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Subject Matter Experts to serve as module developers and module facilitators/instructors
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Instructional Design Fellows to develop a common module template for UPCEA online Professional Development
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Instructional Designers to support the development of online learning modules
| Welcome to the January edition of Policy Matters. Each issue has the latest updates and actionable items in public policy for adult and nontraditional education stakeholders. |
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We’d like your input! Like this format? Submit comments, or ideas for topics of inclusion in this newsletter. For more information on UPCEA government affairs, contact Jordan DiMaggio ([email protected]). Follow Policy Matters for conversation about ongoing public policy efforts, to stay abreast of major news stories, and to contribute your insights on the policy space. We hope this newsletter makes you better informed on public policies that may impact your institution, students, and the broader higher education community. |
We are entering the decade of AI and quantum environments that will reshape higher education.
Too often, we look ahead assuming that the technologies and structures of today will be in place for years to come. Yet a look back confirms that change has moved at a dramatic pace in higher education.
- Three decades ago, online learning had not yet emerged in any meaningful way — the Web wasn’t even in place. Now we are approaching 1.75 billion websites.
- Two decades ago, the first full-internet-access smartphone was introduced in Japan; now there are more than five billion users of smartphones around the world.
- A decade ago, the first MOOCs were delivered to relatively small audiences in the hundreds or couple thousands; now there are more than 100 million students taking 11,400 classes at scale from nearly 1,000 universities.
Reviewing the incredible progress each decade brings makes me wonder, if I knew at the beginning of the decade what was coming, how might I have better prepared?
Make no mistake, we have crossed the threshold into the fourth industrial revolution that will most markedly advance this decade through maturing artificial intelligence, ultimately driven by quantum computing. The changes will come at an ever-increasing rate as the technologies and societal demands accelerate. Digital computers advanced over the past half century at approximately the rate described by Moore’s Law, with processing power doubling every two years. Now we are entering the era of Neven’s Law, which predicts the speed of progress of quantum computing at a doubly exponential rate. This means change at a dizzyingly rapid rate that will leave many of us unable to comprehend the why and barely able to digest the daily advances that will describe reality. New platforms, products and processes will proliferate in this new decade.
That includes higher education. The centuries-old model of the faculty member at a podium addressing a class of students who are inconsistently and inaccurately taking notes on paper or laptop will seem so quaint, inefficient and impractical that it will be laughable. Observers in 2030 will wonder how any significant learning even took place in that environment.
Semesters and seat time will not survive the coming decade. Based in 19th- and 20th-century societal needs, these are long overdue to pass away. The logical and efficient structure of outcomes-based adaptive learning will quickly overtake the older methods, doing away with redundancy for the advanced students and providing developmental learning for those in need. Each student will be at the center of their learning experience, with AI algorithms fed by rich data about each student mapping progress and adjusting the pathway for each learner. This will lead to personalized learning where the courses and curriculum will be custom-made to meet the needs of the individual learner. Yet, it also will also serve to enhance the social experience for learners meeting face-to-face. In a report from Brookings on the topic, researchers stated that “technology can help education leapfrog in a number of ways. It can provide individualized learning by tracking progress and personalizing activities to serve heterogeneous classrooms.”
Early implementations of adaptive learning in the college setting have shown that this AI-driven process can result in greater equity success for the students. In addition, the faculty members see that their role has become even more important as they directly interact with the individual students to enable and facilitate their learning.
Increasingly we are gathering data about our students as they enter and progress through learning at our institutions. That big data is the “food” upon which artificial intelligence thrives. Sorting through volumes and varieties of data that in prior decades we could not efficiently process, AI can now uncover cause and effect pairs and webs. It can lead us to enhancements and solutions that previously were beyond our reach. As the pool of data grows and becomes more and more diverse — not just numbers, but also videos and anecdotes — the role of quantum computing comes into play.
While it is unlikely we will see quantum computers physically on the desks of university faculty and staff in the coming decade, we certainly will see cloud use of quantum computers to solve increasingly complex problems and opportunities. Quantum computers will interact with digital computers to apply deep learning at an as yet unseen scale. We will be able to pose challenges such as “what learning will researchers need to best prepare for the next generation of genetic advancement?” Faster than a blink of an eye, the quantum computers will respond.
It turns out that major developments are occurring every day in the advancement of quantum computing. Johns Hopkins University researchers recently discovered a superconducting material that may more effectively host qubits in the future. And Oxford University researchers just uncovered ways in which strontium ions can be much more efficiently entangled for scaling quantum computers. Advancements such as these will pave the path to ever more powerful computers that will enable ever more effective adaptive, individualized and personalized learning.
