Are faculty members aware of global university ranking? A study in the context of a developing country

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to measure the awareness of the global university ranking and its parameters among the faculty members at Dhaka University. This also identifies the challenges linked to university ranking and explores opportunities to overcome these challenges. Design/methodology/approach The target population of this study is the faculty members of Dhaka University. This study used the online survey questionnaire method, contacting approximately 2,000 faculty members individually through their email addresses. In total, 311 faculty members responded, and the response rate was 15.55%. Data were collected from September to December 2022, and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to analyze the survey data. Findings The findings indicate that a majority of the faculty members are acquainted with global university rankings, with Times Higher Education being the most recognized. Faculty members at Dhaka University are confident in their ability to excel in research and citation weighting scores in the ranking parameters. However, challenges such as a lack of incentives, inadequate recruitment policies, limited research funding, minimal collaboration, a scarcity of international students and faculty and limited local journal publications hinder the university’s ranking. Research limitations/implications Due to the limited number of responses, the findings may not accurately represent the entire faculty. The findings of this study can guide Dhaka University and other universities to design policies for overall improvement of university ranking. Originality/value This is the first time an attempt has been made to measure the awareness of university ranking by collecting primary data in the context of a public university in Bangladesh.