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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- Education agents are coming. Prepare now for international recruitment’s new chapter. - David King, University BusinessU.S. universities and colleges, however, have chosen to go it alone. Many build international recruitment infrastructure themselves, relying on international travel, admissions staff and direct marketing. This stance is the result of a number of factors: regulatory history, institutional caution, and a belief that their brand strength alone is sufficient. Here’s the thing. Many international […]
- The Students Crowdfunding for Tuition - Johanna Alonso, Inside Higher EdGoFundMe, the largest crowdfunding site, has seen an over 20 percent increase in fundraisers for tuition and related expenses over the past year, according to data the company shared with Inside Higher Ed. That rise comes as Americans have reckoned with rising costs under the Trump administration and declines in social services like food assistance […]
- Stanford apologizes, saying AI-altered photo that changed student’s gender and race violated policy -Minyvonne Burke, NBCStanford University said the use of artificial intelligence to alter the race and appearance of students in a promotional photo violated its policy and was “a serious error in judgment.” The controversy centers on an image of three students posing in front of Star Ginger in the university’s dining hall, according to The Stanford Review, […]
- University of Phoenix study finds GenAI use among online adult learners associated with academic performance and technology confidence - University of PhoenixUniversity of Phoenix scholars have published new peer-reviewed research examining how non-traditional undergraduate students use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in online higher education. The study found that more frequent GenAI use was significantly associated with higher academic performance and stronger confidence in technology skills, while lower confidence in reading, writing and math and greater time […]
- When Nontraditional Students Become the Norm - Joshua Bay, Inside Higher EdAdult learners, working students, student parents, transfer students and first-generation students are often grouped under the broad umbrella of “nontraditional” students. While their experiences differ, they also highlight the various ways higher education is, or isn’t, designed around the realities of students’ lives. Many of these students are navigating similar pressures: balancing college with work […]
- Andreessen Horowitz launches AI school as college alternative - Megan Cerullo, CBS NewsVenture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz announced on Tuesday that it is launching an academy, billed as a college alternative, for aspiring AI and other technology entrepreneurs. The unaccredited program, called the Horowitz Andreessen Academy, will focus its curriculum on teaching people how to build products and services from the ground up using AI. Specifically, the […]
- How to stay smart in the age of AI: the science of critical thinking - Helen Pearson, NatureEarlier this year, education researcher Lixiang Yan realized that students could outsource all of their work for his university course to artificial intelligence. In praise of human teachers: universities must resist outsourcing everything to AI. Yan, who teaches at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, was using an agentic AI called Codex to set up an […]
- Two years of OpenAI Academy - OpenAITo ensure the benefits of AI are broadly shared, people need the skills and confidence to use it in their everyday lives. Since launching in September 2024, OpenAI Academy has helped people build those skills through practical training for tasks ranging from teaching and running a small business to developing software. Over the past two […]
- U of Kentucky Online recognizes faculty, staff for excellence in online teaching - Lindsey Piercy, UKnowThree faculty members and four staff members were honored Sept. 16 during the University of Kentucky Online Awards ceremony, which featured the inaugural presentation of the UK Online Teaching Award. Now in its second year, the UKO Advocate recognition expands the UKO Excellence Awards by giving UK Online staff an opportunity to nominate faculty or staff […]
- The next AI divide is between learning and earning - Taha Bawa and Michele Malejki, World Economic ForumYoung people are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) but knowing how to use AI does not automatically translate into jobs or income. Training should extend to hands-on projects, such as internships and apprenticeships, so young people can hone their skills. A lack of access to devices, connectivity and professional networks can prevent young people from […]
- Small Moves, Big Impact: Building a Positive Climate in Online Classes - Amie Cieminski, Faculty FocusOne of the challenges that online instructors face is creating a sense of connectedness in which students feel present, “seen,” heard, and part of the learning community. We know student engagement and learning are enhanced when students feel connected—students to the content, students to the instructor, and students to each other. In online environments, social […]
