Posts by UPCEA
How will the rise of AI in the workplace impact liberal arts education? (Higher Ed Dive)
Demand for liberal arts education has declined in recent years as students increasingly eye college programs that directly prepare them for jobs. But according to many tech and college experts, as businesses launch advanced AI tools or integrate such technology into their operations, liberal arts majors will become more coveted. That’s because employers will need…
Read MoreAn Online Pivot That Continues to Pay Off (Inside Higher Ed)
Unity Environmental University has celebrated explosive enrollment growth since it transitioned to a predominantly online institution beginning in 2016. And at a time when many small colleges are struggling with stagnant enrollment and financial challenges, Unity’s strategic pivot to digital learning continues to pay off. […] Online higher education experts applaud the choices Unity administrators have…
Read MoreUPCEA’s Finance Department Grows, Welcomes Tanya Smith
UPCEA proudly welcomes Tanya Smith as the association’s new Controller. Tanya is a Certified Public Accountant with an extensive background in higher education. Prior to joining UPCEA’s Finance and Accounting team, she dedicated 25 years to the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), where she most recently served as the Director of Accounting and Financial…
Read MoreUniversities Investing in Microcredential Leadership (Inside Higher Ed)
Amy Heitzman noticed a new trend when UPCEA, an online and professional education association, put out calls last year to institutions looking to bulk up microcredential programs. “Five of the 40 [applicants] said, ‘We’re going to hire someone to head this up,’” said Heitzman, UPCEA’s deputy CEO and chief learning officer. “And it was like,…
Read MoreDrive Success: Using Recruitment SEO to Fill Higher Education Seats
Higher education marketing teams face a critical challenge: adapting to how learners now discover and explore educational programs. From the first touchpoint to application completion, marketers must ensure a seamless experience for prospective students and maintain their presence throughout the enrollment funnel. This makes recruitment SEO more important now than ever before. With fewer…
Read MoreFuture-Focused: Laying the Groundwork for Student Success with an Effective Orientation
Butler University has long been recognized for its commitment to providing high-quality education and fostering the development of well-rounded professionals. The Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program has been a cornerstone of the university’s academic offerings for decades. Through a continuous commitment to improvement, Butler has embraced innovative approaches to ensure its offerings remain relevant and…
Read MoreWhat Do Students Want from Their Online Programs?
Knowing what our potential students want is critical in a time of greater competition for students who will enroll in our programs. Things have dramatically changed since the early 2000s when almost any online program was successful by almost any measure. Demand for online education was growing, while the supply of online programs could not…
Read More5 Strategies for Online Growth: New Insights from a Survey of Students
In a new national study of the preferences and expectations of online students, RNL has identified five interconnected strategies that institutions must have in place at the core of their growth strategy. The data are drawn from a survey of 1,500 prospective and current online students administered just two months ago. The survey asked students…
Read MoreCrime in the Future: Lessons Learned from Hollywood
Although the timelines are rarely ever accurate, Hollywood has often expanded our minds to see what the future could bring us, ranging from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey predicting a future with artificial intelligence and Star Wars with robotics being commonplace, to The Simpsons predicting certain presidents. Back to the Future, The Jetsons, Blade…
Read MoreFrom Degrees to Microcredentials: Higher Education Must Evolve to Embrace the Modern Economy
America’s appetite for four-year, 120-credit bachelor’s degrees has been declining for well over a decade. In addition, the National Student Clearinghouse recently released a report showing that undergraduate degree completion fell yet again. Bachelor’s degree graduates declined to their lowest level since 2015-16, with Associate’s degree graduates at their lowest level in ten years. The same National Student Clearinghouse report showed that earning…
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