We know that change is coming. We know the direction of that change. We know some of the actual tools that will be instrumental in that change. Armed with that knowledge, what can we do today to prepare for the decade of the 2020s? Rather than merely reacting to changes after the fact, can we take steps to anticipate and prepare for that change? Can our institutions be better configured to adapt to the changes that are on the horizon? And who will lead that preparation at your institution?
This article originally was published in Inside Higher Ed’s Inside Digital Learning blog.
Bruce Davis (1954-2019) died in December 2019. Dr. Davis served as Vice Provost and Dean of Online & Continuing Education at Weber State University. He worked at Weber State for nearly 30 years, starting in 1990 as director for the center for business and economic development at the John B. Goddard School of Business and Economics. He subsequently served as director of Weber State’s Davis campus from 1999 to 2008, and continued to direct the Davis campus after becoming vice provost and dean of continuing education in 2008.
Von Pittman (1945-2019) died in December 2019. Dr. Pittman served most recently as Director of Distance and Independent Study at the University of Missouri from 1997-2010. He began his career in 1983 as Director of Credit Programs in the Division of Continuing Education at the University of Iowa. He then served as Associate Dean of Continuing Education from 1987 to 1997, and then as Director of Distance and Independent Study at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Pittman was a prolific author, with a special interest in the history of adult continuing education, and his achievements were recognized by UPCEA with a Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature.
All Top 10-ranked institutions are members of UPCEA
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 16, 2020) — UPCEA, the association for college and university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education, is pleased to congratulate the many UPCEA members recognized in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings.
U.S. News rankings include more than 1,600 online programs, covering bachelor’s and graduate programs across a variety of fields. The U.S. News rankings focus on online programs, using information provided by participating institutions. Factors included in the ranking methodologies include student services and technology, student engagement, and faculty credentials and training.
“UPCEA members sit at the forefront of online learning and continue to be recognized for their leadership and innovation,” said Julie Uranis, Vice President of Online and Strategic Initiatives for UPCEA.“Many leaders from these same institutions are also sharing their knowledge and lessons learned at the 2020 Summit for Online Leadership and Administration next month in New Orleans. Our members are not only leading successful online enterprises but they are also contributing to our community”
“The Ohio State University faculty and staff have worked hard to provide opportunities and access to a meaningful and affordable college education that’s supporting the workforce needs in Ohio and beyond,” said Robert Griffiths, Associate Vice President of Distance Education at The Ohio State University. “We are honored that our efforts have been recognized by our peers and in the U.S. News and World Report rankings.”
All ten of this year’s top ten ranked institutions are members of UPCEA:
1 – The Ohio State University
2 – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
3 – University of Illinois at Chicago
4 – University of Florida
5 – Oregon State University Extended Campus
6 – Arizona State University
7 – University of Oklahoma
8 – Penn State University
8 – Loyola University of Chicago
8 – University of North Carolina Wilmington
“We at the University of Florida are pleased to be recognized as one of the top-ranked institutions offering online bachelor’s programs,” said Evangeline Cummings, Assistant Provost and Director of UF Online at University of Florida. “Best of all, we get to celebrate this new ranking as One UF. Without a true campus-wide commitment across 10 UF colleges all offering bachelor’s degrees online this would not have been possible. I’m also impressed by the sheer number of ranked schools this year – it’s wonderful to see so many institutions providing online bachelor’s pathways for students.”
Congratulations to all of the UPCEA members recognized in this year’s rankings. Click here to see those featured in the top 100 institutions.
“UPCEA member institutions continue to raise the bar in what is already the most dynamic and innovative sector of higher education,” said Bob Hansen, CEO of UPCEA. “I’m proud to see so many of them receive this well-deserved recognition by U.S. News & World Report.”
As an older representative of Generation X, just six months shy of being able to say I am a Boomer, I enjoy watching classic television shows such as I Dream of Jeannie, The Brady Bunch or Gilligan’s Island. Many Millennials and certainly most Gen Z’ers are not aware of Gilligan’s Island nor should we expect them to be given their vast selection of viewing choices. For our younger readers, Gilligan’s Island was a late 1960’s sitcom of seven castaways from a ship called the Minnow: the Skipper and his mate, Gilligan; the Professor; millionaire Thurston Howell III and his wife; Ginger, a move star; and country girl Mary Anne[i]. There are many lessons that higher education can learn from Gilligan’s Island.
