Dive Brief: 

  • Although a majority of surveyed employers say they value alternative credentials, many also harbor concerns over assessing the quality of education and understanding the skills and competencies they represent. 

  • That’s according to a recent survey of 510 employers from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, also known as UPCEA, and Collegis Education, a technology services provider for colleges. 

  • Despite their concerns, 23% of respondents said the greatest benefit alternative credentials provide are giving workers real-world experience. Also, 16% of respondents said alternative credentials help employees develop specialized skills and 13% said they improve performance. 

Read the full article.

A new study focusing on employers’ perspectives on micro-credentials reveals that while a strong majority of them believe it boosts a prospective hire’s value, not enough colleges and universities are capitalizing on it.

More than 70% of respondents agreed that job applicants with non-degree or alternative credentials have increased the past two years and those hires helped their organization fill an existing skill gap (74%) and improved the quality of their workforce (73%). It’s no wonder, then, that 71% affirmed that their organization is becoming more accepting of non-degree or alternative credentials in lieu of traditional four-year degrees.

A résumé containing micro-credentials is increasingly advantageous. A whopping 95% of employers said a résumé listing micro-credentials benefited the candidate because it demonstrates a willingness for skill development (76%), and most employers were not concerned about non-degree credentials having an adverse effect on the workforce.

With alternative and non-degree credentials becoming increasingly more appealing to employers, colleges and universities are in the perfect position to corner the market. However, schools may be bungling this opportunity. Less than half of employers were approached by schools to build micro-credential programs.

“Micro-credentials can play a critical role in the new economy. However, similar to how online degrees were perceived two decades ago, some are critical about the quality of non-degree programs, despite a lack of evidence to support a systematic problem,” said Jim Fong, Chief Research Officer at UPCEA.

Read the full article.

Ninety-five percent of employers see benefits in their employees accruing microcredentials, according to a new survey from Collegis Education and UPCEA, the association for college and university leaders in online and professional continuing education.

Among the leaders surveyed from 500 organizations, 76 percent said pursuing microcredentials demonstrates an employee’s willingness to develop their skills, 63 percent said it shows initiative and 60 percent said it’s an easy way to communicate employee competencies and skills. Eighty percent of respondents said that stackable credentials leading to a degree enhanced their appeal.

Read the full article here.

 

Nearly 100 percent of organizational leaders see benefits from employees having microcredentials

WASHINGTON (February 22, 2023) — Employer demand for microcredentials is on the rise, according to a new study released today by UPCEA, the association for college and university leaders in online and professional continuing education, and Collegis Education. The report, “The Effect of Employer Understanding and Engagement on Non-Degree Credentials,” includes the viewpoints of leaders from 500 organizations on their perceptions of the value of non-degree and alternative credentials.

Ninety-five percent of those surveyed said they saw benefits from microcredentials, particularly because they show an employee’s willingness to develop their skills (76 percent); demonstrate initiative (63 percent) and are an easy way to communicate employee competencies and skills (60 percent). Organizational leaders were particularly interested in stackable credentials leading to a degree with 80 percent saying that increased their appeal.

“UPCEA’s mission is to support colleges and universities as they evolve their programs to meet the changing needs of employers and adult students. Microcredentials can play a critical role in the new economy. However, similar to how online degrees were perceived two decades ago, some are critical about the quality of non-degree programs, despite a lack of evidence to support a systematic problem,” said Jim Fong, Chief Research Officer, UPCEA. “The findings from the Collegis/UPCEA research show that organizational leaders value microcredentials and non-degree programming but are often unaware of them. Those that are aware agree that quality can be addressed with greater collaboration between employers and higher education.”

Although many employers recognize the value of alternative credentials in today’s workforce, a pervasive issue lies in their standardization and how to properly assess the validity and applicability of courses and certifications. Although 20 percent of survey respondents had little or no concern that non-degree or alternative credentials will have an adverse effect on the workforce, 17 percent were concerned about wrong/not relevant credentials/lack critical skills/training, 12 percent cited quality of education/validating credentials, and 11 percent specified a lack of educational/professional experience.

