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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  • Can creativity still exist in a world of Artificial Intelligence? - Bailee McLeod, Avondale
    Our relationship with Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ever evolving. The continual advancement of the technology means our interactions with it can change, almost daily. What started as asking Siri to ‘call mum’ evolved to asking Google to ‘turn down the air conditioning’, to now asking Chat to make an itinerary of our three-week Euro vacation, […]
  • Redefining Learning: How Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence are Transforming Education - digitalLEARNING Network
    We are living through one of the most profound transformations in the history of education. The industrial model of learning is being replaced by a new paradigm that values experience, adaptability, and creativity. For decades, education has been structured around the transfer of information; now, we are moving toward the cultivation of intelligence itself — […]
  • Explainable artificial intelligence for predictive modeling of student stress in higher education - Rasikh Tariq, et al; Nature
    Student stress in higher education remains a pervasive problem, yet many institutions lack affordable, scalable, and interpretable tools for its detection and management. The objective of this research is to develop a cost-effective, survey-based stress classification model using multiple machine learning algorithms and eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) to support transparent and actionable decision-making in educational […]
  • Opinion: Ray Kurzweil’s Predictions — AI Today and Tomorrow - Jim A. Jorstad, GovTech
    To prepare students for a world so saturated with technology, it has arguably never been more important to speculate on the possibilities of our future, and how we can prepare for it. In business, science and education, we are now continually searching for clues about the future of artificial intelligence. In October 2006, I had […]
  • 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 […]
  • 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
  • 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 […]
  • 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 […]

Other Curated News: 

News from UPCEA: 

Higher Ed: Short Term & Long Term

We are witnessing the remaking of higher education. Strategies for mainstream colleges and universities must change from the short term to the long term as large-scale collaboratives and huge corporations enter the field. The pandemic has accelerated trends that were already established in the past…

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In Memoriam: Karen Swan

Long-time UPCEA member and colleague Karen Swan passed away in early September 2021. Dr. Swan served as professor of education at the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Center for Online Learning, Research and Service. Previously, she served as research professor at Kent State University’s Research…

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AI Is Leading a Revolution in Roles, ROI and Opportunities

The world is in the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, which is what the World Economic Forum describes as a new era that extends the impact of digitization in new and unanticipated ways. The fourth industrial revolution has shown up first and most prominently…

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