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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- The state of AI: How organizations are rewiring to capture value - Alex Singla, et al, McKinseyOrganizations are starting to make organizational changes designed to generate future value from gen AI, and large companies are leading the way. The latest McKinsey Global Survey on AI finds that organizations are beginning to take steps that drive bottom-line impact—for example, redesigning workflows as they deploy gen AI and putting senior leaders in critical […]
- Perspectives of Academic Staff on Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Exploring Areas of Relevance (Provisionally accepted) - Dana-Kristin Mah, et al; FrontiersDespite the recent increase in research on artificial intelligence in education (AIED), studies investigating the perspectives of academic staff and the implications for future-oriented teaching at higher education institutions remain scarce. This exploratory study provides initial insight into the perspectives of 112 academic staff by focusing on three aspects considered relevant for sustainable, future-oriented teaching […]
- TxAgent: An AI agent for therapeutic reasoning across a universe of tools - Shanghua Gao, et al; ZitniklabPrecision therapeutics require multimodal adaptive models that generate personalized treatment recommendations. We introduce TxAgent, an AI agent that leverages multi-step reasoning and real-time biomedical knowledge retrieval across a toolbox of 211 tools to analyze drug interactions, contraindications, and patient-specific treatment strategies. TxAgent evaluates how drugs interact at molecular, pharmacokinetic, and clinical levels, identifies contraindications based […]
- Powerful A.I. Is Coming. We’re Not Ready. - Kevin Roose, NY TimesI believe that over the past several years, A.I. systems have started surpassing humans in a number of domains — math, coding and medical diagnosis, just to name a few — and that they’re getting better every day. I believe that very soon — probably in 2026 or 2027, but possibly as soon as this […]
- Online Education Market CAGR to be at 20.62% By 2034 | Revolutionizing Learning in the Digital Age - Market Research FutureThe online education market has witnessed exponential growth in recent years, driven by technological advancements, increasing internet penetration, and the growing demand for flexible learning solutions. The shift towards digital learning has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced educational institutions, businesses, and individuals to adopt remote learning models. Online education encompasses various segments, […]
- Navigating the landscape of AI literacy education: insights from a decade of research (2014–2024) - Yuqin Yang, et al; NatureThis study systematically selected 335 relevant articles from databases, including Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and Science Direct, following PRISMA guidelines. Our methodology involved keyword co-occurrence mapping to trace the development paths and thematic evolution within the field. By examining publication trends and thematic clusters, we provide insights into the progression and focal points […]
- ChatGPT firm reveals AI model that is ‘good at creative writing’ - the GuardianThe company behind ChatGPT has revealed it has developed an artificial intelligence model that is “good at creative writing”, as the tech sector continues its tussle with the creative industries over copyright. The chief executive of OpenAI, Sam Altman, said the unnamed model, which has not been released publicly, was the first time he had […]
- University students describe how they adopt AI for writing and research in a general education course - Rebecca W. Black & Bill Tomlinson, Nature Scientific ReportsUniversity students have begun to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in many different ways in their undergraduate education, some beneficial to their learning, and some simply expedient to completing assignments with as little work as possible. This exploratory qualitative study examines how undergraduate students used AI in a large General Education course on sustainability and technology […]
- No End in Sight for AI’s Invasion into Higher Education - Peter Biles, Mind MattersChatGPT has thrown colleges across the country a major curveball ever since it hit the digital ecosystem in November 2022. Students in high school and college classrooms immediately began employing the large language model to generate essays without doing an ounce of the work required to compose a thoughtful piece of writing. I’ve been teaching […]
- The Value of a Ph.D. in the Age of AI - Kim Isenberg, Forward FutureArtificial intelligence has been undergoing an extraordinary development process for several years and is increasingly achieving capabilities that were long reserved exclusively for humans. Particularly in the area of research, we are currently experiencing remarkable progress: so-called “research agents”, specialized AI models that can independently take on complex research tasks, are rapidly gaining in importance. […]
- ChatGPT firm reveals AI model that is ‘good at creative writing’ - Dan Milmo, the GuardianThe company behind ChatGPT has revealed it has developed an artificial intelligence model that is “good at creative writing”, as the tech sector continues its tussle with the creative industries over copyright. The chief executive of OpenAI, Sam Altman, said the unnamed model, which has not been released publicly, was the first time he had […]
