In late August, I had the opportunity to join the National Governors Association’s Intersectional Policy Lab on Non-Degree Credentials and Skills-Based Practices in Minneapolis. This first in-person gathering of NGA’s Data and Non-Degree Credential Learning Community and Skills in the States Community of Practice brought together state leaders, researchers, foundations, and employers for two days…
Read MoreWhen the New York Times ran a piece in August pointing out that companies are throwing billions into AI with little to show for it, I had déjà vu. It took me right back to the late 1990s, when everyone thought the web would change everything overnight. It did change everything—but not before years of…
Read MoreFall semesters are just beginning and the companies offering three leading AI models: Gemini by Google, Claude by Anthropic and ChatGPT by OpenAI have rolled out tools to facilitate AI-enhanced learning. Here’s a comparison and how to get them. Each of the three leading AI providers has taken a somewhat different approach to providing an…
Read MoreLearning in contemporary higher education is rooted deeply in calendars and time rather than mastery of the topic of the learning. With an inflexible semester or quarter calendar and an often-inflexible schedule and length of meeting times, learners are marched through the system in the orderly method of an assembly line. As long as I…
Read MoreU.S. Department of Education Reveals New Distance Education and Program Integrity Rules: Final Outcomes and Responses to Concerns Raised by UPCEA
The Department of Education recently published new distance education and program integrity rules that address a number of topics raised during negotiated rulemaking sessions held in early 2024. Many of the proposals shared in the Department’s July 24, 2024, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) have been rescinded. Of those that remain, most are scheduled to…
Proposed Distance Education Rules Are Now Likely To Be Finalized Before the End of the Current Presidential Term | Policy Matters (December 2024)
Proposed Distance Education Rules Are Now Likely To Be Finalized Before the End of the Current Presidential Term On December 30, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) shared the final, unofficial version of its new program integrity and distance education regulations, which call for the collection of new but yet-to-be-established distance education and correspondence course enrollment data…
Reflections from Convergence 2024: Credential Innovation in Higher Education, hosted by UPCEA and AACRAO
The running joke was that this fall’s Convergence, UPCEA’s second collaboration with thoughtful partner AACRAO, was referred to as Convergence Two: Electric Boogaloo, for the verve and excitement around bringing together another sold-out/SRO gathering of credential innovators–in the buzzy city of New Orleans, no less. And though I am fairly certain that pop-y, choreographed dancing…
According To the New UPCEA and Collegis Report, 71% of Prospective Graduate Students Prefer Fully Online Programs
Findings highlight the need for strategic outreach to address master’s degree enrollment challenges in a competitive market [Washington and Illinois] – December 16, 2024 – A new report released today by UPCEA, the online and professional education association, and Collegis Education, a higher education solutions tech-enabler, highlights the growing interest in online master’s degree programs…
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…
Read MoreOver 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 MoreSince the 1980s, higher education has steadily shifted from passive lectures to more active, student-centered learning. As Bonwell and Eison noted in Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom, this shift not only reinforces content mastery but also fosters critical thinking and problem-solving. Cynthia J. Brame, writing for Vanderbilt’s Center for Teaching, defines active learning…
Read MoreTurn learners into the cyber pros every employer is chasing with stackable, multi-credential pathways The Cyber Talent Gap Is a Moving Target Picture this: the bad guys keep upgrading their playbook, but the good guys are still running last season’s plays. That’s the cyber talent gap in a nutshell. It’s not just about more people…
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