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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- State lawmakers eye accreditation policy changes as new agency forms - Daniele McClean, Higher Ed DiveA growing number of Republican-controlled states have introduced legislative and policy proposals that would allow their public colleges to leave their long-standing accreditors for a newly founded accrediting body. The Commission for Public Higher Education, a nascent accrediting body, is moving to potentially take on those and other public institutions as members. The CPHE is […]
- The Impact of AI on Engineering Jobs - Intuit BlogArtificial intelligence has become fundamental enough to shift traditional engineering roles, changing how engineers work and the work itself. 88% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function. Engineers are using AI to tackle complex real-world problems, with applications spanning predictive maintenance, design optimization, and automation. AI’s impact on engineering is just […]
- Teach students to ask better questions with Artificial Intelligence - Yiming V. Wang & Christoph Heubeck, NatureGenerative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has entered university classrooms at a remarkable speed, challenging not only how students learn but also how teachers can tell where thinking is happening1,2,3. AI use shows more than rapid adaptation to a new tool: it also exposes how academic training has long shaped the questions students ask. Conventionally, many questions […]
- Board Ouster Raises Further Concerns About NSF’s Future - Ryan Quinn, Inside Higher EdThe Trump administration’s decision to fire the entire board that oversees the National Science Foundation is another blow to American science that threatens the country’s global leadership, multiple higher ed and research advocacy groups warned, as did ousted board members. They added that the move could further destabilize the agency, which is a major university […]
- How should universities define AI proficiency? - Junghwan Kim, Inside Higher EdBut what does “AI readiness” mean? I began reframing that question after attending a global technology gathering of 148,000 attendees and more than 4,000 companies in Las Vegas this January. At CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2026, leaders from Nvidia, AMD and OpenAI described the future of AI. I saw robots playing table tennis and AI […]
- East Carolina University plans to cut 44 academic programs - Ben Unglesbee, Higher Ed DiveEast Carolina University plans to discontinue 44 undergraduate and graduate programs “that aren’t meeting expectations” after an internal review of its portfolio, the public institution said Friday in a news release. ECU has teach-out plans for students enrolled in the programs slated for closure, senior leaders said last week in a community memo. The university […]
- College students are changing course in search of ‘AI-proof’ majors. But no one knows what they are - JOCELYN GECKER and LINLEY SANDERS, Associated PressTwo years ago, Josephine Timperman arrived at college with a plan. She declared a major in business analytics, figuring she’d learn niche skills that would stand out on a resume and help land a good job after college. But the rise of artificial intelligence has scrambled those calculations. The basic skills she was learning in […]
- How AI is Reshaping the Future of Work - Stanford University Graduate School of BusinessArtificial intelligence is reshaping how work happens. It is changing daily workflows, influencing how teams make decisions, and pushing leaders to rethink how organizations are structured. As with any major shift, the impact depends less on the technology itself and more on the conditions leaders create around it. As AI becomes more common across industries, the […]
- Penn State launches AI literacy course for employees - EdScoopThe AI Essentials training program is designed to provide "the knowledge, skills and ethical grounding" needed to use AI responsibly. “By organizing the course into modules focused on technical knowledge, ethical awareness, critical thinking and practical application, we are empowering students, faculty and staff to engage with AI as informed, responsible participants both within the […]
- Michigan State, University of Michigan face over 60% cut under state funding bill - Ben Unglesbee, Higher Ed DiveMichigan lawmakers are mulling huge cuts — over 60% of operational funding — for the state’s two largest universities, according to a legislative analysis of a measure that advanced in the Republican-led House on Wednesday. An appropriations bill originally passed by the House’s higher education subcommittee last week would gut funding for Michigan State University […]
- Universities urged to prepare students for AI‑driven economy - Jamaica GleanerA pointed warning about the future of work and education took centre stage as the Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM), UWI, Mona brought together leaders from academia and industry to confront a pressing question: is the Caribbean truly ready for the age of artificial intelligence? At the recent George Willie Lecture Series, David […]
