Application Workflows - Design your admissions module

Want to build a perfect process for your new students? With MySchool admissions, you can simplify your application process and save time for your internal teams. Designing the best workflow for your needs is the first step in building the admission module. Organise a meeting with your CSM to discuss the best practices for designing your workflow steps.

Discuss the process internally

The admissions module can work with just one external form, which collects all the necessary information. This would be a one-step workflow. In most admission processes, we appreciate that there is a submission step and an internal review step, leading to a decision. To further streamline and facilitate your admissions, consider adding more internal or external steps;

• Do you have entry requirements? 
• Do you need to show transparency in decision-making?
• Will the candidate need an interview or invitation to the school for a visit?
• Want to automate the decision phase?
• Are there pre-enrolment requirements?
• Do you need a registration fee?

MySchool admissions can handle all of the above. Here are a few example workflows

1. External form - Recover basic information
2. Internal reviewer check - Verify the validity of the candidate
3. Online payment requirement
4. External form - Further information
5. Internal reviewer check - Decline
6. Internal reviewer check - Accept

Let's add an online interview with a final consent form to be filled out by the submitter.

1. External form - All applicant information
2. Internal reviewer check - Verify and organise interview details
3. Internal reviewer check - Online interview review notes
4. Internal reviewer check - Decline
5. Internal reviewer check - Waitlist
6. Internal reviewer check - Accept
7. External form - Further information for enrolment & consent or agreement check
8. External form - Welcome pack

What next?

You will need to have a simple form, a 'placeholder' form. Each step must have a form attached.

The fields needed for this basic form are;

You can use this for all the steps once you start to build.

Access to the workflow

Users with Admissions administrator rights will find this option either in the advanced options section of the admissions module or using the configuration tool, 

A workflow is an admission process, so you can create as many channels as you need. Distinguish between national and international candidates, different school levels, or even summer school.

Top tip: When using any list view in MySchool, use numbers to order the active operational items, and z. to archive unused or legacy configurations.

1. Label

This is the name of the application process and will be shown to submitters. Add a year value to make it clear for applicants. The admissions module is used for newly registered students only. 

Top tip: For enrolment purposes (existing students) use the questionnaire module. 

2. Accepted applicants

The accepted applicant field decides who can apply to the school. There are three default options:

• Parents and students
• Students only
• Legal guardians and representatives only

For schools dealing with minors, the standard option would be legal guardians. If you have an adult student population then students only would be appropriate. We invite you to contact our support services if this is the case.

3. Open dates and status

If you have an all-year or continual application process, change the status to active when you are ready. If you would like to have an enrolment window, add a start and end date using the date picker drop-down. 

4. Default year

By default, the process selects 'Next year'. All applicant students will be registered in the current year's Not Processed class'. The enrolment will target next year's class-level cohorts. The current year will follow the same process, but enrollment needs to be handled manually.

5. Description field

An internal field describing the steps or the purpose of the application.

6. Email

The default email address is used for the automated messages sent from value. Change this to admissions@yourschool.com so people can reply if needed.

7. Accepted submitter and guardian relationship types

When a user starts a legal guardian workflow (i.e. they are submitting on behalf of an applicant) they are asked to declare their relationship to the applicant student. The options for this relationship are defined in the 'Accepted applicant relationship' field.

Accepted guardian relationships apply to the guardian information tab on the application form. This is used to add new guardians who are not submitters to the contact list.

The accepted applicant relationships must be added to the accepted guardian relationship fields. You can decide if you want to collect emergency contact information other than the direct parent types.

Building the workflow steps

There are three main types of steps. Clicking on the blue name will add the step to your application workflow. 

The process builder is designed to allow 100% customisation, whilst assisting Admissions staff with automated process steps and contact points. 

• Add form - External step attached to an online application form requesting information from the submitter.
• Add reviewer check - Internal checkpoint. Every step needs to have a form attached but is mainly used to trigger automated email notifications.
• Add payment - If you have subscribed to the MySchool finance package, you can have an online payment step to your process.

Nb: Legacy payment step will be withdrawn and should not be used.

Configuring the steps

Once you have added the step, it will show as red until you configure the step. Configure them one at a time.

1. Step label

The label field will be shown to the applicant. You can number them for further guidance. 

2. Form

Attach the relevant form to the step. All steps must have a form attached. It does not always have to be with any further action. Add the placeholder form if you are testing.

3. Workflow status

All statuses are configurable in MySchool. When the submitter completes an external step, they will see the external status label on their application history log.

Statuses are useful tools to organise your prospect & applicant list view. they can also be exported for management reporting needs.

4. Show step

This box should be checked for all external forms. 

Automating emails

Automated mail templates can be included in both internal and external steps. A great time-saving functionality that applies conformity to each applicant.

Connected to each step, an external and/or internal mail can be triggered once the step is completed.

The inform submitter needs to be checked if you would the system to send an automated email upon completion of the step. If this feature is enabled, you must add text both to the subject and body.

Choose from a predetermined list of distribution groups as a target. If you do not have an admissions team, then a simple one-person distribution can be created for this purpose. If no group is selected, you do not need to add a subject or body.

Top tip: Automated emails are a time saver for your team, plus a great bonus in continuing communication and engagement with your new applicants. Use the rich text features and replacement tags to create branded personalised messages.