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Undergraduate credit for prior learning (CPL) is an important aspect of today's higher-education landscape. This report presents an in-depth look at the current state of undergraduate CPL in the United States and Canada. The primary objective of the report is to foment dialogue and action toward a more inclusive, effective higher-education system that recognizes and values the diverse experiences and knowledge of learners. Highlighted is the way educational institutions acknowledge and integrate learning that occurs outside traditional academic environments. CPL bridges the gap between nontraditional learning experiences, such as professional work, community service or military engagement, and formal academic achievement. This connection makes higher education more accessible and inclusive, and ensures it remains relevant and practical in a rapidly changing world. The challenges and successes in implementing CPL within educational institutions are explored in this report. Issues related to institutional policies, mechanisms for assessing and awarding credit for prior learning, staffing, technology and learner awareness are examined. These are valuable insights for those in the education sector, from policymakers to educators and administrators, who work toward a more adaptable, reflective educational system.

This paper examines the adoption and outcomes of shortened parts of term--referred to as SPOT--across nine diverse higher education institutions, drawing on insights from a roundtable discussion with key stakeholders involved in SPOT implementation. The white paper explores the motivations behind the adoption of SPOTs, along with the strategies institutions use to manage enrollment, class scheduling, and resource allocation within these compressed terms. Additionally, it examines the potential impacts of SPOTs on learner success and highlights the importance of data-driven approaches to optimizing these academic models. The paper reveals that institutions are at varying stages of SPOT adoption, with some institutions fully integrating shortened terms across multiple programs, while others apply them more selectively to specific learner groups or areas of study. The effectiveness of SPOTs is shown to depend on several factors, including learner demographics, course content, and institutional resources. Some recommendations include: (1) developing comprehensive faculty-training programs; (2) implementing clear communication strategies for learners; (3) investing in advanced scheduling and analytics software; and (4) establishing targeted support services for learners in SPOT programs or classes.

This report, authored by Dr. Wendy Kilgore, Senior Director of Research at AACRAO, and Dr. James Ward, Principal at Ithaka S+R, provides insights into the impact of state-level transcript hold regulations on higher education institutions and learners. Key findings from the report include: (1) 97% of institutions changed practices or policies after state regulations went into effect; (2) Over half of the institutions completely eliminated transcript holds for unpaid balances; (3) 62% of institutions saw changes affecting less than 5% of their current learner population; AND (4) 90% of institutions expressed confidence in their ability to comply with the new federal regulation. The study, which complements a previous report on the anticipated effects of the federal regulation, examined data from 150 institutions across 13 states with existing transcript-hold regulations. It reveals that while challenges exist in adapting to these regulations, they are generally manageable.

Authored by Dr. Wendy Kilgore and Dr. James Dean Ward, this report delves into the impacts and institutional responses to federal regulations limiting transcript holds for students with unpaid balances. This comprehensive analysis is essential reading for anyone involved in higher education administration. Based on a survey of 326 institutions, the report reveals significant findings: (1) 77% of institutions do not plan to use partial-transcript holds, but many are actively preparing for the new regulations by eliminating transcript holds (69%); and (2) Some institutions are changing procedures (62%) and policies (49%), and implementing alternative methods to address unpaid balances (50%). These proactive steps underscore the importance of adapting to regulatory changes to maintain institutional stability and support student success. The report highlights the need for strategies that promote learner success, equity, and access within a sustainable operational model.

Academic operations in higher education are essential to improving learner outcomes and helping them pursue academic and professional goals. These operations encompass policy, practice, technology and human resources. The purpose of operational efficiency in higher education is to achieve objectives with the fewest resources possible. The goal is to use resources efficiently to improve results. Proficient, efficient academic operations contribute to the success, persistence and education completion of a learner. This report focuses on operational efficiency in academic operations. Academic operations covers a number of functions, including curriculum management, catalog management, classroom-space management, class scheduling, credential audit and completion processing, class registration and institutional and/or programmatic accreditation. These functions are supported by effective leadership, institutional policies, data analysis and meaningful stakeholder engagement. In October, 2023, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) collaborated with Ad Astra to conduct a survey that forms the basis of this report. AACRAO's primary contacts across institutions in the United States and Canada were asked to participate in the survey. A total of 347 responses were received from 48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and six Canadian provinces. The majority of responses, 94%, were from U.S. institutions, which provides a representative sample of degree-granting institutions eligible for Title IV in the United States. [This research is made possible in part by underwriting from Ad Astra.]

