Principles that joint us

​

Principle 1 of the Berlin Principles for Rankings of Higher Education Institutions, developed in 2006 by the International Group of Experts on Rankings (IREG), is in principle the structuring principle of the RANKINTACS Network. In that sense, rankings and qualifying tables should:

“Be one of a number of diverse approaches to the assessment of higher education inputs, processes, and outputs. Rankings can provide comparative information and improved understanding of higher education, but should not be the main method for assessing what higher education is and does. Rankings provide a market-based perspective that can complement the work of government, accrediting authorities, and independent review agencies.”

In times of educational markets or near markets, the potential capacity of RANKINTACS to guide decisions in government policies, the market, the productive sector and, above all, employers, families and citizens cannot be denied.

​

Understanding the dynamics, functioning and structuring of RANKINTACS is not restricted to a single disciplinary or knowledge area, multi and interdisciplinary dialogue is the key to understanding the ins and outs of the rankings and their potential contributions to improving the quality of higher education.

​

​

Emergence

​

The Brazilian Network of Rankings, Indexes and Classification Tables in Higher Education (REDE RANKINTACS) was created during the XIII EDUCERE - National Congress of Education held from August 28 to 31, 2017 in the city of Curitiba (Brazil).

​

On August 29, 2017, the seminar "University governance in times of academic rankings, accountability and transparency of information" was carried out in parallel with EDUCERE as part of the project "Academic Rankings of the Private Sector in Brazil: trajectory and methodologies adopted from a perspective (Process: 310775 / 2014-0) funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), under the coordination of Dr. Adolfo Ignacio Calderón, a full professor of the Post-Graduate Program in Education of the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, CNPq research productivity grant.

​

The seminar brought together Brazilian researchers who defended or were elaborating doctoral dissertations or master's dissertations in several areas of knowledge on an emerging theme: academic rankings in the context of the emergence of world-class universities. Dr. Sabine Boettger Righetti and Solange Maria dos Santos, the doctoral students Carlos Marshal França, Lara Carlette Thiengo and Gilberto Müller Beuren, and the then Master Armando Gonçalves were present at the event. In addition to the exhibitors, was also present Dr. Adolfo Ignacio Calderón, coordinator of the CNPq project that led to the emergence of RANKINTACS NETWORK.

​

In all, seven participants presented their research. Sabine Boettger Righetti, in 2016, defended his doctoral thesis in Science and Technology Policy, at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), entitled "What is the best ?: origin, indicators, limitations and impacts of university rankings." Solange Maria dos Santos, in 2015, defended at the University of São Paulo (USP) the doctoral thesis in Information Sciences entitled "The performance of Brazilian universities in international rankings: areas of prominence in Brazilian scientific production", through which also won the Capes de Tese Prize in 2016, awarded for the best doctoral theses defended in 2015. Lara Carlette Thiengo, at the time of the seminar, finished her PhD thesis in Education, defended at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) in early 2018, titled "World-Class Universities and the Consensus for Excellence: Global and Local Trends and Expressions." Carlos Marshal França defended his Master's dissertation on Education in 2015 at the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, entitled "University rankings promoted by newspapers in the Ibero-American space: El Mundo (Spain), El Mercurio (Chile) and Folha de São Paulo ". Gilberto Müller Beuren obtained his master's degree in Production Engineering in 2014 at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), with the dissertation titled "Evaluation of institutional quality through national and international rankings". Armando Gonçalves, at the time finished his master's thesis in Education, defended at the end of 2017, at the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, with the title "The ranking of Playboy Magazine Best Faculties of Brazil in Brazilian higher education (1981-2000)". Finally, Adolfo Ignacio Calderón, besides coordinating the CNPq-funded project that promoted the seminar and sponsored the RANKINTACS NETWORK, has directed master's dissertations and produced articles on academic rankings in higher education.

​

After the seminar, all the participants joined EDUCERE as exhibitors at the roundtable "Academic Rankings: Trends in Brazilian Scientific Production", held at 7:00 pm in the auditorium Blaise Pascal, PUCPR, which was announced to those present the creation of the Network Brazilian Research on Rankings, Indexes and Classification Tables in Higher Education (RANKINTACS NETWORK).

​

The good will of all members to strengthen the nascent network was sealed in a moment of relaxation and fraternization in a canteen in the city of Curitiba. Researchers, until a few hours ago, most of them unknown to each other, created bonds and strengthened bonds, laughing and toasting, cherished by the god Baco, under the omen of the stars and numerology (yes in our network we also have an astrologer and numerologist) which said that what we were living was written in the stars and from that day many good things would happen in our lives.