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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  • A new era of intelligence with Gemini 3 - Sundar Pichai, et al; the Keyword
    It’s state-of-the-art in reasoning, built to grasp depth and nuance — whether it’s perceiving the subtle clues in a creative idea, or peeling apart the overlapping layers of a difficult problem. Gemini 3 is also much better at figuring out the context and intent behind your request, so you get what you need with less […]
  • Nebraska State Colleges Launch System-Wide Initiative to Re-Enroll Thousands of Adults with “Some College, No Degree” - Inside Track
    The Nebraska State College System—which serves more than 9,000 students across its three campuses annually—today announced the launch of an ambitious new system-wide initiative, Reengage Nebraska. The program is designed to help thousands of stopped-out students with some college credit but no degree return to higher education and complete a degree or credential. Built in […]
  • Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence - Richa Govil, Economic and Political Weekly
    Drawing on recent surveys, institutional responses, and emerging evidence from neuroscience, it is clear that the impact of artificial intelligence on learning depends less on the technology itself than on how it is used. Judicious engagement with AI can scaffold learning, enhance accessibility, and cultivate new literacies, while indiscriminate reliance risks cognitive offloading, demotivation, and […]
  • Empowering personalized learning at scale: Loyola Marymount University’s AI course companion - Lorin Miller, Matt Frank, and Brian Drawert, AWS Public Sector Blog
    LMU’s mission emphasizes personal connections in learning through a high-touch, individualized approach. With most students turning to generic, off-the-shelf AI tools, the university saw an opportunity. “One of the things that sparked this is, ‘How do we make a better version of what’s currently available?’” said Matt Frank, director of teaching, learning, and research technology […]
  • Finding the right match: Fundamentals of a successful merger - Alcino Donadel, University Business
    In an era defined by mounting financial pressure, the question is no longer if a merger or acquisition might be necessary, but what makes a deal successful. There are two essential elements every institution must understand before leaders reach out to another school. “Everyone must be on the same page and clear-eyed about the institution’s […]
  • The AI Tool EVERYONE Should Be Using - Futurepedia, YouTube
    NotebookLM is more than just the viral AI podcast feature. It's the best tool I've found for actually understanding and retaining information - not just collecting it. In this video, I'll show you every NotebookLM feature and explain what makes it so powerful: how it handles 260x more content than ChatGPT using RAG (Retrieval Augmented […]
  • Ohio State to hire 100 new faculty with AI expertise - OSU
    The Ohio State University has announced a major Artificial Intelligence (AI) Faculty Hiring Initiative that will add 100 new tenure-track faculty with expertise in AI over the next five years. The initiative will expand AI research and education across disciplines and strengthen Ohio State’s position as a national and global leader in AI-driven discovery and […]
  • Preparing for tomorrow’s agentic workforce - McKinsey Podcast
    The time is now to focus on AI infrastructure, which will enable companies to scale AI and build a future where humans and multiple AI agents successfully work together. To effectively compete, companies must take a hard look at what they can do to support an AI infrastructure. On this episode of the At the […]
  • Padmasheela Kiiskilä: Building trust in micro-credentials requires strong data governance - Tampere University, Finland
    In her doctoral dissertation, Padmasheela Kiiskilä (MS) investigates how higher education institutions and alliances can implement scalable, trusted, and strategically aligned micro-credential systems. Her research identifies the essential features of digital platforms needed for issuing micro-credentials, examines how learners and institutions perceive their value, and analyzes how centralized approaches can support large-scale coordination across universities. […]
  • Untitled
    Wharton Online Launches Innovation Strategy and Design Thinking Certificate - University of PennsylvaniaWharton Online today announced the launch of its new Innovation Strategy and Design Thinking Certificate, a fully online, self-paced credential designed to help professionals master innovation from idea generation through execution. Developed and led by Wharton professors Christian Terwiesch and Karl Ulrich, global […]
  • The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation - McKinsey
    Almost all survey respondents say their organizations are using AI, and many have begun to use AI agents. Most organizations are still in the experimentation or piloting phase: Nearly two-thirds of respondents say their organizations have not yet begun scaling AI across the enterprise. High curiosity in AI agents: Sixty-two percent of survey respondents say […]