1. The Professor was Often the Bearer of Bad News. He often addressed the health situation of the castaways or that a volcano was soon to blow up the island. For higher education in this case, the professor is the National Student Clearinghouse, telling us that higher education enrollments have declined again[ii] (see Figure 1), falling from 18.2 million in 2018 to 17.9 million in 2019 (1.3%). In 2011, enrollments stood at 20.1 million. Higher education has adapted slowly to worsening conditions despite fairly stable numbers of 18-year-olds and improving high school graduation rates[iii].
Figure 1
2. The Professor Was Usually the One to Analyze the Situation. He would say that Gilligan’s life was on the line, the island was sinking or that the temperature was changing. In this case, our economy is quickly changing. The retail market has moved to the cloud. The sharing economy has begun to mature with Uber, AirBnB and Rover being commonplace. Automation and artificial intelligence are entering our homes and workplaces. The professor, or in this case Emsi, would tell us that many new jobs are emerging, including cloud data engineer, data analytics specialist, cyber defense engineer, content management specialist, visual interaction designer and many more[iv]. In this new economy, Strada Education and UPCEA have identified evolving roles for those with a humanities or liberal arts background[v].
3. The Professor Always Had an Antidote or Good News. With every bad situation, the Professor would identify a solution, often a concoction or device that could save Gilligan’s or the Skipper’s life or stop the island from sinking. For higher education, new degrees and credentials are being created for a rapidly evolving economy. Institutions need to conduct research to customize their antidotes to their markets and problems. Not all situations are the same and every market differs. In the short run, there will be marketing, pricing, and new program or alternative credentialing solutions. One antidote could be the program or credential. As part of UPCEA’s Hallmarks of Excellence initiative, a recent survey (sponsored by MindEdge) showed[vi]:
a. About two-thirds of UPCEA’s membership offer a form of credential beyond the typical college degree. Of those that did not offer a form of alternative credentialing, most said that they planned to soon.
b. Of this group, just under one in five (19%) said that this credential replaces a typical college degree. Seventy-nine percent said that the credential would supplement a degree.
Alternative credentials could serve a major role in a new economy, helping to supplement existing credentials or as a full credential for a quickly changing job market.
4. Partnerships are Important. The Howells often colluded together. Gilligan and the Skipper and Ginger with Mary Ann, despite their differences, often worked together. Ginger often donned a lab coat and glasses and worked with the Professor on a number of experiments. In a rapidly changing economy, higher education needs greater corporate and employer input and vice versa, although one might argue that the reliance on higher education has become less with greater investment in corporate training and MOOCs by employers. Higher education needs to bring employers to the table more proactively in the form of advisory committees, curriculum design and custom programming.
5. A Good Team is Needed to Get Off the Island. The creativity and risk-taking of Gilligan is needed but balanced by the good the decision making and analytics of the Professor. Like the Howells, the financial implications and investments need to be considered, although they had little value on the island. One could argue that Mary Ann was about common sense or values, while Ginger represented outer beauty or appearance. The two could symbolize the core values of the group or the marketing and advertising components of an institution. Despite the Skipper’s experience, he never clearly evolved as the true leader on Gilligan’s Island, and maybe that was the reason the castaways never left the island in the show’s three seasons. Good leadership is critical in a changing economy.
6. Change Your Processes to Improve Your Odds for Success: To be successful, one must be able to have processes that have discipline when needed and flexibility when required. The castaways had little. With every opportunity to escape the island, their ability to respond correctly often resulted in a misunderstanding or calamity of errors. Most recently, UPCEA and InsideTrack conducted a survey with current online students and staff at 25 institutions. They found that there was significant variability across many factors regarding student and staff expectations or assumptions, as well as communication preferences. The results of that study will be released at the UPCEA SOLA+R and Annual Conferences. Institutions must carefully examine their student- and inquirer-facing processes which may be legacy-based. For example, in 2018, UPCEA analyzed the online “Request for Information” forms of 20 institutions and found most to have significant flaws[vii], such as asking too many questions, questions that were irrelevant or asking questions that were not appropriate for the stage of inquiry.
