Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by joe_toye

University Rankings - QS

joe_toye — Mon, 11 May 2020 12:56:44 +0800

Overall the past few months, numerous posters has spoken about the merits of a particular university (especially ones in Malaysia) based entirely on QS World Rankings.

As someone who knows a little bit about the rankings and the ability to manipulate scores, let me just share some information with you - and why i think that although it can be a good guide for some, it may not tell the full picture at all.

QS Rankings rely mostly on subjective indicators and peer review (reputation). These do create some level of integrity issues and are very much open to manipulation. Now, many of you do not know this - but closer to the survey period, I will receive multiple surveys from the VCs of local institutions to help push their reputation scores. Below is an example of the many mails i have received over the past few years.

QUOTE

Dear XXX, there is not much time left to make your opinions heard by taking part in the QS Global Academic Survey 2019. The results of this survey form a fundamental part of the next edition of the QS World University Rankings®, the most widely circulated global university rankings and a tool which helps millions of students worldwide in choosing their university.

Please click HERE to start the survey.

It shouldn’t take longer than 10 minutes to complete. Your expert insight, along with that of other academics, is crucial to ensure our rankings are as well-rounded and accurate as possible. Please don't postpone providing your expert opinion. The final deadline for response is 18th March 2019.

The scores are based on six areas (and i will tell you why these can and are manipulated by not only QS but also other rankings)
- Academic reputation (40%)
- Citations per faculty (20%)
- Student-to-faculty ratio (20%)
- Employer reputation (10%)
- International faculty ratio (5%)
- International student ratio (5%)

As you can see, a large amount is placed on Academic Reputation (40%) - which means there is an emphasis on peer review. Although they do not allow for own staff to vote on their current institutions, but there some concern about the manner in which the peer review has been carried out. Some parties have said that they could be financial enticements to participate although they are NOT current staff of the university and there are methods circumvent that as well. Nonetheless, ranking based on peer review is highly questionable and is extremely subjective with no academic rigor nor factual data present. Reputation alone cannot stand the longitudinal test of time as institutions change. Therefore, this aspect brings no real intrinsic value and it is basically a PR competition.

The last two criteria measure how successful a university has been in attracting international students and academics based on the proportion of international students and faculty members. This can and has been manipulated time and time again. The proportion of international staff does not indicate its quality. So what many institutions do is to hire fresh PhD staff from places around the Middle East and Africa at a fraction of the cost and whole credentials and academic knowledge is questionable. In fact, some play BOTH the fiddle and bring in international students for its post-graduate programmes for a fraction of the cost and bond them to continue as staff in the university under the guise of research assistants.

Now this is WHY Limkokwing can be ranked top 250 Universities in Asia ABOVE Sunway and UTAR which were both in the 270-280 region in 2019. And how UCSI can be considered as Malaysia’s best private university for the second year in a row, according to the QS World University Rankings 2020 and placing it in the top 2% of all universities in the world. So they are inherently better than Sunway, Taylors and UTP? I find that hard to believe. This is where QS world rankings gets a bit dubious.

In Malaysia, our own ranking system SETARA, which is more rigorous takes a far longer time to audit the universities is a much better system although the same failings are present in the international student section. And that is why places like Lincoln University College can rank 5-stars.

Do you see why now rankings especially in the mid-tier section is so flawed that it cannot and should not be a guide to how good a university is. The best way is if you triangulate rankings so as to not rely one one specific ranking - that is how probably you know the quality of a university. A university that does well on 3-4 rankings are more likely to be considered as highly ranked that one that just pours in the money or time for one ranking but does badly or doesn't show up on the rest.

Put it to point, if UCSI is the Top Private University according to QS World ranking - they should technically be rated 6-stars under SETARA and THE (which UCSI doesn't even feature - why? Because they chose not to? Why?)

That's my point.

Entry Requirements for Computing (UPDATED)

joe_toye — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 11:38:04 +0800

Dear all,

I just want to share the latest circular from MQA dated 12th September 2019 (ref MQA - 100-1/7/1 Jld 2 (24)). I just also clarified with some people there and this is the latest update in regard to the Minimum Entry Requirements (MER) for Computer Science/Software Engineering Degree Programmes.

So this supersedes all of my posting in regards to MER.

To enter a CS/SE Programme via pre-university level:

1. You must pass the Foundation or Matriculation Programme with a minimum of 2.0 CGPA OR pass STPM with minimum grade C in any two subjects WITH
- a credit in SPM Additional Mathematics

OR

- Credit in Maths and any additional subjects in Science, Technology or Engineering in SPM level.

