Online and Professional Continuing Education News


See below for a listing of curated news articles of the day brought to you by Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow at UPCEA. 

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  • Literature Is Not a Vibe: On ChatGPT and the Humanities - Rachele Dini, LA Review of Books
    The Guardian published “A Machine-Shaped Hand” on March 12, a day after Altman first shared it on X. A callout link at the top of the page directed readers to Jeanette Winterson’s response, “OpenAI’s Metafictional Short Story About Grief Is Beautiful and Moving”—a not-so-subtly titled piece that, while making an unconvincing case for the story’s […]
  • EDUCAUSE ’25: 3 Questions to Guide Higher Ed AI Strategy - GovTech
    Many colleges and universities see the need for an institutional AI strategy, but there are so many variables involved that it can be hard for IT leaders to know where to begin. Addressing an audience of such leaders at the 2025 EDUCAUSE annual conference in Nashville this week, Managing Director Alexander Brown of technology consulting […]
  • President Aoun outlines roadmap for higher ed in the age of AI - Cyrus Moulton, Northeastern
    Artificial intelligence can do your research and write your term paper. It cannot, however, interpret your professor’s expression when you hand that paper in. Northeastern University President Joseph E. Aoun said higher education’s role is to teach how to navigate such a situation. “The value of higher education is to raise those questions about the […]
  • How Strategy Champions win - McKinsey
    Only one in five companies believe they have high-quality strategy. What do such Strategy Champions have in common? They excel at designing bold strategies—and are even better at mobilizing their execution. Crafting a strategy—the process of making coherent, hard-to-reverse choices under uncertainty with the aim of building long-term value—has always been demanding. In 2010, only […]
  • Here are 6 ways data analytics will change in higher ed - Alcino Donadel, University Business
    Data analytics are increasingly vital for streamlining campus operations and driving strategy to improve the student experience. AI has spawned a web of technologies and practices that should lead to more advancements, according to a new report from EDUCAUSE, an education technology nonprofit. “The future of institutional effectiveness, student success and innovation will hinge on […]
  • Data Points - McKinsey
    How does AI learn to see, hear, and think all at once? As multimodal gen AI models evolve rapidly, they are reshaping how organizations process and generate information—from interpreting complex visuals to answering questions across multiple formats and data types. Costs are dropping, capabilities are multiplying, and the business implications are profound. Think you’re up […]
  • The role of online platforms in building a flexible future for education - Tech Funding News
    The landscape of education has changed dramatically in recent years, and the evolution is only speeding up. Traditional methods of learning, which typically require students to be present in physical classrooms at set times, are gradually giving way to digital platforms that offer unprecedented flexibility. With technology shaping the future of education, students are now […]
  • Worst to first: What it takes to build or remake a world-class team - McKinsey
    Building a team is hard; building a winning team is even harder. For every organization that manages to achieve the right mix of talent, culture, and performance expectations, many more find themselves lacking in one area or another. Consider the following cautionary tales. One team of “superstars” in a large technology organization failed to gel […]
  • Shorter term, bigger gain? More colleges try eight-week calendar - Amy Dipierro, EdSource
    In eight-week terms, two courses are a full course load, rather than four or five in semesters.Supporters say compressed terms attract and retain busy students juggling work and family.But there’s limited large-scale research on shorter terms and switching to a new calendar requires big campus-wide changes.https://edsource.org/2025/accelerated-learning-community-colleges/743832
  • College grads who land better jobs right out of school still earn more than their peers 5 years into their careers, study finds - CNBC
    Launching your professional career after college can be difficult, especially if you’re graduating into a challenging job market. And if simply landing a job isn’t stressful enough, new research shows that first job can have a lasting impact on your earning power. Every additional $1,000 students earn in their first job out of college translates […]
  • Navigating AI Adoption in Higher Ed: College Presidents on Student Learning vs Operational Efficiency - University Business
