Artificial intelligence is becoming part of the everyday work of higher education. From enrollment management and student services to academic administration and continuing and professional education, AI is creating opportunities to rethink how work is accomplished. Much of the discussion has focused on what AI can do. For institutional leaders, however, a more important question…
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…
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,…
How institutions are leaving money on the table with their alternative credential offerings (University Business)
Alternative non-degree credentials are slowly becoming higher education’s hottest learning modality. Enrollment is strong and employer buy-in is promising. However, two reports from UPCEA demonstrate that despite institutions’ increased infrastructure to provide these academic programs, challenges persist—and they’re leaving money on the table as a result. In a December 2023 report that studied nearly 100 UPCEA members representing institutions focused…
Microcredentials on the Rise, but Not at Colleges (Inside Higher Ed)
As the pool of traditional-age students shrinks, colleges are increasingly turning to nondegree credentials to expand the appeal of their academic offerings to working adults. At the same time, an increasing number of employers want their employees to be able to upskill and reskill through microcredential programs. But four-year institutions are lagging behind third-party providers, such as LinkedIn…
Employers Partnering to Provide Microcredential and Training Programs on the Rise, New Study From UPCEA and Collegis Education Reveals
Opportunities are growing, but higher ed institutions are losing ground to private providers WASHINGTON, DC (January 23, 2024) — Companies partnering externally to provide training or professional development to employees increased by 26 percent (nearly 15 percentage points) between 2022 and 2023, according to a new study released today by Collegis Education and UPCEA, the…
Short-Term Credentials Are Booming in Texas. Are Employers Hiring? (Work Shift)
In Texas, money is flowing for short-term credentials. The state’s new funding formula, signed by the governor in June, is allocating dollars to community colleges in part based on how many credentials of value they award. It would appear that there is no better time to invest in alternative credentials. Interest rates on student loans…
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…
AI tools now play a big role in which online and continuing education programs make a prospect’s shortlist, and that shortlist has room for only three. Search Influence and UPCEA’s 2026 AI Search Research Study shows what it takes to earn one of those spots. Key Insights 56% of prospective online and continuing education students…
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…