Imagine your bellwether program stepping into a modern search arena with a glossy tri-fold and a storied reputation, ready to battle any challenger. Across the ring rolls a robotic rival as “The Imperial March” blares over the speakers. The ref signals start; a blinding spotlight from the robot makes your program vanish from view. The…
Read MoreIntroduction 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 MoreMost of us in higher education are now familiar with generative AI bots, where you formulate a prompt and get a reply. Yet, we are now beginning the advancement to agentic AI, the autonomous 24-7 project manager. The dramatic enhancement in the capability of AI as it moves from bots to agents will bring about…
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 MoreReport: Microcredentials Not a Strategic Priority for Many Colleges (Inside Higher Ed)
While the majority of colleges focused on online, professional and continuing education have embraced alternative credentials, a significant number of those institutions haven’t made them a strategic priority. That’s one of the key takeaways from a new study released Monday by UPCEA, the online and professional education association. “While a lot of institutions want this, they…
New Research: UPCEA Reveals Key Findings on Alternative Credentials
UPCEA shares business and program model insights in grant-funded study WASHINGTON (January 8, 2024) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, is proud to share findings and takeaways from a new research study, Alternative Credentials: Business and Program Models. The research, supported by a grant from Walmart, is part of UPCEA’s “Building Capacity, Expanding…
Bipartisan Bills on Workforce Pell and WIOA Retooling Introduced in US House of Representatives | Policy Matters (December 2023)
Major Updates Bipartisan Bills on Workforce Pell and WIOA Retooling Introduced in US House of Representatives A bipartisan group of the U.S. House of Representatives has released the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act, a bill to expand eligibility of Pell Grants for shorter-term programs; and separately, A Stronger Workforce for America Act, a bill making significant…
UPCEA Welcomes New Board and Committee Members
WASHINGTON, December 7, 2023 – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, is pleased to announce the election of new officers and new directors to serve on the UPCEA Board of Directors. Elected in November, these individuals will assume their roles at the conclusion of the 2024 UPCEA Annual Conference in Boston, Massachusetts on March…
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…
Read MoreWe 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 MoreStudent success starts with the right conversation. By uniting data, technology, and human connection, institutions can shift from reactive outreach to proactive engagement that strengthens trust, equity, and long-term retention. Every Student Is a Story, Not a Segment “On the other side of every data point, every phone number, every email address, there’s a person…
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…
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