In 2021, NUS Business School began offering two new MSc programmes, leading to a 60% surge in the number of student applications received. To handle this influx of applications and the challenging circumstances created by COVID-19, the NUS Business School Master of Science Programmes decided to incorporate a digital interviewing solution from the startup, Astronaut Technologies, into their admissions process.
“We knew that we needed a video interview solution – it was only a matter of finding one that was simple to use, and could be implemented quickly,” shared Mr. Winston Wee, former Head of Admissions for MSc Programmes. The proposal for a new digital intervention was also supported by Aaron Goh, Director of the MSc Programmes Office.
Collaborating with a startup
As part of his search, Mr. Wee tapped into the informal network of NUS admissions administrators to find out what technologies other faculties were using to mitigate similar challenges. The team discovered Astronaut Technologies through the recommendation of a colleague from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
The development of the solution saw the MSc Admissions department working closely with Astronaut Technologies. This gave the MSc Admissions department the opportunity to influence the product road map through a reiteration of testing and feedback.
“We were able to try their platform and give ideas based on what we needed it to do,” shared Mr. Jonathan Tan, Senior Executive at MSc Programmes Admissions. “The vendor was excited to work with us and was open to our suggestions. They were able to quickly adapt the solution to our needs.”
Through this highly collaborative process, the Admissions team and Astronaut Technologies were able to adapt the product into something viable and ready for implementation within two months.
Reviewing the video submissions from candidates via the Astronaut platform.
The New Admissions Process with Astronaut Technologies
Previously, the admissions team had to process and review all the applications received to shortlist the candidates for the final in-person interview.
“We quickly realised that this way of processing admissions would not have been sustainable if our applications number continue to rise,” explained Ms. Sandy Tan, Senior Executive at MSc Programmes Admissions.
With the new system, the first round of reviews is automated using admission criteria filters.
Shortlisted applicants are then invited to use Astronaut’s platform to submit short video recordings of themselves answering prompt questions to simulate the classroom environment where they would have to think fast and be able to articulate their ideas well.
The admissions team will then review these videos to further assess the applicant for advancement to the final in-person panel interview.
The team found that this new process was able to shorten the duration of the final interview from 30 minutes to 20 minutes per session. And while the sessions may be shorter, the team found that the quality of interviews were higher as interviewers were able focus on other aspects, such as the applicant’s knowledge of the discipline and expectations.
Despite the need for extra time to review the submitted video recordings, the team managed to save approximately 100 man-hours during a single admission cycle, thanks to the reduced duration of the final interview session.
“The key to the success of any introduction of changes with technology and workflows is having a team that is willing to adapt to it. If not for the receptiveness of my team, this would not have been a successful implementation,” shared Mr. Wee.
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