One of these programs is used by applicants to apply for our degrees. A second program is a password-protected administrative system, used by secretaries and course coordinators, to evaluate applications and generate reminder letters. We fi rst describe how the system works from the viewpoint of the applicant and the admissions administrator and then describe how it was programmed. This is just a standard web page. The new users are then prompted for address and contact information.
Applicants can then proceed to fill out applications.
One advantage of electronic admissions is that we can include substantial conditionalities depending on the answers provided. Forms are validated as they are processed to make sure answers are correct and the applications are complete before submission. This is particularly i mportant in the case of Birkbeck where we have a complex mix of students and degrees. Online admissions enables us to ask degree-specific questions of applicants. Our online applications cover the same ground as the traditional application, but the questions asked are dynamically generated based on the responses of the applicant, enabling us to deal better with special circums tances.