Top 5 Ways to Boost NIRF Ranking
Students tend to only be interested in higher educational institutes that are among the top three, top ten, and top hundred. However, what additionally makes more enrolments possible is the NIRF ranking. To evaluate the performance of higher educational institutes, the government has formulated NIRF – the National Institutional Ranking Framework. It is a methodology sanctioned by the Ministry of Human Resource & Development in 2015 to set standard criteria of excellence across the country. Consider it an annual report card of higher educational institutes when it comes to the NIRF ranking.
Evidently, improving the NIRF ranking is critical in the higher education space. But the question is – how can you do it?
Read this article to learn more!
- Nurture Faculty Research Output
Internationally acclaimed institutions demonstrate excellent research and output standards. So, you should focus on pulling up the combined metrics of research by improving accessibility, the quality of research, and the citability of the inputs by faculty. Also, work on projects, IPR, patents, and executive development programs aimed at professional practice to maximise the impact. Try to involve everyone from esteemed faculty to scholars to gain merit and evolve as the centre of excellence. - Avoid Organisation and Author Name Disambiguation
When you’re growing research publications and developing digital libraries, you must be cautious enough to avoid name ambiguity. Make sure to collect citations in an up-to-date, well-defined manner. The problem of multiple authors sharing the same name is quite common, which can impact the institutional research output. Well, you can fix this problem by giving accurate details as per the NIRF RPC parameter. - Give Open Access to Institutional Repository
Often, publications are available on subscriptions, which can limit the access and viewership for the user. This will also inhibit the citation process for other authors when they are looking to engage with your research. So, make sure to make your resources easily accessible and citable. This will help your institution in branding and will improve your NIRF ranking. You can also choose open access repositories that do not breach the publisher’s copyright. This would also give you free access to databases and paywalled journals. - Improve Applications
Attracting the most fitting students, especially PhD graduates, is a critical parameter of the National Institutional Ranking Framework and has more weightage. This is because the right PhD graduates publish more quality papers. Most higher educational institutes set fixed cut-offs based on the marks attained, restricting many fitting students from applying. Instead, to improve the NIRF ranking, you can encourage students to apply irrespective of their marks. It is a holistic benchmark that can not only double the applications but can also include students from diverse backgrounds, including students who are socially and physically challenged. - Improve Teaching and the Focus on Curriculum
The NIRF scrutinises all the efforts of the institutions that improve the education standards. Creating an innovative curriculum is one of them. So, improve the teaching-learning process by creating an outcome-based outline of the curriculum. Make sure to include assessment, evaluation methodologies, improvement, and personal support. Enable faculty members to use data analytics; it would help them analyse student outcomes against the curriculum. The data can also be used to improve teaching methods and improvise teaching plans.
Summing Up!
The process of improving the NIRF ranking can be challenging. However, how you choose to do it can make a huge difference. Use the tips on how to improve the NIRF ranking explained above, and you will be able to gain recognition, build trust, and improve admissions.
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