[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-596891-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-596891-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","the-emperors-new-clothes-macleans-nsse-and-the-inappropriate-ranking-of-canadian-universities","The Emperor’s New Clothes: Maclean’s, NSSE, and the Inappropriate Ranking of Canadian Universities","","Most Canadian universities participate in the US-based National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), and Maclean’s uses NSSE results to rank institutions across 10 engagement categories and four outcomes. The study examines Maclean’s presentation of first-year satisfaction, testing which engagement variables actually explain variation. Multiple regression shows only one engagement factor accounts for most satisfaction variance. Cluster analysis further indicates satisfaction patterns form a limited number of groups rather than a clear hierarchy, suggesting Maclean’s rankings may mislead stakeholders.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-emperors-new-clothes-macleans-nsse-and-the-inappropriate-ranking-of-canadian-universities/596891/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-emperors-new-clothes-macleans-nsse-and-the-inappropriate-ranking-of-canadian-universities/596891.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Danger Angel","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",5,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What data and measures does Maclean’s use for Canadian university rankings?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Maclean’s uses results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Universities are ranked using scores across 10 engagement categories and four outcomes, including student satisfaction and the likelihood of returning to campus.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Which NSSE engagement variables explain first-year satisfaction most strongly?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Based on multiple regression, only one of the 10 NSSE engagement variables explains most of the variance in first-year student satisfaction at the institutional level; the others have limited consequence.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How does cluster analysis challenge Maclean’s implied hierarchy among universities?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Cluster analysis suggests Canadian universities can be grouped into a limited number of satisfaction clusters rather than being arranged in a hierarchical order as Maclean’s presentation implies.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},596891,1792190620,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,100,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":55,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962090769052,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc","The Emperor’s New Clothes: Maclean’s, NSSE, and the Inappropriate Ranking of Canadian  \nUniversities  \nAbstract  \nMost Canadian universities participate in the US-based National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) that measures various aspects of “student engagement.” The higher the level of engagement, the greater the probability of positive outcomesand the better the quality of the school. Maclean’s magazine publishes some of the results of these surveys. Institutions are ranked in terms of their scores on 10 engagement categories and four outcomes. The outcomes considered are how students in the first and senior years evaluate their overall experiences (satisfaction) and whether or not students would return to their campuses. Universities frequently use their scores on measures reported by Maclean’s in a self-congratulatory way. In this article, I deal with levels of satisfaction provided by Maclean’s. Based on multiple regression, I show that of the 10 engagement variables regarded as important by NSSE, at the institutional level, only one explains most of the variance in first-year student satisfaction. The others are of limited consequence. I also demonstrate, via a cluster analysis, that, rather than there being a hierarchy of Canadian institutions as suggested by the way in which Maclean’s presents NSSE findings, Canadian universities can most adequately be divided into a limited number of different satisfaction clusters. Findings such as these might serve as a caution to parents and students who consider Maclean’s satisfaction rankings when assessing the merits of different universities. Overall, in terms of first-year satisfaction, the findings suggest more similarities than differences between and among Canadian universities.  \nKeywords: NSSE, Maclean’s, Canadian university rankings, student engagement, student satisfaction  \nRésumé  \nLa plupart des universités canadiennes participent à l’Enquête nationale sur la participation étudiante/National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), qui est basée aux États-Unis. Plus le niveau de « participation étudiante » est élevé, plus laprobabilité de résultats positifs est élevée, et plus l’école est considérée comme étant de bonne qualité . Le magazine Maclean’s publie certains des résultats de cette enquête. Les établissements y sont classés selon leur score dans dix catégories de « participation » et quatre résultats. Les résultats considérés sont la manière dont les étudiants de première et de dernière année évaluent leur expérience globale (satisfaction), et leur désir de retourner étudier au même endroit si c’était à refaire. Les universités utilisent fréquemment les résultats rapportés par Maclean’s à des fins d’autopromotion. Dans cet article, je me penche sur les niveaux de satisfaction présentés par Maclean’s. Sur la base d’une régression multiple, je montre que sur les dix variables de participation considérées comme importantes par la NSSE, au niveau des établissements, une seuleexplique la majeure partie de la variance en ce qui concerne la satisfaction des étudiants de première année. Les autres ontpeu d’effet. Je démontre également, par le biais d’une analyse par grappe, qu’au lieu d’être hiérarchisées comme le suggère la façon de faire de Maclean’s avec les résultats de la NSSE, les universités canadiennes peuvent être divisées de façon plus adéquate en un nombre limité de grappes de satisfaction. Ces découvertes peuvent servir de mise en garde aux parents et aux étudiants qui considèrent les classements de Maclean’s pour comparer les universités. Globalement, en ce qui a trait à la satisfaction des étudiants de première année, elles suggèrent qu’il y a plus de ressemblances que de différences entre les universités canadiennes.  \nMots-clés : enquête nationale sur la participation étudiante, Maclean’s, classement des universités canadiennes, participation étudiante, satisfaction des étudiants  \nCanadian Journal of Higher Education | Revue canadienne d’enseignemen","cbCaiduTMA8GflMZ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiduTMA8GflMZ","pdf",271637,22,"English","# Introduction\n# Research Methods and Findings\n## Regression on student satisfaction\n## Cluster analysis of satisfaction groups\n# Implications for rankings and decision-making","[{\"question\":\"What data and measures does Maclean’s use for Canadian university rankings?\",\"answer\":\"Maclean’s uses results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Universities are ranked using scores across 10 engagement categories and four outcomes, including student satisfaction and the likelihood of returning to campus.\"},{\"question\":\"Which NSSE engagement variables explain first-year satisfaction most strongly?\",\"answer\":\"Based on multiple regression, only one of the 10 NSSE engagement variables explains most of the variance in first-year student satisfaction at the institutional level; the others have limited consequence.\"},{\"question\":\"How does cluster analysis challenge Maclean’s implied hierarchy among universities?\",\"answer\":\"Cluster analysis suggests Canadian universities can be grouped into a limited number of satisfaction clusters rather than being arranged in a hierarchical order as Maclean’s presentation implies.\"}]","The Emperor’s New Clothes: Maclean’s, NSSE, and the Inappropriate Ranking of Canadian Universities | PDF",1792083940,55]