December 7, 2015, by Ryan Neal

Using the Admissions system

Since the launch of GoLive 2 on 28 September, colleagues around the University have been using various aspects of the system in their daily work. We spoke to Chloe Brereton, who has been using the Admissions system, to find out what she thinks the main benefits and challenges of the new solution are.

1. What’s your name and job title?

Chloe Brereton – Undergraduate Admissions Officer

 2. Which user roles do you hold within the system?

Admissions Decision Maker

 3. What kinds of processes do you use the system to do on a daily basis?

The main process I use the system for is application assessment and decision processing. On a daily basis I assess applications for a number of different Schools. I make my initial assessment and then either process a final decision using the decision processing screen or send a notification to the admissions tutors for the application to receive further consideration.

The other process I use the system for is personal statement evaluation. For this I use the Applicant Summary screen and the Application Evaluation screen. It’s within the Application Evaluation screen that I can input the final score for the personal statement. This is then picked up within the department.

4. What challenges were presented by the old system(s) that you used?

One of the main challenges of the old system was the amount of paper that we worked with. Ensuring that all the applications where accounted for and that we kept track of them throughout the application cycle was very time consuming. If we were required to provide feedback to an applicant or add information to an application form we had to manually go and find the application form and look up or add the information. This meant there was always a slight delay when responding to applicants.

5. How has the new system improved the way that you do these processes?

As the new system is entirely paperless, we no longer have to send application forms to different departments in the post. This speeds up the process of referring applications through to different departments. It also means there is no longer any need for paper filing, ensuring that we have instant access to applications and any information regarding the applicant. This makes replying to queries or providing feedback a lot quicker, providing a better service for our applicants.

6. What are the biggest challenges that you’ve experienced with transitioning to the new system?

One of the biggest challenges for Admissions has been working our way through the backlog of applications after the delayed implementation of the system, whilst getting to grips with a completely new way of working. At first it was a struggle to work at the speed we are used to when making decisions due to the change in the way the information is presented to us. Getting used to the information being displayed in a number of different locations within the new system was a struggle – it meant that we were double and triple checking that we had not missed an important piece of information. This was especially important as we now make and process the decision at the same time, whereas previously a second person would be responsible for sending the decision to UCAS.

7. How do you think the new system will improve the experience of applicants?

The new system means applicants will receive their decision from us a lot quicker than they used to. This, for me, is one of the best things about the new system. It also allows us to provide applicants with a far more consistent application experience.

8. Is there anything else that you’d like to see the new system do?

If we are thinking big picture, it would be great if the new system could be tailored to individual people. Within Admissions we each have a number of Schools that we are responsible for. It would be so helpful if the system could provide each of us with a list of new applications, notifications and documents each morning based on our login details. This would provide each member of staff with a comprehensive list of work for the day, without the need to run queries.

However if we are thinking little picture, one of the key things that would help with decision making on a daily basis would be to have the personal statement and reference included within the decision processing screen. This would allow us to make our decision from within the one screen, which would speed up the decision making process. The new system has a fantastic ‘related content’ area, which is extremely helpful when making decisions. However, the views of this change depending on which screen you are in. It would be great if this stayed the same no matter which screen you are in.

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