UPCEA in the News

Tell your complete educational story to potential employers (FIU News)

October 16, 2018

Some skills are considered too “small” or specific to become a degree program and aren’t often listed on a student’s academic transcript. Yet, it’s a collection of these very skills that employers know are a big deal in the rapidly-changing 21st century workforce. This is where badges come in. These digital icons represent achievements or skills in a…

Google Curriculum, College Credit (Inside Higher Ed)

September 26, 2018

Google made its first substantial foray into postsecondary education in January, with the creation of a new online certificate program aimed at people who are interested in working in entry-level IT support roles. Necessity was a key motivator for the technology giant, which like most has struggled to find enough IT hires and also is seeking to…

The Seven Deadly Sins Of Digital Badging In Education (Forbes)

September 16, 2018

An academic institution’s digital badging initiative is getting off the ground and students are “earning” badges, or micro-credentials, but are they actually providing value to the student toward his or her future career? Many academic institutions are going through this evolution process in deciding to certify learning through credentialing, otherwise known as digital badging to help…

UPCEA Intros Digital Badges for Excellence in Online Learning (Campus Technology)

March 15, 2018

The University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) has launched a program to recognize excellence in online higher education: the Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership Review. The program evaluates online education programs based on seven key elements, such as internal advocacy, entrepreneurial initiative and faculty support, and then issues Credly digital badges to qualifying colleges and universities. “In…

OPINION: 3 ways forward-thinking colleges usher in a new generation of students (The Hechinger Report)

October 31, 2017

Higher education has undergone a sea change. For most of today’s students, the iconic image of lazy afternoons on the ivy-covered quad couldn’t be further from reality. A growing portion of traditional-age students are first-generation and low-income students who often lack the support and guidance needed to successfully navigate college. More working adults are turning…

Systemwide Approaches to Online Programs (InsideHigherEd)

October 18, 2017

As online offerings have grown increasingly important to colleges over the past decade, large public university systems looking to launch or expand degree programs have been faced with a key question: To centralize or not to centralize? Systems across the country have adopted a wide range of approaches — creating a separate institutional entity for…