In the fast-evolving landscape of higher education and workforce alignment, non-degree credentials are surging in popularity. This trend is largely a result of baccalaureate degrees that are not adapting quickly to address more immediate market needs, coupled with a skepticism about the value of the degree. In place of bachelor’s degrees, students are seeking more…
Read MoreWhy Values-Based Influence Matters Now Higher education is undergoing seismic shifts—demographic changes, budget constraints, AI disruption, and questions of relevance. In this environment, how we lead and why we lead matters as much as what we do as leaders. Leaders who operate from a strong internal compass—those grounded in values—offer clarity, stability, and hope. Values-based…
Read MoreIn reflecting on my feelings about the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our lives, I must report they are mixed. I have the strong sense of the inevitability that this technology will meet and exceed its hype to alter the course of humanity, generally for the better. However, at the same time there is…
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of contemporary practice in higher education. This summer is an ideal time to become AI literate for the fall. Perhaps you just haven’t had time to keep up with the advent of agentic AI. Or, you simply didn’t realize that AI is not just a fad in…
Read MorePolicy Matters | Joe Biden is President Elect – What Does that Mean for Higher Education Policy? (November 2020)
Major Updates Joe Biden is President Elect – What Does that Mean for Higher Education Policy? President-Elect Joe Biden will become the next President of the United States of America in January, so what does that mean for our field? For one, Jill Biden (who some of you will remember was a Keynote Speaker at…
How Blockchain Can Streamline Recordkeeping at Universities (OnlineEducation)
“What we see coming out of the pandemic is that the world is entering an environment for business and industry called the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is a digitizing work. What that opens up for is that our delivery of documentation will change and will be delivered on the blockchain.” – Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow…
What Does the Blockchain Mean for University Partnerships? (Helix Education)
COVID has accelerated the evolution and adoption of a lot of new technologies across higher ed. What has the pandemic done to the blockchain movement specifically? Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor of online learning at University of Illinois Springfield, and senior fellow at UPCEA, returns to the Enrollment Growth University show to remark on the acceleration…
Policy Matters | U.S. Department of Education Provides Updated FAQs for CARES Act Funds (October 2020)
Major Updates U.S. Department of Education Provides Updated FAQs for CARES Act Funds Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education released updated FAQs around the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) allocations. This included clarifications that it would not take enforcement measures against universities who issued funds to students who were not…
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 MoreHow Do You Market to College Students Today? What is the modern student search journey? Today’s students explore school options across various platforms, often following curiosity rather than a set path. Before they even land on a college website, students might watch a dorm tour on TikTok, get advice from Reddit threads, or ask ChatGPT…
Read MoreMany non-academic factors influence learners’ higher education decisions: financial implications, geography, degree paths, sports success, family legacy, and more. While there are many ways for a given institution to market itself, economic, technological, and societal shifts are motivating schools to refocus their marketing on attributes that specifically drive positive outcomes and generate industry-ready graduates: Learners…
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