Image of Higher Education Institutions: Main Components and Determinants

Abstract

In the modern world, a significant role in the development of the innovative economy of the state is played by the training of highly qualified specialists who can produce new innovations and knowledge and build an efficient growing economy, manifested in the growth of the country’s GDP. The training of such specialists is the responsibility of higher education institutions, which in today’s, mainly Ukrainian, realities are struggling for applicants, which manifests itself in the formation of stakeholders’ perceptions of the university, i.e., the formation of its own image. The image of a higher education institution becomes an intangible resource on par with industrial and intellectual property. Today, higher education institutions are moving away from just teaching students and are becoming research centers in Ukraine and the world, working in the format of teaching, research, and commercialization. The reputation and perception of a higher education institution (HEI) by its stakeholders directly depend on its ability to operate effectively and serve as a link between highly qualified specialists and businesses. This creates competition between universities in shaping their own image. Along with traditional determinants, including rankings, it is now necessary to consider new factors that reflect the digital level of representation and communication of higher education institutions in the internet space. For this study, we selected higher education institutions (HEIs) with the highest positions in the Times Higher Education rankings in Ukraine and the countries of the Visegrad Group. These countries were chosen because of their geographical proximity to Ukraine, shared history and borders, and because they were among the last to become members of the European Union, which Ukraine aspires to join. This approach allows for an objective assessment of the image of Ukrainian higher education institutions in the context of Ukraine’s European integration aspirations. The methodological toolkit of the study was the entropy method of analysing the performance of the selected HEIs according to the Times Higher Education ranking and key indicators of the dynamics and visibility of their websites. The results obtained for the specific weights of the image subindicesindicate a 43% influence of presence on the internet. This study empirically confirms and theoretically proves that digital presence and visibility on the internet are significant factors in forming the image of higher education institutions. This indicates the need to strengthen the digital communications and representation of Ukrainian higher education institutions to improve their image. The research results can be helpful for educational institutions, politicians, and communication specialists who seek to enhance the image of their higher education institutions. The obtained results can be used to develop strategies for improving internet presence and communication practices, which will contribute to a general increase in the rating and prestige of higher education institutions.