When choosing a college or university to collaborate with to develop a microcredential program, organizational leaders said they are incentivized by proof of program effectiveness (65 percent) and more than 50 percent want to play a role in the program’s development. While the report reveals a significant microcredential market opportunity for higher ed, only 44 percent of organizations reported having been approached by a college or university about a potential program.

“At Collegis, we have helped many colleges and universities develop successful microcredential programs for the last decade. Most recently with Saint Louis University’s Cannabis Science and Operations microcredential program where our partner identified an emerging industry and the opportunity to develop a program to support an expanding field’s workforce,” said Tracy A. Chapman, Ph.D., Chief Academic Officer at Collegis. “We worked with UPCEA on this study because we wanted broader insights into how the business world perceived microcredentials and if there are untapped opportunities for higher ed to leverage these types of programs to create a steady stream of enrollments and new revenue streams. The answer is, unequivocally, yes.”

The complete study is available for download at: Microcredentials from Higher Ed Institutions – What Employers Want (collegiseducation.com)

 

About UPCEA

UPCEA is the leading association for professional, continuing, and online education. Founded in 1915, UPCEA now serves most of the leading public and private colleges and universities in North America. For 100 years, the association has served its members with innovative conferences and specialty seminars, research and benchmarking information, professional networking opportunities and timely publications. Learn more at upcea.edu.

About Collegis Education

Using a proactive and data-driven approach, Collegis Education empowers institutions to make a broader impact by providing insights that help grow enrollments, improve student outcomes and optimize expenses. Currently, Collegis Education works with more than 40 institutions nationwide. For more information, visit CollegisEducation.com and follow Collegis on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

 

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Major Updates

NOTE: This post has been updated since its original publishing to include extended deadlines provided by the Department of Education.

Some substantial items for UPCEA members to review from the US Department of Education were announced last week.

The long-expected Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) on Third-Party Servicers (TPS) and public comment periods on TPS guidance as well as the incentive compensation ban with these providers, including Online Program Managers (OPMs) on bundled services has been released. The Department will conduct virtual listening sessions on incentive compensation on March 8th and 9th to hear community feedback. We encourage UPCEA members to take part in commenting and attending those sessions as well as providing written comments which can be submitted until March 16th. Separately, but very relatedly, the Department has updated Third-Party Servicer guidance to clarify when a servicer is considered as such, and would be privy to additional data and regulation with compliance for federal rules and regulations. The definitions have been broadened from previous statements, and apply to any arrangement that helps coordinate Title IV (Federal Financial Aid) eligibility, including recruiting, teaching and learning, as well as software providers. Comments are open until March 30th for Third-Party Servicer guidance. The guidance is effective immediately , and the Department is asking institutions to report any arrangements that have not been previously reported to them by May 1st (now September 1, per 2/28 updated DCL) of this year. These actions come as there has been increased scrutiny on how Third-Party Servicers, such as Online Program Managers (OPMs), recruit students for programs, especially after being highlighted in a 2022 GAO report on the topic.

The previous guidance on the incentive compensation ban, a 2011 Dear Colleague Letter from the Department, provided an exception which allowed for bundled services, including recruitment, to be offered by third parties to institutions of higher education. This was seen as being on shaky legal ground, as the Higher Education Act has an explicit prohibition of incentive compensation for Third-Party Servicers working with institutions. The 2011 Dear Colleague Letter guidance was even seen as illegitimate as admitted by one of the authors of the guidance themselves. The Department is now gathering comments and holding a public listening session, to gain insights from a range of stakeholders on the benefits and disadvantages of the exception, how the guidance has impacted institutions and students, and how compliance can be ensured and how they may treat incentive compensation activities moving forward.

