There’s a moment from my college days I remember more clearly than any midterm I ever took. I had stepped away from my bachelor’s degree at Penn State because I wanted to live a little. I’d grown up in the same town that I went to college and I just needed an extended reprieve, something…
Is your online and professional continuing education unit looking for ways to improve job-market outcomes for graduates and alumni? Are you exploring strategies that better align your program portfolio with the skills business and industry leaders say they need both for new hires and for upskilling current employees? Recent employer data provides a clear signal that high-demand employees are ones with verified AI skills and practical experience. A 2025…
Agentic AI is no longer merely an interactive tool we talk to; it is a colleague that acts for us. In a very active and highly competitive environment, AI has grown at breakneck speed. As with so many technologies, business and industry have moved far faster than academe to embrace the cost savings, capability expanding…
AI in Higher Ed Will Come Slowly, Until All of a Sudden! Higher education is, by nature, very slow to change. So it is with embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI). Yet, when it finally comes, the changes will come in an avalanche. In discussions with faculty and staff, I have encountered some reluctance to take AI…
UPCEA Announces Leadership Teams for New Council for Credential Innovation and Alternative Credentials Network
UPCEA welcomes 31 leaders in alternative credentials to volunteer roles WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 26, 2022) — UPCEA, the association for college and university leaders in online and professional continuing education, announced today the inaugural leadership team for the Council for Credential Innovation (CCI). The Council for Credential Innovation is composed of senior leaders charged with…
Agile in Higher Ed Marketing
The Agile methodology has been around for more than 20 years, spearheaded and most well-known in software development and tech circles. However, the Agile methodology and various frameworks can be applied to almost any discipline. At NC State Online, embracing Agile has completely transformed our marketing process and allowed us to take on more projects…
UPCEA and the University of Wisconsin–Madison to Partner on Distance Teaching & Learning (DT&L) Conferences
Partnership brings UPCEA’s experience in online leadership and administration to UW–Madison’s highly valued annual DT&L conferences. WASHINGTON, D.C. and MADISON, WI (Jan. 12, 2022) – The University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) announced today they will partner on UW–Madison’s annual Distance Teaching & Learning (DT&L) conferences in 2022…
Growing ‘maze’ of education credentials is confusing consumers, employers (The Washington Post)
[…] There is, in fact, a “maze” of nearly a million unique education credentials in the United States, the nonprofit Credential Engine reports, including not only degrees but also badges, certificates, licenses, apprenticeships and industry certifications. More have popped up during the pandemic as career-switchers seek education and training. The result is confusion among employers…
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…
We 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…
Introduction Higher education is at a crossroads, marked by declining public trust, diminishing enrollments, substantial budget cuts, and increased scrutiny on post-college outcomes. Recent research from UPCEA underscores growing skepticism about the value of traditional degrees, driving institutions and learners alike to explore innovative educational pathways and revenue models (UPCEA, 2025). To address these challenges…
Online programs are no longer a nice-to-have. They are essential, with many schools looking to online as their primary growth lever amid market headwinds. A strong portfolio of online programs can allow institutions to grow enrollment, reach new student populations, and future-proof their offerings. But building, launching, and sustaining a successful online program operation requires…