Boston University’s College of Communication (COM) is known for its dynamic approach to media, journalism, film, and communication studies. With a focus on experiential learning, COM equips students with hands-on skills and opportunities to work in a variety of fields, from public relations to emerging media platforms — even counting several Pulitzer Prize winners among their alumni.
Located in the heart of Boston, the college offers a collaborative environment where students engage with innovative technologies and industry professionals to prepare for successful careers in the rapidly evolving communication landscape. For the creativity-focused programs, a traditional admissions process couldn't provide adequate insight into the skills and traits that made for successful COM students.
“In an effort to get a more comprehensive understanding of applicants' soft skills, we asked applicants to upload a video of them answering a standard question," shared Laurie F. Nichols, Assistant Dean of Graduate Affairs at Boston University COM. "However, it wasn’t always an authentic representation of their skills. They could prepare in advance, read from a script, or even memorize their answers.”
Unsatisfied with this process, COM sought out a dynamic assessment that would give students a better way to represent themselves as creatives.
“That’s where Kira Talent came in,” Nichols shared.
Giving applicants the tools they need to write their story
Boston University COM uses Kira’s Asynchronous Assessment to gain a more authentic view of applicant ability across 10 of its masters’ and PhD programs.
“With Kira, you can see the authenticity in the applicants’ responses,” Nichols continued.
“Having that true sense of their communication skills—especially in a field like communication where both written and spoken English are paramount—was a game changer.”
“Kira made it easy to keep consistency across our programs, while allowing them to individualize based on their needs,” Nichols shared. “We initially set up 14 competencies and gave each program the freedom to choose which competencies and questions they wanted to use. It made the set-up process so much easier, because everything was already laid out. Some competencies were used by only one program, while others were adopted by five.”
“The flexibility that Kira provides is invaluable,” she continued. “Each year, we reassess if the competencies we’re using are helping us find the best candidates. It’s been a great way to ensure we’re still continuously assessing the qualities that make students successful.”
“We’re seeing stronger cohorts with higher levels of communication skills, both written and spoken.”
Knowing when your applicants go off-script
“We’re getting a better picture of our applicants,” Nichols continued. “Kira’s applicant integrity metrics have been especially helpful for our admissions team.”
"With Kira, we can track typing speed and browser refreshes, and the platform automatically highlights any unusual activity for further examination,” she explained. “It helps us ensure a high level of academic integrity in the admissions process.”
“Kira has helped us reduce bias, assess applicants more authentically, and ultimately find students who are the best fit for our programs.”
“It’s been a great addition to our admissions process,” Nichols added.
Learn more about how Kira helps mitigate the nine most common forms of admissions bias
Streamlining a seamless process
The seamless integration of Kira’s streamlined Reviewer Platform made everything from building assessments to following rubrics a smoother experience for both staff and reviewers.
“Kira has streamlined our admissions processes,” Nichols shared. “Before Kira, we spent significant time trying to access and organize applicants’ video submissions across a myriad of platforms.”
“With Kira, we don't have to worry about video quality or compatibility. Everything is organized and accessible, all in one platform."
"Our reviewers can log in from anywhere, access their assigned video responses, and review candidates on their own time,” Nichols added. “It's a much more cohesive process, which helps us make more informed admissions decisions.”
