National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" took the second place in the rating of transparency of Ukrainian universities and trades off only to Kyiv Mohyla Academy.
The research was conducted by analytical center CEDOS. It captured all state and municipal universities, academies and institutes except universities power structures that have a special regime of access to information - in general 186 higher education institutions that educate 1.25 million students, that is 91% of all students in higher education III- IV levels of accreditation by the old classification.
The rating of universities transparency is one of many arrangements quality of higher education. It demonstrates how universities are ready to be transparent and inform students, their teachers, and general public about their policy through their sites. The rating is concluded to promote best practices in Ukrainian universities, their faculties and departments on as much as possible web pages of Ukrainian universities. Transparency of information is not a guarantee of high quality education, but it is a necessary condition for an informed choice of applicants, students and teachers.
The possibility of access to information become more important under conditions of decentralization that began in higher education in Ukraine. University autonomy must be accompanied by transparency and openness for teachers, students, applicants and the general public. In fact, access to information was one of the 10 standards for internal quality of higher education (ESG), which was approved at the last Conference of Ministers of Education in the European Higher Education Area. Possessing the information about the programs, applicants and students can make more informed choices regarding their future profession. Financial transparency - is the key to public confidence and that is important for the future development, donors and patrons. Administrative transparency are the foundation for dissemination of information about rights and responsibilities of all participants in the educational process, the fight against violation of their rights, corruption, cronyism and nepotism.
The National Student Survey, conducted in February 2016 by Gfk commissioned by CEDOS, showed that the universities websites were the source of information when choosing a university for 56% of current students. And this figure tends to increase.
Moreover, choosing their future profession and universities, new generations of future students will increasingly rely on the university site. In such circumstances, the site is strategically important tool of information policy by which universities can find students who meet the requirements of the university. At the same time, mentioned survey showing that 59% of students experienced a lack of information when choosing a university. In multiple choice most responses has shortage of information about employment prospects (22%), base and opportunities of practices (18%), international exchange programs (16%) and information about the content of programs and disciplines (15%), qualification of teachers (13 %). These data and recommendations ESG, as theoretical foundations, encouraged analytical center CEDOS to conduct a research informative websites of universities.
The research was carried out under the project "Initiative development of the Ukrainian analytical centers " International Fund "Revival" (IRF) in cooperation with the fund of development analytical centers and funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine (SIDA).