THE UNIVERSITY secured silver in the pilot edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) Online Learning Rankings, which assessed the quality of online education delivered by higher education institutions.
The rankings, released on Dec. 10, classified schools into three tiers — gold, silver, and bronze —- based on programs advertised as “online” and conducted digitally at least 40% of the time.
UST was the only Philippine school that earned a placement, scoring 49.4 in resources, 66.0 in engagement, 50.5 in outcomes, and 50.3 in the environment metrics.
Mapua University was given reporter status, meaning it submitted data but failed to meet full entry requirements.
A total of 56 universities were categorized by THE into the three tiers, 11 in gold, 14 in silver, and 31 in bronze.
It relied heavily on student survey responses about their online learning experiences. THE excluded answers from students aged 18 and below and “artificially high answers,” such as uniform scores of 9s and 10s.
THE measured institutions using four key metrics: resources (35%), engagement (25%), outcomes (15%), and environment (25%).
Under the resources metric, the level of an institution’s resources dedicated to online learning is evaluated through finance per student (12%), faculty per student (12%), and development hours per staff (11%).
The engagement pillar measured the number of available programs (5%), interaction with staff (4%), collaboration with other students (4%), convenience (4%), ease of use (4%), and accessibility for the disabled (4%).
Metrics for outcomes are student recommendation (8%) and student progression rate (7%).
The environment pillar assessed support staff per student (6%), connectivity support (5%), other offline resources (5%), student inclusion for disability (3%), age diversity (3%), and staff gender diversity (3%).
Asst. Prof. Nestor Ong, head of UST’s QS/THE Rankings, said the University’s placement in the inaugural rankings reflects its continued efforts toward improving online learning even after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The University plans to continue its hybrid learning approach, emphasizing the integration of technology to enhance online education This includes ongoing investments in faculty training, technological tools, and student support services to improve the online learning experience and ensure effective educational outcomes,” Ong told the Varsitarian.
“UST’s ranking is also attributed to our commitment/dedication to allocating resources for online learning, fostering student engagement, and achieving positive educational outcomes. The evaluation encompasses various aspects such as faculty support and technological infrastructure, which contribute to enhancing the online learning experience,” he added.
UST has adopted e-learning on a massive scale since 2002, one of the first in the Philippines.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the University implemented the “enriched virtual mode,” which continues to be part of its hybrid learning setup.
UST delivers online instruction primarily through Canvas, the learning management system it adopted in 2023, replacing the former Blackboard platform.
