Why should we create ratings of higher education institutions? What criteria should be evaluated? How to make the most productive use of rating results? These and other relevant issues were discussed on December 14 during the round table “Problems of rating higher education institutions of Ukraine: formation of criteria for assessing the quality of educational and scientific activity.” The event was held at Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University, arranged in cooperation with NAQA.
In order to analyze the issue as thoroughly as possible, various groups of stakeholders were involved. In particular, representatives of higher education institutions made speeches: the rector of KNU Volodymyr Bugrov and Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work Andrii Hozhyk, Rector of Sumy State University Vasyl Karpusha and Chairman of the Academic Council of the University Anatolii Vasyliev, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work of National Technical University Oleksii Zhuchenko. Andrii Poddymai, director of the Ukrainian Federation of Metallurgists legal department represented the employers’ organizations. The event was attended by representatives of organizations that made a significant contribution to the rating of Ukrainian higher education institutions: Maksym Sheverdin, a member of the Council of the Committee on Criminal and Criminal Procedural Law of the Association of Lawyers of Ukraine, and Andrii Panchenkov, creative director of the Osvita.ua website. The National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences was represented by national expert Volodymyr Luhovyi. The community of applicants was represented by the president of the Ukrainian Association of Students, Yulia Rashkevych. Vitalii Tereshchuk, the leading specialist in analytics of NAQA also participated, and NAQA Vice-Heads Nataliia Stukalo, Olena Yeremenko and Ivan Nazarov took part in the discussion. The event was moderated by NAQA Head Andrii Butenko.
During the event, the participants talked about their experience in the issue of rating institutions of higher education, analyzed global practices. The main idea of the speeches was the clear conviction of the participants that ratings are not a target point, but a helpful tool that not only allows to build a strategic route, but also to have tactical points. Also, during the discussion, it was noted that when creating ratings, it is necessary to take into account the subject aspect, already existing problems: the lack of databases and the unbiasedness of open information, the lack of analysis of the employment prospects of graduates were also analyzed. The participants discussed the possible development of a unified rating, stressing the extreme importance of rethinking specific criteria related to education. In the end, the colleagues agreed to the resolution offered by the organizers. The document concerns the creation of a working group with the involvement of representatives of higher education institutions included in the world rankings, representatives of employers, student self-government bodies and other interested parties to develop criteria that can be used in the creation of a national rating.