Higher education is facing a real challenge—and yes, I said challenge. (Because let’s face it, we really do love a good “opportunity” in higher ed, don’t we?) With over 41 million people in the U.S. who’ve started college and left without a degree, there exists a massive group of learners who are unfinished, yet far…
Read MoreHigher education is facing its greatest challenge in decades. Our field may be at a transformational cusp where the transactional currency for education may shift from credits to competency, competency dictated by new, to-be-determined factors, shaped by our evolving economy, as well as the political landscape. Historically, and for the era, 120-credits was a fairly…
Read MoreIt was more than two decades ago that I was advocating the concept of enabling students to continue to follow the evolving developments and topics in the classes I taught through news blogs offered to support the learning in class. I called the concept, “Semester without End.” Now, OpenAI is suggesting that custom GPTs be…
Read MoreThe new year may bring a host of virtual assistants and administrative staff to higher education. They will begin as assistants to humans, then over time they will evolve into autonomous AI staff members. The winds of change in our field are rapidly converging, as we discussed in the previous edition of “Online: Trending Now.” The…
Read MoreGeorgia Tech’s Dean of Professional Education Nelson Baker to Serve as UPCEA President
WASHINGTON, March 29, 2019 – UPCEA, the Washington, D.C.-based association for university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education, welcomed Dr. Nelson Baker as the association’s 2019-20 President during the 2019 UPCEA Annual Conference. Baker is the dean of Professional Education at the Georgia Institute of Technology and professor in the university’s School of Civil…
President Trump Signs Campus Free Speech Executive Order
On March 21st, President Trump signed an executive order on “Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability on Campus” that directs federal agencies which provide funding for university research to be sure that they are funding colleges that support free speech on their campuses. This was an “historic action to defend American students and American values…
White House Releases Vision for Higher Education Act Reform
The White House released their vision of what reforms should be made to the Higher Education Act (HEA) during the reauthorization of it in Congress. It’s proposals within mirror the budget it also proposed just one week prior. Some of the major retooling includes: changing accreditation process to focus on outcomes; a significant cut for…
Trump Administration Releases Budget Cutting Approximately 10% of ED Funding
On Monday March 11th, the Trump administration released their budget proposal for the 2020 fiscal year. Included in the proposal is a $7.1 billion cut to the Department of Education, approximately equal to 10% of its total current operational budget. These proposals follow similar attempts in past budgets the administration has put forward. The cuts…
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 MoreMilitary-connected students (veterans, active duty service members, National Guard and Reserves members, and their families) represent a valuable but often overlooked demographic in higher education. These individuals bring a strong sense of purpose, discipline, and a commitment to service to campus—qualities that make them outstanding students and future leaders. As higher education institutions seek to…
Read MoreMarketing cost per inquiry (CPI) is a primary signifier of how well your marketing is performing, but it has historically lacked a critical aspect that makes it a valuable barometer for success: its very own benchmark. Search Influence and UPCEA have addressed this crucial gap in higher education marketing with our Marketing Metrics Research Report:…
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