UK to Present at 2021 Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Forum Virtual Event

The University of Kentucky made the decision to implement a test-optional policy for admissions to accommodate those students that may have challenges completing standardized tests due to COVID-19. This policy required alternative data to be considered for a variety of decision points including admissions, academic readiness, prerequisite determination, institutional aid, and more. Using criteria like high school GPA, a new model needed to be created for the student admissions process. 

The Institutional Research, Analytics, and Decision Support (IRADS) team developed a predictive model for which levels of high school GPA and which high school courses are best used to compare to previously relied on data like standardized test scores. This model, with collaboration from other teams including Enrollment Management, Transformative Learning, and various academic colleges, was implemented for the Fall 2021 admissions cycle. 

This new model was presented at the Kentucky Association for Institutional Research (KAIR) in November 2020 and will be offered again as an on-demand presentation at the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Forum Virtual event May 25 – 28. The presentation, given by Adam Lindstrom and Chris Thuringer, will detail UK’s predictive model at one of the largest global gathering of higher education professionals working in institutional research, assessment, planning, and related postsecondary education fields. 

For more details on the AIR Forum Virtual event, visit their website at airweb.org/forum.