Following the launch of a fully online service for Clearing and Admissions Support Enquiries in August 2023, the Clearing Project Team were announced as the winners of the Celebrating Innovation category of the Staff Excellence Awards at a ceremony on Friday 22 March.

Led by Michelle McGaughey the team worked collaboratively over several months to design and develop a new solution as part of the wider Queen's Portal. They also provided extensive training and support to staff ahead of the critical A-level Results Day and throughout the admissions period.

The team was nominated as the project exemplified creativity and innovation in delivering significant process improvements and enhancing the user experience. The initiative is part of the wider Applicant Management System project which also successfully delivered a new Undergraduate Direct application portal in November 2023.

Work has now begun on redeveloping the Direct Applications Portal (DAP) for postgraduate applications, with the aim of providing a seamless experience for all applicants and helping the University to compete in the global higher education market.

The nominated team included Michelle McGaughey, Claire Lindsay, Jessica Nelson and Kiera McGill from D&IS, along with Liam Barton, Melissa Grant, Sandra Bloomer and Cathy McEachern from GMRA. Placement student Jia Yu (Janice) See also played a key role in the project, which was supported by our business partners, Codec.

Jessica Nelson, Michelle McGaughey, Claire Lindsay, and Kiera McGill from D&IS.