News
International • 02 Jun 2022
Iscte Business School: a transforming school according to the Positive Impact Rating
The school's dynamic leadership, together with its commitment to sustainability and its ability to motivate students, were highlighted in the Positive Impact Rating, an international alternative to the usual rankings. The fourth level out of five was the final position awarded to Iscte Business School for the second time.
Iscte Business School was rated as
Transforming School
in the Positive Impact Rating - PIR, an international rating of 45 schools in 21 countries. This refers to the school's leadership's ability to motivate students, measuring its degree of commitment to sustainability, innovation, and students' personal development. The assessment was made by the students.
Overall, Iscte Business School is at the fourth level out of five. This is the second time in a row that the school has achieved this rating. The evaluation was based on a survey conducted by Iscte Junior Consulting - IJC, which included 20 questions on seven impact dimensions from three different areas, focusing on the sustainability and impact of Iscte Business School. This year, 123 students responded to the questionnaire.
With an overall score of 7.5 out of 10, Iscte Business School obtained results with values equal or above the global average: 7.9 in the Energizing area (where Iscte Business School stood out), 7.5 in the Educating area (referring to teaching methods, training offer and student support) and 7.4 in the Engaging area.
After the collection of data, which took place between December last year and March this year, each participating school was assigned a level between one and five.
The Energizing area measures students' perception of how the school's governance acts on the community and its culture in a more general sense. It is measured on two dimensions: the dimension of governance, in which students assess the extent to which the school's vision includes societal engagement and sustainability, and how these values are a driving force for the school; and on the dimension of culture, in which students assess the school's alignment with its vision and mission, and whether change is part of the school's culture.
"It is a great honour to know that the quality of our education and the work of the faculty had such a positive evaluation from the students. An innovative institution has to be aware of the issues of the day, such as sustainability, and have a mission that is well aligned with the community. This is the second time we have received an evaluation like this, and it is a trend we want to improve", says Maria João Cortinha, director of Iscte Business School.
The PIR is an alternative to the rankings often used to evaluate higher education institutions, focusing on the students' perspective and on issues related to sustainability, the concern of the schools' management in responding to global challenges, and their overall contribution to society.
The international rating was created by experts from higher education institutions in economics, finance and business sciences, together with global NGOs such as WWF, Oxfam and UN Global Compact, and support from international student associations AIESEC, Net Impact, VIVA Idea, The Institute for Business Sustainability Foundation and Fehr Advice.