- The ‘Oppenheimer Moment’ That Looms Over Today’s AI Leaders - Tharin Pillay, TimeThis year, hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent to scale AI systems in pursuit of superhuman capabilities. CEOs of leading AI companies, such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and xAI’s Elon Musk, expect that within the next four years, their systems will be smart enough to do most cognitive work—think any job that can […]
- OpenAI calls DeepSeek ‘state-controlled,’ calls for bans on ‘PRC-produced’ models - Kyle Wiggers, Tech CrunchThe proposal, a submission for the Trump administration’s “AI Action Plan” initiative, claims that DeepSeek’s models, including its R1 “reasoning” model, are insecure because DeepSeek faces requirements under Chinese law to comply with demands for user data. Banning the use of “PRC-produced” models in all countries considered “Tier 1” under the Biden administration’s export rules […]
- Google calls for weakened copyright and export rules in AI policy proposal - Kyle Wiggers, Tech Crunch\ Google, following on the heels of OpenAI, published a policy proposal in response to the Trump administration’s call for a national “AI Action Plan.” The tech giant endorsed weak copyright restrictions on AI training, as well as “balanced” export controls that “protect national security while enabling U.S. exports and global business operations.” “The U.S. […]
- Cognitive Empathy: A Dialogue with ChatGPT - Michael Feldstein, eLiterateI want to start with something you taught me about myself. When I asked you about my style of interacting with AIs, you told me I use “cognitive empathy.” It wasn’t a term I had heard before. Now that I’ve read about it, the idea has changed the way I think about virtually every aspect […]
- Professional, Continuing and Online Education Blog listed among top higher education blogs by Feedspot!The Professional, Continuing and Online Education Blog by UPCEA has been listed among the top higher education blogs by Feedspot. Developed in 2010, the blog serves all in higher education with the latest updates of news, research and trends in the field with three postings daily, every day of the year. Thanks to Feedspot for […]
- How is artificial intelligence actually being used in higher education? - Sue Attwell, WonkHEMoving the conversation on from hype and worry, Sue Attewell details the current range of use cases for AI in HE. With a wide range of applications, including streamlining administrative tasks and tailoring learning experiences, AI is being used in innovative ways to enhance higher education. At Jisc we are collating practical case studies to […]
- AI Will Not Be ‘the Great Leveler’ for Student Outcomes - Sean Richardson and Paul Redford, Inside Higher EdIn relation to graduate outcomes (simply put, where students end up after completing their degrees, with a general focus on careers and employability), universities are about to grapple with the initial wave of graduates seriously impacted by AI. The Class of 2025 will be the first to have widespread access to large language models (LLMs) […]
- At the Threshold: Higher Education in the Imminent AGI Era - Tawnya Means, LinkedInHowever, the economic value proposition of spending years acquiring knowledge that AGI systems might instantly access will face increasing scrutiny. This challenge particularly resonates with me as I've long advocated for making education more accessible and affordable. If AGI can help people learn complex skills in dramatically shorter timeframes, the lengthy nature of traditional degree […]
- 8 Weeks Left to Prepare Students for the AI-Enhanced Workplace - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher EdWe are down to the final weeks left to fully prepare students for entry into the AI-enhanced workplace. Are your students ready. The truth is that the workplace is far different than that which we encountered even last year. There is a new “alpha” teammate in the office. That co-worker goes by its initials, AI. […]
Other Curated News:
News from UPCEA:
The Department of Education recently published new distance education and program integrity rules that address a number of topics raised during negotiated rulemaking sessions held in early 2024. Many of the proposals shared in the Department’s July 24, 2024, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) have…
Marketing Microcredentials for Higher Education: Strategies to Attract Lifelong Learners
Defining Microcredentials and Their Value Microcredentials, shorter educational programs that develop specific skills or competencies, have seen tremendous growth in recent years. Both adult learners and traditional students increasingly seek these credentials for upskilling or career advancement. While the term “microcredentials” is relatively new, short-form…
A Few Recent Developments That Shine a Light on the Path of AI in Higher Ed
As I write this at the dawn of 2025, I believe a scan of a few of the most recent developments in generative AI in higher education helps to illuminate the path this technology will take in the coming year. I publish a number of…
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