Transitioning to Paperless Application Processing and Review

Lita Malveaux, Assistant Director

July 28, 2015

Today…

Preparation: Four Key Issues

Process

Benefits & Challenges

Next Steps

A Little About Us…

Georgia State University Urban research institution located in downtown Atlanta, GA Enrollment of 32,000 (approx. 54,000 once consolidated with GPC) Decentralized

The College of Arts & Sciences Largest college in the university (13,000 undergrad/2,200 grad) Over 20 departments and over 100 graduate degree programs

Office of Graduate Services Responsible for the admission process, advisement on and governance of

college policy, graduation clearance, dissertation and thesis formatting review, and tuition waivers.

Student Information System: Banner (including Xtender) Hobsons client since 2010 (AppyYourself, Connect, and AppReview) Staff of 10

A Little About Our Paperless Journey…

A CUSTOMER SERVICE INITIATIVE

THAT EVOLVED

INTO A PROCESS OVERHAUL

Preparing to Go Paperless…

Let’s take a quick look at the before:Applications printed and sorted into file folders Incoming materials matched with application file and data

entered into Banner checklist File checked-out to the department, reviewed, returned, and

then sent to Dean’s office for final decision

 

And its challenges:Processing timeUnhappy applicants – poor user experienceNo collaboration and little transparency

Before…

Preparing to Go Paperless

4 Key Issues:

1. All parts and pieces of the application in one place

2. Advisor’s workload can be managed electronically

3. Departments can access files with flexibility for varying review styles

4. BUY-IN!!!

Issue #1: Application Components in One Place

Resolution = ApplyYourself

Official test scores and other data are imported to AY daily from Banner

Supplemental materials are collected via required questions in the application using business rules

Letters of recommendation are collected through AY

Transcripts are imaged and uploaded to an internal section in AY

Issue #2: Electronic Application Processing

Resolution = ApplyYourself & Connect

Advisors use queries to manage applications Applications are given an audit stage, which is displayed

to applicant via the VIP page checklist Advisors have several options for reviewing a record or

group of records and managing load. Ex Applicant summary, including internal sections (AY) Exports (AY and Connect) Summary Form (AY-email template generated as letter) Views (Connect) Dashboards (Connect)

Issue #3: Electronic Application Review

Resolution = ApplyYourself

Departments use queries to concurrently manage in-progress and submitted applications

Each department given an account for faculty review Each department given a grad director account with

emailing and exporting access Department receives a Recommendation Form once audit

is complete Recommendations for accept go to Dean’s office for final

review Decision letters generated in AY using decision and enrollment

Issue# 4: BUY-IN!!!

Resolution = Phased Roll Outs & Opened Gates

Phased roll-outs for departments and advisors – slow transitions

Quite the gate-keeping business – collaboration and transparency

After…

Let’s Take a Look

Application Components: Applicant Summary

Electronic Application Processing: Audit Status Stages and Queries Exports, Summary Form, Views, and Dashboard Recommendation Form

Electronic Application Review: Audit Status Stages and Queries Dashboard

Customer Service: VIP Page

Ongoing Challenges

Technical Training

Transcripts

Letters of Recommendation (Hard Copies)

Signature Workflow AppReview

AppReview: Signature Workflow

ApplyYourself AppReviewComplete applications pushed to AppReview

REVIEW BUNDLE: program/term specific

Graduate Director Reviews Bundle as Head Reviewer

[move to next round and mapped review sheet data to AY features activated]

FULL STATUS ACCEPTS:

Dean’s Full Status bundle for final review via workflow

SPECIAL STATUS ACCEPTS:

Dean’s Special Status bundle for final review via workflow

Routing Rules (Single Review Pool)

DENIES:

No further review

Benefits of Going Paperless

Happy Applicants - Improved User Experience

Decreased Processing and Review Time

Collaboration

Transparency

It’s Green-er

Happy Applicants: Communications

Hi Lita,

Thank you for letting me know it was received by a human. You never know.

Gregory

Decreased Processing Time: Psychology, Ph.D.

550-650 applications each fall Application Submission Cycle: Oct - Dec Interviews: Feb (scheduled in Jan)

Two month decrease in processing time Old Processing cycle: Nov – March/April New Processing cycle: Nov – Jan/Feb

Decreased Review Time: PhD Accepts

Accept Accept Accept Accept Accept Accept AcceptJanuary February March April May June July

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

6.12%

1.17%

37.90%

33.53%

10.20%9.33%

1.75%0.54%

9.73%

47.03%

24.86%

7.84% 8.65%

1.35%0.00%

11.92%

56.10%

15.70%

8.14%

4.07% 4.07%2.19%

19.44%

48.59%

21.00%

6.27% 2.51%

0.00%

Fall 2012

Fall 2013

Fall 2014

Fall 2015

*Data pulled 6/17/15

Next Steps

Phase in AppReview

Records management - what to keep and where to keep it

Set standards for turn-around times

Transcripts – explore imaging prior to application submission and taking unofficial transcripts…again

Radius Migration???

Questions?