In 2025, online, professional, and continuing education leaders are navigating a challenging yet transformative period. Rising demands for skills-based, flexible learning are matched by an increasingly competitive landscape.
Today’s adult learners, who often balance work and study, seek programs that offer immediate value, clear career pathways, and lifelong learning opportunities. As traditional degree enrollment declines, institutions must adapt to meet the needs of career-focused, working learners and help them differentiate themselves in the job market.
Below, we share five data-backed strategies for attracting more learners, engaging and reenrolling alums, and boosting your program’s brand awareness. Based on data from the State of Credentialing Report — with tips and examples from leaders at Syracuse University, Penn State University, George Washington University, and MIT Professional Education — these strategies equip you to thrive in 2025 by delivering relevant, accessible, and career-driven learning experiences.
5 Big Wins For Your Learners and Your Institution
1. Make the Career Value of Your Credentials Clear
What the Data Say
For today’s learners, credentials must be more than just symbols of completion. They’re tools for career growth, skill demonstration, and differentiation in the job market.
In our recent survey, 96% of digital credential earners found them valuable for their career prospects, and 78% felt they enhanced their chances of receiving a job offer.
However, there is still some confusion about digital credentials among learners. While learners didn’t have an instant preference for digital credentials, our data shows that they wanted everything that only digital credentials can provide:
-
- Context: they contain metadata (i.e., an overview of acquired skills, evidence of what was learned and assessed, criteria for entry and earning)
- Verifiability: they allow employers to confirm learners have earned the credential
- Security: they can’t be faked or tampered with
- Sharability: they can be easily shared on social media and added to LinkedIn profiles
This poses a significant opportunity for credential issuers — not only to maximize the value of their digital credentials via metadata but also to better communicate this value to learners. As Penn State University Assistant Teaching Professor of Economics Frank Sorokach points out, “Employers want to know what a badge tells them — about the student’s competency, the quality of the education they received, and the skills they have proven they have.”
What You Can Do
First, add as much relevant metadata as you can to your credentials. This allows employers to examine what the students have learned and how they’ve demonstrated their competency, increasing the chances they’ll land their dream job.
Syracuse University is a fantastic example of maximizing metadata. As shown below, each of their credentials:
- Has a detailed description of the course or workshop, cluing employers into what, exactly, the student learned
- Is tagged with specific skills and knowledge that the recipient gleaned from the course
- Shows students how and where to share
- Clearly display a verification badge, issue date, and expiration date
- Links to more information about the School and its curriculum
After your metadata is in place, focus on educating your learners — why should they care about your digital credentials? Make the value clear on your program page(s) and in credential delivery emails. Here are strategies we’ve seen work well:
- Sharing stats on how digital credentials have helped learners advance their careers
- Shouting out students who share their credentials on LinkedIn
- Adding short videos or testimonials from learners who used credentials in their job search
- Explaining digital credential security features to emphasize their trustworthiness
- Providing tips for incorporating digital credentials in job applications and professional profiles
The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is a great example of an organization that does this well on its program page. The value of its credentials is front and center on its program page, and each section gives learners even more reason to accept and share their badges.
2. Give Learners the Education They Want
What the Data Says
Today’s learners crave a curriculum that prepares them for the challenges they’ll face in their professional careers.
The State of Credentialing report revealed that 92% of learners want projects and assessments as part of their coursework, and 97% want a series of linked modules (e.g., courses or microcredentials) to help them master a topic and apply that knowledge to real-world scenarios.
Unfortunately, what learners want to see in their courses doesn’t align with what education institutions provide. Just 29% of credential issuers have learning pathways, and only 34% have built-in assignments and tests.
What You Can Do
Addressing these gaps may seem daunting, but you can start by breaking down existing courses into focused skill modules and integrating existing content like seminars and guides. Pairing these materials with hands-on projects and assessments within a structured pathway allows for a flexible, comprehensive learning experience that builds skills progressively through interconnected microcredentials.
Helping learners visualize their learning pathway and awarding digital credentials along the journey will increase learner retention and application, encourage them to keep going, and reward them for staying the course.
UiPath’s Specialized AI Pathway, for example, clearly outlines each Pathway requirement, allowing learners to choose between several different courses (and even optional courses) to suit their specific needs.