There are increasing opportunities for professional and continuing education, and traditional academic programs to work together to enhance learning mobility, improve college access for undergraduate-adult learners and support institution-wide learner success. However, to embrace those opportunities and for this to occur, the degree to which professional and continuing education, and traditional academic programs currently operate in collaboration or competition for students and/or institutional resources should be understood. As such, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) partnered on a survey of their respective undergraduate-serving institutional members in the United States. Data from this first-look 2023 benchmark survey describes a number of issues, challenges and opportunities that professional and continuing education (PCE) units face with academic registrars and others in central administration. Some framing questions for the survey included the following: (1) Does the institution have an administrative unit responsible for PCE?; (2) What type of alternative credentials are offered, and who is offering them?; and (3) What type of special-population programs are offered, and who offers them?

The February 2023 60-Second Survey was conducted as part of AACRAO's ongoing search for insights into various administrative-support aspects of undergraduate-class scheduling. It was intended for individuals at institutions in the United States familiar with the practices and policies associated with building an undergraduate-class schedule and how their institution measures the effectiveness of that schedule. The results of the survey serve as a benchmark of institutional measures of effectiveness for the undergraduate schedule of classes. Throughout the report, you will find insights on: (1) Measuring the effectiveness of undergraduate class schedules; (2) Financial guardrails for building class schedules; (3) A wish list for class-scheduling process improvements; (4) and more.

This report examines how higher education institutions define and describe undergraduate-adult learners, why it matters, and explores creating a common definition for the undergraduate-adult learner. The survey upon which this report was based was conducted to benchmark U.S. higher education and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) member practices and challenges faced by institutions in their efforts to recruit, retain, and provide services for undergraduate-adult learners.

The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) surveyed member institutions to better understand institutional policies and practices related to prior learning assessment (PLA) and fielded a student survey to understand student perspectives on PLA. This brief shares findings and recommendations from this research.

The November 2022 60-Second Survey invited AACRAO members to share how, if at all, their institution uses degree-audit and/or education-planning technology to support students. There were 653 responses from 11 countries. The majority of responses were from the United States (n = 621) and Canada (n = 23). Sixty-three percent of respondents serve both undergraduate and graduate and/or professional students, 29 percent serve undergraduate students only, and eight percent serve graduate and/or professional students only.

American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) Research surveyed international member institutions that serve undergraduate students to capture the institutional nuance in enrollment management practices, the recruiting, admissions, and advising staffing levels, and using technology and admissions policy to support different types of transfer students--traditional-transfer, reverse-transfer, and swirling-transfer students. In regards to these types of transfer, this research addresses the recruitment and admission processes in the presence of: (1) staffing resources; (2) technology resources; and (3) strategic enrollment initiatives Responses were received from 266 institutions; seventy-eight percent represent undergraduate and comprehensive institutions (n = 210).

In the context of higher education institutional practice, a "hold" is defined as a means an institution may employ to prevent a student from completing an action, such as registering for a class or accessing an official transcript. Holds are most often used as an attempt to motivate a student to take an action sought by the institution. As part of AACRAO's ongoing signature initiative Re-envisioning Transfer, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) completed companion research projects about administrative holds used to prevent a student from registering for a class or accessing an official transcript. The first was an exploratory study of student-level hold data from 14 institutions. The second, on which this report is based, was a national survey of administrative hold policy and practice. This report will summarize data from the national sample and provide recommendations for policy and practice. The companion report contains additional background information and the results of the exploratory study. [For the companion report, "Stop! Do Not Pass Go! Institutional Practices Impeding Undergraduate Student Advancement: Part 1 An Exploratory Study," see ED616620.]

In the context of this paper, and higher education institutional practice, a "hold" is defined as a means an institution may employ to prevent a student from completing an action, such as registering for a class or accessing an official transcript. Holds are most often used as an attempt to motivate a student to take an action sought by the institution. Two types of holds employed by institutions to spur a student to action are registration holds and transcript holds. A registration hold can cause a student stress as she seeks to resolve an issue while trying to complete the term or enroll as a first-time student. A transcript hold may prevent a student from transitioning to other opportunities until the reason for the hold is resolved. This report demonstrates a greater understanding of how and why holds are used, and the impact these holds have on students. [For the companion report, "Stop! Do Not Pass Go! Institutional Practices Impeding Undergraduate Student Advancement: Part 2: A National Sample of Policy and Practice," see ED616621.]

