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Perspectives on Online and Professional Education
from UPCEA’s Research and Consulting Experts

Lessons Learned from Star Trek

October 24, 2024

I am part of Generation X. I was born in 1965 and which makes me one of the cohort’s older members. Although I am a part of Generation X, I at times align with the “Next Generation” … the Boomers. Growing up around Boomers and being an older Gen X’er meant watching I Dream of…

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New Survey Explores Intersection of AI and Credentialing in Higher Ed

October 23, 2024

UPCEA and Instructure recently released the results of a survey on whether institutions are utilizing AI to enhance learner outcomes and records, and if so, how? Most survey respondents are heavily involved in developing learner experiences and tracking outcomes, though nearly half report that their institutions have yet to adopt AI-driven tools for these purposes.…

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Unique biweekly insights and news review from Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow at UPCEA

Embodied AI

October 24, 2024

We may be just months away from an influx of embodied AI robots (EAI). Those are, in many cases, humanoid bots powered by autonomous AI. Generative AI (GenAI) continues to advance with reasoning power, competing with Ph.D.-level knowledge in math and several of the science fields. We are beginning to see autonomous agents that can…

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ChatGPT-4o Shows ‘Friendly’ Behavior

October 10, 2024

The app initiates personalized conversations and offers responses without a prompt. This signals a shift toward agentic AI, where models act more like colleagues. Perhaps this was merely a move to increase engagement with the OpenAI GPT-4o app. Or perhaps this model of AI is getting a boost in using contextual knowledge. Then again, OpenAI reported…

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Your one-stop shop for the latest Association happenings, policy updates, plus thoughts from the desk of CEO Bob Hansen.

A map of the United States with pins showing 33 of the most populous US cities, with a counter indicating a total combined population of 40.8 million

Beyond Degrees: How Credential Innovation is Closing the Gap for 42 Million Learners

A 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…

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UPCEA Announces Selection of Peer Learning Leaders to Drive Innovation in Skills-Based Credentialing

Six individuals selected for grant-funded work helping advance University-to-Business credential innovation strategies WASHINGTON (October 23, 2024) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, is thrilled to announce the selection of six individuals to be Peer Learning Leaders for the association’s grant-funded “Expanding Institutional Capacity for Employer Engagement in Credential Innovation” project. The project will…

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Half of Higher Ed Institutions Now Use AI for Outcomes Tracking, But Most Lag in Implementing Comprehensive Learner Records

Survey conducted by Instructure and UPCEA explores the intersection of AI and credentialing in Higher Education SALT LAKE CITY — October 22, 2024 — Instructure, the leading learning ecosystem and UPCEA, the online and professional education association, announced the results of a survey on whether institutions are leveraging AI to improve learner outcomes and manage…

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Best Colleges Ranking – 2025 (WalletHub)

Insights from Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow at UPCEA – The Online and Professional Education Association and Professor Emeritus of Communication – University of Illinois Springfield Are Ivy League and other “name- brand” schools worth the high sticker price? Wise consumers of higher education should begin with the outcome. What career or job is your desired…

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Musings on trends and updates from UPCEA CEO Bob Hansen.

Beyond Degrees: How Credential Innovation is Closing the Gap for 42 Million Learners

October 24, 2024

A 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…

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UPCEA Brand Evolution in an Era of Change

March 26, 2024

The pandemic upheaval forced rapid adaptation across campuses, accelerating the digital transformation that had been underway for decades. Online and professional education is at the forefront of this transformation, addressing strategic questions about business models and learner needs. In this ever-evolving landscape of higher education, adaptation isn’t just an option; it’s a necessity. UPCEA recognized…

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Valuable insights from UPCEA's trusted corporate partners.

Corporate Learning Partnerships Part 2: Higher Ed Strategies for B2B Sales

August 23, 2023

Higher education institutions aiming to develop successful corporate learning partnerships must be willing to acknowledge that marketing to and engaging businesses is different from marketing to and engaging students. In the first part of this series on higher ed corporate learning, we discussed how schools can position themselves to effectively market to businesses. Once that…

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Corporate Learning Partnerships Part 1: Position Your School to Market to Businesses Effectively

July 26, 2023

How to establish successful corporate partnerships Corporate learning partnerships are effective revenue generators for many higher education institutions. These partnerships can also help schools better serve their missions by expanding access to higher education for adult learners. But developing successful higher education marketing initiatives to establish relationships with corporate partners can be challenging. At MindMax,…

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