CNN Business
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Columbia University said it relied on “outdated and/or incorrect methodologies” in sending data to US News & World Report for consideration in edition of the 2021 college rankings, according to a statement released by the university on Friday.
Columbia Student experience is and has always been centered around small Classes are taught by highly qualified teachers. What fact unchanged. But anything less than complete accuracy in the data we provide – regardless of size or reason – inconsistently with standards of excellence which Colombia adheres to,” the statement said. “We deeply regret the shortcomings in our previous reporting and strive for the best.”
In February, Columbia University mathematics professor Michael Thaddeus questioned the results of the Ivy League school. rise in rankings from the 18th place, on this is debut in 1988 to 2nd place in 2021. In a statement posted on Department of Columbia University of Mathematics’ website Thaddeus noted that “few other leading universities have also improved their rankings, but none of them compare to Colombia’s extraordinary position. rise”.
Thaddeus pointed to data provided by the university to US News & World Report. in questioning Colombia’s seemingly meteoric rise rise in rankings.
“Can we be sure so that the data accurately reflects reality of university life? Thaddeus asked rhetorically. “Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Maths professor then tabular data on “number of students, percentage of faculty with final degrees, percent of faculty who are full-time and student-faculty ratio” presented by Columbia University in US News & World Report and compares the data “with figures calculated by other means, drawing on information made public Colombia elsewhere.”
In his conclusions, Thaddeus said that there were “discrepancies, sometimes quite large,” which seemed to always work in favor of Colombia.
In response to Thaddeus’ findings, Columbia University Provost Mary Boyce said: in June announcement that the university would “refrain from providing data to US News and World Report” for consideration in graduation college publications 2022 rankings.
“On two of metrics questioned by our teacher [Thaddeus]class size and faculty with higher degrees, we determined that previously relied on outdated and/or incorrect methodologies. We have changed these methodologies for current as well as future data representations as reflected in recently posted Shared datasets,” said Boyce. in June.
Boyes said that from the fall of 2022, the university start participation in Common Data Set (CDS) initiative, “a collaborative effort of data providers in in higher education community and publishers” to ensure accurate information students seeking information on institutions of higher education, according to the initiative website.
The CDS initiative, presented by US News & World Report, the College Board, and educational services company Peterson’s, has been launched. in 1997 to provide institutions of higher education with “a set of standards and definitions of data items not a survey tool or set of data presented in database”.
US News chief data strategist Robert Morse told CNN on Monday that schools are reporting most of in information for their top colleges rankings directly in US News.
“Each year, US News sends out a comprehensive survey to all accredited four-year colleges and universities,” he explained. US News, co-founder of of Common Data Set initiative includes questions from CDS and private questions on this poll. US news rely on schools to report their data accurately.”
Connected with obligation of participation in CDS Initiative, Boyes also announced launch of a new webpage with detailed context and analysis of undergraduate Columbia University experience.
In July, U.S. News & World Report stripped Columbia University of its “out of of rankings in 2022 edition of Top Colleges (first published September 2021)” which states that the university “failed to respond to multiple requests from US News for the university to substantiate certain data it previously presented,” the blog post reads. post USA news. It is not clear whether the publication of Thaddeus of his investigation into data Columbia provided to US News & World Report may have contributed to the university’s non-ranking.
In a statement Friday, Boyes said the university posted two common datasets, one for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering as well one for General Studies of Colombia.
” information included in two common datasets reflect work in last months before review our data collection processes following questions raised by the instructor regarding accuracy of certain data that the university presented to US News and World Report in 2021 for his rating of bachelor’s degree,” Boyce said.
“US News publishes annual rankings for more over 11,500 schools and hundreds of individual programs as part of top colleges, top graduate schools, top online programs, top global universities and top high schools rankingsMorse said. in announcement on Monday.
“To produce rankings, US News collects dozens of of thousands of data points from the schools themselves and other sources, including the US Department of Education, state and local governments and higher educational associations. very small proportion of in total amount of schools that score – usually less than 0.1% each year tell US News that they misrepresented the data that was used to calculate their school’s ranking.”
US News & World Report released a breakdown of how their publication has calculated the ranking of the best colleges 2022-2023. in article on Monday.
