Abstract:

This paper reports the findings from a study which ascertained the views of students on a range of tools utilised to select students for pre-registration health programmes in the UK.
The interview has historically been a fundamental element of the selection process for pre-registration health profession programmes. The face to face interview not only enables the applicant to visit the institution and decide whether it is the right choice for them, it also enables the applicant to demonstrate their interpersonal communication skills, knowledge of, and commitment to their potential profession. However, individual interviews are time and resource intensive for lecturers in higher education, and the number of applicants continues to rise, therefore alternative tools to sort potential students have been investigated. In order to reduce these costs both paper-based selection and group tasks have been utilised with varying outcomes for both the institution and the applicant.
Bending (2012) highlighted the value of these methods for the institution; therefore this paper addresses the tools from the other side of the table. It will evaluate the use of the individual interview, group task and paper based questionnaire, as tools to select students, from the viewpoint of the students who have been either successful or unsuccessful in securing a place on a pre-registration health profession programme.

Bending, H (2012) Group interviews: a good alternative to an individual interview? Paper Presented at ICERI2012, Madrid.

Keywords:

Higher education, student selection, interviews.