In their secondary but related action, the Department issued updated guidance via a separate Dear Colleague Letter on Third-Party Servicers, and provided a detailed breakdown on what the Department deems as actions that would be taken that would qualify a Third-Party Servicer as such (and then be privy to additional scrutiny) in participation of Title IV (Federal Financial Aid) programs. The guidance goes on to include a breakdown of how to differentiate between whether an entity is a Third-Party Servicer in some key items like Computer Services/Software and Record Maintenance, Instructional Content, Consulting and Auditing, among others. The Department has issued the following statement as to why they are revising the guidance:

“In particular, the Department is revising its guidance concerning the functions of student recruiting and retention, the provision of software products and services involving Title IV administration activities, and the provision of educational content and instruction. The Department is aware that a large and growing industry has developed to provide one or more of these services as a means of transitioning academic programs into a distance education format and expanding enrollment.”

While the focus has largely been in regards to OPMs, the guidance relates to any Third-Party Servicer agreement, on-campus, or online. While this opportunity for enforcement has been within the Department’s legislatively granted authority for years, enforcement and guidance has not been executed in this way by past administrations. The Department itself quotes many, different, applicable legislatively-derived public statutes which grant it the authority to enforce such provisions. They also reiterated based on the existing public law, they expect institutions to provide the Department notification within 10 days of any modification or end of a contract or entering into of a contract with a new Third-Party Servicer.

Also the Department stated the focus of liability of the institution is broader than just those items related to Third-Party Servicers (highlighted emphasis our own):

“Regardless of whether an entity is considered a TPS for Title IV purposes, the institution has a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that any contracts, policies, procedures, products, or systems used by the institution or its contractors/providers are compliant with applicable laws and regulations. This includes the requirements in 34 C.F.R. § 668.24(f) that an institution be able to access all records (paper or electronic) created or maintained by a third party and to make those records readily available to the Department for review.”

And, that these arrangements are not able to contract with a Third-Party Servicer:

“To protect the interests of institutions, taxpayers, and students, an institution may not contract with a TPS to perform any aspect of the institution’s participation in a Title IV program if the servicer (or its subcontractors) is located outside of the United States or is owned or operated by an individual who is not a U.S. citizen or national or a lawful U.S. permanent resident. This prohibition applies to both foreign and domestic institutions.”

The impacts to UPCEA members may be significant. UPCEA will continue to keep our membership updated of these developments, but we encourage you to bring this information to the attention of your institution’s government affairs office, compliance officers, and president’s office for additional scrutiny of gathering comments on the proposals. We also have identified a few immediate actions to take in light of these updates. 

 

Immediate Actions for Your Institution or Organization

  1. Take an inventory of all of your engagements with third-party contracts. 
    • As this guidance is in immediate effect, take a close look at the new guidance and make sure you have given to the Department the notification of all of your Third-Party Servicers by filling out the Third-Party Servicer form ahead of the May 1 (now September 1, per 2/28 updated DCL) deadline.
        • If you are unsure if the arrangements you have would be privy to Third-Party Servicer Guidance, the Department has an email address to which you can direct these questions at [email protected].
  2. Review the updated guidance on Third-Party Servicers and consider making written public comments before March 17 (now March 30).
  3. Review the Department’s asks on incentive compensation (the nine specific questions under “Supplemental Information”)
    • Consider either: 
      • Taking part in the Public Listening sessions, either as a speaker commenting on these items, or as an audience member in listen-only mode.

        To take part, the Department notes: “The virtual listening sessions will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (EST) on March 8 and 9. Individuals who would like to present comments of up to three minutes must register by sending an email to [email protected] no later than 12 p.m. (EST) on the business day prior to the listening session at which they want to speak. The message should include the name of the speaker, the email address of the speaker, and one or more dates and times during which the individual would be available to speak. Individuals who want to observe the listening sessions are also required to register for each day in which they wish to observe.”

        And/Or
         
      • Sending written comments to the Department by March 16.


UPCEA will continue to update you on any changes or updates to these topics. Feel free to also comment on our recent CORe thread with your institutional or personal perspectives.

