Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Times Higher - QS World University Rankings Mahidol: Rankings, performance and branding Ben Sowter Head of Research QS Mahidol University, Bangkok 4 April 2008

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  Graduated in Computer Science from University of Nottingham in 2000  Union Prize  Chair, Nottingham University Debating Society  Spent 3 months on work placement in northern India in 1999  Worked for international student charity – AIESEC – for two years after graduation  2 nd Year as UK National President  Operated on international strategic development team  Joined QS in 2002 Speaker Introduction

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  Explain new developments in research methodology  Understand results and their implications for Mahidol  Understand performance measurement and ways to identify strategic improvement  Recommendations for progression of international brand  Collect feedback and input Objectives

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Session Flow

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( NEW DEVELOPMENTS THE – QS World University Rankings

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  Reviewers prevented from selecting their own institution  Impact on institutions from countries with good response but low number of institutions from which to select Peer Review

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  Enable institutions to interact with our data  Submission  Validation  Track history  Explanatory notes fields Implementation of online system

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  All personnel metrics based on FTE  If no FTE data is available an average is calculated based on national or regional norms  FTE numbers are a more accurate measure of an institution’s commitment to teaching and research Full Time Equivalent (FTE)

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Switch to Scopus

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  No viable alternative to Thomson in 2004  ESI not a thorough interpretation of Web of Science  Work with Evidence/Thomson led to many universities missing data  Main benefits of WoS relate to older data – particularly pre-1996  Scopus stronger journal representation outside US  Scopus tracks some non-English content  Access to much greater data detail Switch to Scopus

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  Method used in various domestic rankings such as The Times (UK)  Stabilise data year on year  More accurate application of weightings throughout the sample  Smoothes any anomalies that remain  Essentially smoothes the curve for each individual indicator Z-Score Aggregation

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( The Effect of Z-Score Application on Rankings Indicators

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( 1.Online System  More thorough and complete data all the way down the list  Less need for averages 2.Peer Review  Countries with disproportionately high response but a small number of institutions lose unnatural advantage 3.FTE Data  Universities with particularly high or low numbers for part-time will be influenced 4.Scopus  Less pronounced bias towards US and English speaking world 5.Z-Score aggregation  Less advantage for the best institutions in lower weighted indicators  Increased stability year on year Effects of 2007 developments…

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  In understanding and using any ranking, it essential to develop a full understanding of what they are measuring  THE & QS are committed to:  Being open with our methods and data wherever possible  Engaging with universities and other stakeholders to help them understand the rankings  Providing as much qualitative information in support of the rankings as possible NOTE

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( THE RESULTS THE – QS World University Rankings

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Comparing Results THE – QS 1Harvard 2=Cambridge 2=Yale 2=Oxford 5Imperial 6Princeton 7=Caltech 7=Chicago 8UCL 10MIT SHANGHAI 1.Harvard 2.Stanford 3.Berkeley 4.Cambridge 5.MIT 6.Caltech 7.Columbia 8.Princeton 9.Chicago 10.Oxford WEBOMETRICS 1.MIT 2.Stanford 3.Harvard 4.Penn State 5.Berkeley 6.Michigan 7.Wisconsin 8.Minnesota 9.Illinois 10.Cornell

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Thailand Results RANK IN REGION2007 RANK 2006 RANK INSTITUTION NAME PEER REVIEW RECRUITER REVIEW FACULTY STUDENT CITATIONS PER FACULTY INT'L FACULTY INT'L STUDENTS OVERALL =CHULALONGKORN University =322=MAHIDOL University =KASETSART University =THAMMASAT University =CHIANG MAI University PRINCE OF SONGKLA University KHON KAEN University

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Average Positions for Asian Institutions in the Top 500

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Faculty Level: Thailand  Arts & Humanities  Chula (136)  Thammasat (242=)  Chiang Mai (396)  Engineering & IT  Chula (100)  Chiang Mai (335=)  Mahidol (335=)  Kasetsart (346)  Life Sciences & Biomedicine  Mahidol (118)  Chula (138)  Kasetsart (266)  Khon Kaen (273=)  Pronce of Songkla (307)  Chiang Mai (347)  Thammasat (353)  Natural Sciences  Chula (159)  Chiang Mai (257)  Mahidol (295=)  Kasetsart (309)  Social Sciences  Chula (83=)  Thammasat (197=)  Mahidol (303)  Chiang Mai (371=)

