Introduction At the 2025 UPCEA Annual Conference, the session “Owning Your Awesomeness” reminded us that professional growth isn’t just about mastering skills—it’s about recognizing and amplifying the unique strengths we already have. For leaders and practitioners in professional and online education this means embracing both the outward image we present and the inner narratives that…
Read More“How would you describe your leadership style?” This question is a common one for both mid-level and senior-level candidates in the interview process. In the past, many relied on descriptors such as transformative, collaborative, or authentic to explain how they approached people and built teams. But as you think about your next career step, perhaps…
Read MoreTwo weeks ago, we examined the transformation of higher education in the next five years. Today, we look at how this transformation will shift the emphasis of our teaching. As with the prior column, this week’s thesis evolves out of the Zoom Keynote to the Rethink AI Conference, sponsored in part by the International Academy…
Read MoreWe have begun a transformation in higher education that will make us more responsive, efficient, and effective at achieving our multiple missions. This will not be easy or without trauma, but it is necessary. I had the honor and good fortune to be invited by the generous and insightful Board Chair of the International Professors…
Read MoreHow can colleges amend unsustainable business models? (EducationDIVE)
Current economic trends may lead to more socioeconomic divisions, according to Lynn Pasquerella, the president of the Association of American Colleges & Universities. In “Future Forward: The Next 20 Years of Higher Education,” most respondents said the preponderance of online education options had been the most seismic development in higher education during the previous two…
The Future of Education is the Microdegree (ElearningInside News)
Blackboard recently teamed up with the University Professional and Continuing Education Association to produce a report exploring generational shifts in education. One of the report’s most striking findings is that 30% of respondents indicated that they don’t draw on knowledge from their university degree in their current job and 23% indicated that their degree is…
More Than Just Cool? (InsideHigherEd)
Collecting data might be the key to getting skeptics to look at VR and AR beyond “cool,” said Ray Schroeder, associate vice president for online learning at the University of Illinois at Springfield and director council for online education for the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. “Higher education is moving beyond just the coolness factor to…
Report: Colleges And Universities Should Offer More Alternative Credentials (Campus Technology)
Report: Colleges And Universities Should Offer More Alternative Credentials (Campus Technology) June 30, 2017 Younger students are more interested in alternatives to traditional degree offerings, such as microcredentials, certificates and other short-term opportunities, according to a new report from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association(UPCEA) and Blackboard. “I think over time, as traditional education continues…
We are pleased to share the foreword by UPCEA CEO Bob Hansen from the newly released Chief Online Learning Officers’ Guidebook: A Framework for Strategy and Practice in Higher Education. The guidebook, now available from Routledge in paperback, hardback, and eBook formats, provides a comprehensive framework for today’s online learning leaders. Learn more and purchase…
Read MoreOver the last three years, UPCEA engaged in an innovative partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison to enable the latter’s Distance Teaching and Learning (DT&L) conference to continue under UPCEA’s leadership. The partnership’s goals included making this valuable event for the distance learning community more sustainable and accessible to online practitioners focused on teaching and…
Read MoreSearch behavior has evolved, and so has the path to enrollment. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s AI Overviews shape how people gather information, verify details, and form opinions. For higher education marketers, that means program visibility depends on showing up wherever students look for answers, not only in search results but across…
Read MoreThere are few conferences that truly bring together such an inspiring mix of vision, innovation, and authenticity as UPCEA’s Convergence. This year, the event in Washington D.C. proved why it’s one of my favorite gatherings in the field of continuing education. The energy, the openness, and the collective drive to redefine learning for a changing…
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