UPCEA Updates

Your one-stop shop for the latest Association happenings, plus thoughts from the desk of CEO Bob Hansen.

UPCEA’s Research and Consulting Group Grows, Welcomes Stacy Chiaramonte, and Offers Exciting Career Opportunity

By UPCEA | September 8, 2023

UPCEA Research and Consulting is Growing: As a leader in Professional, Continuing, and Online (PCO) education, UPCEA’s Research and Consulting group continues to expand, aligning with the evolving needs of higher education institutions. Our industry experts bring years of experience to provide unparalleled value in the industry. Welcome Stacy Chiaramonte: UPCEA proudly welcomes Stacy Chiaramonte…

Listen to Derek Bruff’s Intentional Teaching podcast, now sponsored by UPCEA!

By UPCEA | August 31, 2023

UPCEA is excited to announce that we are now sponsoring the Intentional Teaching podcast hosted by Derek Bruff. Derek is an educator, author, and higher ed consultant. He directed the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching for more than a decade, where he helped faculty and other instructors develop foundational teaching skills and explore new ideas…

UPCEA Receives Grant from Walmart to Accelerate Growth of Credential Innovation in Higher Education

By UPCEA | August 21, 2023

Significant grant will build capacity in higher ed for industry and learning ecosystem WASHINGTON (August 21, 2023) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, is honored to receive a $395,000 grant from Walmart to accelerate work in the alternative credentials space with a project titled, “Building Capacity, Expanding Pathways: Accelerating the Growth of Credential…

Highlights from The Distance Teaching & Learning (DT&L) conference and Summit for Online Leadership and Administration + Roundtable (SOLA+R)

By UPCEA | August 7, 2023

The Distance Teaching & Learning (DT&L) conference and Summit for Online Leadership and Administration + Roundtable (SOLA+R) held July 25-27, 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin was a great success, with more than 400 onsite attendees and nearly 200 virtual attendees. In case you missed it, we wanted to share some of the highlights from the conference: On…

UPCEA Recognizes the 2023 Distance Teaching & Learning Conference and Summit for Online Leadership and Administration Award Recipients

By UPCEA | July 26, 2023

6 Individuals Receive Honors MADISON, WI (July 26, 2023) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, is pleased to recognize the recipients of this year’s awards, presented at the Distance Teaching & Learning (DT&L) Conference and Summit for Online Leadership and Administration (SOLA+R).  Award recipients were honored today at the DT&L and SOLA+R conference…

New Research from UPCEA, AACRAO, and Modern Campus Shows Barriers Affecting Effective Collaboration between Academic Registrars and PCE Units

By UPCEA | July 24, 2023

Benchmark Survey Addresses Challenges and Opportunities Faced by Professional and Continuing Education Units and Traditional Academic Programs  Washington, DC (July 24, 2023) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), and Modern Campus recently partnered on a survey of their respective undergraduate-serving institutional members in…

The UPCEA Community: Focus on Credentials

By UPCEA | May 24, 2023

Twenty years ago nearly every online leader was familiar with faculty concerns about quality and cannibalization. Those concerns proved ill-founded, of course. Indeed, the online learning revolution continues unabated, driven by a virtuous circle of learning innovation and entrepreneurial approaches to expanding access. This transformative potential is why online learning continues to be a major…

UPCEA Congratulates Senior Fellow Ray Schroeder on his Honorary Doctorate from the University of Illinois Springfield

By UPCEA | May 14, 2023

Schroeder has been a leader in online learning since 1997 Ray Schroeder, UPCEA Senior Fellow and Professor Emeritus and former Associate Vice Chancellor for Online Learning at the University of Illinois Springfield, received an honorary doctorate of humane letters at the UIS commencement on May 13.  Schroeder has been engaged in online learning since 1997…

Other Blogs and News:

UPCEA Announces Hallmarks of Excellence in Digital Learning Enterprises

Framework defines the future of institutional digital strategy WASHINGTON, D.C., ISSUED JULY 29, 2026…UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of The Hallmarks of Excellence in Digital Learning Enterprises, a landmark framework positioning higher education at a pivotal moment of transformation. As digital learning has become central to institutional strategy and…

UPCEA and MIT Professional Education Convene Senior Online Learning Leaders to Advance Data-Driven Strategy in Higher Education

Exclusive pre-conference institute highlights the growing role of data fluency in online education leadership Washington, D.C., and Cambridge, Mass., July 28, 2026 — As higher education institutions face mounting pressure to demonstrate outcomes, improve student experience, and compete in an increasingly data-driven environment, a new kind of leadership is emerging: one grounded in analytics, benchmarking,…

Department of Education Issues Final Rule for New Accountability Standards | Policy Matters (July 2026)

Major Updates Department of Education Issues Final Rule for New Accountability Standards On June 29, the U.S. Department of Education issued its final rule establishing the Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability framework, a sweeping new standard that applies to nearly all programs and sectors regardless of tax status or credential level.…

From AI Exploration to Action: Final Insights from UPCEA’s AI Study Groups

When we reflected on the first three weeks of the UPCEA AI Study Groups in early June, one theme had already become clear: AI implementation is not simply a technology challenge. It is a leadership challenge.  By the end of the six-week pilot, that theme had deepened. Across two cohorts of UPCEA members, participants moved…

An AI-Aware Approach to Online Assessment

The New Assessment Challenge in Online Learning Generative AI is complicating how we teach working adults in online and professional continuing education. I recently asked a group of educators who teach online about their biggest concerns regarding AI and assessment of student learning. They had many! These educators were worried about:  enforcing academic integrity when…

Benchmarking in Higher Education: What to Measure and Why It Changes Decisions

Colleges and universities have never had more data at their fingertips. Still, many higher education leadership teams still make major decisions on incomplete internal reporting or even gut instinct alone. Benchmarking offers a structured alternative. When done well, it gives higher ed leaders a reliable framework for understanding where their institution stands versus peer organizations…