Making Reports More Transparent

Abstract

The mechanisms used to report higher education play a very important role in how it is understood and developed. It is important to examine how transparency reports are packaged and delivered and, more specifically, how they are received and interpreted. Most prominent rankings have grown as static ordinal lists. This is partly understandable given technologies available over a decade ago when many rankings were designed. The medium- and even near-term future holds in store much more sophisticated mechanisms. Couched within the broader frame of transparency, in this chapter I probe emerging mechanisms for publicly reporting higher education activity and performance. I map out parameters underpinning more sophisticated forms of reporting, then with reference to case study initiatives articulate a dimensional structure that points towards areas for future development. In the final section I step back and explore options for aligning higher education reports with those for other sectors.