Supporting Professionalism in Admissions and Feedback UCET Management Forum - 26 June2008 Janet Graham, Director of SPA

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Supporting Professionalism in Admissionsand
FeedbackUCET Management Forum - 26 June2008
Janet Graham, Director of SPA
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What is SPA and why does it exist?

• UKs independent and objective voice on HE
  admissions
• Set up to provide expertise and advice to the HE
  sector and other stakeholders to enhance
  professionalism in admissions, student
  recruitment and widening participation
• SPA leads on the development of fair admissions,
  and is managing the review of the implementation
  of the Schwartz report Fair Admissions (2004)
  recommendations
• The SPA Steering Group oversees the Programme and
  reports go to the UK HE funding bodies

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SPA overview of issues

• Expectation of increasing professionalism within
  admissions, views of schools, colleges, public
  and media - are practices and processes fair and
  transparent?
• Increasing pressures on admissions staff in
  institutions providing HE - conflicting
  priorities and complex issues
• Responsible and professional use of admissions
  tests, contextual factors for holistic assessment
  
• SPA contribution to national debates and issues
  e.g. Delivery Partnership Director member of
  this HE sector led national group
• Still much more work for SPA to do

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SPA overview of issues

• Transparency in entry criteria and admissions
  decision making process and related information,
  advice and guidance (IAG) issues
• Transparency in admissions policies - John
  Denhams (DIUS) speech to the HEFCE Conference,
  April 2008
• We have to look for measures that will
  reassure the public based on the fundamental
  principle that universities decide whom they
  should admit. The answer lies in openness,
  transparency and accountability. It lies in each
  university having a published admissions policy
  being able to show that it has measures in hand
  to equip all those involved in admissions to
  implement the policy accurately and fairly and
  in each university being able to assure itself
  that this is being done.
• This government interest impacts on all
  institutions admitting students to HE courses

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Professionalism in admissions

• Schwartz report felt admissions processes
  generally fair
• Schwartz 5 principles for fair admissions
• Be transparent, and provide consistent and
  efficient information
• Admit students who are able to complete the
  course as judged by their achievements and
  potential
• Use assessment methods in admissions that are
  reliable and valid
• Minimise barriers to applicants
• Be professional in every respect and underpinned
  by institutional structures and processes

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What the SPA team have achieved so far

• Review of current admissions procedures, policies
  etc at HE providers evidence of good practice
  and encouraging transparency.
• About 100 universities and colleges visited in UK
  to date (32 of the 309 HEIs in the UCAS scheme
  for 2008)
• Audit of the use of admissions tests, validity,
  how used, increasing transparency.
  http//www.spa.ac.uk/admission-tests/index.html
• Working with the UK Delivery Partnership
  particularly in relation to encouraging more and
  better quality Entry Profiles and good practice
  in feedback to unsuccessful applicants
• Data and statistics to support admissions
  decision making and policy

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What the SPA team have achieved so far

• Creation and development of the SPA website and
  information and communication strategy to
  disseminate good practice and build links
  www.spa.ac.uk
• Annual review report 2006-07 and a number of
  Factsheets
• 5 SPA conferences/seminars held round the UK to
  date and presentations at many others
• SPA inputs topics and good practice issues into
  UCAS CPD programme and, where possible,
  institutions Staff Development Offices etc with
  regard to training of admissions decision makers
  both administrative and academic, e.g. in
  interviews etc, this is crucial to enhance good
  practice.

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Developing good practice - Progress

• Feedback to HE applicants
• Admissions Tests validity, use, what is a
  good test?
• Interviewing HE applicants nearly finished
• Applicants with criminal convictions, relevant
  courses need enhanced disclosure by registration
  in progress
• Entry Profiles (with DP/UCAS) key benefits
  document
• Factors considered for holistic assessment for
  fair admissions in progress
• Admissions policies in progress

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Feedback to unsuccessful applicants

• Government Recommendation More informative feed
  back to students, detailing particularly why
  their applications have been rejected
• The Delivery Partnership Steering Group (DPSG)
  considered this recommendation and welcomed SPAs
  draft statement of good practice on 1 May 2007 as
  a positive model to take forward.
• Links to the work of the DPSG Entry Profile
  Working Group encouraging the provision of clear,
  comparable entry requirement information, with a
  view to moving toward 100 Entry Profile
  information about courses on the UCAS website by
  September 2009
• One of three consultations to stakeholders
  May/June 2007

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Statement of Good Practice on Feedback

• Feedback to be on request
• Statement updated as a result of comments from
  consultation and elsewhere. Accepted by the
  Delivery Partnership Steering Group, UCAS Board,
  UUK Board, GuildHE Council, and SPA Steering
  Group
• Available to all on the SPA website
• http//www.spa.ac.uk/good-practice/applicant-feed
  back.html
• Circulated by Delivery Partnership Steering Group
  via UUK and SPA to HEIs in February 2008
• HEIs to update policies and procedures so
  accessible by December 2008, for use for those
  applying for 2009 entry

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Electronic Feedback options

• UCAS/GTTR working on the technological side, SPA
  input
• Coding linked with a reject decision this would
  be an institution devised code which would
  generate text of a standard sentence or
  paragraphs or possibly free text, which the
  applicant would view as a letter on Track
• Amended reject decision where, on request from
  the applicant, the HEI would send feedback via
  UCAS/GTTR as a standard sentence/ paragraph or
  free text as a new amended reject decision,
  which the applicant would view as a letter on
  Track
• Text would need to be reviewed by the HEI on an
  annually basis
• Use of these by HEIs via UCAS/GTTR would be
  optional tool from 2009

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SPA - the next three years 1

• 14-19 curriculum issues - good practice in
  progression and admission to HE
• Vocational, skills and work based learning routes
  into HE, the role of compacts, articulation and
  progression agreements, foundation degrees and
  employee/employer engagement
• Equality and diversity issues relating to
  equality of opportunity and how this impacts
  admissions
• Develop our role in good practice, fairness and
  transparency relating to widening
  access/participation and linking schools and
  colleges to HE providers

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SPA - the next three years 2

• The applicant experience, a key precursor to a
  good student experience not only customer
  service/relations but also an integrated approach
  across an institution to pre-application,
  application, post-application and transition
  issues this will include admissions policies
• Work with senior staff in HE provider
  institutions and via HEA, UUK GuildHE, AoC and
  others to increase buy-in to the strategic
  importance of recruitment, admissions and
  widening access to the institution
• Part-time applicants, establishing and analysing
  an evidence base of current practice to review
  equality of opportunity and good practice
• Impact of policies of the individual
  administrations in the UK.

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Thank youMore information from
enquiries_at_spa.ac.uk or 01242 544891www.spa.ac.uk