https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978–3–031–19142–8_9
Communicating the SDGs: Formulating Performance Metrics for Higher Education Institutions
By Jude William Genilo and Kamolrat Intaratat
Abstract:
The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings is a measure that shows how global higher education institutions work towards the fulfillment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To formulate its measurement, THE (in collaboration with Vertigo Ventures) sought guidance from the Theory of Change (ToC), which has four components: (1) teaching (disseminating knowledge and producing people to address world problems); (2) research (creating knowledge to address world problems); (3) stewardship (managing resources and caring for stakeholders); and (4) outreach (directly acting in society). THE developed performance metrics under each of the four ToC components for every SDG. After obtaining data for the different performance metrics, THE produces: (1) an overall ranking of universities based on the top three SDGs for each individual university plus SDG 17; and (2) individual rankings of universities based on performance in each SDG.
The THE Impact Rankings gained traction among higher educational institutions worldwide. In the 2019 edition, 450 universities from 76 countries participated. In the 2020 edition, this increased to 735 universities from 89 countries. In 2021, around 1,117 universities from 98 countries joined. Unfortunately, the THE Impact Rankings did not include a goal on the role of communication in achieving the SDGs. With this omission, THE has excluded the important work universities have undertaken in communication for development, particularly towards the achievement of the SDGs.
In light of this, this paper formulated performance metrics for higher education institutions with respect to SDG 18 (Communicating the SDGs). It described the initiatives and achievements of the top ranked universities in the THEImpact Rankings 2021 towards Communicating the SDGs in the areas of teaching, research, stewardship and outreach. The top ranked universities included: (1) University of Manchester; (2) University of Sydney; (3) RMIT University; (4) La Trobe University; and (5) Queen’s University. The findings indicated that these universities allocated a lot of time, energy and resources in communicating the SDGs – through their degree programs; books, book chapters and research papers; websites, student–run media; campus–based platforms; social media accounts; news articles; and blogs, podcasts, video recordings and opinion pieces. From their practices, the paper recommended performance metrics for possible inclusion in future THE Impact Rankings.
Author’s Profile:
Name of author(s). Jude William Genilo
Affiliation. University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh
Email address. jude.genilo@ulab.edu.bd, jgenilo@yahoo.com
Short Profile. Jude William Genilo is the Head of the Media Studies and Journalism Department, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). He is also the Director of ULAB’s Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC). He earned his Doctor of Philosophy and Master’s Degree in Communication from the University of the Philippines–Diliman. He has undergraduate degrees in Economics and Management from De La Salle University–Manila. Before joining ULAB, he headed the postgraduate program of a prestigious public relations school in Jakarta and served as a research fellow at the Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute (KURDI) in Bangkok. He is co–editor (with Brian Shoesmith) of the anthology, Bangladesh’s Changing Mediascape: From State Control to Market Forces (Intellect UK: 2013).
Contact number. 8801713092787
Name of author(s). Kamolrat Intaratat
Affiliation. Sukhorthai Thammathirat Open University (STOU)
Email address. kamolratchim@gmail.com, kamolrat.int@stou.ac.th
Short Profile: Kamolrat Intaratat is currently working as an Associate Professor at the School of Communication Arts, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Thailand. She is also the chair of International Master in Communication Arts for ASEAN and the Founder and Director of the Research Center of Communication and Development Knowledge Management. She worked as the Dean of the Faculty of Communication Arts and a Board Member of the e–Society policy program of the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology, Thailand. She earned her PhD under the University Consortium Program (SEARCA) from the University of the Philippines, Los Banos in Development Communication and Development Management and from University of Queensland, Australia in Agricultural Extension and Community Development.
Contact number: (66) 86 5299551