 

Other News

 

 

By Julie Uranis, Senior Vice President of Online and Strategic Initiatives, UPCEA

From its earliest days in 1915, UPCEA members have led the charge in making postsecondary education available to distant learners. From the correspondence movement to today, distance learning, now online learning, has been led by practitioners that sit at the intersection of curriculum, technology, and pedagogy.

Postsecondary online practitioners have disparate portfolios, unique titles, and varied job descriptions. Even at the highest echelons of online leadership, senior leaders struggle to identify their peers simply by titles alone. UPCEA has abandoned the idea of aligning titles across the postsecondary ecosystem. Regardless of title, many senior online leaders share the same characteristics, ones UPCEA articulated in our original definition of Chief Online Learning Officers (2017):, 

A Chief Online Learning Officer (COLO) is the decision-maker for an online enterprise (whether at the unit, college, or institutional level). COLOs are accountable to the online enterprise and make the decisions to advance the strategy, leadership, and vision of postsecondary online education. At the operational level, a COLO makes the critical path decisions for an online enterprise (e.g. technology, outsourcing strategic enrollment management vs. building internal teams, etc.). UPCEA recognizes there is diversity in such roles and decisions. COLOs are sometimes professional or continuing education deans with online in their portfolio, while others are solely focused on online learning.

Fast forward to 2023, where the role of COLOs has gained greater prominence at most institutions, and their portfolios have expanded to more than ‘online degrees and courses’. Most individuals identifying as COLOs have had the most harrowing three years of their personal lives and careers. It is at this point that the Council for Chief Online Learning Officers (C-COLO) leadership team decided to review the definition of a COLO to reflect the current context in which most COLOs exist. 

Caught somewhere between a Chief Information/Technology Officer (CIO or CTO) leading an institution’s IT enterprise and a Chief Academic Technology Officer (CATO), many COLOs have uniquely different and distinct portfolios. As Tom Cavanagh, Vice Provost for Digital Learning at the University of Central Florida and the Chair of the C-COLO leadership team, shared, “I work closely with our institution’s CIO and I couldn’t do what I do without collaborating with him, but our work is distinctly different. From an orientation standpoint, his work is technology-focused and supports the academic and research mission of the university. I would characterize my work as academically-focused but mediated via technology.” Tom emphasized that while he relies heavily on his relationship with his CIO, CIOs and CATOs do not do the same work. For this reason the 2022-2023 C-COLO leadership team recently engaged in revising the definition of a COLO:

A Chief Online Learning Officer (COLO) is the primary leader for an online, digital, or other technology-enhanced postsecondary enterprise and can have responsibilities inclusive of, but not limited to, digital and hybrid learning, instructional design, student experience, and faculty development (whether at the unit, college, or institutional level). They influence and/or make critical path decisions in strategic collaboration with other institutional leaders (e.g. outsourcing operational aspects vs. building internal teams, etc.). 

COLOs advocate for and with stakeholders to advance the strategy, leadership, and vision of postsecondary online education in keeping with an institution’s mission and values. COLOs often bring business acumen and an entrepreneurial approach, and serve as conveners for innovation within higher education institutions. UPCEA recognizes there is diversity in the title of such roles, depending on institutional type, culture, and maturity of the online enterprise.

If you are an UPCEA member and a COLO, you can confirm your access to UPCEA’s COLO-only community by logging into UPCEA’s member portal and reviewing your committees (looking for Chief Online Learning Officers). Being designated as a COLO grants you access to the UPCEA CORe Council for Chief Online Learning Officers community comprised of your peers and the opportunity to attend invite-online events designed by and for COLOs. If you are unsure if you are your institution’s designated COLO, feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

[…] Late last year, the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), the largest association of adult and continuing education divisions at higher education institutions, and StraighterLine, a provider of low-cost, flexible online courses, found that the most significant barrier that students encounter when transferring between institutions is getting earned academic credit to count at their new institution. Read the full article here.

