How UCAS is improving its products for applicants and teachers/file/UCAS.pdfClearing Extra Main...
Transcript of How UCAS is improving its products for applicants and teachers/file/UCAS.pdfClearing Extra Main...
How UCAS is improving its products for
applicants and teachers
Higher education in context – 2011 year of entry
▪ Total applicants 700,161 0.4%
▪ Total accepted applicants 492,030 1.0%
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
Adjustment
Clearing
Extra
Main scheme
430,772 9,537
51,169
Source: UCAS final end of year figures for 2011 (15/12/2011)
552
2012 entry – to AAB or not to AAB?
▪ The Government (HEFCE) has freed up the
restrictions to student number controls
▪ For 2012, English universities no longer place number
controls on the recruitment of students who have
achieved grades of AAB or above, at A level or
equivalent
▪ Intended to increase competition between institutions,
and to maximise the aspirational choices available to
students
Core
(Home / EU)
International
Core
(Home / EU)
Identified AAB+ or equivalent
plus additional 8%
AAB+ or equivalent
Understanding the change
How will this affect your students?
Through the application cycle
▪ Institutions may choose to recruit as many AAB+ students
as they wish
▫ Subject to resources and competitive selection
▫ AAB+ does not equal entitlement / guarantee a place
▪ More / earlier offers for AAB+ predicted applicants?
How will this affect your students?
At confirmation this summer
AAB
AAB
The current (UCAS) admissions system
▪ Does it put the applicant at the heart of the process?
▪ Does it support different types of applicant?
▪ Does it support different types of courses?
▪ Does it support the best match of applicant to course?
▪ Is it a fair admissions process?
▪ Does it support the best admissions decisions?
▪ Is it efficient?
▪ Does it provide excellent service?
The APR Consultation
▪ The APR Consultation proposed
changes to the admissions process for
undergraduate courses in the UK
▪ It was launched 31 October 2011 and
closed 20 January 2012
▪ Diverse, thoughtful and insightful
responses received from across the
education sector
The Admissions Process Review (APR)
2014: Implement streamlined and improved processes
2016: Move to a post-results system (or PQA)
Proposals that received strong support
▪ ‘myUCAS’ web portal
▪ More mandatory fields and data validation
▫ Improved information capture and data quality
▫ Central data capture for third parties – UKBA, SLC
▪ Document upload, including portfolios
▪ Better guidance for referees
▪ Improved terminology
▪ Insurance HEI visibility of the Firm HEI’s conditions
▪ Improved facility to provide feedback
Proposals that have subsequently been refined
▪ Pop-ups and wizards during the online application
▫ Rather than flags and warnings
▫ E.g. to support rather than enforce the correct
selection of an insurance choice
▪ Tailorable sections of the personal statement in Apply
▫ Rather than tailoring the full personal statement
▪ Option for a new personal statement in Extra /
Clearing
▫ Rather than for all choices
Deliver phased implementation of both
sets of proposals from 2014 year of entry
Post-results system
▪ In principle, a logical and desirable goal
▪ However, strong and well articulated concerns about:
▫ The practicalities of implementation
▫ Risks to certain applicant groups
UCAS is not recommending a move to post-results applications
Remaining challenges
▪ Accuracy of predicted grades
▪ Effectiveness of Insurance choice
▪ Availability of high quality contextual data
▪ Tailored process for international applicants
▪ Provision of intelligent IAG resources
UCAS information tools
UCAS’ IA strategy – Course Finder
▪ UCAS Course Search has not had any significant
development in the last decade
▫ Users expect more intelligent results
▪ Data has become richer, users need intuitive:
▫ Filtering
▫ Comparisons
▫ Bookmarking
▪ Course Finder is initially a standalone product, but will
subsequently be seamlessly integrated into a ‘single
sign’ portal
▪ Usability central to development of Course Finder
Preparing the Professionals
▪ Summer 2011 – 6 events
held across the UK
▪ Over 300 HE professionals
attended or received packs of
UCAS materials
▫ Over 90% of our member
universities involved
▪ Phase 2 – The ‘Professionals
Portal’ is in final stage of
development!
PtP Pack
UCAS
materials
UCAS PPT
Presentations
Apply & Track
Basics
Basics plus
Personal Statements
Research
Statistics
Additional
resources
PS resources
Guides, flowcharts &
tables
Example applicant
letters
UCAS PPT
Presentations
UCAS
PPT PDFs
UCAS
PPT Activities
Additional
resources
Forms
Further developments in IA – ‘My Future’
Quals
gained or
taking
Career
aspirations
Psycho-
metric
testing
Interests
My Future
My Future results
Course suggestions
Career profile
Pathway within
HE
Pathway outside
HE
User registers /
signs in
IA tools for the future
How do you deliver IAG at your
schools and colleges?
Use of online resources
– how do you choose what to use?
What would / is on your UCAS
‘wishlist’ of future developments?