The Australian Research Council (ARC) has recently released outcomes of the first national Engagement and Impact Assessment (EIA) Exercise. The EIA rated three elements for impact case studies and engagement narratives across 40 participating universities and 22 Fields of Research – Engagement, Impact and Approach to Impact with each element being rated as low, medium or high. Results showed:
- Of the 626 engagement UoAs that were rated in EI 2018, 215 (34 per cent) attained a rating of high. A further 317 (51 per cent) attained a rating of medium. Overall, 85 per cent of engagement UoAs were rated at medium or high.
- Of the 637 UoAs that were assessed for impact in EI 2018, 277 (43 per cent) attained a rating of high. A further 284 (44 per cent) received a rating of medium. Overall, 88 per cent of UoAs were rated as high or medium for impact.
- For approach to impact, 159 (25 per cent) attained a rating of high. A further 325 (51 per cent) received a rating of medium. Overall, 76 per cent were rated as high or medium for approach to impact.
The full report can be viewed on the ARC website at https://dataportal.arc.gov.au/EI/NationalReport/2018/
At the same time the Times Higher Education (THE) have released their first University Impact Ratings which they claim is “the world’s first global attempt to document evidence of universities’ impact on society, rather than just research and teaching performance.” The rankings have produced some unexpected results with the University of Auckland being ranked first followed by McMaster University and the University of British Columbia, both in Canada. Canada, Ireland and Australia were the top national performers in this ranking.
More information including ranking methodology can be found on the Times Higher Education page here.