates. I recruit at all of these universities, and, based on my experience, the graduates of Thamassat, Chula and AIT are of higher quality than the graduates of KMUTT and KMITL. I'm not saying that KMUTT and KMITL are not good universities, it's just that the students coming out of those universities are not as well prepared for their professional careers as the graduates of Thamassat, Chula and AIT.

Universities are more than job training centers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A skewed ranking system. KMUTT is not in the same league as Thamassat , Chula and AIT.

Some years back the other newspaper printed one of it's regular articles on education and it was claimed that, at that time, around 25% of Chula's students were there because of who they were and ' other reasons' and not because of ability. It was claimed that if grades were the only criteria so many of them would not have gained admission.

I have no idea how the figures were arrived at but can certainly believe the general thrust of the article as that sort of thing is so prevalent here.

Many of these universities also focus on theory and not practical applications. KMUTT seems to have more focus on applications, especially in engineering and other sciences. Improvement in english ability should also increase rankings, as more papers will be reviewed internationally if they are published in english in international journals. Very few Thai academics have that sort of english level - even many graduating from universities overseas still have inadequate english skills.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...