Higher education is facing its greatest challenge in decades. Our field may be at a transformational cusp where the transactional currency for education may shift from credits to competency, competency dictated by new, to-be-determined factors, shaped by our evolving economy, as well as the political landscape. Historically, and for the era, 120-credits was a fairly…
Read MoreHigher education institutions, particularly those with online and professional continuing education (PCE) units, are increasingly tasked with balancing financial sustainability and operational efficiency in a resource-constrained environment. As student demographics shift and competition intensifies, institutions are looking for innovative ways to diversify their revenue streams while optimizing operations – this is no easy task. The…
Read MoreA number of factors are converging to create a huge storm of change in higher education this coming year. Generative AI (GenAI) advances, massive federal policy shifts, broad societal economic changes, and the demographic cliff combine to create uncertainty today and change tomorrow. What are the changes we can predict today, and how can we…
Read MoreAnthropic last month took the lead in providing early access to basic AI agents for the masses. This is a huge leap forward from the chatbots that have dominated early Generative AI (GenAI) up until today. Anthropic offers the new function that enables its Sonnet version to control your computer. “Claude 3.5 Sonnet is the…
Read MoreUPCEA Announces Selection of Peer Learning Leaders to Drive Innovation in Skills-Based Credentialing
Six individuals selected for grant-funded work helping advance University-to-Business credential innovation strategies WASHINGTON (October 23, 2024) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, is thrilled to announce the selection of six individuals to be Peer Learning Leaders for the association’s grant-funded “Expanding Institutional Capacity for Employer Engagement in Credential Innovation” project. The project will…
Half of Higher Ed Institutions Now Use AI for Outcomes Tracking, But Most Lag in Implementing Comprehensive Learner Records
Survey conducted by Instructure and UPCEA explores the intersection of AI and credentialing in Higher Education SALT LAKE CITY — October 22, 2024 — Instructure, the leading learning ecosystem and UPCEA, the online and professional education association, announced the results of a survey on whether institutions are leveraging AI to improve learner outcomes and manage…
Best Colleges Ranking – 2025 (WalletHub)
Insights from Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow at UPCEA – The Online and Professional Education Association and Professor Emeritus of Communication – University of Illinois Springfield Are Ivy League and other “name- brand” schools worth the high sticker price? Wise consumers of higher education should begin with the outcome. What career or job is your desired…
Motivating Students Who Have Some College but No Credential (Inside Higher Ed)
“A survey of roughly 1,000 learners with some college credits but no credential found that many of these former students distrust higher ed and question the value of a degree. The study, highlighted in a new white paper released Tuesday, was conducted by StraighterLine, an online course provider, and UPCEA, the online and professional education association….
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…
Read MoreA Movement, Not Just a Community Convergence is emerging as the place where the credential innovation community for higher ed comes together. But more than a community, it’s a movement. Not a movement to make degrees less valuable, let alone obsolete. Rather, it’s a movement to complement degrees by meeting the needs of those for…
Read MoreMilitary-connected students (veterans, active duty service members, National Guard and Reserves members, and their families) represent a valuable but often overlooked demographic in higher education. These individuals bring a strong sense of purpose, discipline, and a commitment to service to campus—qualities that make them outstanding students and future leaders. As higher education institutions seek to…
Read MoreMarketing cost per inquiry (CPI) is a primary signifier of how well your marketing is performing, but it has historically lacked a critical aspect that makes it a valuable barometer for success: its very own benchmark. Search Influence and UPCEA have addressed this crucial gap in higher education marketing with our Marketing Metrics Research Report:…
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