Oxford admissions teams win innovation award

University 17 Feb 11 Oxford has been recognised for leading its peers in developing ways to reach out and inform prospective applicants. Oxford University's Undergraduate Admissions team, along with University College, Oxford, won two out of three awards for innovation and best practice at the recent Higher Education Liaison Officers' Association (HELOA) National Conference. The University's admissions team won an award for its series of self-guided audio tours , and University College was recognised for its Alternative Prospectus. The self-guided audio tours are a series of podcasts that prospective applicants can download and listen to on their own portable audio players. Each tour covers a different subject theme and set of landmarks is narrated by an admissions staff member and recent Oxford graduate, allowing those who use them to wander Oxford guided by the voice of a recent student providing useful information. Paul Teulon, Head of Student Recruitment in Oxford's Undergraduate Admissions Office, said: 'We really want students from every background, and want to make sure that potential applicants have all the information they need to make an informed decision about applying. We put a huge amount of time and energy into outreach projects such as this, and are really pleased to be recognised for our efforts to engage with applicants and attract the very brightest minds to Oxford.' Oxford's Undergraduate Admissions self-guided audio tours are designed to provide prospective applicants with information about Oxford from a student perspective and guidance on how to apply for an undergraduate degree course.