AACRAO’s 2021 Technology Summit was a successful gathering of experts in transfer and data exchange. Throughout the Summit attendees were able to collaborate and engage with like-minded professionals interested in the latest technology and trends in higher education.
With widely ranging session topics concerning transfer, learner mobility, data standards, and much more, attendees gained an understanding of both the current state of higher ed technology and future possibilities.
Some of the more popular sessions included:
Navigating Through a Pandemic via Electronic Document Exchange - Hosted by Monterey Sims, Director of Admission and Evaluation, University of Phoenix, and James Feigert, Registrar, Saddleback College. This session discussed creating process efficiencies, business continuity, and positively impacting student success using electronic document and data exchange.
Transfer Trifecta! Three Tools to Increase Efficiency and Improve Student Outcomes - Hosted by CollegeSource, this session looked at creating a more transfer-friendly environment using TES, Transferology, and uAchieve.
Tuan Anh Do, one of our lead Technology Summit organizers from San Francisco State University, commented on the summit sessions:
They were thought-provoking and allowed me to see through the lens of technology as a process that feeds into the interoperability of the student data record. There is a bridge between education and technology and it illustrated how education can and does exist without technology but having technology changes the landscape of thought and action to allow for process improvements and enhanced productivity for the administrators. This was not a technologist vision but more an educational leader need with technology as the tool to make it all come together.
Stay Involved
Though the 2021 Technology Summit has concluded several opportunities to learn, collaborate, and network with higher education colleagues are just around the corner. Our recently released report "Recognition of Excellence in Supporting Transfer Student Success" from AACRAO's Transfer Work Group is a great resource for those interested in the Transfer conversation.
AACRAO's Interim Executive Director, Melanie Gottlieb, spoke on the current state of the Technology Summit and what it will look like going forward:
This year we separated the Tech and the Transfer in order to accommodate pandemic-based planning. Next year, you can expect to see AACRAO Tech & Transfer reunited, once again virtually, in a multi-track event that will encompass transfer recruitment, operational practices, policy guidelines, transfer technology and credit mobility.
Upcoming AACRAO Events and Webinars:
AACRAO’s 2021 SEM Conference - This live event takes place November 14-17 in Miami, FL. The SEM Conference is the premier event for enrollment management professionals and will be an opportunity for attendees to learn the latest in creative recruitment and retention strategies.
Demystifying A.I. - This webinar, hosted by Dr. Emily Campion, outlines different uses of artificial intelligence in support of the admissions process. During the webinar Dr. Campion will look at the benefits, concerns, and where A.I. may be going in the future.