The commission that oversees higher-education quality in
Jordan recently signed agreements with two British organizations that publish
rankings of universities worldwide, to enhance cooperation in verifying data
when Jordanian universities participate in international rankings.
The Jordanian government entity involved in the agreements
is the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education
Institutions, which formulates standards for accrediting public and private
universities. The British organizations are Times Higher Education World
University Rankings, published by Times Higher Education magazine, and QS World
University Rankings, published by the company Quacquarelli Symonds.
Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)
each issue annual rankings of universities, based on their evaluations of
determinants such as international activities, research, interaction with the
industry sector, employment reputation of alumni, and the percentages of
international students and international faculty members.
While the QS ranking prioritizes academic and employment
reputation, giving only 20 percent to research, the Times Higher Education
ranking puts more emphasis on research output and influence, for a combined
weight of 60 percent.
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