- 4 higher education leaders on AI’s biggest benefits and risks - Laura Spitalniak, Higher Ed DiveArtificial intelligence is rapidly progressing and poised to reshape the workforce in the near future. The higher education sector is in a unique position, as both an employer of millions of workers and a system that prepares students for the labor force. At the annual ASU+GSV Summit last week, four college leaders talked to Higher […]
- Research cuts are now having a chilling effect on academia - Alcino Donadel, University BusinessSome experts see early and dire consequences for the science and education research community. “We’ve been hearing about the cuts coming down, but this spring, you’re really starting to see the effects,” says Chenjerai Kumanyika, assistant professor at New York University and council member for the American Association of University Professors. In February, Congress passed a fiscal year […]
- YouTube expands its AI likeness detection technology to celebrities - Sarah Perez, TechCrunchYouTube is expanding its new “likeness detection” technology, which identifies AI-generated content, such as deepfakes, to people within the entertainment industry, the company announced on Tuesday. The technology works similarly to YouTube’s existing Content ID system, which detects copyright-protected material in users’ uploaded videos, allowing rights owners to request removal or share in the video’s […]
- College Students Are More Polarized Than Ever. Can AI Help? - Kathryn Palmer, Inside Higher EdOver the past few years, higher education institutions have adopted emerging artificial intelligence tools in an effort to enhance nearly every aspect of campus life—not just teaching and learning but also admissions, alumni networks, fundraising and advising. Now some are even experimenting with AI’s ability to advance one of the hottest trends on college campuses: […]
- This is the fastest-growing job for young workers, LinkedIn says - Mary Cunningham, CBS NewsAs the rise of artificial intelligence stirs anxiety over the technology taking people's jobs, AI is also opening pathways to new careers, according to LinkedIn. The fastest-growing job title for young workers on the networking platform is "AI engineer," a recent report from the company found. LinkedIn analyzed millions of member profiles to determine the […]
- AI fears drive some young adults to grad school — ‘people shelter in higher education,’ expert says - Jessica Dickler, CNBCTypically, enrollment in graduate school increases during recessions as workers seek to advance or to move to another industry with better career prospects or pay. Today, more people in a survey said they plan to go back to school within a year, even though the economy is doing well. Experts say young adults are exploring […]
- Learn essential AI skills - Google Skills LabWe're building AI skills programs, trainings, and tools to address the specific needs of workers everywhere. Discover Google's courses and resources designed to help you succeed in an AI-driven world. Check out this free resource site from Google.https://ai.google/learn-ai-skills/
- Students are speeding through their online degrees in weeks, alarming educators - Todd Wallack, Washington PostIt takes most college students at least four years to earn a bachelor’s degree. Christie Williams finished in three months. The North Carolina human resources executive spent two months racking up credits through web tutorials after work in 2024, then raced through 11 online classes at the University of Maine at Presque Isle in four […]
- Is Your AI Ethical, Human-Centered and Pro-Social? - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher EdMany of us utilize AI daily in our higher education work, yet we may not have assessed the ethical and human-centered nature of the tool we have selected and trained through our prompts. AI tools are no longer a relatively simple search engine that is driven by marketing metrics to help us conduct our research. […]
Other Curated News:
News from UPCEA:
UPCEA Releases 2026 Predictions for Higher Education
Report highlights the accelerating transformation of higher education, from AI-driven infrastructure to lifelong learning pathways. WASHINGTON (Dec. 8, 2025) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of its “Predictions 2026: Insights for Online & Professional Education.” This year’s report brings…
UPCEA Announces Release of New Secret Shopper Benchmarking Study at UPCEA MEMS 2025
Findings unveiled during the conference’s closing keynote reveal major gaps and opportunities in enrollment responsiveness. WASHINGTON and BOSTON (Dec. 4, 2025) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of its newest research report, Enrollment Process Review: Secret Shopper Analysis, during…
The New Cliff Facing Higher Ed and How AI Might Help Solve It
There is a new “cliff” in American higher education, and it is not the demographic cliff. Rather, it is the dramatic cliff in math knowledge, skills, and abilities. Let me be clear that other discipline deficiencies are found in this new generation of college students,…
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