Educational publisher McGraw Hill assesses students’ knowledge before their course of study, then takes them through targeted lessons based on those results, inserting hands-on activities and quizzes along the way. As Bob Nisbet, Senior Marketing Manager at McGraw Hill, emphasizes, “We’ve found this makes learning more efficient and effective. Students know exactly what skills they need to acquire and can track their progress along the way.”
3. See Credentials as a Marketing Flywheel
What the Data Says
94% of education providers who have adopted digital credentials report a positive impact on their organization, and the most significant benefit they cited was increased credential sharing online. Why? Because it’s essentially free advertising.
In an era of rising learner acquisition costs, enabling learners to share their credentials online boosts brand awareness and, in turn, program referrals. As Myriam Joseph, Assistant Director of Marketing and Business Development at MIT Professional Education, explains, “If you admire someone and you see they just completed a certificate that everyone is raving about on social, you’re going to want to know more.”
Yet most institutions overlook this powerful organic marketing channel — only 1 in 3 sends a reminder to students to open credentials and share them. 44% of issuers report doing nothing to recognize or reward learners who share their credentials.
What You Can Do
Encouraging credential shares can establish your credential as a “must-have,” remind past learners to enroll in new courses, and attract more interest from new learners.
But learners have a lot on their plates — one email explaining how to share their credentials isn’t going to prompt action. The most successful credentialing programs do four things:
- Provide guidance on how learners can use their credentials.
- Explain why they should share them.
- Use learner engagement strategies that encourage sharing.
- Engage and reward learners who share their credentials online.
An easy way to knock out all four? Accredible’s Email Campaigns.
Thomas Mastro, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Planning at The George Washington University’s College of Professional Studies, saw the value right away: “Because a large majority of our student population are working professionals, many of them are active on LinkedIn. Adding badges and certificates to their LinkedIn page is impactful in the sense that then their networks will see, and possibly engage in, our programming.”
He and his team deployed a Credential View Reminder, sent one week after a “Congratulations, here is your badge” email, and a LinkedIn Share Reminder, sent one month later to remind students to share their certificates on LinkedIn.
A strategic email reminder sample highlighted in Unlock the Power of Email Campaigns
These strategic email reminders alone increased the University’s LinkedIn profile credential add rate by 133% and its LinkedIn share rate by 580%. Thomas plans to launch more Campaigns, pinging students who get halfway through sharing their certification (to push them to follow through) or emailing past learners when new coursework rolls out (to increase reenrollment).
4. Keep Learner Engagement Going
What the Data Says
According to the State of Credentialing report, more than 9 out of 10 learners plan to take more courses and are actively looking for recommendations from their education providers. However, 1 in 4 don’t follow through because they don’t know what to take.
Our data also suggests that learners are looking for ways to leverage their credentials for future opportunities. 84% of learners report wanting to be included in an online directory, yet only 35% of issuers provide the opportunity.
This tells us that issuers are missing a significant opportunity to meet learner expectations post-course completion to retain them and help connect them with future opportunities.
What You Can Do
First, review all of your existing courses and determine what the next step for your learners would be. Myriam at MIT Professional Education did just that, examining 50 of the program’s top courses, noting the course or certificate learners should aim to take next, and including them in the earned digital credential emails.
The team also provides course recommendations via Accredible’s Recommendations on digital credential pages (its own and other issuers’ pages) and prominently at the top of CourseFinder, a credential directory and course search platform. In doing so, MIT Professional Education better markets its courses to new and existing learners, generating additional program enrollment and revenue.
With Recommendations, MIT Professional Education has generated over 5 million impressions with current and future learners — generating over 18,500 additional program referrals.
“Since we’ve started using Recommendations, we’ve seen a lot more learners who earned credentials take additional courses,” says Myriam. “When we started, we had around 35% of learners return, but now we’re over 50% taking additional courses.”
Accredible’s Spotlight Directory is another way for learners to maximize their credentials. Wharton Executive Education built a “Wharton Talent Network” to showcase alumni who’ve earned credentials, with a short description of their professional experience, work availability, and links to their social media profiles. Employers can filter results by credentials, skills, or even location to home in on highly qualified candidates for specific roles.
