JISC

Overview

The current review of HE admissions in England, a process which began with the Schwartz report in 2004, is being driven and supported by a number of agencies, including the Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA) programme and the UK Delivery Partnership led by UUK. It is becoming increasingly recognised that institutions would like to make use of wider datasets on applicants than are currently available through the UCAS Apply process. Interest in Course Entry Profiles is increasing, with both these bodies having working groups looking specifically at this area and a government target of 100% Entry Profiles for courses offered via UCAS by September 2008. At the same time, interest in course entry profiles is drawing attention to their potential in both applying for and selecting applicants for courses. Alongside Entry Profiles HEIs are making ever-increasing use of admissions tests to support selection of applicants who are both suited to and likely to complete specific courses. Drawing on baseline information about e-Admissions practice in HEIs gathered by ADoM, the team’s parallel domain map project, DELIA will develop new scenarios for future practice and then specify and prototype a particular area of admissions to demonstrate how HEIs might maximise use of richer sets of applicant data

We will focus on potential uses of course entry profiles: while we recognise that their main value currently lies in candidates’ selection of courses to apply for, with a view to linking them to structured personal statements capable of linking with ePortfolio evidence, in order to improve both support to learners applying to HE and the quality of their applications. As we recognise that a significant number of UK HE courses are recruiting, rather than selecting, a second focus will on prototyping the technology to support a range of staff in handling these new kinds of data, in order to facilitate and streamline the administration of e-Admission to HEIs.

Aims and objectives

The project will explore and extend the demonstrators and workflows produced by the eP4LL reference model and ADoM projects, investigating how productively these can be linked to improved course entry information to support transparency in admissions and facilitate fair and appropriate decision-making. We will also explore how institutions can make use of enhanced data received through the admissions process to support student induction and retention and inform forward planning for support.

• Support development and use of structured course entry profiles in collaboration with the SPA programme and Delivery Partnership and explore their use and benefits to applicants matching themselves to courses, including structuring personal statements and drawing on ePortfolio evidence
• Explore the use of the developing XCRI CAP schema to allow applicants to aggregate information drawn from Entry Profiles to support their decision-making process (link to IAG). Requirements and suggested structures will be fed back into the XCRI programe
• In collaboration with the PortisHEad project, scope and demonstrate the kinds of electronic assistance, using a service-oriented approach, that would be required to make course entry profiles linked to structured personal statements and references work
• Collaborate with the SPA programme to consider the nature and use of pre-assessment as part of the admissions process in a variety of disciplines
• Explore the business processes needed by admissions staff in HEIs to maximise the potential use of enhanced applicant information, including how it might be used to support student retention
• Help to improve self-matching to courses by candidates and to enhance learner information for more accurate assessment of aptitude and potential by HEIs, in turn maximising the likelihood of student retention
• Draw on the findings of the ADoM domain map of the area to demonstrate the potential offered by fully electronic admissions
• Carry out prototyping work which will be a prime vehicle for requirements engineering in the entry profile space.

Project methodology

A requirements gathering phase will draw on the findings of associated projects and initiatives working in this area. Focus groups of first-year undergraduate students and FE staff supporting the application process will be formed to provide user input into how entry profiles are used more effectively by applicants. Workshops with Schools-based admissions tutors and central admissions staff will develop scenarios and provide feedback on development ideas and demonstrations, as well as scoping how institutions might make further use of enhanced data following on from the admissions process. The highest priority services will be prototyped, including use of story-boarding and throw-away technology, followed by more considered prototyping as a result of trials. Outputs will be critiqued and tested at both partner HEIs and offered to the parallel PortisHEad project for further testing.

Anticipated impact

This project brings together the learning from two successful JISC Reference Model projects (XCRI and eP4LL), the expertise of UCAS, the current work of forward-looking admissions practitioners in HEIs and the creativity of technical developers experienced in service-oriented architecture. By collaborating with the SPA  programme, which is also focusing on use of course entry profiles, we will share exploring and emerging practice and scope the potential support they offer to both learners and admissions officers. The PortisHEad project based at the University of Wolverhampton will both trial the findings of DELIA and feed back information on how admissions officers respond to enhanced applicant information matched to structured Entry Profiles and offered via an ePortfolio.

Lead institution

• Centre for International ePortfolio Development, University of Nottingham

Project partners

• Manchester Metropolitan University
• UCAS
• APS Ltd