Many were taken by surprise by the emergence of highly-sophisticated large language models. Notice was taken last year with OpenAI GPT-3. I was amazed last August, when I first asked GPT-3 to write a sample article about the impact of GPT on higher education. It responded with an accurate, cogent 700-word piece in just seconds. I wrote then that “higher ed will never be the same!” However, the models and interfaces continued to improve with the GPT-3.5 and ChatGPT. We have now embarked on an ever-accelerating improvement of the technology, fueled by tens of billions of dollars of investment and a hot competition most notably between Microsoft/Bing and Alphabet/Google. This will play out through the rest of 2023 and beyond.

No field is more likely to be affected by these advances than higher education. The ability to generate text, images, music, and other media with clarity, accuracy, and adaptability is on target to enhance the way in which we deliver learning and facilitate access to knowledge. A revolution is underway, and I can guarantee that it will touch your workplace in 2023 and beyond.

What can we expect? Some technological improvements will be noticeable by next month as GPT-4 is scheduled to be released. Those improvements will certainly be impressive. Faster, smoother, fewer lapses, and multi-modal models are expected to emerge with GPT-4. All the while, the algorithms will get smarter with ever-larger knowledge bases and even more than the 175 billion parameters of GPT-3. Equally impressive will be the variety of applications and interfaces that emerge. These will be accelerated in part by the race between Microsoft/OpenAI and Alphabet/Google with a variety of emerging applications.

Owen Yin of Medium got an early preview of Microsoft’s integration of ChatGPT technology into the search engine Bing. Expected to be formally released in coming weeks, Yin described some of the features of the GPT-enhanced search engine:

Microsoft is positioning it as an evolution of the search engine, asking you to think of it as a “research assistant, personal planner, and creative partner at your side. The integration will be powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4, a faster version of ChatGPT. Unlike ChatGPT, which is trained on data collected up to 2021, the new Bing will be able to access current information. When you ask a question, the AI will interpret it and make several searches related to your request. It will then compile the results and write a summary for you. Bing will highlight particular phrases and cite where it got that information from, allowing you to verify the claim.

Google is expected to respond in kind. The leading search engine company is seeking to reassure investors about its progress with the powerful LaMDA AI. “Bard” uses a smaller version of LaMDA, and is based on similar technology to ChatGPT. Also, Google has announced its investment in Anthropics – a startup initiated by eleven former OpenAI employees. That company is developing a large language model generative AI system named “Claude” which describes itself “I am an AI-based conversational assistant powered by advanced natural language processing… My goal is to be helpful, harmless, and honest.” Google CEO Sundar Pichai told investors earlier this month that it is planning to roll out its LaMDA language model with search components “very soon.” Imagine the potential of micro-learning and mentoring that will be afforded by these competing search engine chatbots with advanced communication capabilities.

The competition extends far beyond search engines. There are greatly enhanced image generators with improvements compared to DALL-E-2. Muse is one. That is the new Google Text-To-Image Generation via Masked Generative Transformer that can produce photos of a high quality comparable to those produced by rival models like the DALL-E 2 and Imagen at a rate that is far faster. Imagine having your own personal artist at your fingertips to create images and graphics at your command.

While at the moment ChatGPT can’t generate music from text prompts, Google is describing a new, experimental AI model, MusicLM, which can create a song from a simple text input. The new AI model can make anywhere from a 10-second audio clip to a full song, using as many specific details as you give it. It can also modify an existing song and produce a different rendition. Some rather interesting demo examples from Google are shared here. Imagine the impact on higher education music departments, garage bands, music services, and courses.

ChatGPT can already write and debug code well enough to get a job at Amazon. It learned this skill from GitHub, but soon it is scheduled to take lessons from actual engineers. OpenAI is hiring 1,000 coders, in part to explain their methods to ChatGPT in natural language. You might consider this a kind of continuing education for ChatGPT. Imagine having your own personal coder to write new apps and personalize existing products to your personal preferences.

