BaT: Find & Apply – show and tell
Find Beta and Apply Beta – 20/03/2019
Becoming a teacher service line
The format
Context
Where we fit into a candidate’s journey:
Explore
School experience
Choose courses
Apply
Track and interview
Make a decision
Meet conditions
Prepare and train
“I need to find teacher training courses that fit my interests, abilities and circumstances”
“I need candidates to know about my courses”
C
P
Find and Publish Courses
Where we fit into a candidate’s journey:
Explore
School experience
Choose courses
Apply
Track and interview
Make a decision
Meet conditions
Prepare and train
“I need to apply for teacher training courses, so I can qualify as a teacher”
“I need to assess applicants efficiently and accurately so I get the right people for my course”
P
C
Apply and Manage Applications
Find
Orgs on the rails
Orgs on the rails
Orgs on the rails
Orgs on the rails
C#
Rails
Making sense of the Apply settings
In UCAS web-link there are:
These live in the part of web-link that UCAS will turn off.
UCAS can’t easily move or build these features themselves.
For UCAS Apply to continue working, we need to support these features too.
Settings that affect �UCAS Apply
The settings look cryptic.
Only 2 matter:�UTT application alerts�Type of GT12 required
UCAS provides a handbook to explain these settings.
Providers set these when they join and rarely alter them.
Decoding the settings that matter
Type of GT12 required
GT12 is a letter that’s posted to successful applicants. Providers can pick from different templates – choosing whether applicants need to confirm or not.
About 70% of providers ask applicants to confirm if they will or will not take the place. Where applicants reply to is set in another part of UCAS.
UTT application alerts
A provide can choose to get email alerts whenever a new application comes in.�Where those emails are sent to is also set in another part of UCAS…
Contacts that UCAS
ask for
Providers manage a “Contacts list” in UCAS. It’s cryptic too.
It’s here that they set:�- where applicants respond to�- who gets the application alerts
They also add:�- finance contact�- fraud contact�- web-link contact
Putting these settings and contacts in Publish
We needed to explain:
And there’s one more complication: GDPR.
UCAS don’t have permission to share their existing contact data with us. So we can’t show providers what they’ve already set. We needed to explain that too.
Doing the transition
Transitioning in 3-4 batches from 10 April to 29 April
Pre-transition
Testing API integrations
Scheduling research
Providing guidance on the new features
Batch 1 transitioned
‘You have been transitioned’ confirmation email
Testing API integrations with real changes to course info
Review batch 1 transition
Time for integration changes / improvements to the API
Scale and repeat processes
How we’re going to be working with UCAS
Support
BAT will support all providers who require new courses through Google Forms and Zendesk
Testing
BAT and UCAS will use the first two batches to ensure that the integrations are working and nothing is affecting UCAS Apply
Research
BAT will research with the first two batches of providers to ensure transition has run smoothly
Comms
BAT and UCAS sharing responsibility for communicating the transition of providers
Features we’re adding for transition
Request new courses using a Google Form
In our prototype we’ve built and researched a flow for adding new courses.�It’s tested well, but we don’t have time to build it for transition.
Research tells us that only a few courses will be added to the current cycle at this time of year. The new course flow is most important around rollover.
Before rollover we can use a Google Form as an MVP for adding new courses.�We can ask the same questions, but will need to manually create the course.
We will have an SLA of 1 day to get courses added.
The full course flow will be ready for rollover.
Google Forms
Google Forms allow us to use our “one page per thing” design pattern.
We are testing the form with users to make sure it collects the right information.
We need to ask Universities and SCITTs slightly different questions, so we have two forms.
If you’re a Uni or SCITT: Form
If you’re a School Direct: Form
Apply
Welcome Fred!
...sorry Fred.
Work with vendors to allow data to be extracted from our system and made available for upload into each SRS, understanding more about context and constraints
Start by prototyping and testing elements of an end-to-end minimum viable product
-ISH
Vendor engagement
We can engage with all vendors in a reasonable timeframe
We’ve spoken to all but one vendor on the phone
Hypothesis: We can work with vendors to allow data to be extracted from our system and made available for upload into each SRS, understanding more about context and constraints
We can work with vendors to agree viable mechanisms to get data into their SRS’
We’ve started to have workshops with major vendors (Tribal & Oracle) to conceptually agree integration approaches
We can work with at least one HEI to co-design and test a service that enables their admissions workflow this year
We’ve identified Sheffield Uni as a potential co-designer, and explored tactical transfer mechanisms that can enable us to start testing quickly.