Institutions of higher education ultimately aim to deliver a quality education to students and help their students succeed while at their institution, and beyond. However, despite the emphasis academic administrators place on student success, the foundational elements of running an institution--academic operations--are often overlooked. While other units on campus are standing up new initiatives, academic operations at many institutions continue to be run with manual, disparate processes that impact students. Student experience suffers when these processes aren't optimized for their needs, and better tech to support administrators now exists. Achieving academic operational excellence can break down barriers to opportunities for students. This survey sheds light on the state of academic operations so that institutions can evaluate where their academic processes can be improved to enable students to succeed. [This research was made possible in part by underwriting from Coursedog.]

Research from Complete College America has shown that the majority of students don't take enough credits to complete their degree on-time. While there are many factors that contribute to this, a student's ability to access the courses they need, when they need them plays a critical role in this discussion. Similarly, research has found that 65% of non-completers that plan to go back to college reported that flexible scheduling and a schedule that fit their lifestyle would make them more interested in attending. This report focuses on factors considered when building the class schedule, characteristics of student-centric schedules, when classes are scheduled, and how data is used to inform the class schedule. All of these factors are critical to understanding how the class schedule does or does not serve students.

Earlier this year, AACRAO received an offer of research sponsorship and partnership from Modern Campus to focus on the role of the modern registrar. In June 2022, AACRAO deployed a 60-Second Survey asking members to provide their opinion on what the role of "a modern registrar" should be on their campus. This survey was open to all members of the AACRAO community, and we received 922 responses. Over 250 respondents volunteered to be part of a roundtable discussion on the role of the modern registrar. Nine volunteers from various institutional types, who currently serve in various administrative leadership roles, participated in a 75-minute roundtable discussion in July, 2022. Participants were asked about the definition of student centricity, the costs of--and responsibility for--not being student-centric, the role of the registrar in policy enforcement and the impact of technology on serving the needs of learners. The intention behind the questions we asked was not to gather responses to each question from each participant but rather to spark discussion around the general topics. We also sought to learn how these topics shape the role of the modern registrar from the perspective of registrars and their colleagues. This paper shares some of the key findings from the June Survey, then highlights insights and analysis from the roundtable participants on how the role, focus and responsibility of the modern registrar is evolving. Themes in their collective responses included, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Placing the student at the center of decision-making around policy, practice and the use of technology; (2) Being aware of the use of profession-specific terminology; (3) Understanding the registrar's role as an educator; (4) Using of empathy to understand a student's perspectives; (5) Leveraging data to inform student-centric policy and practice; and (6) Highlighting understanding that there is no "one-size-fits-all" student experience in higher education.

Professional development and training (PD&T) is a key component of the work of a member association. American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) delivers PD&T for its members through the traditional methods of conferences, publications, journals, and workshops, and more recently through webinars, web-based courses and other virtual formats. What skills do members of the profession seek to improve and through what means of delivery are they best served? These are some of the questions AACRAO sought to answer through this research partnership with InsideTrack. This report provides critical insights into what PD&T our members seek. Importantly, views of what training is of interest, how it is delivered, and what form of recognition is provided for the training differed between senior leadership, managerial staff, and front-line staff. And, not surprisingly, what PD&T that certain segments of the staff believed was important for other segments of the staff weren't necessarily aligned. These nuances in views of PD&T are important for AACRAO to understand but also for members whose institutional resources for PD&T are limited and need to be used wisely. [This research was sponsored by InsideTrack.]

The academic credentialing landscape is rapidly evolving. Institutions of higher education must meet this critical moment in the evolution of how learning is delivered, assessed, and recognized. While some educational institutions have shifted to issuing Electronic Data Exchange (EDX), digitally signed PDFs or blockchain verifiable credentials, reliance on paper-based credentials is still widespread. While both paper and even digitally signed PDF credentialing solutions have worked well enough, there are still unaddressed challenges facing students, employers, and other educational stakeholders in a global learning and employment marketplace. It is important that higher education leaders develop a deep understanding of the potential value and limitations of a variety of digital credentialing approaches and technical architectures, as they lead and prepare their institutions' processes and people to embrace current advances in digital credentialing. This report summarizes data from the recent American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) survey on the use of digital credentials. It also includes a comparison of the digital credential technologies and set of recommendations around building out a responsive digital credentialing ecosystem in higher education. The survey was completed by 319 respondents from the AACRAO community in the United States and Canada. [This report was funded by Hyland.]