One important aspect of the emergence of generative AI that has not received enough attention for those of us in higher education is that the output of these systems is not subject to copyright. Lumen Learning co-founder, David Wiley, writes in his blog, opencontent.org:

Because copyright law as codified in the 1976 Act requires human authorship, the Work cannot be registered…. as the US Copyright Office is concerned, output from programs like ChatGPT or Stable Diffusion are not eligible for copyright protection…. unless something rather dramatic happens along these lines, the outputs of generative AI programs will continue to pass immediately into the public domain. Consequently, they will be open educational resources under the common definition.

With the upgrades expected out in coming weeks, we can look for access to even more up-to-date information than the current version of ChatGPT – it will grow with the Web. We can expect even faster responses with audio, graphics and video. And, all of these are open. Imagine what that means for ownership of academic materials and OER.

As Chandra Steele writes in PC magazine, “It’s certainly getting ready to enter quite a few professions. ChatGPT is learning to pick stocks like Warren Buffett does. It has passed a Wharton Business School exam and a law school exam. It almost argued a case in traffic court in California, but several bar associations shut that down—for now.” Many careers will be touched by generative AI, only a few of which are writers, programmers, accountants, teachers, researchers, and almost any occupation in which research, logic, computation and communication are key skills.

So, what does this mean for our careers, our futures? In the coming weeks, I encourage us all to:

  • Diligently follow the development of generative AI skills and abilities so we can become expert in applying them to our work
  • Engage with AI so that we develop a personal facility with using the tools as they emerge and develop.
  • Continuously grow our own personal, uniquely human, capabilities such as our ethos, empathy, care, and insight into our fellow humans. These will continue to set us apart from AI, for a while.
  • Embrace, rather than fear, the technology, applying it to advance the human condition.

We should share this message with our learners as well. As mentors of those entering careers, changing careers, and inventing their own careers in this rapidly changing environment, it is incumbent on us to reinforce the timeless human qualities of insight, compassion and care for each other. These will continue to set us aside and above the artificial.

 

This article was originally published in Inside Higher Ed’s Transforming Teaching & Learning blog. 

By Jim Fong, UPCEA’s Chief Research Officer, and Bruce Etter, UPCEA’s Senior Director of Research and Consulting

When hikers are faced with an obstacle like a cliff, they have several options. One is to go around it but with some mixture of uncertainty and consequences, such as lost time or having to use additional resources. Another choice would be to climb or build something to scale it. Or they can give up and go home, succumbing to the cliff.  Higher education is faced with the demographic cliff. We know it is coming. Hikers can see the terrain on a map. They can choose well in advance to navigate around the cliff or wait until it is upon them. The same holds true for higher education. We’ve known about the cliff for years now, if not decades. Many institutions have waited too long to change paths. Others, often stronger name brand or larger institutions, are more forward thinking and have the resources, reserves, and time to navigate around the cliff. Some institutions are going to walk right up to the base of the cliff and try to turn back, only to find that they’ve run out of supplies. They’ll send out a request for help which will go unanswered for some, while others will find a merger partner to help guide them around the cliff. The final group are the innovators, engineers, and entrepreneurs, those who will build a structure over the cliff or navigate its walls and find a more advantageous route that will link them to the future.

The demographic cliff has been approaching for some time now. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, UPCEA institutions were shifting their portfolios to capitalize on opportunities created by the “pig in the python” phenomena where baby boomers were dominating the economy. The demographic cliff is the result of baby boomer birth rates, mentality, and impacts on the economy. As a result, we will continue to see a decline in the number of traditional age college students. This is the demographic cliff facing higher education…not having enough traditional demand given the existing (and growing) supply.

While we’ve made many predictions as to the adverse impact of the demographic cliff, we want them to NOT come true. We are optimistic for higher education. We want to be wrong. We want our peers and colleagues to say that our predictions were wrong. For this to occur, it would mean higher education will have to adopt radical transformation and an all-in mentality. 

