Online Education Leadership
The resources, tools, and network you need to run a successful online enterprise
UPCEA is dedicated to advancing quality online learning at the institutional level. UPCEA is uniquely focused on excellence at the highest levels – leadership, administration, strategy – applying a macro lens to the online teaching and learning enterprise. Its engaged members include the stewards of online learning at most of the leading universities in the nation.
UPCEA advances online learning by providing:
- professional development and events
- industry-leading networking
- quality standards and best practices
- research and benchmarking
- advocacy; and
- consulting
UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence
Standards, aspirations, and principles essential to a successful enterprise
Online education is now critical for the future of America’s universities. Institutions can no longer establish a presence in this arena without a concerted institutional strategy and structure to accomplish this now major undertaking.
The UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership are an attempt to articulate those features and principles that will create opportunities for students that far exceed anything already achieved in higher education, take pedagogy to a new level, and demonstrate the capacity of universities to be an even more vital force in our society.
The Hallmarks of Excellence in Professional and Continuing Education are an opportunity to define a set of standards that reflect the ambitions, potential, and importance of the PCE unit’s work—standards few achieve often enough to be complacent. Commitment to mission, enrollments, innovation, and academic excellence are the inseparable aspirations of professional and continuing educators.
These Hallmarks of Excellence presume that professional and continuing education is central, pervasive, and critical within institutions of higher learning—crossing internal boundaries and extending external ones, promoting change, and responding to current dynamics that convert challenges into opportunities.
The Hallmarks of Excellence in Credential Innovation are intended to be both aspirational and a practical toolkit to assist those in Professional, Continuing, and Online Education (PCO) to think systematically and concretely about the nature of credentials at their institution as well as the strategy and logistical components of supporting learners throughout their lifetimes.
These Hallmarks focus on alternative credentials, which includes certificates, micro-credentials, digital badges, or micro-certificates, signaling specific competencies, certification, and sometimes licensure.
Benchmarking Research & Consulting
Data you can use, and the experts to help you get it
UPCEA offers the gold standard of research and benchmarking information in the industry through its Center for Research and Strategy. Under the experienced leadership of Jim Fong, the Center conducts several free studies per year for the benefit of all UPCEA members.
Whether you need benchmarking studies, market research for a new program, or specific information to evaluate and develop strategies to take your online programs and instructional design to the next level, UPCEA Consulting is the right choice. Consulting is offered via the Center for Research and Strategy and the National Council for Online Education. UPCEA also offers Peer Review Teams for on-site visits.
Career Center
Job Board - Connect the right person with the right role for your team
UPCEA offers online job recruitment advertisement on its website. Ads are posted immediately for members and within 2-3 business days for non-members. Ads are posted for 60 days. UPCEA also provides social media and publication promotion of job listings.
To submit an ad:
- If you want to post a job ad and have a UPCEA login, click here.
- If you are a non-UPCEA member: Please complete our online job ad form.
Benefits of a UPCEA Job Ad:
- Prominent mention in one of our UPCEA Briefing email communications sent to all UPCEA Members
- Tweeted from our UPCEA Twitter Account (@UPCEA)
- Posted to our Facebook and LinkedIn pages
Rates Per Individual Job Posting:
Member Rate: $500
Non-member Rate: $675
If you have any questions or problems with posting a position on our Job Board, or are a third party posting on behalf of an organization and need to receive the member rate, please contact Brandan Kaiser at bkaiser@upcea.edu or 202-844-4242.
For UPCEA internal positions, please follow the instructions for applying. We do not accepting calls from recruiters.
There are no refunds given for job ads. Credit card payment due prior to posting of ads. Ads will not be posted until credit card payment has been received
Executive Search with AGB Search
UPCEA has partnered with AGB Search to bring full executive search capabilities to professional, continuing, and online education. AGB Search is focused exclusively on all aspects of executive search for higher education institutions.
Publications
The timely and topical information you need
UPCEA Briefing
UPCEA's e-newsletter, the UPCEA Briefing powered by SmartBrief, contains blog posts and articles of relevance to issues of national and international importance in professional, continuing and online higher education community. Sign up for the UPCEA Briefing powered by SmartBrief.
