USNews.com online bachelor's degree rankings

[bluebooger]

I don't understand the ranking at all

for Best Online Bachelor's Programs
Best Online Bachelors Programs | Online Bachelors Rankings | US News

they have a criteria called "Student Engagement" which is supposed to measure "This measures student satisfaction and instructor responsiveness."

but if you look at how they determine "Student Engagement"
Methodology: Best Online Bachelor's Programs Rankings - US News and World Report
, I see very few that I would say actually measure student satisfaction.

short answer exams have unique login passwords, are non-duplicated, and have random order questioning; <- no
policies of instructors tracking, reviewing, and providing feedback on student participation; <- yes
frequencies of instructors tracking, reviewing, and providing feedback on student participation; <- yes
school tracks students after graduation; <- no
collaborative coursework; <- no
formal copyright policy; <- yes (good to have it spelled out I guess, so you know for sure what the rules are)
anti-plagiarism policy; <- yes (good to have it spelled out I guess, so you know for sure what the rules are)
American Disabilities Act policy; <- yes
certified instructional designers; <- no
students sign ethics statement; <- no
instructor response timeframe; <- yes
instructor office hours. <- maybe

it just seems like a very weird way to measure student satisfaction

how about number of students that drop a course, or withdraw from the school, or number of complaints

what would you use to determine "Student Satisfaction"