Adults want meaningful education to guide them through a new economy. With over 39 million adults having some college yet no degree, what they once desired is now seemingly out of reach. Their cliff was finances, family, and questioning whether a degree would give them guaranteed entry to the better half of the economy that they desire. An entire bachelor’s degree, 120 credits, may be their Appalachian Trail. The trek from Georgia to Maine, from credit 1 to credit 120, can be daunting. They’ve tried before and were not successful. Perhaps they made it to mile marker 460, or 25 credits, before they were forced to get off the trail. After time has passed and their economic opportunities have not advanced, they begin thinking about their degree trek once more. While they are wary of attempting another thru hike, they recognize the opportunities that are afforded to those who complete this ambitious goal. However, instead of attempting all 2,200 miles at once, section hiking, stackable credentials, may be more realistic and the optimal choice.

 

Employers want adaptable education given the volatility and challenges of a new economy. Recent UPCEA studies with Collegis and InsideTrack show that employers value their relationships with colleges and universities, but also welcome new approaches to education, such as microcredentials and badges. Given the changing landscape, many employers feel that they know the terrain better. The Collegis/UPCEA study showed that:

  • Employers can assess hikers’ needs better. They want greater input into the curriculum, as they see themselves in a better position to communicate to the higher education community the education and training needs of their employees. The study showed that 27% want to be extremely active in the curriculum design with another 46% very active and 22% somewhat active. 
  • Employers believe their employees want to hike the entire Appalachian Trail (the degree) but want the ability to section hike (stack credentials) toward their goal. Eighty percent of employers surveyed said that they want stackable pathways to the degree. This can get the employee to the degree, but also allows them to achieve meaningful milestones along way, adapting content as one learns the terrain. 
  • The quality of the hike matters. Finishing the Appalachian, Pacific Crest or the Continental Divide trails gains an individual reputation and credence with the hiking community, their families and friends. However, there is uncertainty around the quality of a section hike. The survey showed that 46% of employers are unsure of the quality of education of nondegree alternative credentials. As these credentials continue to grow in importance, it is imperative that colleges and universities champion and communicate their quality.

Additional findings from the UPCEA/Collegis research can be found here. A full report on the study will be available soon, and the research will be discussed on a webinar on March 1 at 2:00 PM ET.

The fundamental question has to be asked: What is the role of colleges and universities? With our having worked for a number of land grant institutions and as an adjunct with a number of public, private or community colleges, the mission is clear-to help learners acquire new skills or knowledge that can be applied in society with a meaningful or positive outcome. That outcome could be economic (i.e., preparing for a job) or it could be personal, such as impacting a person’s self-esteem or enlightenment. To serve their mission or purpose, colleges and universities should not be beholden to the thru hike, the 120-credit degree. As most serious hikers know, thru hiking the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail requires more planning and resources. Hiking in sections, like a stackable credential, offers more immediate and tangible benefits.

Change is difficult. Colleges and universities once encouraged potential students to thru hike from Springer Mountain in Georgia (first day of classes) to Mount Katahdin in Maine (graduation). The world has changed through the advancement of technology and the changing of workplace and educational values, as well as generational power and influence. Social media and a holistic lifestyle have increased the value of section hiking and more consistent outdoor activities. To contrast this, millennials in positions of authority pressured into more immediate workplace performance are influencing the value of microcredentials and other forms of education. Thru hikers are important in many jobs, but employers also see value in the section hiker. Higher education will also need to recognize the value that these students can offer. According to the National Student Clearing House, we lost 2 million undergraduate students, or thru hikers, from 17 million in the fall of 2017 to 15 million in 2022.[1] This loss is even more pronounced when looking back to 2010 data with there then being 19 million.[2] Microcredentials and stackable credentials offer individuals an opportunity to get back on the trail and also help institutions offset the losses from the expanding enrollment gap. If we can get more section hikers to embrace education over an extended period of time to complete their hikes, higher education can select a more advantageous route when navigating the demographic cliff. 