What we’ve learnt so far
��
Sheffield University- Internal Processes
Automatic
Manual
| Application download | Application review | Interview logistics | Offer communications | Post-offer | |||||
Tool | ||||||||||
UCAS Teacher Training | | | | | | | | | | |
In-House Portal | | | | | | | | | | |
E-mail�Paper | | | | | | | | | | |
Excel | | | | | | | | | | |
UCAS applications sync to portal daily
Tutors download applications on Weblink, or via portal
E-mail template used for Interview comms
Decisions manually logged on UCAS
Application notification to tutors via e-mail
Action
Application decisions synced to portal daily
Data extracted for “HESA reporting”
Interviews arranged offline
Implications for our HEI Hypothesis
Sheffield would be willing to manage ITT applications in the short-term, without a real-time data integration with their in-house portal ���Whilst there may be some smaller HEIs that may be in a similar position to Sheffield, we know that some universities have complex admissions business processes within their student record systems. ���We’re aiming to work with some of Tribal’s customers next, to prototype an end-end solution, to fully satisfy our hypothesis.
Hypotheses:
A simplified Apply service does not impede provider decision-making
We can meet safeguarding requirements without full references
Research questions
Are providers able to make a decision to invite for interview based on the information provided by the application form?
Does the information provided on the form meet providers’ need to do an initial assessment of candidates?
Is there any critical information missing?
Why is this information critical, and what won’t providers be able to do without this information?
How usable is the form for review and decision-making? (For example, layout and visibility of information)
To test these hypotheses
We identified a minimal and viable application dataset based on previous research
We created realistic-looking application forms, representing a mix of personas, giving providers a holistic view of the applicant (link to the folder)
We tested with a representative range of providers (mix of HEI, SCITT, SD)
Research approach
Invitation sent out to providers to take part
4 applications attached for feedback
Providers asked to review, make decision and provide feedback
Phone interview
Providers who responded:
Findings: overall look and feel
Clearer and more straightforward
“...the form appears to be much clearer and more straightforward and therefore much more user-friendly”
“exactly what you need when you do an initial sift”
To be improved:
Efficiency of scanning
“Tabulated data is easier to skim (for example, around work history)”
“It would be nice to have all related things grouped on one page”.
Findings: required information
UK nationality and status
Providers need to know if a candidate’s status gives them the right to live, study and/or work in the UK, and if they are eligible for financial support
Team to do:
Investigate exactly what information is needed to establish candidate status, and the questions to ask to get it
Use ‘branching’ in the design of the application form to cater for international candidates and establish their status, without disrupting UK candidates
Findings: required information
Education (academic qualifications)
Education information required to assess eligibility and subject knowledge
There are cases when providers need an overall picture of a candidate’s education (especially tertiary) to establish eligibility
When the subject a candidate wants to teach and their degree subject are not aligned, providers need to assess the level of knowledge
Team to do:
Present education information as a whole and let providers select relevant info
Explore design solutions to tease out a candidate’s subject knowledge, when degree and subject are not aligned
Explore options to assess subject knowledge
Findings: required information
Equivalencies
Equivalencies are a “grey area” that providers describe as “the most complicated part of the process”
In some cases candidates sit equivalences multiple times
Currently on UCAS, providers can select if they want to receive applications from applicants who haven’t sat equivalencies yet, and what kind of equivalencies they want to accept
Team to do:
Investigate equivalences (work with policy and Find data)
Explore design solutions so that when we need to ask for equivalencies, it does not distract the “happy path” user journey
Findings: required information
References
Providers express strong views that references should be part of the service
References currently used for: assessing candidate character (personality, resilience, reliability), to satisfy safeguarding requirements
While providers appreciate it’s an extra burden on candidates, and often are of little use, in some borderline cases (1-5%) references provide vital information
Concerns: if left to the end of the process, it places a greater burden on providers and could waste a huge amount of recruiting time
Team to do:
Investigate safeguarding requirements and come up with a clear statement
Success indicators (hypothesis)
Are you able to make decision based on the information provided? | Four out of 5 providers were able to make a decision on all applications; |
Does the form allow you to assess if candidate: | |
meets basic eligibility requirements or has a potential to meet them | |
has teaching potential | |
has suitable subject knowledge | |
is eligible to study on TT program in the UK (UK status) | |
is eligible for financial support | |
is safe to be a teacher | |
is suitable for the training program offered by the provider | |
is committed and ready to go into teaching career | |
get a feel of applicant character (ability to express himself) | |
Next steps