5. Make Metrics Your North Star
What the Data Says
It’s hard to know what learners want without a direct line of sight into learner data. Yet only 54% of issuers track which learners complete a course, and a mere 23% track which learners take additional courses.
Less than 50% track what content or courses learners are most engaged with, which learners are most engaged, course completion time, and where learners drop off – all critical data points for enhancing the learner experience.
Worse, only 13% of issuers track program referrals from shared credentials. If they still use paper or PDF certificates, tracking how and how often they are shared is nearly impossible.
What You Can Do
As a marketer, Myriam Joseph, the Assistant Director of Marketing and Business Development at MIT Professional Education, immediately saw their certificate program as a way to amplify MIT’s exceptional network. However, to get learners to share, she had to see what was happening behind the scenes and modify her marketing strategies accordingly.
She and her team used Accredible’s analytics to:
- Monitor open rates, following up with the students who hadn’t yet opened their certificates
- Track credential shares, engaging with students who posted about their accomplishments on LinkedIn
- Follow credential referrals, determining which courses were most intriguing to potential learners
At the same time, Myriam made it easy for potential learners to explore added courses, taking them straight from a student’s credential LinkedIn post to their course catalog.
“We made it easy for them to learn more about that program and bring them back to our website,” she says. “But most importantly, we worked with Accredible to add tracking to all of these actions so that we can measure them. And we were able to see how many new people came in through Accredible and entered our lead pipeline so we could nurture those learners.”
Since shifting to digital credentials and optimizing the MIT Professional Education program, Myriam and her team have issued over 75,000 digital certificates, hit a consistent 90% open rate, boosted credential referrals by over 55%, and increased LinkedIn share rates by a staggering 280%.
Where to Go Next
The strategies outlined in this playbook aren’t just theoretical — they’re proven approaches used by leading education programs to drive growth and engagement.
Remember, transforming your program isn’t about making radical changes overnight. It’s about strategic, data-driven evolution that keeps your learners’ career needs at the center of everything you do.
The institutions that will thrive in 2025 will be those that view their programs not just as educational offerings but as dynamic career development platforms.
Here’s to making 2025 your best year yet!
About Rochelle Ramirez
Rochelle Ramirez is the Senior Vice President of Product at Accredible, the world’s leading digital credential platform. She has helped hundreds of organizations achieve their credentialing goals through her strategic market thinking, execution, and leadership. In her various product leadership roles over the past two decades, she has harnessed her passion for innovation to help clients solve their most demanding business challenges. Connect with Rochelle on LinkedIn.
As I write this at the dawn of 2025, I believe a scan of a few of the most recent developments in generative AI in higher education helps to illuminate the path this technology will take in the coming year.
I publish a number of daily news update blogs for UPCEA, the Online and Professional Education Association:
- Professional, Continuing, and Online Update by UPCEA—three timely items a day
- Ray’s Curation—one item daily of particular interest to administrators
- Alternative Credentials in Higher Ed by UPCEA—one item daily in this developing field
- Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed by UPCEA—two items daily in this critical development area
I scan primary news sources, other publications, research reports and press releases in related fields daily to post major developments, trends and visions of technological, pedagogical, political and related aspects of our field to the blogs. The pace of change has accelerated over the past couple of years. Yet, from these daily readings come indications as to what is likely to gain a foothold in higher education in the coming year or two. I invite you to peruse a handful of developments shared in the blogs in recent weeks, and ponder their implications in our field, so you may see what I see ahead.
“The AI-Generated Textbook That’s Making Academics Nervous,” Kathryn Palmer, Inside Higher Ed, Dec. 13
“The University of California, Los Angeles, is offering a medieval literature course next year that will use an AI-generated textbook. The textbook, developed in partnership with the learning tool company Kudu, was produced from course materials provided by Zrinka Stahuljak, the comparative literature professor at UCLA teaching the class. Students can interact with the textbook and ask it for clarifications and summaries, though it’s programmed to prevent students from using it to write their papers and other assignments. And as opposed to the nearly $200 students were required to spend on traditional texts—including anthologies and primary-source documents—for previous versions of the course, the AI-generated textbook costs $25.”
