Background
Increasing diversity with Kira Talent
As one of 23 Cal State campuses throughout the state of California, Fullerton boasts an almost 100% NCLEX pass rate and a top-ranking amongst national nursing programs. Offering bachelor's, master’s, and doctorate degrees in nursing, Fullerton sees thousands of talented applicants looking to fill a limited number of spots each year.
Challenge
Going beyond test scores without going overtime
For any top school, the challenge of efficiently evaluating thousands of applicants is a difficult one. It can be tempting to fall back on test scores and transcripts as a quick evaluation metric to shortlist applicants. But schools are realizing how this approach can leave underprivileged groups behind.
In low-income communities, underfunded high schools tend to offer few, if any, International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), or honours courses. Without access to these opportunities, students struggle to earn grades high enough to enter the top percentile of applicants to selective programs. By using GPA cutoffs in the admissions process, many schools are missing out on capable students.
Fullerton was determined not to let their admissions process be affected by this problem. With more applicants than the team could manage to interview in person, the school knew they had to find a more efficient solution.
“Our reason for getting started with Kira was in pursuit of greater diversity, academic inclusion, and getting to know our applicants better. The efficiency and ease that it added to our process was an added benefit.”
- Deanna Jung, Assistant Professor of Nursing and Coordinator of Pre-Licensure Programs*Solution
Using technology to reach a diverse group of students
In the spring of 2020, CSU Fullerton received the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to fund investment in holistic admissions practices for their undergraduate nursing programs. Seizing the opportunity, Assistant Professor of Nursing and Coordinator of Pre-Licensure Programs, Deanna Jung, and her team redeveloped their admissions process to include criteria such as community service records, letters of recommendation, and a Kira assessment.
With Kira’s asynchronous assessments, the admissions team was able to significantly increase the number of applicants they interviewed without increasing the workload. The efficiency brought by the asynchronous nature of Kira assessments has enabled Fullerton to engage with a wider, more diverse group of applicants.
Results
Fullerton finds more of their best-fit applicants faster
“Kira helped us make sure that we could interview a wider group of students and see them shine,” shared Jung. “A lot of time, that’s where an applicant’s personality comes out. Through the video, you see their passion for wanting to be a nurse.”
Since adding Kira assessments to their admissions process, Fullerton has enrolled their most diverse class to date. These exceptional students were able to demonstrate their soft skills and passion for nursing through the video format.
