TORONTO, June 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kira Talent, the leading admissions assessment platform for higher education, today announced the evolution of its product to become a smarter, more indicative tool to evaluate student potential.
The move comes after overwhelming evidence of the benefits of conducting holistic admissions, a form of assessment that considers a variety of factors including academics, experiences, and other key traits, combined with the increasing pressure admissions teams face to turn around quality admissions decisions quickly.
“Our conversations with admissions teams over the past five years has led us to develop our product and service that empowers their teams to consider every aspect of the individual in admission decisions in a more efficient way,” said Emilie Cushman, Founder and CEO of Kira Talent.
In a 2016 survey by the Council of Graduate Schools, 58% of all survey respondents reported time as a barrier to conducting holistic assessments. Through consultation with clients, extensive user testing, and feedback sessions, Kira has created new features and product updates to improve the experience for reviewers that will help them focus their efforts to improve efficiency without sacrificing review quality.
Leveraging academic research on noncognitive evaluations to refine their assessment methodology, Kira enables schools to use evidence-backed strategies to evaluate applicants effectively. Within the product, schools can add and evaluate additional application components like grades, test scores, essay questions, and letter of intent, to get the complete picture of each applicant.
The enhanced product also provides a robust solution for teams seeking to improve consistency in the admissions process and reduce instances of reviewer bias. Kira’s collaborative and asynchronous review experience enables each committee member to have their response considered and weighed in, without the influence of opinions from other members. The algorithm helps schools see how an applicant performed across different reviewers and on different criteria, leading to fairer decisions.
Furthermore, new features such as reviewer analytics allow users to compare evaluation metrics of their unique users and identify opportunities for further training or expansion of their review panel.
“We’re looking forward to partnering with admissions teams globally to make holistic assessment not just an option, but a reality for their programs,” said Cushman.
For more information about Kira Talent, please visit www.kiratalent.com.
About Kira Talent:
Kira helps you identify applicants who are a great fit for your program. Founded in 2012 in Toronto, Kira combines video and written assessments with existing admissions requirements such as test scores, essays, and reference letters. Working with over 180 programs, Kira enhances the existing application by integrating effective, efficient, and fair digital assessments to create a more streamlined admissions process that provides deeper insights on each applicant.