Posts by UPCEA
Is Your Enrollment Management Function Set Up for Success?
If your school is investing heavily in creating brand awareness and generating leads at the top of the funnel (TOFU) but getting lackluster results, enrollment management issues lower in the funnel may be to blame. To achieve enrollment goals, you need a strong enrollment management foundation—a system for guiding prospective students beyond the initial awareness…
Read MoreCreating Noncredit to Credit Pathways
Alternative credential experts identify the conditions necessary to design and deliver noncredit to credit pathways at postsecondary institutions. Over the course of 2022, the Typology, Terminology, and Standards Subcommittee[1] of the Council for Credential Innovation discussed the conditions necessary to create noncredit to credit pathways at postsecondary institutions. Their deliberations eventually narrowed to noncredit learning…
Read MoreAs Colleges Focus on Quality in Online Learning, Advocates Ask: What About In-Person Courses? (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
As colleges’ online catalogs grow, so too has the push to develop standards of quality for those courses. But are in-person classes getting the same attention? If you ask many online-education advocates, the answer is “no.” While decades of research and the pandemic-spurred expansion of online learning have helped demystify it and build confidence in…
Read MoreMicrocredentials Confuse Employers, Colleges and Learners (Inside Higher Ed)
Reskilling. Upskilling. Certificates. Certifications. Badges. Licenses. Microcredentials. Alternative credentials. Digital credentials. So many terms. So little agreement on what they mean, least of all in higher ed. “Employers say, ‘It’s great that this individual has these skills, but we’ll ask our own questions to verify the learner’s knowledge,’” Kyle Albert, assistant research professor at the…
Read MoreThe Emerging New Task and Partner for Higher Education
We have a new partner in higher education to assist with fulfilling our primary mission. What is our primary mission? I turned to our new partner to briefly articulate that, “The primary mission of higher education is to provide advanced learning opportunities beyond the high school level, with the aim of developing a highly skilled…
Read MoreHow Supporting Student Veterans Benefits Your Institution
Student veterans make up approximately six percent of undergraduate college students and seven percent of graduate students (US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics). While generally referred to as student veterans, this overarching title includes active-duty service members and those in the National Guard or Reserves. Precise information on the military-connected student population,…
Read MoreSurvey Reveals Employers’ Views on Microcredential Benefits, Concerns (Campus Technology)
These days, the majority of employers are aware of microcredentials and other non-degree credentials, according to a new study from Collegis Education and UPCEA, the association for higher education professionals in online and continuing education. Out of 510 organizational leaders surveyed, 95% reported being at least somewhat familiar with microcredentials, and more than two-thirds (69%) said they were…
Read MoreEmployers value microcredentials but don’t know how to assess their quality (Higher Ed Dive)
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,…
Read MoreWhy higher ed needs to get on board with micro-credentials (University Business)
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…
Read MoreEmployers Are All In on Microcredentials, Survey Shows (Inside Higher Ed)
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…
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