“OpenAI launches real-time vision for ChatGPT,” Martin Crowley, AI Tool Report, Dec. 13
“First announced in May, OpenAI has finally released real-time vision capabilities for ChatGPT, to celebrate the 6th day of the ‘12 Days of OpenAI.’ Users can now point their phone camera at any object, and ChatGPT will ‘see’ what it is, understand it, and answer questions about it, in real-time. For example, if someone was drawing an anatomical representation of the human body, it can offer feedback like ‘the location of the brain is spot on, but the shape is more oval.’ It can also ‘see’ what’s on a device screen and offer advice, such as explaining what a menu setting is or providing the answer to a math problem.”
“Predictions 2025: Insights for Online & Professional Education,” UPCEA, December 2024
“As we look toward 2025, the landscape of higher education is poised for significant transformation driven by technological advancements, shifting demographics, and evolving economic realities. This series of predictions from UPCEA’s team of experts highlights key trends that will shape institutions and student experiences alike. From the rise of outsourcing in C-suite roles to the increasing demand for microcredentials and the integration of AI in academic programs, these trends reflect a broader movement towards flexibility, efficiency, and a focus on outcomes. Explore what 2025 has in store for online and professional education, and use these 23 expert predictions to gain an understanding of what it means for you and your organization.”
“These AI systems offer new opportunities for educators to create sophisticated curricula tailored to individual student abilities and interests. At the same time, the powerful capabilities of LLM models challenge traditional teaching methods by allowing students to quickly complete assignments from research papers to computer code with little or no original effort. Orienting toward ‘authentic assessment’ allows educators to use the sophisticated potential of AI systems while addressing these concerns. Authentic assessment focuses on designing tasks that simulate real-world challenges and involve critical thinking and collaboration.”
“In the two years since generative AI was first introduced to the world, they have significantly improved after delivering significant problems that made them untrustworthy to many users. However, that is not yet over as there are still tendencies that chatbots may hallucinate. Despite this, the likes of OpenAI and other learning institutions are now looking towards creating custom models that would deliver online learning for many students worldwide. Now, OpenAI is making its massive and aggressive move towards entering the education industry with its plans to create custom GPTs that are meant to teach thousands of online students, and the company thinks it can do it.”
“Journal abstracts written with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) are perceived as more authentic, clear and compelling than those created solely by academics, a study suggests. While many academics may scorn the idea of outsourcing article summaries to generative AI, a new investigation by researchers at Ontario’s University of Waterloo found peer reviewers rated abstracts written by humans—but paraphrased using generative AI—far more highly than those authored without algorithmic assistance.”
“Google’s NotebookLM AI podcast hosts can now talk to you, too,” Jay Peters, The Verge, Dec. 13
“Google’s NotebookLM and its podcast-like Audio Overviews have been a surprise hit this year, and today Google company is starting to roll out a big new feature: the ability to actually talk with the AI ‘hosts’ of the overviews. When the feature is available to you, you can try it out with new Audio Overviews. (It won’t work with old ones.)”
[Ray notes: Imagine using this for a lecture where you give content documents to NotebookLM. In moments, it creates a professional “lecture” podcast, which students can interrupt at any time to ask questions and instantly get answers from the “hosts” before returning to the podcast/lecture.]
“OpenAI brings ChatGPT to your landline,” Kyle Wiggers, TechCrunch, Dec. 18
“ChatGPT is coming to phones. No, not smartphones—landlines. Call 1-800-242-8478 (1-800-CHATGPT), and OpenAI’s AI-powered assistant will respond as of Wednesday afternoon. ‘[Our mission at] OpenAI is to make artificial general intelligence beneficial to all of humanity, and part of that is making it as accessible as possible to as many people as we can,’ OpenAI chief product officer Kevin Weil said during a livestream. ‘Today, we’re taking the next step and bringing ChatGPT to your telephone.’ The experience is more or less identical to Advanced Voice Mode, OpenAI’s real-time conversational feature for ChatGPT—minus the multimodality. ChatGPT responds to the questions users ask over the phone and can handle tasks such as translating a sentence into a different language.”