  • EDUCAUSE ’25: How AI Policies Affect Student Mental Health - Abby Sourwine, GovTech
    Punitive, fear-driven approaches to rule-making about artificial intelligence in higher education can deepen mistrust, stress and disconnection among students. Alternatively, there are opportunities for teachable moments. As some institutions and instructors respond to the boom of artificial intelligence with bans and automated detection tools, students are worried about being falsely accused of using AI. At […]
  • Google seeks partnerships lead to drive AI in higher education - Edtech Innovation Hub
    Role aims to advance adoption. Google is recruiting a senior partnerships manager to help shape its artificial intelligence work across higher education, according to a recent LinkedIn post by Alisa Sommer O’Hara, who leads Global EdTech Business Partnerships and Developer Relations at the company. The new Strategic Partner Development Principal Lead will focus on building […]
  • Penn State Smeal launches comprehensive artificial intelligence initiative - Smeal College of Business
    The Penn State Smeal College of Business has announced a comprehensive, college-wide artificial intelligence (AI) initiative. Smeal is integrating AI across its teaching, research and operations — ensuring students, faculty and staff are equipped to lead responsibly in an AI-driven economy. “AI isn’t a future possibility — it’s here, now,” said Corey Phelps, John and […]
  • The rise of micro-credentials in continuing education - BC Business
    Learn or be left behind. This is the imperative that’s driving many mid-career (and, increasingly, earlycareer) professionals to gain a competitive advantage in today’s tough employment market through upskilling. “Today, artificial intelligence is not a futuristic concept but a mainstream reality reshaping industries and professions,” says Jo-Anne Clarke, dean of Division of Continuing Studies at […]
  • Scaling the 21st-century leadership factory - Bob Sternfels, Daniel Pacthod, and David H. Berger; McKinsey
    In the wake of extreme uncertainty, CEOs should take a step back and reflect on the leadership traits and capabilities that will define their own and others’ success in the future and embed these traits and capabilities into their organizations. Our previous research on the art of 21st-century leadership, as well as our more recent […]
  • Kelsey Robinson: Reshaping the Marketing Landscape - McKinley Quarterly
    Across C-suites, there is growing interest in working hand in hand on everything from ROI and performance measurement to making space for bold ideas that drive growth. There is a lot of interest in the duality of rigor and inspiration. Another topic that’s dominating marketing conversations is agentic AI, autonomous AI systems that work independently […]
  • UPenn Expands Educator AI Training Program With Google - Government Technology
    A $1 million grant from Google will help scale a one-district pilot program on teaching with artificial intelligence, offered through the University of Pennsylvania, up to five districts and regions. A University of Pennsylvania program training K-12 teachers and administrators on artificial intelligence best practices is scaling up, thanks to a $1 million investment from […]
  • Use GenAI to slow down and reflect more deeply - Sam Illingworth, Times Higher Education
    GenAI is often presented to academics as a tool for acceleration. Marking can be automated, lecture slides summarised in seconds and drafts polished at speed. The message is clear: do the same work, only faster. Yet, this framing risks reinforcing an already unsustainable level of efficiency. What if, instead of speeding up, GenAI could help […]
  • Opinion: Higher education needs to catch up with AI, not run from it - Teresa Butzerin, Willamette Collegian
    Given that AI will only become more prevalent in our lives, universities should be taking more formal steps to make sure graduating students are literate in the practical uses of AI and leave college with a well-rounded understanding of the ethical issues surrounding it. While the threat AI poses to academic integrity has caused it […]

Other Curated News: 

News from UPCEA: 

New to Teaching Online? Avoid Reinventing the Wheel: Interview Results From Experienced Online Instructors

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Policy Matters | Are You, Your Students and Staff Registered to Vote? (September 2020)

Major Updates Are You, Your Students and Staff Registered to Vote? College campuses have played a unique role in both Census data collection as well as voting efforts this year, as students who may live on or near campus have been rapidly displaced or decided…

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Supporting Faculty and Staff in the Development of High Quality Online Experiences: Crowdsourced Resources for the 2020-2021 Academic Year

Earlier this summer, at the suggestion of Aaron Brower and Ryan Anderson of the University of Wisconsin Extended Campus, UPCEA led the crowdsourcing of resources to support higher quality remote teaching for the 2020-2021 academic year. The project was bold, audacious, and one that proved…

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