This report includes a summary of recent and ongoing research related to the transfer of credit from one institution to another and awarding credit for alternative sources of learning. The primary focus of this report is to document the institutional policies and practices associated with transfer credit evaluation and academic advising for transfer students based on a recent American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) survey. The recommendations for policy and practice included in this report are intended to be summative, that is, based on the data gathered in all the related research not just this most recent AACRAO survey. This research has at least two goals: (1) to understand how to better assist students in transferring earned and applicable credit from one institution to another successfully; and (2) encourage institutions to employ policies and practices that recognize college credit in transfer regardless of the format of the original assessment of knowledge.

Student engagement in extracurricular activities, and the integration of these activities with academics, can be critical factors influencing student persistence. There is also evidence linking extracurricular and social involvement to career choices, goals and plans, as well as success in future employment and earnings. This paper explores the relationship of students to these extra- and co-curricular activities. Extracurricular activities can play an important role in exposing undergraduate engineering students to broader challenges that enable them to utilize and/or complement their disciplinary knowledge. Fostering integrative learning "across courses, over time, and between campus and community life" has been highlighted as an important goal of undergraduate education.

The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) periodically undertakes research projects to keep themselves and the higher-education community in general, informed about current and emerging institutional practices. College completion rates, and how to improve them, have been in the forefront of the higher education agenda in the United States since 2009 when President Obama announced his 2020 goal to increase the percentage of citizens with college degrees. For this project, AACRAO chose to focus on how the completion agenda impacts student success and the institution, as measured by an increase in the number or percentage of certificates or degrees awarded at U.S. community colleges. AACRAO attempted to: (1) gain an understanding of the rate of participation in any formal college completion initiative; and (2) understand the breadth of initiatives in progress, measure the fiscal and human resource impact on the institution, and determine the impact on student completion. In addition, AACRO wanted to capture an understanding of students' awareness of their colleges' efforts to support degree completion. During the survey development process, AACRO reviewed existing resources on the subject and was unable to find a definitive source listing all active national college completion initiatives. The resources found were several years old and contained references to inactive initiatives. As a result, survey questions are included to help develop a current snapshot of most, if not all national level initiatives. This project consisted of two primary surveys--one for U.S. community colleges (which for the purposes of this research also included technical colleges)--and another for current community college students. A literature review and interviews with community college administrators familiar with the institutional initiatives were also conducted. According to National Student Clearinghouse data, the Fall 2010 cohort, 6-year college completion rates increased over the previous year and the trend is expected to continue (Shapiro, 2016). It is clear from the results of this multi-perspective examination of college completion initiatives at U.S. community colleges that efforts in this direction have, for most, improved completion rates and that interest from colleges to further improve completion rates continues to be a focus. It is also clear that institutions face similar challenges around access to data, institutional buy-in, and change management.

This analysis, that utilizes data from part of the Academic Pathways Study (APS) of the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education (CAEE), found that as a result of taking a course in engineering design and/or studying engineering for four years, students acquire engineering design language that is common to a larger community of practice as well as situated in their own programs and institutions of higher learning. The study also suggests that engineering design language shapes the knowledge that students have about engineering design. Finally, students did not always put this knowledge into practice, suggesting the need for educational improvements, as well as research to better define the kinds of knowledge necessary to bridge the gap.

The Academic Pathways Study (APS) is a multi-institution, mixed-methods, longitudinal study which examines engineering students' learning and development as they move into, through, and beyond their undergraduate institutions (Atman et al., 2008; Sheppard et al., 2004). It is part of the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education (CAEE), a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded higher education Center for Learning and Teaching (ESI-0227558). The present study examines how students think and talk about sustainable development, as well as the extent to which they consider life cycle while engaged in engineering design. Sixty-four students across the four APS institutions completed the same engineering design task in their second and fourth years. Fifteen of those students at one of the institutions (Large Public University or LPU), participated in a semi-structured, qualitative interview in their senior year, in which they were asked to talk about sustainable development and other concepts related to engineering. Questions about sustainable development were posed to these students shortly after they had completed the engineering design task. Analysis of the students' conceptions of sustainable development was accomplished in tandem with coding of their written answers to the engineering design task. Study results showed that students' conceptions of sustainability as an issue of limited resources ranged from very vague, arguably unlike the aspirations of policy makers for engineers in the coming decade, to rather promising in terms of exhibiting the kinds of knowledge, skills and attitudes about sustainability and sustainable development that are hoped for among the engineering education community. Their narratives suggested varying degrees of sophistication in their conceptions of sustainable development as a question of limited resources.

