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Signature Initiatives

Our Work

Our Work
Learning Mobility
Our Story
Our Partners

  • Our Work

    Since 1910, AACRAO members have shepherded learning records to document and recognize learning and skills while managing the related institutional systems. As guardians of data and record integrity, AACRAO and its members have developed and pride themselves on their reputation of neutrality and integrity.


  • Learning Mobility

    As guardians of data and record integrity with direct contact to faculty, students and academia, AACRAO members are in a pivotal position to address the barriers to implementation of policies and practices aimed at alleviating issues related to transfer, credit mobility, and recognition of learning.


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  • Our Story

    AACRAO is more than just a professional association; our members, history, and dedication to student success and learning mobility are at the heart of our story. Recording and sharing our members' stories is a vital aspect of our association, and we take great pride in this work.


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  • Our Partners

    AACRAO advances learning mobility through strategic partnerships that drive innovation and collaboration in higher education. By working closely with educational institutions, government agencies, and international organizations, AACRAO promotes learning mobility across borders, ensuring students have the opportunity to pursue their educational goals worldwide.


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Group of eight people working at a table

Your Project-Based Learning Primer
Apr 13, 2026

Collaboration looks different when it's structured around a shared problem, guided by a volunteer facilitator, and designed from the start to produce something real.

LER Accelerator Convening stage

What It Means to Build Together: Reflections from the LER Accelerator Cohort Convening
Apr 13, 2026

Institutions from across the country gathered for the LER Accelerator Cohort Convening. Several themes surfaced consistently, reflecting both the progress institutions have made and the complexity of the work still ahead.

Students presenting to class

Respect Learners’ Time: Count Their Learning
Mar 31, 2026

Research out of California shows credit evaluation processes take a toll on learners’ time, money and morale. The national LEARN Commission’s recommendations call out this status quo and point a new way forward.

The number four on a sign

Four Markers of a National Push Toward a Skills-Based Talent Economy
Mar 16, 2026

Recent policy momentum signals a shift toward talent marketplace ecosystems that rely on Learning and Employment Records to connect education and employment data more effectively.

ACE Military Guide webinar on a screen

How to Use the ACE Military Guide for Learner Progress and Operational Efficiency
Mar 2, 2026

AACRAO and the American Council on Education are co-sponsoring a webinar on March 12 to demonstrate the ACE Military Guide. Learn the features that make the biggest difference for sustained enrollment growth and stronger military community partnerships.

Learning Evaluation for the 21st Century: Recommendations to Transform Policy and Practice to Meet Changing Needs Final report of the Learning Evaluation and Recognition for the Next Generation (LEARN) Commission

New Report to Modernize the Systems and Language of Credit Recognition
Mar 2, 2026

AACRAO, Sova, and 15 LEARN "Commissioners" examine four dimensions of learning evaluation and offer recommendations for enrollment leaders, admissions officers, registrars, IT and systems providers, and the general public.

Data ready credentials, image with text about workforce education from UPCEA blog

Workforce Pell Is Here and Data Readiness Is the Real Test for Credential Innovation
Mar 2, 2026

In a strategic conversation hosted by UPCEA in December 2025, the message for registrars and enrollment leaders was clear: supporting short-term credential innovation will require stronger data practices and reporting.

1EdTech Photo from session

Designing the Future of the Academic Record: Insights from the 1EdTech Digital Credentials Summit
Mar 2, 2026

The recent 1EdTech Consortium Digital Credentials Summit in Philadelphia, PA brought together institutions, technologists, and policy leaders focused on the future of digital credentialing. And AACRAO members were front and center.

Loida Gonzalez Utley headshot with The Assembly banner logo

‘It’s Time to Get To Work’ and Get Out of Students' Way
Feb 16, 2026

Fresh from completing her dissertation on transfer, hosting “Transfer Tea,” and establishing herself as a national advocate, Loida Gonzalez Utley brings both scholarship and lived urgency as the inaugural director of The Assembly.

AACRAO Collective gathering

Discuss Transfer Credit and Working Through the Weird Stuff with Colleagues
Feb 16, 2026

Kim Watley of Purdue University hosts the February 26 Collective Gathering for an interactive discussion designed for professionals in credit mobility and evaluation about the scenarios that generate the most questions, emails, and "Wait … what?" moments.

Faces with a dialog box showing the Transfer Tea podcast logo

Voices Echo Toward The Assembly to Fill a Critical Gap in Practice
Feb 2, 2026

In an episode of “Transfer Tea,” host Loida González Utley, the new conference director for The Assembly, speaks with enrollment management professionals from institutions nationwide. Their voices reveal three key implications for the industry.

Two college students stand before an open doorway shaped like a graduation cap

2026 Aspirations for Advancing Learning Mobility Through Practice, Equity, and Care
Dec 22, 2025

"As I reflect on the recent completion of my own degree ... my ability to persist was made possible through equitable access ... built through intentional policies ... Our students deserve the same." —Loida González Utley, A&M-Central Texas

Alex Kaplan Congressional LER Hearing

LERs Go on Record as AACRAO Advisor Testifies Before Congress
Dec 22, 2025

Alex Kaplan, independent expert and advisor on AI and Learning and Employment Records, emphasized four critical points on the promise of LERs and the role higher education will play in shaping this next phase of credentialing.

A person at the entrance to a labyrinth

A Student's Tale of Transfer Admissions
Nov 24, 2025

What can you learn from a transfer student? One student shares about credit mobility, advice for improving the process, and how their experience challenges the norm.

The letters "AI" comprised of different people

The AACRAO AI Coalition is Forming…
Nov 24, 2025

AACRAO is leading an exploration of AI’s impact on critical issues like FERPA, PII protection, and the use of administrative data in training models and we’re interested in member feedback on these topics.

SEM 2025 session view from the front

Redefining the Registrar: From Record Keeper to Architect of Learning Pathways
Nov 11, 2025

Molly McDermott-Fallon of the University of Cincinnati outlined a vision of the “Registrar 2.0,” a professional who is agile, data-driven, and ready to enable change rather than merely respond to it.

Decision tree on purple background

Part Data Project, Part Science Experiment, All Part of the Solution
Oct 13, 2025

As campuses and colleagues recognize National #TransferStudentWeek, we have proof that we’re on the right track with a new approach to transfer time-to-decision: Improvement Science.

Convergence 2025 Plenary Panel on Project Infuse

Project Infuse and the Promise of Universal Digital Credentials
Oct 13, 2025

Which platform will dominate with Learning and Employment Records? Find out from Taylor Hansen of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Deb Everhart of Credential Engine, and Darin Hobbs of Western Governors University (moderated by Mike Simmons of AACRAO).

A line of arrows with racing balls

Practical Lessons from First Movers in Learning and Employment Records
Oct 13, 2025

Representatives from Alamo Colleges District, Dallas College, Marshall University, and Johns Hopkins University proved that while the path to transforming credentials is complex, it's also full of practical wisdom for others embarking on this journey.

Talking bubbles with acronyms and words

LER Accelerator: Building a Shared Language for Learning and Employment Records
Sep 29, 2025

The LER Accelerator Coalition, 13 leading national higher education organizations, collaborated to develop a set of Common Terms and Definitions as part of a foundational infrastructure for the skills-based economy.