“How Employees Are Using AI in the Workplace,” Molly Bookner, Hubspot Blog, Dec. 17
“Trust in AI-generated content is increasing, with 33% expressing confidence in the technology (up 27% from May 2023). Furthermore, 39% of full-time employees in the U.S. report having already used an AI chatbot to assist them, with 74% acknowledging the tools’ effectiveness. ‘The implementation of AI in the workplace helps augment staff performance, streamline human resources operations, improve employee experience, and promote cross-team collaboration,” said Aleksandr Ahramovich, Head of the AI/ML Center of Excellence. In a survey released May 13 by TalentLMS in collaboration with Workable, conducted among 1,000 employees working across U.S. industries, 50% of U.S. employees agreed their current job would benefit from integrating AI technologies.”
“AI Will Evolve into an Organizational Strategy for All,” Ethan Mollick, Wired, Dec. 15
“While the integration of AI into our daily lives has happened very quickly (AI assistants are one of the fastest product adoptions in history), so far, organizations have seen limited benefits. But the coming year will mark a tipping point where AI moves from being a tool for individual productivity to a core component of organizational design and strategy. In 2025, forward-thinking companies will begin to reimagine their entire organizational structure, processes, and culture around the symbiotic relationship between human and artificial intelligence. This isn’t just about automating tasks or augmenting human capabilities; it’s about creating entirely new ways of working that leverage the unique strengths of both humans and AI. The key to unlocking the true power of LLMs lies in moving beyond individual use cases to organizational-level integration.”
I hope this sampling of mid- to late December updates from the blogs will help to illustrate the broad, rapid and highly impactful changes that are poised to affect higher education. As Wharton professor Ethan Mollick suggests above, “In 2025, forward-thinking companies [universities?] will begin to reimagine their entire organizational structure, processes, and culture around the symbiotic relationship between human and artificial intelligence.” Are you and your institution prepared?
This post was originally published on Inside Higher Ed.
By Vickie Cook
Enrollment management plays a pivotal role in the success of any online and professional continuing education units through impact on revenue generation, learner engagement, and program sustainability. AI-driven business process automation (BPA) offers transformative solutions to streamline enrollment workflows, enhance recruitment strategies, and improve the overall student experience through allowing staff to focus on human interactions while BPA supports repetitive back-office tasks. Business process automation allows units to determine where their efforts can best be used for their clients and students and which processes are better aligned to being managed through machine learning and automation. For online and professional continuing education units, achieving AI readiness is essential to integrating BPA tools effectively. This integration allows staff to be more effectively in dealing with clients, students and customers building relationships.
Streamlining Enrollment Processes
Automation can significantly reduce manual workloads associated with enrollment management back-office tasks. Processing applications, verifying documents, and managing waitlists can be handled most efficiently by AI systems. For example, optical character recognition (OCR) tools powered by AI can digitize and validate transcripts, while machine learning algorithms can prioritize applications based on predefined criteria. This not only reduces administrative errors but also accelerates response times, enabling institutions to meet learners’ expectations for faster decisions.
Enhancing Recruitment through Marketing
AI readiness enables online and professional continuing units to adopt data-driven recruitment strategies. By analyzing historical enrollment data, AI can identify patterns and predict which programs are likely to attract the most interest. Additionally, predictive analytics can be utilized to determine likelihood of completion. AI-powered tools like customer relationship management (CRM) systems can personalize marketing campaigns, deliver targeted messages to prospective students based on their interests, location, or professional background. For instance, CRM systems can use AI to segment audiences and optimize outreach efforts, leading to higher conversion rates. In today’s competitive environment, it is important to consider the impact of hyper-personalization with students searching for their continuing education partners to help them meet their goals.
Improving Retention Through Predictive Analytics
Retention is a critical factor in the success of online and professional continuing education programs. AI-driven predictive analytics can identify at-risk students by analyzing factors such as attendance, grades, and engagement within learning management systems. Online and professional continuing education programs units can then implement timely interventions, such as offering tutoring, adjusting course loads, offering career building engagements, or providing financial counseling. While more research in this area is needed related to the impact of machine learning and AI on retention efforts, it is apparent from those that have been published the AI may demonstrate more effective student feedback to support overall student retention efforts. It is critical that all communications with students and the determination of data analysis should be reviewed carefully for bias and discrimination that may inadvertently lower student persistence.
Concluding Thoughts
AI-driven strategies may be a game changer for enrollment management practices in continuing education. By streamlining processes, enhancing recruitment efforts, and improving retention, AI empowers online and professional continuing education programs units to address the challenges of a competitive higher education landscape. By leveraging AI effectively, online and professional continuing education programs units can ensure their enrollment management strategies are both innovative and impactful, fostering sustainable growth and learner success.
