Unsuccessful - what me? A summary of feedback on - UCAS

12
THE FUTURE FOR
ADMISSIONS IS PAPERLESS ...
The stories so far ...
UCAS news
Kelly Villiers in the Recruit<strong>me</strong>nt and Admissions Office at Coventry University, and Lorna
Jones, Director <strong>of</strong> Admissions & Student Recruit<strong>me</strong>nt, at the University <strong>of</strong> Dundee
For a number <strong>of</strong> years now prospective university
students have been making their applications online
through the UCAS website and are now in the habit <strong>of</strong>
checking the progress <strong>of</strong> their application on UCAS
Track. What is not widely known is that this electronic
process is interrupted because after receiving the
applications online UCAS then prints and posts the
applications to each individual university or college for it
to deal with. This creates an obvious delay in the
application process. At Coventry University and the
University <strong>of</strong> Dundee things are different however as
they were two <strong>of</strong> the first universities to introduce a
paperless admissions system.
Kelly Villiers from Coventry University. We relish
improved speed and efficiency in admissions
Coventry University receives applications electronically
from UCAS, with no need for paper copies, which
<strong>me</strong>ans the speed <strong>of</strong> admissions processing is greatly
increased. The university reassures prospective
students that the university has received their
application with an acknowledg<strong>me</strong>nt communication.
They are then regularly contacted by admissions staff
so that they are aware <strong>of</strong> the progress <strong>of</strong> their
application.
In our specially designed admissions system
applications are assessed electronically by pr<strong>of</strong>essional
admissions staff in the Recruit<strong>me</strong>nt and Admissions
Office who adhere to the values <strong>of</strong> ‘fair and equal’
decision-making based on academic criteria. Activities
including liaising with faculty admissions staff for their
input on decisions, adding notes, docu<strong>me</strong>nts and
emails to an applicant’s record are all done online
through the admissions system. The system can also
invite applicants to interview, audition or portfolio review
and as well as send our decision to the applicant all
through UCAS. At all stages our paperless admissions
The key benefit <strong>of</strong> the
paperless system is the
dramatically improved
speed at which we can
communicate with our
applicants
system allows us to make decisions efficiently, avoid
unnecessary delays, and keep applicants infor<strong>me</strong>d <strong>of</strong>
the status <strong>of</strong> their application.
The key benefit <strong>of</strong> the paperless system is the
dramatically improved speed at which we can
communicate with our applicants. Applicant <strong>feedback</strong>
tells us that 92% <strong>of</strong> applicants for 2009 entry agreed
the information they received from us was either useful
or very useful. Anecdotal evidence suggests that
students and their advisers welco<strong>me</strong> efficient decisionmaking
and being kept up-to-date during the
admissions process. For the university the main
benefits have been improved levels <strong>of</strong> service to
applicants and greater standardisation and
pr<strong>of</strong>essionalism across the wider admissions
community.
Lorna Jones, Director <strong>of</strong> Admissions & Student
Recruit<strong>me</strong>nt Admissions – the paperless
experience so far at the University <strong>of</strong> Dundee
There is a very positive attitude towards change at the
University <strong>of</strong> Dundee with work starting towards a
paperless system two years ago. The work
concentrated on the embedding <strong>of</strong> an environ<strong>me</strong>ntally