Despite generally higher academic achievement, female students display lower academic self-confidence than males. Of particular interest to engineering educators is the difference in confidence in mathematical, scientific and problem-solving skills. Using a multi-method approach that utilizes the rich dataset of the Academic Pathways Study, the researchers were able to consider approaches to understanding the "confidence gap" in engineering students. The quantitative data indicates that, over the course of the four years of their engineering education, men have higher confidence than women in their math and science abilities and in their ability to solve open-ended problems. No difference was observed in confidence in professional and interpersonal skills.

For undergraduate engineering students, development of an engineering identity is an important outcome of their education as they progress towards their professional selves. This process is reflected in engineering colleges' frequent practice of referring to engineering students as "engineers" (even in the earliest days following matriculation) in contrast to students in other disciplines. Results of this study showed that there was little difference in the degree of identification as an engineer between men and women, at least in the first- and sophomore year. The development of an engineering identity is strongly fostered by the culture of the engineering school and is considered to be an essential part of the educational progress of students towards a professional engineering identity. However, data presented in this paper suggest that the interaction of gender with the development of engineering identity is complex and multilayered, requiring: (1) a consideration of how men and women develop an understanding of what constitutes an engineering identity; and (2) an understanding of how students of both genders develop their own identities and how this relates to engineering identity.

There is evidence in the literature that women have lower confidence in their skills and knowledge than men, particularly in areas considered crucial for engineering, like math and science. This difference has been linked to gender gaps in engineering enrollment and persistence. This study of engineering students extends research on gender differences by examining how confidence with design interacts with academic preparation and the frequency of design experiences in engineering coursework. Patterns of gender differences within the racial/ethnic majority and minority groups are also examined. Overall, the analysis by gender and by majority vs. underrepresented minority (URM) status undertaken in this study provides insights into students' confidence to engage design activities, and their perceptions of the quantity and quality of design education they receive in their coursework. While corroborating some findings from earlier studies, this analysis has also uncovered longitudinal differences in the development of student attitudes during undergraduate study. This study explored confidence to do design with respect to gender and URM status. This line of inquiry directly addresses differences between women and URMs as categories of students. Students' beliefs about the design education they received were also explored. This line of inquiry is important because it addresses a potential source of confidence--the perceived quantity and quality of the coursework itself.

As engineers contribute to solving the increasingly complex problems facing our society, there is a growing need for the engineers graduating from undergraduate programs to deeply understand the context within which they are solving problems. There is a particular need for engineers who recognize the complexities of global and societal issues and respond to those complex issues with the solutions they develop. The Academic Pathways Study (APS) research element of the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education (CAEE) is a multi-institution, mixed-method, longitudinal study which examines engineering students' learning and development. Data were collected from forty students at each of four CAEE institutions for a total of 160 participants using surveys, structured interviews, and ethnographic observations. Students were also asked to perform simple engineering tasks during timed sessions at the conclusion of interviews. This paper describes a subset of the first-year data gathered for the APS--findings from a brief engineering design task and findings from an engineering design question in the spring survey in the first year of the study.

In this study, the authors used two methods for analyzing expert data: verbal protocol analysis (VPA) and narrative analysis. VPA has been effectively used to describe the design processes employed by engineering students, expert designers, and expert-novice comparative research. VPA involves asking participants to "think aloud" while performing a design task. For this study, the design task was: In the past, the Midwest has experienced massive flooding of the Mississippi River. What factors would you take into account in designing a retaining wall system for the Mississippi? Each participant worked individually and had up to 30 minutes to complete the design task. Verbal responses were audio-recorded and transcribed for subsequent coding and interpretation. Narrative analysis entails a close reading of the transcripts seeking to identify content categories (particularly those not highlighted in the VPA) but also to trace the logic or structure underlying the respondent's answer. The expert data came from a subset of four responses purposefully selected from a pre-existing pool of 19 experienced engineers, representing six engineering specializations, identified by their peers at work as expert designers. The narrative analysis provided some promising directions for future research. Among other things, it allowed the authors to see the relationships between and among the experts' ideas and develop new understandings of what those relationships look like and how they reflect expert designers' thought processes.