As #SEM2022 gets closer we're highlighting a few sessions focused on the Future of Higher Education and the role SEM professionals play in shaping and guiding the way forward. This week we had a chance to
get in touch with Joel Bauman, Senior Vice President for Enrollment at Duquesne University, and Robert Alexander, Dean of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Management at the University of Rochester, about their session "Enrollment Strategy for a Test-Optional Era."
As test-optional becomes commonplace, many institutions find themselves struggling to implement the thorough assessment required to support these policies. Further exacerbating the implementation effort is the widespread understaffing
issues facing many institutions throughout the U.S.
In their session, the presenters aim to provide attendees with a comprehensive framework they can use to assess their own test-optional practice and provide solutions to the most common challenges encountered by admissions teams during implementation.
When asked why attendees should attend their session, Mr. Bauman responded saying:
Our session covers highlights from a national research effort on test-optionality, including insights from colleges and universities that have made the transition recently and institutions with a decade or more of experience under their belts (information that’s covered in greater detail in a white paper we’ll be distributing at the session). We’ll also be doing a deep dive on practical considerations associated with implementing related best practices, based on challenges identified by session attendees as being of most urgent interest.
Some of the key takeaways attendees can expect to leave this session with include:
- How to effectively communicate test-optional policies to students
- How to accurately and efficiently gauge students’ academic ability without using test scores
- How to ensure maximally impactful awarding of merit aid without using test scores
Interested in attending this and nearly one hundred more sessions presented by leading thought-leaders in enrollment management? Register for the 2022 AACRAO SEM Conference to learn from and collaborate with your peers in enrollment management. Take a look at our Future of Higher Education page to see more of our SEM 2022 sessions on this subject.