By Autumn Walden, Editor, AACRAO Connect, Content Strategy Manager, AACRAO
Two years later, with nearly 7,000 discussions and 900 unique voices added in just the past year, the AACRAO Exchange has quickly emerged as the digital commons for collaboration and crowdsourced problem-solving among enrollment professionals. AACRAO members use this online community to share insights and swap lessons learned, while nonmembers can join specific Communities of Practice. In the last year, engaged participants have downloaded more than 800 resources from the community libraries.
Quick Rundown of Top Stats
Top 5 Largest Exchange Communities:
Two New Communities Created in the Last 12 Months
Top 5 Communities with the Most Active Discussions
Top 5 Discussion Posts with the Most Replies
AACRAO celebrates the members, volunteers, and active contributors who have built this thriving hub of peer learning and camaraderie. I asked Paige Selman-Boucher, AACRAO Community Volunteer Manager, to share insights on what’s ahead, including how members can join, what’s driving the conversation, and how the Exchange keeps dialogue flowing in between events and day-to-day responsibilities.
In the past year, The Exchange has hosted nearly 7,000 discussions and 900 unique contributors. What does that level of activity say about our members’ willingness to share knowledge and help one another?
This shows me that we have a vibrant community of professionals who care about higher education and want to help their colleagues from other institutions. Higher Logic, the vendor for the Exchange, recently released its annual benchmark report. Their report looked at a wide array of association communities to calculate standard reference points for various community metrics. In comparison to their benchmarks, AACRAO is doing great. We are meeting or surpassing many of their metrics, including median user records, average monthly logins, unique monthly contributors, and monthly discussion activity.
As The Exchange enters its third year, what are your goals for growth—whether that’s new communities, deeper engagement, or new ways for members to connect?
One of my favorite things about working at AACRAO is meeting the members and seeing their willingness to share their expertise with others. My biggest goal is to see more contributors within the Exchange. I believe that everyone has something to offer and that when we all collaborate, we are able to come up with stronger solutions to challenges. I invite everyone reading this article to respond to one of the posts within the Exchange. It takes less than a minute most of the time and can really help a colleague. Who knows, maybe the next time you have a question, they will be able to respond?
For members—or even nonmembers—who are hearing about The Exchange for the first time, what’s the easiest way to join, set up a profile, and start participating in discussions?
Regardless of your membership status, the first thing to do is check our Get Started page. This walks you through:
- How to log in using the email address affiliated with your AACRAO account.
- How to review and edit your profile.
- How to join communities.
After you set up your profile, I always recommend checking out the All Communities page to join at least a few different communities.
If you are an AACRAO member, there are a lot of communities to choose from, including AACRAO Admissions, AACRAO Enrollment Management, and AACRAO Registrars. I also recommend that everyone, regardless of membership status, check out the Innovative Credentials community, too, to stay up to date on some of the leading work surrounding learning mobility.
When you join a community, it will ask you about your notification preferences. If you are someone who wants fewer emails, I recommend the Consolidated Daily Digest—one email with all the latest discussions from all the communities you joined, with direct links to each discussion and community. If you are someone who wants to be able to post directly from your email, I recommend Daily Digest Notifications—one email each day from each community you joined that allows you to reply from your email inbox.
How do you see The Exchange complementing in-person networking at AACRAO events and other opportunities like volunteering, webinars, and courses?
We know one of the most valuable things AACRAO can offer is fostering community. When working with members, one thing I constantly hear is that they do not always have peers on their campus to offer advice. The Exchange is one way we are trying to help alleviate that challenge—by creating space for members to collaborate with peers beyond their institution, beyond in-person events, and beyond webinars and courses. The Exchange serves as a central hub. You can join a Caucus, find any current volunteer opportunities, and learn more from colleagues all in one place.
And while the engagement in the Exchange is virtual and asynchronous, it helps inform our other engagement opportunities. For example, when people were submitting Annual Meeting proposals, there were several conversations in the Exchange centered around finding topic ideas and co-presenters. I think that is an incredible example of how in-person and virtual all tie together.
The Exchange is your always-open meeting space. Join the conversation today. Review the login FAQs if you need assistance.