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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- Beyond the Hype: Transforming Academic Excellence and Leadership Culture in the Age of AI - Joe Sallustio, Campus TechnologyWhile most higher education leaders focus on AI's operational benefits — and rightfully so — the deeper transformation lies in how artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping what it means to learn, teach, and lead in the 21st century. The question isn't just whether institutions can keep pace operationally; the real challenge is whether we can […]
- Immersive AI and VR Experiences Bridge the Skills Gap in Higher Education - Greg Henderson, EdTechHigher education IT decision-makers often talk about hardware specs, endpoint security and the networking backbone that keeps digital classrooms running smoothly. But the University of North Carolina Greensboro’s immersive learning environment, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR), was more than a proof of concept. It focused on building students’ skills to prepare […]
- Administration takes big steps in breaking up Education Department - Micah Ward, University BusinessThe Trump administration has announced six new interagency agreements to “break up” the U.S. Department of Education. Here’s what’s being changed. New partnerships with the Departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services and State aim to leverage each partner agency to deliver programs that are better suited based on their respective areas of expertise. […]
- No, the Pre-AI Era Was Not That Great - Zach Justus and Nik Janos, Inside Higher EdThere are dozens of examples we could pull together here, and we could dive much deeper into the historical archive to find professors complaining about study/reading/writing habits, but the point is clear enough. What we are interested in is, what are the impacts of being overly nostalgic about pre-AI/pandemic education? First, it allows us to […]
- U launches ChatGPT Edu, a university-centered generative AI tool for campus use - Office of Artificial Intelligence, University of UtahThe University of Utah has launched OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu, a version of the revolutionary generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool specifically designed for higher education and securely deployed for university use. Students, faculty and staff can request access to the tool via University IT’s Service Catalog and they’ll receive an email with login instructions. “We’ve been […]
- Europe is scaling back its landmark privacy and AI laws - Robert Hart and Dominic Preston, the VergeAfter years of staring down the world’s biggest tech companies and setting the bar for tough regulation worldwide, Europe has blinked. Under intense pressure from industry and the US government, Brussels is stripping protections from its flagship General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — including simplifying its infamous cookie permission pop-ups — and relaxing or delaying […]
- AI in the Ivory Tower: A Necessary Evolution or a Threat to Academic Integrity? - TokenRing AI, WRALThe integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into higher education has ignited a fervent debate across campuses worldwide. Far from being a fleeting trend, AI presents a fundamental paradigm shift, challenging traditional pedagogical approaches, redefining academic integrity, and promising to reshape the very essence of a college degree. As universities grapple with the profound implications of […]
- Gemini 3 Is Here—and Google Says It Will Make Search Smarter - Will Knight, WiredGoogle is also using AI to build popular new tools like NotebookLM, which can auto-generate podcasts from written materials, and AI Studio which can prototype applications with AI. It’s even exploring embedding the technology into areas like gaming and robotics, which Hassabis says could pay huge dividends in years to come, regardless of what happens […]
- New UK course builds AI skills across every major - Allie Barnes, University of Kentucky NewsUniversity of Kentucky students are invited to learn how to thrive in an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven world through a new online course. UK is offering a 100-level, one-credit-hour course — Transdisciplinary Educational Approaches to Advance Kentucky (TEK 100): Collaborative Intelligence — Understanding and Using Modern AI. This rolling, asynchronous course will be offered twice during […]
- Certain subjects in higher education can be better taught online, study shows - Shannon Roddel, Phys.orgNew research from the University of Notre Dame looks at how the abrupt move from classroom teaching to online learning during the lockdown affected college students' performance in China. Surprisingly, the undergraduates performed better in math after switching to online classes—improving their scores by about eight to 11 points on a 100-point scale, according to […]
- The agentic AI opportunity - McKinseyAgentic AI promises to unleash the full potential that companies had hoped to realize with gen AI. Here’s how leaders can make the most of the agentic era. An increasing number of companies are adopting gen AI, but few have seen substantial bottom-line value from their early investments. Agentic AI is poised to flip the […]
