Transitions and the Applicant Experience Alyssa Newman Admissions Project Officer Student Experience Project, Applicant Experience Student Recruitment & Admissions

Linking transitions and the applicant experience Overview of the Applicant Experience (AE) strand Research findings Current pilot projects Example pilot project Initial findings Next steps Questions & answer session Group activity & discussion Presentation outline

Linking transitions & the applicant experience Pre- application Application Post- application Transition Source: Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA), 2011 RETENTION and GRADUATION

Aim: to enable greater self-selection by prospective applicants, early in the application process; to select students best equipped to benefit from the Edinburgh experience, from diverse backgrounds; to develop admissions policy and practice to enhance the applicant experience Three distinct project phases: research, pilot projects, and project evaluation AE Strand: an overview

Authentic student voice Managing students’ expectations Early engagement Expanding information on the non-traditional student experience More informational resources/ tool kits to students’ advisors Full report on the AE initial research findings Research findings

Current AE Pilot Projects General Under- and Postgraduate General Undergraduate General Postgraduate Undergraduate – subject specific Templates for Open Day speakers Capturing the UG and PG Edinburgh student experience Integration of admissions data PG student profiles Exemplars to better articulate entry & selection criteria UG prospectus Informational resources/ tool kits to students’ advisors Differentiating between similar sounding degree programmes Understanding what a subject area involves

AE Pilot Project: an example Please click on the links below to access the full suite of videos for the pilot project ‘Capturing the under- and postgraduate Edinburgh student experience.’ These videos can be found on the University of Edinburgh’s Youtube site and main website. University’s Youtube site: Undergraduate student videos - Youtube playlist Postgraduate student videos - Youtube playlist University’s main website: Undergraduate student videos - website playlist Postgraduate student videos - website playlist

Evaluation: initial findings Open Day template tool-kits “I found the [Open Day presentation] templates worked very well. The slides were great and really enhanced the professionalism of my presentation. A great initiative, so thank you!” – Member of academic staff Open Day experiences video All projects will be monitored and evaluated Over 2,000 views in five months!

Next steps Progressing each pilot project Monitoring and improving Evaluating the impact Concluding Disseminating

Applicant Experience strand wiki: Fair Admissions to HE: Recommendations for Good Practice - the Schwartz report (2004) Moogan, Y. J., & Baron, S. (2003) An analysis of student characteristics within the student decision-making process. Journal of Further and Higher Education Moogan, Y. J. (2011) Can a higher education institution's marketing strategy improve the student-institution match? International Journal of Educational Management, 25 (6), pp. 570 – 589. Rigby, S. (2012) Student Report Review Shaffer, D. (2011) The Applicant Experience, Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA) Student Experience Project website: Wasmer, D.J., Williams J.R. & Stevenson, J. (1997) A re-conceptualization of the marketingmix: using the 4 C’s to improve marketing planning in higher education, Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 8(2), pp. 29–35. References

Student Experience Project website: Student Experience Project wiki: Applicant Experience strand wiki: Contact Alyssa directly at: E: T: Further information

Group activity and discussion ‘ What can you do in your discipline/ area to enhance how you manage student expectations during the admissions process and to set students up on a pathway for a successful transition to university?’