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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- Deploying agentic AI with safety and security: A playbook for technology leaders - McKinseyAutonomous AI agents present a new world of opportunity—and an array of novel and complex risks and vulnerabilities that require attention and action now. While agentic AI has the potential to deliver immense value, the technology also presents an array of new risks—introducing vulnerabilities that could disrupt operations, compromise sensitive data, or erode customer trust. […]
- Google’s Quantum Chip Just Broke Physics: Scientists Are Freaking Out - Julia McCoy, YouTubeThe podcast highlights a monumental breakthrough on October 22nd, 2025, when Google's Willow quantum chip achieved "verifiable quantum advantage" by solving a problem that would take classical supercomputers longer than the age of the universe. More critically, the achievement is described as "breaking physics" because researchers demonstrated that quantum systems could exceed the limits set […]
- AI Is Changing What High School STEM Students Study - Sophia Barnett, WiredA degree in computer science used to promise a cozy career in tech. Now, students’ ambitions are shaped by AI, in fields that blend computing with analysis, interpretation, and data. “Learn to code” now sounds a little like “learn shorthand.” Teenagers still want jobs in tech, but they no longer see a single path to […]
- AI and Education: 10 ways to support or erode future skills resilience - Michael D. Watkins, IMDAI can boost critical thinking or undermine it. Educators and talent leaders must learn to navigate this fine line. The use of generative AI among learners has increased by 66% over the last 12 months. More than 90% of young people in higher education are now using ChatGPT and other tools to research, summarize, and […]
- AI and the future of universities: How UON is on the right road - By Jason Day, Northampton ChronicleA recently published collection of essays about how Higher Education providers should make the most of Artificial Intelligence shows University of Northampton is streets ahead.AI Literacy: Universities should embed AI literacy for staff and students.Technology: Choice of technology is crucial; universities need a strategy and roadmap.Assessment: AI challenges traditional exams and essays, requiring a shift […]
- Unlocking the power of communication in integrations - McKinseyIntegrations can be difficult and perilous. They are characterized by major organizational disruptions, including job shifts, role changes, customer uncertainty, and the collision of often vastly differing cultures. Employee fatigue and burnout,1 combined with organizational misalignment, can derail leaders from unlocking the full potential of the integration and stymie efforts to create a one-company culture. […]
- Bridging the Skills Gap: How Online Training Is Reshaping Workforce Readiness - Stuart Gentle, OnRecEmployers are struggling to find candidates equipped with the practical and technical skills required for modern roles. At the same time, professionals are seeking ways to remain competitive and relevant in evolving job markets. That’s where digital learning platforms come into play, providing flexible, accessible, and industry-aligned training opportunities. For instance, many aspiring professionals turn […]
- How do online students use digital technologies to manage their emotions? Jake Hilliard, Open UniversityEmotions play a central role in learning and academic success (Pekrun, 2024). Pleasant emotions such as excitement and enjoyment can enhance motivation, focus, and persistence. On the other hand, unpleasant emotions such as frustration, anxiety, or boredom, if left unmanaged, can undermine engagement and achievement, and even have longer-term impacts on health and wellbeing. Being […]
- AI is a test higher education can’t afford to fail - Sam Dreyfus, University BusinessAt its best, AI has the potential to:Act as a tutor, adapting to each learner’s paceSupport educators by freeing them from routine tasksUncover inefficiencies that redirect resources toward studentsPrepare graduates for a workforce where AI literacy will be as essential as computer literacy was a generation agoBut potential does not fulfill itself. If we have […]
- AI-powered teaching and learning for all Microsoft 365 education customers - MikeTholfsen, Microsoft TechCommunityIn our main Microsoft Education blog this morning, we announced the details of how Microsoft Education is bringing even more value to all EDU customers with Microsoft 365, including a new set of capabilities designed for relevant and powerful use by educators and students. These features will be included in all of the academic SKUs […]
- The AI-centric imperative: Navigating the next software frontier - McKinseyThe software industry is entering a new era—and it may yet prove even more disruptive than the software-as-a-service (SaaS) revolution that preceded it. The emergence of gen AI and, more recently, agentic AI is not just another technology wave; it is a foundational shift redefining what software is, who builds it, who uses it, and […]