- The economics of AI - McKinsey QuarterlyAI is getting more expensive for companies. As rising token usage and workflow complexity make costs harder to predict, leaders need new ways to manage AI economics. Even with token prices falling, AI operating costs keep rising. Companies that get it right understand the six drivers behind this gap.https://www.mckinsey.com/quarterly/the-five-fifty/five-fifty-the-economics-of-ai
- Recursive Self-Improvement of AI Without Comprehensive Review and Alignment - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher EdIn the high-tech, high-competition AI field, we are seeing new versions of models rolled out by the frontier companies (OpenAI, Google and Anthropic) every month and a half. I included a Release Cadence Breakdown report by Google Gemini in the “Online: Trending Now” column just a few weeks ago. The speed and intensity of the […]
- 5 Ways AI Is Reshaping Student Success - Joshua Bay, Inside Higher EdRecent initiatives and research show the technology influencing how colleges identify students who may need additional help, where young people turn for emotional support, how students learn and experiment, and the skills they’ll need after graduation. At the same time, students themselves have expressed concerns about their dependence on AI and how well their institutions […]
- Higher Ed Groups Push Back on Trump’s New Accreditation Rule - Jessica Blake, Inside Higher EdA number of accreditation agencies, student advocacy groups and university lobbyists say they see value in the underlying goals of President Trump’s proposed overhaul to accreditation policy, particularly the efforts to put more weight on student outcomes and cut back on red tape. But many doubt that rewriting higher ed’s quality-assurance regulations is the right […]
- OpenAI Says It Will Not Release Newest A.I. Model Over Safety Concerns - Sheera Frenkel, NY TimesOpenAI said on Monday that it would not release its newest artificial intelligence model because of security concerns raised by its researchers, in the company’s latest move to slow down the pace of its technology. During the testing phase for the new model, known as GPT-6.1 Astra, it showed high levels of what the company […]
- Rutgers Law School launches part-time online J.D. program - National JuristRutgers Law School is launching a part-time, hybrid Online J.D. program featuring live online evening classes, flexible asynchronous coursework and in-person learning opportunities, becoming the 23rd ABA-accredited law school to offer an online J.D. option. Students will take live classes two to three evenings per week and travel to Rutgers Law’s Camden campus for eight […]
- How should AI be regulated? - Claire Goudreau, Johns Hopkins UniversityGillian Hadfield | Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of AI Alignment and Governance said "The key thing that happened was humans stopped writing all of the rules about how the computer was supposed to behave and figured out a method called machine learning where the machine, the computer, would write its own program. People will talk about […]
- White House Moves to Take Control of NIH Grants - Carolyn Y. JohnsonSheryl Gay Stolberg and Tony Romm, NY TimesThe White House has begun drafting a new executive order that could further cement President Trump’s ability to control billions of dollars in scientific grants funded by the National Institutes of Health. Discussed at a highly contentious meeting at the White House on Friday, the directive aims to create a new external committee with the […]
- 4-year visa cap for international students halted by federal judge - Laura Spitalniak, Higher Ed DiveA federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s rule limiting international student visas to four years, a regulatory change that would have taken effect Tuesday. In his 48-page ruling, U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor said a lawsuit against DHS is “likely to succeed” on several grounds and that colleges […]
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ED to Delay and Clarify Third-Party Servicer Guidance | Policy Matters (April 2023)
Major Updates ED Announces Intent to Rework Third-Party Servicer Guidance, Clarify Scope, Remove International Ban and Delay Deadline In a blog post the Undersecretary of Postsecondary Education, James Kvaal, provided updates on the recent Third-Party Servicer guidance. While they are still reviewing the more than…
Generative AI Is Only as Good as the Prompt You Give It
It is ironic that much of the early conversation about ChatGPT had to do with the demise of writing skills when, in fact, the very success of generative AI searches is determined by the quality of precisely-written prompts. Let’s begin with the term “generative AI.”…
A Few Hidden Gems among AI Apps
In the flurry of launches of generative AI apps this year, there are some that I find are gems that don’t get enough attention. These are ones that I think colleagues in higher ed might use every day. First, let me note that I have…
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