Defining Microcredentials and Their Value Microcredentials, shorter educational programs that develop specific skills or competencies, have seen tremendous growth in recent years. Both adult learners and traditional students increasingly seek these credentials for upskilling or career advancement. While the term “microcredentials” is relatively new, short-form credentials have been offered by higher education institutions for decades,…
Read MoreEnrollment management plays a pivotal role in the success of any online and professional continuing education units through impact on revenue generation, learner engagement, and program sustainability. AI-driven business process automation (BPA) offers transformative solutions to streamline enrollment workflows, enhance recruitment strategies, and improve the overall student experience through allowing staff to focus on human…
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence continues to develop at an unprecedented rate and scale. What will be the changes that we will see in higher education by the end of this year? Let’s begin with the advent of generative AI (GenAI) in 2022. It was on November 30th of that year that OpenAI released ChatGPT. The release resulted in…
Read MoreA revolution is quietly taking place in academic and scholarly research prompted by the advent of AI research tools. This will reshape the very nature of our studies and greatly accelerate synergies and collaborations across academic fields. AI research tools such as OpenAI o1 have now reached test score levels that meet or exceed those…
Read MoreStudent Coaching and Best Practices
Student coaching is a critical role to supporting a student’s wellbeing and growth during the time they are enrolled in an academic program. Today’s students are no longer fresh out of high school kids. They hold a variety of titles like first generation college student, active military service member, veterans, working professionals, and everything in…
Bill with Short-Term Job Training Pell Passes House; Excludes Online Programs | Policy Matters (February 2022)
Major Updates Bill with Short-Term Job Training Pell Passes House; Excludes Online Programs The COMPETES Act passed the House of Representatives in early February. An amendment to the bill establishes a new short-term job training Pell grant program. Unfortunately, this provision excluded any online-only programs. UPCEA has long advocated for short-term job training Pell programs,…
UPCEA Congratulates Members Recognized in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Ranking of Best Online Bachelor’s Programs
21 of Top 25 Ranked Institutions are UPCEA Members WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 10, 2022) — UPCEA, the association for college and university leaders in online and professional continuing education, is pleased to congratulate the many UPCEA members recognized in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings. U.S. News rankings include more…
UPCEA Announces 2022 Association Award Recipients
8 Individuals and 8 Programs Receive Association’s Highest Honors WASHINGTON, February 9, 2022 – UPCEA, the leader in online and professional continuing education, has announced the recipients of the 2022 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…
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 MoreIs an OPM partnership right for your institution? The answer is rarely a simple yes or no. The decision to work with an Online Program Manager (OPM) is complex—shaped by factors like institutional readiness, cultural alignment, operational needs, staff expertise and financial considerations. Some universities thrive with deep OPM partnerships, others prefer independence, and many…
Read MoreTen Ways to S.K.I.L.L.: Strengthening Knowledge Through Industry-Linked Learning in Higher Education
During a recent Virtual Masterclass titled Strategies for Integrating Micro-Credentials into Curriculum, I had the privilege of joining Lancie Affonso from the College of Charleston to explore how industry-recognized microcredentials can enhance course outcomes. Lancie shared examples of how microcredentials can bridge the gap between academic theory and professional practice while meeting students’ diverse interests…
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