JISC

This study was carried out by UCAS, with the Supporting Professionalism in Admissions Programme and APS Ltd. This study aimed to look at how the employment sector feeds back to job applicants, analyse this information to identify good practice and its applicability to HE admissions, and to present potential models for transfer to the provision of feedback to HE applicants by HEIs. The study concluded that most employers’ processes for giving feedback to job applicants were not at a higher level of development than those of the best HEIs’ processes for giving feedback to HE applicants. Furthermore, while the feedback systems of employers and of HE admissions had several characteristics in common, there were significant differences in the communications mechanisms, the existence of UCAS for example, and the expectations of potential recipients of feedback. In the light of this, the study makes the following recommendations about good practice in the area of feedback to applicants:

• Provide information early
• Respond appropriately
• Always respond
• Get the evidence
• Communicate efficiently and effectively
• Know your feedback system works

 For more information, see the final report, available from the foot of the page.  

The main report document is accompanied by a set of Annexes which are available as separate documents, also from the foot of the page:

• Annex 1 UML model: Current Practice relating to Job Applicants (JobAp_narrative.html in zipped folder ‘Feedback study annexes’)
• Annex 2 Feedback to applicants: Statement of Good Practice
• Annex 3 UML model: Possible Future Practice relating to HE Applicants. (HE_narrative.html in zipped folder ‘Feedback study annexes’)