JISC

• identify, investigate and report upon good practice in supporting learners throughout the process of application to and induction into higher education;
• seek to establish where there are opportunities to improve support through the use of or further development of technology and through better integration of current technological solutions to provide a seamless service to the user.

 The Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) literature was consulted to develop a useable model of the different stages of the process under investigation. Five stages were identified:

• Supporting learners in becoming more self-aware;
• Making sure they have accessible and comprehensive information about opportunities;
• Supporting them in evaluating the information and making decisions;
• Supporting them in presenting themselves to institutions;
• Supporting them in understanding the nature of the HE experience and in particular HE learning.

Within each stage the study considered the information needs, primarily of the learner, but also of supporting tutors/advisers; processes which support the learner in using the information; current technology being used in relation to this stage; and actual and potential web services.

The study makes a number of recommendations, including some specifically for UCAS. These can be found in the final report. UCAS has considered and responded to these recommendations. The report and the UCAS response are available under documents and multimedia below.