Visualizing Quality: University Online Identity as Organizational Performativity in Higher Education

• In Event: Conceptualizing University Identity: Mission, Branding, and the Quest for Quality

Abstract

This study explores the use of quality emblems (accreditation, rankings) on institutional websites among members of the Association of American Universities. The study applies Lyotard’s “performativity” and “technologies of proof” as the theoretical framework. Given this approach, we propose a modified quantitative visual content analysis method. Preliminary findings reveal that, among universities in our dataset, the visibility of emblematic quality correlated with institutional type (public or private) and length of AAU membership. Recent members, relied heavily on rankings data whereas institutions with longer AAU membership—especially private founding members—relied on information about highly prestigious awards (Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes) and endowment information. This study contributes to further understanding how legitimation operates in the competitive higher education field.

Authors

• Gerardo Blanco Ramírez, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Amy Scott Metcalfe, The University of British Columbia