UPCEA Updates

By Amy Claire Heitzman, Ph.D.,
Deputy CEO and Chief Learning Officer, UPCEA

At the inaugural UPCEA Council for Credential Innovation (CCI) Convening, leaders from across UPCEA member institutions came together to explore what it means to build truly learner-centric, intentional credential ecosystems—ones that align with institutional mission, ensure financial sustainability, and elevate the student experience.

Hosted as the first in-person gathering of CCI representatives, the event served as both a celebration of progress and an invitation to challenge assumptions about program design, innovation, and collaboration.

A Community of Practice in Motion

The convening began with reflections from the CCI leadership team, who shared their own journeys of experimentation, pivots, and lessons learned in developing innovative credentials and programs. Their candor framed two mini-panels and table discussions centered on two defining themes:

1. Decreasing pathway friction

2. Increasing learner mobility

These themes resonated across institutions of every size and mission. They called attention to both the systemic challenges—policy, process, and infrastructure—and the human ones, such as faculty engagement, empathy, and communication across units.

Insights and Reflections

Throughout the day, attendees captured and shared insights that reflected both the complexity and promise of credential innovation. Key reflections included:

• Learning vs. Schooling: The concept of lifelong learning challenges traditional schooling models. Learners’ journeys evolve; our systems must, too.

• Infrastructure and Flexibility: Institutions need strong infrastructure—but it must remain adaptable to meet diverse learner needs.

• Faculty Buy-In: Professional schools often embrace microcredentials, but broader faculty engagement remains a cultural challenge.

• Reframing “Industry”: For liberal arts and general studies, “industry” partnerships must be reframed to focus on enduring, transferable skills.

• AI and Ethics: As AI reshapes teaching and learning, higher education must embed both moral and ethical considerations and the critical thinking that drives responsible application.

• Durable Skills: Employers consistently seek durable skills; the challenge lies in helping students recognize and value their relevance.

• Frictionless Pathways: True frictionlessness begins behind the scenes—with aligned systems and processes for staff.

• Stackability and Flexibility: Credential systems should prioritize stackability without recreating degree structures under new names.

• Empathy as Strategy: Empathy emerged as a central theme—essential for leadership, collaboration, and institutional alignment.

• Credential Validation: Participants wrestled with how to establish trust in local credentials without relying solely on external certifications like PMI or SHRM.

• System-Level Support: It was encouraging to hear how university systems that provide structural and financial support can accelerate credential innovation.

• Registrar Alignment: Alignment between registrar functions and prior-learning offices is critical to ensuring that learning mobility becomes reality.

As one attendee reflected with a touch of humor, “‘Frictionless’ is still aspirational—we’re still in the voodoo doll space.” The comment captured both the ambition and humility of the group: innovation is messy, iterative, and grounded in shared humanity.

Themes That Endure

Across discussions, several enduring themes emerged:

• Intentionality matters. Credential initiatives succeed when they are mission-aligned, data-informed, and responsive to real learner needs.

• Flexibility is not optional. Systems that resist change risk irrelevance; those that adapt build resilience.

• Empathy fuels innovation. Change is sustained through shared understanding and respect across academic, administrative, and workforce boundaries.

These insights reaffirmed that credential innovation is not a one-time project—it is an ongoing cultural shift that demands dialogue, partnership, and courage.

Looking Ahead

The 2025 CCI Convening underscored the power of the UPCEA community to learn from one another, take risks, and lead collaboratively. It was, in many ways, a microcosm of higher education’s broader evolution—where the lines between degrees, credentials, and skills are blurring, and where institutions must balance tradition with transformation.

As the CCI continues its work, the insights and connections from this inaugural gathering will inform ongoing efforts to create credential ecosystems that are flexible, ethical, and designed with intentionality.

In the end, the convening was more than a meeting of minds—it was a reminder that when institutions come together to share openly, listen deeply, and lead with empathy, the pathway toward learner-centered innovation becomes clearer, one conversation at a time.

Save the Date! Don’t miss these upcoming Strategic Conversations curated by the UPCEA CCI: 

• December 16, 4:00 pm ET 
• February 17, 4:00 pm ET 

Learn more about the Council and its leadership team. 

Amy Heitzman is Chief Learning Officer and Deputy CEO of UPCEA, leading work at the intersection of research, policy, and innovation in professional, continuing, and online education.

Content for this resource was refined with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model. All text has been thoroughly reviewed, edited, and approved by UPCEA staff with subject matter expertise. References and links have been verified for accuracy and reliability.