- The building blocks of transformation: A conversation with Udit Batra - McKinseyIn 2020, Waters Corporation, a Boston-area life sciences company that has been manufacturing analytical instruments since 1958, found itself losing ground to competitors. That year, the company’s newly appointed CEO, Udit Batra, engaged employees, the board, and other important stakeholders in a transformation effort aimed at rediscovering what he calls the organization’s “indomitable spirit.”Udit is […]
- Universities Teaching Wisdom Skills 2030 - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher EdVirtually all aspects and positions at universities will be touched by the AI transformation. The changes will come more rapidly than many of us in higher education are accustomed to or with which we are comfortable. In large part, the speed will be demanded by employers of our learners and by competition among universities. Change […]
- How Can Leaders Adapt to AI? - Michael Platt, Knowledge at WhartonIn this updated and expanded edition of his groundbreaking book The Leader’s Brain, Wharton Neuroscience Initiative director Michael Platt reveals how the latest advances in neuroscience — including new insights from artificial intelligence — are transforming our understanding of effective leadership. In the following excerpt from the book, Platt explains how leaders can adapt to […]
- 2025 State of Credentialing Report - AccredibleOur latest State of Credentialing research shows just how urgent this need has become:91% of employers actively look for digital credentials when reviewing candidates.86% say they would be more likely to interview someone with a digital credential proving a key skill.63% have hired a candidate, at least in part, because of a digital credential.Yet only […]
- The Big Rethink: An agenda for thriving in the agentic age - Quantum Black by McKinseyHas there been a technology innovation in recent memory that has engendered more wildly divergent thinking than agentic AI? We’re hard-pressed to think of one. Depending on who you talk to or what you read, AI agents—systems based on gen AI foundation models that can act in the world and execute multistep processes—will lead to […]
- AI-powered teaching and learning for all Microsoft 365 education customers - MikeTholfsen, Microsoft TechCommunityIn our main Microsoft Education blog this morning, we announced the details of how Microsoft Education is bringing even more value to all EDU customers with Microsoft 365, including a new set of capabilities designed for relevant and powerful use by educators and students. These features will be included in all of the academic SKUs […]
- MindMirror: A Digital Reflection Tool for Students - Luqman Syakir Adong, et al; IEEEReflection is an important practice for students because it helps identifying knowledge gaps, developing improvement strategies, and enhancing academic performance. However, existing digital solutions often do not support sustained reflection or provide instructional feedback. MindMirror, an online reflective tool is proposed to integrate self-regulated learning (SRL) and metacognitive strategies through well-defined question categories, i.e., Topic […]
- Universities at a turning point in an era of AI insecurity - Amber Wang, University World NewsAs artificial intelligence and global insecurity challenge university leaders worldwide, it is more important than ever for universities to remain true to their fundamental principles, according to the President of the American Council on Education (ACE), Ted Mitchell. “Independence, intellectual inquiry and academic excellence, inclusion, [and] the expectation that education is a good to be […]
- 7 skills Harvard says will keep you employed in the age of ChatGPT - Times of IndiaGenerative AI is transforming workplaces. Harvard research highlights seven key human skills that will keep workers valuable. These include critical thinking, AI fluency, complex problem-solving, communication, lifelong learning, ethical judgment and experimentation. Mastering these abilities will allow individuals to effectively leverage AI tools and navigate the evolving job market. Employers will prioritise these durable human […]
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While We Were Watching ChatGPT, Something Else Astounding Emerged
The acceleration of digital innovation continues in multiple formats. Astoundingly so! I must admit that I have been closely following the developments in Generative Artificial Intelligence. So much has developed on a daily basis that is changing the way in which we teach, research, study,…
UPCEA Announces Selection of Credential Innovation Consortium Members
10 institutions selected for grant-funded pilot consortium WASHINGTON (October 11, 2023) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, is thrilled to announce the selection of ten institutions to be part of a small pilot consortium fueled by UPCEA’s “Building Capacity, Expanding Pathways: Accelerating the…
Major Updates New Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency Final Regulations Released – Effective July 1, 2024 The US Department of Education has released final Gainful Employment and “Financial Value Transparency” regulations. The Gainful Employment (GE) regulations include new and higher bars for career…
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