To learn more about the impact of being AI ready on enrollment management:
- IACTE (2024). Artificial Intelligence in adult learning: IACTE’s guide to the future of learning. https://www.iacet.org/miscellaneous/iacet-information-brief-generative-ai-in-ce-t/
- Robert, J. (2024). The Future of AI in Higher Education Administration. EDUCAUSE. https://www.educause.edu/ecar/research-publications/2024/2024-educause-ai-landscape-study/the-future-of-ai-in-higher-education
- Bashkara, V. (2024). How AI admissions recruiters will transform enrollment. https://www.forbes.com/sites/vinaybhaskara/2024/05/21/how-ai-admissions-recruiters-will-transform-enrollment/
Vickie Cook is the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Retention Management and a Research Professor of Education at the University of Illinois Springfield, as well as a Strategic Advisor for UPCEA Research and Consulting. To learn more about UPCEA Research and Consulting, please contact [email protected].
In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare education, student success is paramount. One crucial marker of a student’s success is their ability to pass a certification exam. Beyond personal achievement, successful exam outcomes carry profound implications for the students, their educational institutions, and the communities they serve. Let’s delve into the multifaceted benefits that stem from high exam pass rates.
Student Benefits
High-Demand Certifications: In today’s healthcare landscape, certified professionals are in high demand by employers seeking expertise and proficiency. When students pass their certification exams, they’re not just earning a credential; they’re demonstrating their competence, professionalism, and dedication to excellence. These qualities make them highly sought after by reputable healthcare organizations eager to hire top talent.
Elevated Income and Career Prospects: Studies show AAPC-certified medical coders earn nearly $10,000 more on average per year than their uncertified peers. In addition, major employers like Banner Health, UnitedHealth, and CVS Health seek out professionals with AAPC certifications, underscoring their significance in today’s job market.
Promote Professional Development: Passing certification exams is just the start of a student’s journey toward success. Lifelong learning and professional development play a vital role in staying updated with healthcare advancements, paving the way for career growth. As students experience success, it instills a sense of accomplishment and they’re inspired to continue learning, leading to greater opportunities for advancement in their careers.
School Benefits
Meet Industry Demands: Educational institutions are pivotal in meeting industry demands by arming students with essential skills for career success. With high exam pass rates, schools effectively prepare students to meet industry standards, leading to greater job placement rates and more success stories from alumni.
Funding Opportunities: For colleges and universities that rely on federal or state funding, meeting certification pass rate requirements is necessary to remain eligible for financial support. And failing to meet these standards could lead to funding reductions or loss, potentially hindering the school’s ability to provide quality education and support services to students.
Marketability of School: By consistently producing graduates who excel in certification exams, the school establishes itself as a leader in providing quality education. This heightened reputation attracts more students, improves enrollment rates, and strengthens relationships with employers and industry partners.
Community Benefits
Improve Healthcare Quality: Accurate medical billing and coding ensure the integrity of patient records, insurance claims, and overall healthcare delivery. Therefore, by producing highly skilled professionals, schools contribute to the quality of healthcare in their communities.
Drive Economic Growth: According to the National Library of Medicine, healthcare expenditures can play a direct role in the overall health of the economy. As students enter fields like medical billing and coding, they play vital roles in managing healthcare expenses and promoting fair billing practices. This not only improves healthcare services, but also strengthens human capital and improves productivity, ultimately benefiting the economy.
Conclusion
As educational institutions strive for excellence, prioritizing student success through high exam pass rates becomes imperative. By nurturing a culture of academic achievement and leveraging resources like AAPC’s educational solutions, schools can bolster student outcomes, enhance their own standing in the educational landscape, and contribute to the betterment of healthcare quality and economic prosperity within their communities.
About AAPC
As the gold standard for medical coding and billing, an AAPC certification is the healthcare industry’s official recognition of expertise and achievement. Our education solutions facilitate high pass rates by providing learning materials that prepare students for their certification exams and equip them for their future roles. With offerings like curriculum licensing, bootcamps, instructor certification, and classroom software and materials, we support institutions in preparing their students for successful careers in healthcare. Learn more by visiting aapc.com/partner.