Taylor’s University sealed the first half of 2020 on a high note by joining the international leagues in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings Top 50 Under 50 – securing the 49th spot in the world among young universities below 50 years old. The outcome makes Taylor’s the only Malaysian private university to rank within the coveted global higher education analysts’ 2021 edition. In June, Taylor’s broke into the top 400 at number 379 for the QS World University Rankings 2021, making it the number 1 private university in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, with an outstanding performance of having climbed 135 spots from the previous year.
Taylor’s University Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Michael Driscoll takes the latest global achievements as a vote of confidence in the teaching and learning strategy that Taylor’s University is pursuing.
“The latest QS World University Rankings confirms Taylor’s University as the best private university in Malaysia. It also recognises the world-class education we provide for our students. My congratulations go to all the staff, students, and partners of Taylor’s for their continued commitment to excellence.”
“We will continue to push the boundaries through radical transformation of our approach to teaching and learning and by broadening our international reach. Taylor’s Curriculum Framework is leading the way by providing a more customised curriculum experience for our students with enhanced opportunities to acquire transferable life skills, employment experience and international study opportunities,” said Professor Michael Driscoll.
“Our employer partners have also strongly signalled their approval of the direction Taylor’s is taking as the university produces high-calibre, industry-ready graduates who perform well in their careers. The outcome of this transformation, reflected in the new rankings, is the result of a massive team effort at Taylor’s and close engagement with our partners,” he added.
While 2020 could see better days, every sector had their fair share in quickly adapting to the global pandemic through various online tools and services to maintain their business and personal relationships. Online tools have become the key driver in the educational transformation as well, to ensure that students complete their courses and graduate in time. Even before the pandemic, universities were hard at work in creating learning environments that are practical and relevant – preparing them well for the real world.
The latest announcement by QS of a new category in its Stars Rating was extremely welcomed, especially discovering that Taylor’s University was one of the few private institutions in Malaysia to be awarded a 5 Stars Rating for Online Learning. This now adds to the other six categories in Teaching, Employability, Facilities, Internationalisation, Inclusiveness and Hospitality & Leisure Management.
Taylor’s University also continues to dominate the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020 by retaining its Top 20 in the world position for the fiercely contested Hospitality and Leisure Management subject, placing the institution alongside renowned universities globally, including Switzerland’s Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, USA’s University of Nevada – Las Vegas and Netherlands’ Hotel School de Hague, to name a few.
The university is also the only institution in Malaysia placed in the Top 20 ranking.
In addition to the recognition for Hospitality and Leisure Management subject, Taylor’s University also jumped 100 ranks, breaking into the top 250 universities in the world for Business and Management Studies, retaining its top private business school status in Malaysia.
With COVID-19 continuing to impact people and countries around, Taylor’s University places the health and safety of its students and staff as top priority, while ensuring learning continuity for students from the safety of their homes. The Taylor’s award-winning Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is an ecosystem of microsites for each subject, with e-assessment, e-tutoring, e-submission and e-forum features. The university also leverages ReWIND, a lecture capture system that has over 40,000 recorded lectures, and Lightboard Video Technology for DIY lecture recordings that enables the capturing of text or sketches in real time, to ensure that learning is accessible and on-demand.