     While generative AI tools like ChatGPT have dominated headlines and sparked urgent conversations about academic integrity and pedagogy, many institutions are simultaneously exploring AI’s potential to revolutionize back-office operations—from enrollment management and advising to financial planning and facilities management. In this candid conversation, three college presidents share how they’re navigating these parallel paths of AI […]
  • Dual Degrees and Stackable Credentials Gain Value as the New Currency of Global Careers - APN news
    Dual degrees and stackable credentials are fast becoming the new currency of global careers. As automation and skills-based hiring redefine the job market, an overwhelming 96% of employers now confirm that micro-credentials significantly strengthen a candidate’s application. The global shift is driving universities and education providers and learners to adopt modular and credit-based education systems […]
  • New front door to the internet: Winning in the age of AI search - McKinsey
    Half of consumers use AI-powered search today, and it stands to impact $750 billion in revenue by 2028–what is your strategy and activation plan for gen AI engine optimization? Hot on the heels of the ascent of social media as a means of researching and buying products, consumers are quickly defaulting to AI-powered search (through […]
  • How to shift AI from a shortcut to a learning partner - Rudy Gonzalez, University Business
    This creates a significant challenge for universities: how can they integrate AI in ways that support learning rather than replace it? The solution is not simply adding AI tools to coursework. Instead, institutions need a clear strategy, strong governance and ongoing faculty development to guide how AI is used in the classroom. Higher education leaders […]
  • Why open source may not survive the rise of generative AI - David Gewirtz, ZD Net
    We live in an astonishing technology-based world, fueled by and dependent on software. That software provides our networks, our security, our financial transactions, our supply chain management, and, of course, the generative AI systems that are top of mind for just about everyone. But where does that digital infrastructure come from? Nearly all of it […]
  • How People Around the World View AI - Jacob Poushter, Moira Fagan, Manolo Corichi, Pew Research
    A median of 34% of adults across these countries have heard or read a lot about AI, while 47% have heard a little and 14% say they’ve heard nothing at all, according to a spring 2025 Pew Research Center survey. But many are worried about AI’s effects on daily life. A median of 34% of […]
  • Big Tech Makes Cal State Its A.I. Training Ground - Natasha Singer, New York Times
    Cal State, the largest U.S. university system with 460,000 students, recently embarked on a public-private campaign — with corporate titans including Amazon, OpenAI and Nvidia — to position the school as the nation’s “first and largest A.I.-empowered” university. One central goal is to make generative A.I. tools, which can produce humanlike texts and images, available […]
  • America is slipping in higher education. The slide starts long before college. - Courtney Brown, Lumina Foundation
    The latest Education at a Glance report from The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) offers an unsettling portrait of the United States. Once a global leader in higher education, the country now finds itself spending more than nearly any of its peer nations while delivering outcomes that fall increasingly short. American students are […]
  • Why Online Learning is the Future of Education Worldwide - Daily Blend, Vocal.Media
    Discover how online learning is driving the future of education around the world. Learn about its benefits, challenges and how it is evolving classrooms into global digital communities.  In an increasingly digital world, online learning has transformed the way that people acquire an education. Whether we are talking about an elementary or secondary student, a […]
  • Authentic assessment for inclusivity and employability - Xiao Qu, Times Higher Ed
    When designing the Research and Pedagogy module for my university’s MEd Educational Studies programme, I faced a familiar but pressing challenge: how to design assessment that is inclusive, authentic and that genuinely prepares students for the workplace, especially when generative artificial intelligence makes it easier to outsource essay writing? Here’s how I approached it and […]

Other Curated News: 

News from UPCEA: 

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…

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Artificial Intelligence to Assist, Tutor, Teach and Assess in Higher Ed

Higher ed has not been immune to the “Great Resignation.”  Many universities have long lists of open positions. We are on the cusp of filling some of those openings and more with cost-efficient, reliable, and effective Artificial Intelligence (AI). Higher education already employs artificial intelligence…

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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…

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