 

[1] https://nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/

[2] https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012280.pdf

29 of Top 30 Ranked Institutions are UPCEA Members

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 10, 2023) — UPCEA, the association for college and university leaders in online and professional continuing education, is pleased to congratulate the many UPCEA members recognized in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings.

U.S. News rankings include more than 1,800 online programs, covering bachelor’s and graduate programs across a variety of fields. The U.S. News rankings focus on degree-granting programs designed to be completely online. Using information provided by participating institutions, the ranking methodologies include factors such as student services and technology, student engagement, and faculty credentials.

“Recently, the U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings have been in the news, as many institutional leaders are questioning their value. For Chief Online Learning Officers (COLOs), they serve as a peer set. Knowing how other notable programs are ranked, regardless of methodology, provides leaders the opportunity to identify peers and seek them out,” said Dr. Julie Uranis, Senior Vice President of Online and Strategic Initiatives for UPCEA. “I am immensely proud that UPCEA is seen as both a convener of COLOs and their teams as well as the professional home for innovators in postsecondary online education and non-degree/alternative credentials. Intentionally designed online instruction is the keystone of many institutional strategies to increase access, address degree attainment goals, and provide relevant and career-focused education. This work should be celebrated and the annual U.S. News rankings serve as our reminder to do so.” 

“We are very pleased to be recognized by U.S. News again this year among the country’s top online programs. These high rankings are evidence of the excellence and hard work displayed by our academic partners, faculty, staff, and students,” said Dr. Dave Cillay, Washington State University Global Campus chancellor and UPCEA Board President-elect.  “We are extremely proud of the work we are doing to provide engaging, flexible and high quality learning opportunities for students in Washington state and across the globe.”

“There are now hundreds of choices of online bachelor’s programs across the United States, and to be among colleagues near the top is excellent any year,” said Dr. Evangeline Cummings, Senior Assistant Provost and Director of UF Online at University of Florida. “Let the incredible work for student access via agile, yet high-quality formats continue! The University of Florida is thrilled to be a part of it.”

Twenty-nine of the top 30 ranked institutions are members of UPCEA:

1 – University of Florida

2 – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

4 – Texas A&M University

4 – University of North Carolina, Charlotte

7 – Arizona State University

8 – Oregon State University

8 – University of Central Florida

10 – University of Arizona

11 – CUNY School of Professional Studies

11 – Ohio State University

11 – Utah State University

14 – University of Georgia

15 – George Washington University

16 – University of Massachusetts, Amherst

16 – University of Oklahoma

18 – North Carolina State University

18 – University of North Carolina, Wilmington

18 – Washington State University

21 – Indiana University

21 – Loyola University Chicago

21 – Syracuse University

21 – University of Denver

25 – Ball State University

25 – Pennsylvania State University

25 – University at Buffalo, SUNY

25 – University of Alabama

30 – University of Massachusetts, Lowell

30 – University of Missouri

30 – West Texas A&M University

“We are delighted to rank in the top 10 for the third straight year,” said Dr. Craig Wilson, Vice Provost for Online, Distance and Continuing Education at the University of Arizona. “Our team of dedicated faculty and staff continuously find new ways to provide online students a robust learning experience in and beyond our virtual classrooms.”  

“Our success in the U.S. News & World Report rankings reflects University of Central Florida’s continued commitment to increasing access to high quality degrees for as many learners as possible, because we know that unleashing their potential has a huge positive impact on their lives, as well as on our communities and our nation,” said Dr. Thomas Cavanagh, vice provost for Digital Learning at UCF. “For the past 26 years, we’ve worked hard to pioneer innovations in technology and pedagogy that empower our dedicated faculty to create rigorous, engaging learning environments that improve student’s outcomes — and that’s our greatest measure of success.”

Congratulations to all of the UPCEA members recognized in this year’s rankings! 

“UPCEA member institutions continue to be at the forefront of accessible, high-quality online education for all of today’s learners,” said Dr. Bob Hansen, CEO of UPCEA. “I’m proud to see this hard work recognized by U.S. News & World Report.”