7. Do Institutions of Higher Education Really Want to Get Off the Island? When the series ended, the castaways were never rescued. Only until the producers made the Rescue from Gilligan’s Island movie did they escape (only to become marooned back on the island later). Some institutions would argue that life is happy and simple on their island, despite the world changing around them. The movie ultimately shows how they escape the island…seeing an urgency of surviving a tsunami. Ironically, it is through technology (a computer disc), that they are able to see the need to escape the island.
Higher education has a wonderful opportunity to become more engaged in a new economy. The creation of new jobs, economies and markets require more functionally-focused and adaptive employees. Employees need new skills and education and the degree is no longer the one shoe that fits.
The old way of doing things keeps you on the island.
[i] Wikipedia
[ii] National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Fall 2019 Current Term Enrollments, December 16, 2019
[iii] National Center for Education Statistics
[iv] EMSI, Emsi Released New Report: Top 10 Emerging Tech Jobs for 2020, December 17, 2019
[v] https://www.economicmodeling.com/2019/03/20/emsi-at-upcea/
[vi] UPCEA and Mindedge Survey on Alternative Credentials, December 2019
[vii] UPCEA Research conducted for MEMS 2018.
By SmartBrief Editors
This post is produced in partnership with UPCEA.
Barbara Kopp Miller is at the forefront of competency-based approaches to education. As the Dean of University College in Toledo, Ohio, she leads one of the most progressive CBE programs in the nation. She sat down with UPCEA to share her thoughts on the growing value of CBE – and where it’s headed.
Question: Tell us about your journey into and in the professional, continuing and online education field.
Answer: I began teaching online in 1998 when it was just beginning to gain popularity. As I progressed through the administrative of The University of Toledo, I was appointed to the position of Associate Provost for Online Education, which was responsible for all of the online services provided to faculty, staff and students. With a team of 50 instructional designers, educational technologists and a help desk, we assisted faculty in designing quality courses. In 2016 UToledo Online merged with two colleges to become University College of which I am currently the Dean.
Q: Tell us about the university’s competency-based education initiative. Do you see this is as a model for other institutions?
A: We began our CBE journey in January 2018 with a comprehensive task force that was charged with implementing a CBE program by Fall 2019. After a year of piloting business courses during the 2018-19 school year, we implemented a full CBE RN-BSN program. The University of Toledo was the first public institution in Ohio to offer a CBE program.
Ohio also supports the Ohio CBE Network Steering Committee, which has members from 26 of the 38 public colleges and universities in Ohio. The Ohio CBE Network Steering Committee serves as a forum for activities designed to bring Ohio faculty, staff and administrators together to learn about and share information related to CBE programming and discussing different topics. The Ohio CBE Network Steering Committee strives to create practical tools for colleges and universities interested in pursuing competency-based education to include a network of expert practitioners, and a repository of resources and best practices for CBE development, implementation and sustainment. You can visit https://ohiocbenetwork.org/ to learn more about the Network.
Q: Tell us about your work with quality and compliance with the University of Toledo’s online and blended education. What lessons or advice would you offer to other institutions embarking on this work today?
A: We subscribe to Quality Matters as our quality assurance model. As of October 2019, we were 15th in the nation (out of 441 schools) and 1st in the state of Ohio with the number of formally approved Quality Matter courses.
The University of Toledo adopted Quality Matters in 2011, and our faculty members have really embraced it. More than 50 UToledo faculty members have chosen to ensure the quality of their online courses through the nationally recognized and faculty-driven Quality Matters peer review process.
Quality Matters is a nonprofit organization that provides standards for courses and program review to support quality assurance goals. A recognized leader in quality assurance for online education, its mission is to promote and improve the quality of online education and student learning nationally and internationally through the development of current, research-supported and practice-based quality standards and appropriate evaluation tools and procedures.
The review process centers around the application of the Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric. The standards outlined in the rubric were developed and are periodically revised based on research and established standards in the fields of instructional design and online learning.
Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges for leaders in our field today? What new and exciting things do you see on the horizon?
A: The changing demographics of our student population is one of the most challenging leaders face as it relates to enrollment trends. The University student today is very different than 20 years ago and we must adapt to changing the way we do business. We must meet the needs of our students across the lifespan. UPCEA is taking the lead on providing recommendations and action items for higher education to remain relevant, innovative and sustainable.
Q: What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
A: Never say no! Embrace change and new projects no matter how big or overwhelming they may seem.
As the Dean of University College, Dr. Kopp Miller leads the university’s premier educational and service destination for adult, military, online, transitional, and undecided students. University College provides the foundation for learner-focused services and transformational educational initiatives with more than 2500 students enrolled.