Unbound: Reinventing Higher Education
Unbound: Reinventing Higher Education is an online journal intended for all those who are interested in higher education issues, especially those that affect adult students. The name 'Unbound' calls to mind the many innovations that are taking place in education across our country and our world, where technology is helping us break the bonds of space and time to make education accessible to a broad audience. As educators, we no longer have to think in terms of limits, whether those are drawn by campus boundaries, geographic location, or even conventional definitions of school and community.
The possibilities for the future are boundless, and we hope to hear from those who are helping to lead the way.
UPCEA Blogs
Catch up on the latest news from the UPCEA blog suite
UPCEA Recognizes University of Phoenix for Excellence in Online Learning
University of Phoenix receives recognition for a high-quality online education program WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 6, 2021) — UPCEA, the association for college and university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education, announced today that the University of Phoenix successfully completed the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership Review program, demonstrating consistent excellence throughout…
Evaluating Online Teaching: Interviewing Instructors with 10+ Years Experience
We have been discussing online learning efficacy since its inception, with conversations and research focusing on factors such as student outcomes, pedagogy, student support, and community building in online courses and programs. All of these areas of focus are important, as they can point to best practices when designing, developing, and implementing online education. However,…
Biden Administration Introduces FY 2022 Discretionary Budget, American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan | Policy Matters (April 2021)
Major Updates Biden Administration Introduces FY 2022 Discretionary Budget, American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan Over the past month, on the heels of passing the American Rescue Plan, we have now been provided with the Biden Administration’s outlay for the second and third stages of its “build back better” vision, in addition to the…
Survey: College Students More Likely than Instructors to Give Pandemic Learning an “A” Grade and Prefer Some Courses be Fully Online Post-Pandemic
The Fourth Digital Learning Pulse Survey, Conducted by Bay View Analytics on Behalf of Cengage and Online Learning Partners, Evaluates How Higher Education is Changing in the Wake of COVID-19 BOSTON—April 28, 2021 —The higher education industry navigated many challenges over the last year, including the transition to online learning. As students, faculty and…
Students Want Online Learning Options Post-Pandemic (Inside Higher Ed)
When colleges switched to emergency remote instruction last year, some online learning advocates feared the hasty transition would leave students with a negative impression of online learning. While more pre-pandemic online courses resulted from months of careful planning and significant financial investment, few instructors enjoyed these luxuries last spring. Despite the challenges and shortcomings of…
The future of revenue diversification in higher education: Crucial insights for universities in a post-pandemic world
Financial sustainability is the biggest existential threat facing higher education today. In the United Kingdom, the universities in deficit have almost quintupled in the last five years, from 24 in 2015/16 to 119 in 2018/19. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this challenge, with London Economics predicting that universities will be hit by a $3bn shortfall…
Global Digital Badges Market (2021 to 2026) – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (Yahoo!Finance)
Dublin, April 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The “Digital Badges Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 – 2026)” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. The digital badges market is expected to register a CAGR of 22.5% during the forecast period (2021 – 2026). A Digital Badge signifies the accomplishments or skills for its holder and…
Special for UPCEA members: Free PCO Pro course enrollment
I’m pleased to inform you of a special offer for our institutional members, in thanks for your loyalty and commitment to UPCEA during the pandemic. Our new professional development courses and certificates have been enthusiastically endorsed by participants. Students have appreciated the opportunity to learn from leaders in the profession, network with colleagues across…
From Badging to Blockchain: Documenting Skills Learned
Employers are seeking graduates with both hard and soft skills that enable them to be effective employees on day one. Are we documenting those skills for our grads? Increasingly, higher education is placed in the position of updating and upgrading the curriculum to assure that students are prepared for the careers of today — not…
The Top 7 Ways to Recruit Professional and Continuing Education Students for Higher Education
Your future continuing education students already exist — researching and searching for your programs right now. So how can you effectively tap into the continuing education market and recruit new students for your programs? Who are your future students? According to research from Thinking Cap Agency, professional certification students are an average of 31 years…
Professional, Continuing, and Online Education Update by UPCEA
A curated, daily update of news, research, and trends brought to you by our Director of the National Council for Online Education, Ray Schroeder. See what's the latest in Professional, Continuing, and Online news!
Virtually Inspired
Showcasing innovations in online learning
From holographs and educational games, to drones and robots, 21st century educators are forging new and amazing trails in technology-enhanced teaching and learning. UPCEA and Drexel University Online (DUO) are pleased to welcome you to Virtually Inspired, your resource center for high-quality videos illuminating how educators worldwide are utilizing the latest technologies in online and blended education.