Transcript What`s New at UCAS?

What’s new at UCAS?
Alan Jones
Professional Development Executive
Session outline
 2013 changes and enhancements
 2014 and beyond
 UCAS IA strategy

Course Finder

Preparing the Professionals

My future
 Discussion points
 Questions
Note for your diary

Apply 2013 will be
available from 12 June
 It is anticipated that over
100,000 applicants will
register with UCAS by
third week in July 2012
Apply 2013 – changes / enhancements
Cost of applying
▪ The cost of submitting an application in the 2013 cycle will
increase by £1
▫ £23 full entry fee (up to 5 initial choices)
▫ £12 single entry fee
Apply 2013 – changes / enhancements
Commercial mailings opt-in / opt-out
▪ Additional information / explanation
Apply 2013 – changes / enhancements
Improved data integrity
▪ Additional cross-field validation will be added to the data
items captured in Apply to improve data integrity
▫ e.g. country of birth, nationality, dual nationality)
▪ Reduction in the number of ‘unknown’ options
▪ Consistency in password rules between Apply and Track
▫ both will be case sensitive
Apply 2013 – changes / enhancements
Key Information Dataset
▪ In support of the introduction of the Key Information Set
(KIS), UCAS has agreed with HEFCE to make changes to
the collection from institutions of course-level fee
information for the 2013 cycle
How KIS might be presented online
Apply 2013 – changes / enhancements
Change to the Oxbridge Rules of combination
▪ Oxford and Cambridge are further restricting their rules of
applying to both Oxford and Cambridge
▪ This will now only be permissible to post graduate
applicants applying to fast track medicine
Apply 2013 – changes / enhancements
Student finance (data sharing)
▪ A process will be introduced to allow applicants who are
resident in Scotland, to agree to share their UCAS applicant
data with the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS)
▪ This will complement the existing process whereby
applicants resident in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
can agree to share their UCAS applicant data with the SLC
ABL 2013 – changes / enhancements
Hope BTEC results to be collected and provided via ABL
▪ 2012: e-provision of overall grades followed by paper
printout of module scores
▪ For the future it is hoped that it will be possible to provide
full results electronically
Confirmation and Clearing
Plan to move towards a more structured Confirmation
and Clearing
▪
▪
Aim to have a more structured process and procedures
May be incremental across 2013 and 2014
Course Collect
New data collection system for HEIs to replace web-link
Institution and Courses Data (Net.update)
 http://www.ucas.com/he_staff/coursecollect/
 Familiarisation site available
from August 2012
 Live version launch October
2012
 Net.update decommission
November 2012
 User guide and (updated) FAQs
 Survey to inform further
population of help text
IA strategy
▪ Context
▫ traditional support networks for IAG work
disbanded (Aimhigher / Connexions)
▫ responsibilities passed to schools to
provide guidance / progression activities
▪ UCAS plans to provide:
▫ a structured and supportive journey to
applicants as they progress into HE
▫ useful IA products and services at all
stages of the process
Overview - Course Finder
▪ UCAS Course Search has not had any
significant development in the last decade
▫ Users expect more intelligent results
The Course Finder tool will initially be a
▪ Data has become richer, users need this
standalone
signed
product,manner
but will which
displayed
to them
in aninintuitive
allows:
need to
be seamlessly integrated into an
Filtering



Comparison
overall future portal
Bookmarking
▪ Usability will be central to development of
Course Finder
Market Intelligence – Course Finder
Market Intelligence – Course Finder
▪ Functionality top 3
▫ Click through to Institution
91.7%
▫ Use search filters (distance from user postcode)
91.3%
▫ Compare one course against another
85%
Usability approach
 Users at the heart of development
 Usability Lab engaged
 26 semi-structured interviews undertaken
with target users, each lasting 30 minutes
 Respondents included pre-applicants,
parents of pre-applicants, school staff,
international agents
 8 personas identified
Usability approach
▪ Iterative development cycles
▪ Use of wire frames
▪ Continued usability sessions with users
Course Finder demo
Sneak peek at Course Finder second release
▪ Free registration to access My UCAS features:
▫ Bookmarking of their favourite courses
▫ Ability to compare up to 5 courses side by side
▫ Manage their Course Finder account settings
▪ Welsh language version deployed
▪ Release 2 will be live very soon!
Sneak peek at Course Finder second release
Preparing the Professionals
 Summer 2011 - 6 events held
across the UK
 Over 300 professionals attended or
received packs of UCAS materials
 Over 90% of our member
universities involved
 Phase 2 – The ‘professionals portal’
is in final stage of development!
PtP Pack
UCAS PPT
Presentations