- Student cheating dominates talk of generative AI in higher ed, but universities and tech companies face ethical issues too - Jeffrey C. Dixon, Times-UnionAs a sociologist who teaches about AI and studies the impact of this technology on work, I am well acquainted with research on the rise of AI and its social consequences. And when one looks at ethical questions from multiple perspectives – those of students, higher education institutions and technology companies – it is clear […]
- The New Cliff Facing Higher Ed and How AI Might Help Solve It - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher EdThere 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, however they are dwarfed by those in math. These have […]
- As New Federal Research Funding Resumes, China May Already Be Outspending U.S. - Ryan Quinn, Inside Higher EdChina may have already overtaken the U.S. in research and development spending, ending a half century of American hegemony in financing scientific innovation, according to an American Association for the Advancement of Science researcher. “We’re entering into uncharted territory,” said Alessandra Zimmermann, the association’s R&D budget and policy program project director, during last week’s Association […]
- How new immersive tech is shaping workforce skills - Alcino Donadel, University BusinessCareer simulation training is gaining a new layer of realism powered by advances in artificial intelligence and virtual reality, which provide students with a more responsive environment to test their technical and soft skills. Since flight simulators first became a staple in aviation training decades ago, simulation technology has expanded into other highly technical fields, […]
- Reshaping Higher Education Designs and Futures: Postdigital Co-design with Generative Artificial Intelligence - Sandris Zeivots, et al; Postdigital Science and EducationThis article examines how collaborative design practices in higher education are reshaped through postdigital entanglement with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). We collectively explore how co-design, an inclusive, iterative, and relational approach to educational design and transformation, expands in meaning, practice, and ontology when GenAI is approached as a collaborator. The article brings together 19 authors […]
- North Carolina becomes latest state to offer residents help with online skills - Madyson Fitzgerald, StatelineNorth Carolina published statewide digital skills standards last month that identify key knowledge and abilities for residents and will soon launch an online course, joining a number of states that are hoping to strengthen digital literacy. The North Carolina Digital Skills Standards, published by the state’s information technology department, is a framework that can be […]
- Teaching creativity in the age of AI - Fignon Tee Meng Wah, the StarEducators worldwide are reexamining how creativity can be taught in an age when artificial intelligence (AI) tools are able to generate essays, images and designs in seconds. With the rise of platforms such as ChatGPT, Midjourney and DALL·E, creating content has never been easier. What once required hours of research, sketching or writing can now […]
- College grads face job crisis as artificial intelligence disrupts entry-level market - Jasneet Gill, Seattle RedA new report from the Burning Glass Institute delivers a sobering assessment of the modern workforce, confirming that a college degree is increasingly becoming a poor investment for young Americans. For the first time in three decades, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates (ages 22-27) has plummeted so drastically that it is virtually equal […]
- Here's how ASU is investing in artificial intelligence, from upskilling to student tutors - Helen Rummel, Arizona RepublicArtificial intelligence is the "great equalizer," in the words of Arizona State University President Michael Crow. It's compelled industries, including higher education, to adapt quickly to keep pace with its rapid advancement. Over the last several years, ASU has launched a range of initiatives to prepare students for an AI economy, using new tools, research […]
Other Curated News:
News from UPCEA:
The Commons: Three Steps for Energizing Quality Assurance in Online Course Design
Many institutional leaders recognize the need for a quality assurance program, yet faculty and staff buy-in to those plans can be elusive. Samford University recently took a collaborative approach to organizational change in its online and professional studies programs, ultimately creating an appetite for quality…
The Promise of Personalized Learning, Enabled by AI
A centuries-old challenge for teachers has been how to adapt learning materials and presentations to meet the varied backgrounds and abilities of students. Emerging technologies, Ray Schroeder writes, can help meet students where they are and customize learning for them. From introductory gen-ed classes to…
Is Higher Education Going to the Dogs (and Cats)?
Usually one trend impacts another. If self-driving cars are taking over, then most likely artificial intelligence, data mining, radar technology, and lithium battery development are trending positively. Much of my research this past year focused on Generation Z or iGen (those approximately 16 to 22…
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