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  Available at  Top 100 for the following subject areas  Arts & Humanities  Engineering & IT  Life Sciences & BioMedicine  Natural Sciences  Social Sciences  World’s oldest universities  Year on year results The Results

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT THE – QS World University Rankings

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  Identify institutions with similar characteristics domestically or internationally  Understand comparative performance in much greater detail than the published results permit  Identify key strategies for development QS Top Universities Benchmarking

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( INTERNATIONAL BRANDING THE – QS World University Rankings

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (

Online marketing  Promote  Reach global market  Use institutional and other ‘voices’  Optimize  Reduce administration  Utilise staff expertise effectively  Engage  Tune messages by segment  Be responsive to applicants  Measure  Track marketing campaigns  React to market changes

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Who are “Generation Y”?  Impatient  Team players  Hungry for feedback  Don’t hold back  Fearless of technology  Seek stimulation  Believe in themselves  Sceptical  Street smart

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  97% own a computer  94% own a cell phone  76% use Instant Messaging.  15% of IM users are logged on 24 hours a day  34% use websites as primary source of news  28% own a blog and 44% read blogs  49% download music using file sharing  75% of US students have a Facebook account  60% own portable music or video device e.g. iPod Who are “Generation Y”? Source: Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today's College Students, Reynol Junco and Jeanna Mastrodicasa (2007)

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Life-cycle marketing INTERESTED CANDIDATE ENQUIRER APPLICATION STARTED APPLICATION SUBMITTED PLACE OFFERED OFFER ACCEPTED

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  Search engines all work differently and change frequently  2 main factors: Web site itself and incoming links  Ensure site is search engine friendly – but avoid using tricks  Titles, headlines, content, meta tags  Site maps used extensively by search engines  Page titles should also attract human users: clear & provocative  Research keywords and phrases used by your prospects  2 to 4 words usually less competitive  Include synonyms, plurals and misspellings  Keyword tools  Wordtracker, Yahoo! Suggestion Tool, Google Tool  Look at search words contained in your traffic logs  Links  Number, reputation and popularity  Industry hubs and directories  Press releases and free articles or feeds  Blogs, Forums and Social Networking SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Paid Advertising  Three common pricing structures  CPM: Cost per thousand impressions  PPC: Cost per click  CPA: Cost per action (e.g. affiliate partners)  Keyword bidding  Typically 20 to 30 phrases or 300 to 400 “tail terms”  Use variety of word sequences and action words  Long terms (e.g. 4 words) offer better conversion rates  Use of others’ trademarks and names currently accepted  Congruency of landing pages

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Paid Advertising  Numbers are important

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (

 Over 1,180,000 visits in 2007  Over 6,000 visits per day in 2008  Increasingly strong prominence in Google & Yahoo searches  Ranked 53,626 in Alexa  Home of the THE – QS World University Rankings  Institution Profiles  Detailed study abroad information

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Banner advertising tips  Identify and measure objectives  Branding  Traffic  Conversion  Media plan  Target market  Related sites  Sites with similar demographics  Design  Clear message – 7 words or less  Eye catching but not obtrusive  Don’t overdo animation  Test

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Earning trust

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  Define proposition(s) based on market segment and stage of lifecycle  Differentiators, USPs, value and proof points  Messages to attract – then support and convert  Identify tangible objectives and measurements for each campaign  Branding  Conversion  Message content  Keep it simple with a clear call to action  Ensure relevance of landing page(s)  design  Keep it simple – limit use of images  Check spelling and grammar  Privacy and security  Opt in / Opt out  Restrict access to personal data marketing

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Online applications  But we already have an application form

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Online applications  Market adoption Source: QS Research – Web Survey

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities (  When people who are aware of your brand online need to recognise it when they see it  Print  People  On campus Online Offline Parity

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( CONCLUDING REMARKS… THE – QS World University Rankings

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( “ ” Education is not about filling a pail, it’s about lighting a fire WB Yeats

Copyright © 2008 QS Top Universities ( Thank You Ben Sowter