UCAS
PPT PDF’s
UCAS
materials
UCAS
PPT Games
Additional
resources
Forms








UCAS PPT
Presentations
UCAS
PPT PDF’s
Apply & Track
UCAS
Basics
Apply
Track
PPT& Games
Basics
Basics plus
Additional
CS
‘Post
it’
Personal
Statements
Basics
plus
resources
PS
‘True or
False’
Research
Personal
Statements
Forms
PS
resources
Last
one
standing
Statistics
Research
Guides,
flowcharts
Apply
2012
quiz &
Statistics
Standard ‘UCAS
tables
Blockbusters
feedback form’
 Example applicant
 Record of Visits
letters
spread sheet
Preparing the Professionals: phase 3 & 4
Future IA: My Future
 Interactive online pathway tool
 Multiple entry points
 Signed in product
 Partnership working
Future IA: My Future tool
User registers /
signs in
Career
Aspiration
Quals
gained or
taking
Psychometric test
Interests
My Future
Pathway within
HE
My Future results
Course suggestions
Career profile
Pathway outside
HE
Other areas of product development
 Course Collect
 Digital marketing plan
 App & mobile developments
 Customer Improvement Programme

Outcomes from APR

New Admissions Process
 Qualifications Information Review
2014 onwards system changes
 Admission Process Review (APR) findings and
recommendations

http://www.ucas.com/about_us/media_enquiries/media_releases/2012/20120328
 Recommended for implementation

myUCAS@ web portal to provide improved info to apps

Increase use of mandatory fields and data validation in Apply
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Facility to upload supporting docs including portfolios

Extend ABL
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Improved terminology
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Paperless process for HEIs

Improved feedback facility

Insurance choice HEIs to see conditions of Firm choice offers at Confirmation
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Improved info capture and data quality to aid HEI decisions

Secure central data capture and 3rd party sharing
2014 onwards system changes
 Admission Process Review (APR) findings and
recommendations

http://www.ucas.com/about_us/media_enquiries/media_releases/2012/20120328
 Amended and recommended for implementation

Pop-ups and wizards in Apply

Matching results to conditional offers

Optional personal statement section which will allow choice specific tailoring
and additional personal statements in defined circumstances

Pop-ups and wizards to support correct use of Insurance choice
 Other proposals that require further refinement prior to
becoming recommendations
Other 2014 onwards changes
 Qualifications Information Review (QIR) findings and
recommendations

http://www.ucas.com/reviews/qireview/
 Consultation on recommendations for a new system of
qualifications information launched 9 Feb 2012 and closed
16 April 2012
 Responses being analysed for presentation to UCAS
Board June 2012
 Findings will be published July 2012
QIR recommendations

Development of UCAS Qualification information profiles (QIPs) and associated
database

Gradual withdrawal of the use of the UCAS Tariff for entry requirements and
offer making in favour of the use of qualifications and grades

Development of an HE-validated standardised demand scale (SDS) underpinned
by independent criteria for robust comparisons of achievement across different
qualifications

A simple qualifications metric for management information

Publication of an annual UCAS report on progression qualifications

If demand from HEIs, development of optional admissions tools
 Remember also consultation on single admissions route for
ITT applications and information through GTTR
Discussion points (3)
Use
online
– howatdo
you
Howofdo
youresources
deliver IAG
your
What would
youwhat
do iftoyou
were us?
choose
use?
schools and colleges?
2012 Confirmation, Clearing and Adjustment
 UCAS is utilising cloud technology this summer to
prevent recurrence of 2011 problems with Track
 Placed (UF) applicants will receive an email as well as a
Confirmation letter via post
 Adviser Toolkit published on UCAS website

http://www.ucas.com/advisers/guides/advisertoolkit
 Timings Thursday 16 August 2012:
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00.01 Clearing vacancy list published
08.00 Track available
18.00 Add Clearing Choice live in Track
Changes to Student Number Controls (SNC)
 UCAS will be monitoring the effects of SNC changes this
summer, for both:

HEIs and

Applicants
 Concerns include:

Near miss non ABB+ equivalent applicants

Numbers that may register for Adjustment

Possible elongation of Confirmation & Clearing

Possible HEI responses to pressure to meet numbers
requirement
SNC 2012
International applicants
numbers not limited
because no UK govt. finance
- 8%
with
excepts
< 50
SIVs
Spclist
recruits
Core numbers Home/EU
allocated by HEFCE
limited because UK govt.
finance required
AAB+ equivalent
M
A
R
G
I
N
20, 000
Places
bid for if
high quality
< £7,500
AAB+ equivalence
 Limited to equivalences published by HEFCE
do not include all qualifications on the UCAS Tariff, or always match
Tariff equivalences e.g. IB
 Cannot combine qualifications on list
 Applicant could be deemed to have achieved AAB +
by HEFCE, but still not meet HEI entry requirements
e.g. HEI want AAB in 3 A levels excluding General Studies
applicant achieves English A, General Studies A, History B
 Can be AAB+ equivalent with a score lower than a B
e.g. A*A*C, A*A*D, A*AC, A*A*A at AS level
(remember also A*BB)
Possible implications for applicants / advisers
 AAB + does not equal entitlement / guarantee a place
 Those predicted AAB + may find it more difficult to secure
place at F or I choice if ‘near miss’
may wish to bear this in mind when replying to offers
 ‘Near miss’ applicants may need additional support
 Adjustment may see more registrations and movements
 If so, more places may become available in
Adjustment or Clearing and could elongate
the process
Questions?
Alan Jones
Professional Development Executive
[email protected]