The requirements for a credit in Additional Maths at SPM level can be exempted if the Pre-University level programme (Foundation, A'Levels, Matriculation) has modules which are equivalent or higher than SPM level Additional Mathematics.

2. STPM in science stream with a grade C in maths and an additional subject in ICT/Science

3. Any diploma related to science, technology, computer science, software engineering, IT or IS with a CGPA of 2.5

So now - it's slightly easier to enter CS/SE with a diploma programme as opposed to the original entry requirements.

However, the MQA Programme Standards for Computing still supersedes this hence the confusion.

Double Degrees, Dual Parchment and Twinning

joe_toye — Tue, 22 May 2018 11:06:44 +0800

I have decided to create new topic to address this question. I have seen the last few days that potential students are asking primarily in the area of computer science and software engineering, about the benefits of such degrees. I am here to address the misconceptions and how to differentiate these degree programmes.

In one of the post, someone was asking about the Sunway Bachelor of Computer Science vs MMU's Programme. Now both are excellent Universities. However, the dual degree option with Sunway seems to be highly advantageous - however, I am here to explain a little bit about it.

DUAL DEGREES (Sometimes known as Dual Parchments)

Using Sunway as an example only: This degree is validated by Lancaster University and upon successful completion of the programme, graduates are awarded two certificates; one from Sunway University and another from Lancaster University.

The key word here is validation. It means that Lancaster University validates the programme at Sunway. Now Lancaster University(LU) does have a similar programme as Sunway which is good BUT they may not share the same modules. What does this mean? It means that the syllabus is entirely from Sunway and that LU has validated the programme and said that it is similar (but not exact) to LU's computer Science Degree. In some cases for other universities - the awarding University may not even have a similar programme but still validates the Malaysian University. Validation can mean either the course content, the teaching quality or just the overall quality practices. You will get a certificate/degree from the host university without ever stepping in that university NOR doing their degree programme.

Having said that - there are some instances which the Dual Parchment programmes take longer than the normal period it takes to complete your degree (3 years) or significantly more than 120 credits because they require you to do extra credits in modules by the awarding universities. That is really a bang for your buck because it means that the awarding university is really requiring you to match the standards of their university. Else, it's just a marketing gimmick at the end of the day. Employers knows now what is the difference between Dual Degrees and Double Degrees.

At the end of the day - depending on the institution, the extra parchment may come with additional administrative and validation fees payable to the foreign university. And it's usually higher than normal degree programmes but you learn the same thing, taught by the local lecturers and they are not even vetted by the foreign university.

TWINNING PROGRAMMES
A twinning programme means that a local institution has teamed up with a foreign university and upon completion of your studies, you will be conferred a degree by that overseas university although majority of your studies could be done in Malaysia. There are a lot of twinning options - 2+1, 3+1 or 3+0, the + 1 denotes the number of years spent overseas which the number prior to that is the number of years doing the programme locally. Twinning programmes are the most economically viable method of obtaining an actual overseas qualification. In other words, you WILL be getting the actual degree programme or experiencing the same type of education as your peers in the overseas university but at a lower cost. Lecturers are vetted by the overseas universities, the programme, assessment and projects are all from there as well although there are some leeway given to localise the content. Moderation of the programme do happen at least once a year as the overseas university will come over to review the student outcomes and modules. It is a highly controlled process which ensures quality. The difference between this and Dual Parchment is that you are actually getting the Degree Programme as awarded to students studying there. While the dual parchment is just a recognization that your local degree is similar to theirs.

To summarize - the qualification will be the same as if you studied at the partner university abroad. The syllabus and assessment methods will also be the same as the partner overseas university.

DOUBLE DEGREE

Of all the degrees listed here, this is the most impressive and hardest. This is you will be studying 2 different degrees at the same time and graduate with two separate qualifications. The intensity is that you will be asked to complete 2 degrees in less time than if you were to do them separately. Usually a Double Degree programme is 4 years or so from the normal 3 years.

Pursuing 2 full-time degrees simultaneously is extremely demanding. Double degrees does not mean that you do one degree in Malaysia and the other overseas one at the same time. It just means that you are doing two distinct degree programmes simultaneously. This option is uncommon or rare in Malaysia and is usually offered by overseas (Australian) University. This is not the same as double major.

So to summarize:

A dual parchment does not necessarily mean that the programme is better than an entirely local degree just because of the overseas link. The university partner may not even be a good university for that particular field to begin with. The factors i would consider is who the lecturers are and how the environment for learning is. A local university might have really good lecturers, superb learning environment and great teaching and learning practices with an emphasis on teaching quality.

For example, i would say that TARUC Computer Science Programme which is taught entirely by local staff is better than a third rate local university (i shall not name names) with a overseas partner.