There are many assumptions about AI use across generations. Gen Z readily embraces artificial intelligence. Millennials are integrating it into their work. Gen X is more cautious and pragmatic. Baby Boomers are reluctant adopters. Is it really that simple? Perhaps not. Generational differences in AI use appear to be real. What those differences mean is…
When UPCEA released the original Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership in 2016, online education was widely viewed as an emerging modality. A decade later, the landscape has shifted. The newly released 2026 Hallmarks of Excellence in Digital Learning Enterprises (2026 Hallmarks) reflects a higher education ecosystem where digital capability is no longer an add-on,…
I am an advocate for AI and the vast possibilities for advancement it can bring across the world. Yet, these advancements must not be rushed lest we risk unintended consequences. In this high-tech, high-competition environment in the AI field, we are seeing new versions of models rolled out by the frontier companies (OpenAI, Google and…
After nearly four long years of evolving and often conflicting policies since ChatGPT officially emerged, high profile public school districts have decided they now need a moratorium on use of AI to provide even more time to consider policies and practices. Readers of this column know that I generally constrain topics to higher education, however,…
UPCEA Releases Groundbreaking Research Report on Online Education in Higher Education
New annual study provides key benchmarks, insights and recommendations for advancing online learning. WASHINGTON (Nov. 19, 2024) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of a new research report, “Benchmarking Online Enterprises: Insights into Structures, Strategies, and Financial Models in Higher Education.” The report, based on a comprehensive survey…
Using Technology to Transform Higher Education
The rapid evolution of technology is reshaping industries across the globe, and higher education is no exception. According to a 2023 survey by Inside Higher Ed, 73% of higher education institutions’ chief information officers believe digital transformation is crucial to their success in the next five years. As colleges and universities face a shifting landscape—characterized…
A new direction for the Distance Teaching and Learning Conference
Over 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…
UPCEA Announces 2025 Association Award Recipients
8 Individuals and 7 Programs Receive Association’s Highest Honors WASHINGTON, November 4, 2024 – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, has announced the recipients of the 2025 Association Awards. The UPCEA Association Awards program includes recognition of both individual and institutional achievement across the UPCEA membership. Since 1953, UPCEA has recognized its members’ outstanding…
In 1915, UPCEA’s founders built this association on a simple idea: carrying knowledge to the people. That founding purpose never had an expiration date, and it does not have one now. It is why, more than a century later, the question in front of us was never whether professional learning needs to change. It is…
The tagline for Convergence, Credential Innovation in Higher Education, raises two important questions: First, what kind of credentials are we talking about? Is the scope of credentials unlimited, blue sky, or confined to incremental changes on the margins of the status quo? And second, who is leading that innovation, and what do they need to…
Cut the Roles, or Support the People? When generative AI began fielding most of IKEA’s customer service questions, the company faced a choice familiar to any employer navigating fast-moving technology: cut the affected roles, or retrain the people in them. IKEA retrained them. The retailer built a program that moved 8,500 customer service employees into…
As a student affairs professional, I’ve spent much of my career helping students connect what they’re learning to where it might take them. Along the way, students have taught me something: they are more open to unexpected career possibilities than we sometimes give them credit for. When I introduced students to professions or credentials they had…