Columbia University’s Technology & Democracy Initiative and The Jed Foundation have formed a partnership focused on how AI systems respond to teenagers experiencing emotional distress or suicidal thoughts. The project brings together AI safety specialists and mental health and suicide prevention experts, two groups the partners say increasingly work on the same problems but still lack a common framework for translating clinical knowledge into technical system design. Its first phase will include an expert roundtable followed by a jointly authored working paper. The partners intend the paper to provide a practical foundation for AI developers, mental health specialists, policymakers and platform safety teams working on youth mental health. The focus extends beyond the response a chatbot gives after a student or young person discloses distress. The project will examine how expert judgment can be incorporated throughout an AI system, including the policies governing it, how the technology recognizes that someone may be struggling and how it connects users with support.
Professional, Continuing, and Online Education Update by UPCEA
Daily updates of news, research and trends by UPCEA
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Thursday, September 17, 2026
More than half of colleges show signs of money problems. Students will suffer the consequences: Many schools will resort to laying off faculty, cutting services and increasing prices - Marina Villeneuve, Hechinger Report
Higher education has faced fiscal headwinds in recent years as hundreds of institutions grapple with declining enrollment because of demographic trends and growing public skepticism about the value of a college degree. Trump policies targeting international students and cutting federal research funding made the financial situation more dire, as have new caps to graduate student loan borrowing and threats to block undergraduate programs from accepting federal financial aid unless alumni earn more than a typical high school graduate. While just a small fraction of colleges will end up closing, those that survive may resort to cutting programs and staff, a move that could balance the books but leave students adrift. Experts and students themselves say it’s time to pay more attention to the impact of college downsizing.
Post-Pandemic, Online Ed Has ‘Staying Power’ - Kathryn Palmer, Inside Higher Ed
New federal data shows that about 53 percent of college students have taken an online course since 2022, compared to 36 percent in 2019. New federal data shows that about 53 percent of college students have taken an online course since 2022, compared to 36 percent in 2019. The surge in online enrollment forced by the pandemic is leveling out. And the modality is now far more popular than it ever was during the 2010s, according to newly released federal data. The Education Department published fall 2024 online enrollment data last month, covering more 5,615 institutions. The data shows nearly 54 percent of college students were taking at least some distance education courses during the fall of 2024, compared to about 53 percent in 2022 and 2023. Although online enrollment in 2024 was nowhere near as high as it was during the height of the pandemic—73.4 percent of college students took classes online in 2020—it’s still much higher than pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, just 36 percent of students were enrolled in some online courses.
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Big School Districts Pause AI Access at School - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed
Readers of this column know that I generally constrain topics to higher education, however, the practices of school districts impact colleges and universities. When school boards decide to take a step backward by removing effective educational and research tools that students and teachers may use, students are the ones who suffer. Yet, in recent weeks, the nation’s largest public school district, the School District of the City of New York, and the second largest public school district, the Los Angeles Unified School District, have announced plans to drastically suppress the use of AI in their classrooms. It is clear that higher education must take a leadership role in informing and educating educators of the benefits that AI can provide in earlier grade levels. Through continuing and professional education for school board members, administrators and K-12 teachers, we can raise the awareness of productive practices and policies.
Online university draws students with flexibility and training programs - NISHINIPPON SHIMBUN, Japan Times
Distance-learning universities in Japan, once largely seen as places where working adults could pursue higher education and broaden their knowledge, are increasingly becoming an option for students fresh out of high school. A striking example is Zen University, an online university opened by nonprofit Nippon Foundation and education company Dwango in April 2025. Over 4,000 students enrolled in its inaugural year, with fresh high school graduates accounting for more than half of the intake. At Zen University, which is based in Kanagawa Prefecture, all classes are offered online, through which students can earn the required academic credits. As students can attend classes without being tied to a particular place or time, they can gain work experience or engage in other activities on weekdays.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/07/japan/japan-online-universities-high-school-sudents/
AI can help universities keep pace with jobs market demand - Antoine Casanova-Mazet, University World News
Universities have always promised to prepare students for the world beyond graduation. The challenge today is that this world is changing faster than traditional curriculum processes were designed to handle. In many institutions, employability alignment still relies on periodic programme reviews, advisory boards, employer roundtables, graduate surveys and informal industry conversations. These mechanisms remain valuable. But they are episodic. By the time evidence is gathered, interpreted, approved and translated into learning outcomes or assessments, the labour market may already have shifted.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Penn State joins national initiative to strengthen manufacturing workforce - Penn State
Penn State is among eight universities selected to join a national initiative focused on preparing the future generation of workers to advance American manufacturing. The program is a collaborative partnership between higher education, industry and government to prepare the workforce for the future of manufacturing President Neeli Bendapudi joined colleagues and government officials for the launch, where she participated in a panel discussion with Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University; Douglas Girod, chancellor of University of Kansas; and Ann Fairchild, president and CEO of Siemens USA, highlighting how higher education can be a catalyst for preparing the future workforce.
The human skills at a premium in the age of AI - McKinsey
As AI takes rote tasks off employees’ plates, the work that remains can require greater judgment and critical thinking—and be more cognitively demanding. “The rise of AI doesn’t mean we all suddenly delegate our responsibilities for quality control and critical thinking,” says Kate Smaje, McKinsey senior partner and global leader of technology and AI, in a recent episode of McKinsey Talks Talent. “There’s a premium on those capabilities now.” Smaje, coauthor of the recent book Rewired, joins Senior Partner Brooke Weddle and Partner Bryan Hancock to explore what it takes to manage a workforce of people and AI agents—from reimagining roles and workflows to managing the performance of digital workers.
How CEOs are leading through the AI shift - McKinsey
Across industries, AI is changing how companies operate, make decisions, and grow. Through a series of podcast conversations, Senior Partner Eric Kutcher talks with CEOs about how they are navigating that shift and connecting AI to the broader priorities of their businesses. At Invesco, President and CEO Andrew Schlossberg is taking both a top-down and bottom-up approach to AI. The company has put the tools in every employee’s hands, allowing ideas to emerge from people rethinking how they work. The leadership challenge is finding the right balance. “You have to resist the urge to make it completely top down and controlled,” Schlossberg says, “and also resist the urge to make it completely bottom up and entrepreneurial.”
Monday, September 14, 2026
Deming Tells Class of 2030 AI Will Bring About a New Age for American Universities - Harvard Crimson
The rise of AI, he argued, is prompting another shift in the role of higher education, as technology makes expertise increasingly accessible and places greater value on collaborative and communal learning. “The internet has made expert content available to anyone in the world,” Deming said. “That content doesn’t replace your education here because it isn’t personalized. Masterful lectures are part of your education, but not the only one. They don’t answer your questions or meet your individualized learning needs.” “But artificial intelligence can be fully personalized,” he said.
Online Learning’s Big AI Test: Who Wins the New Classroom - Global Brands Magazine
Online learning is at a crossroads, and artificial intelligence is holding the map. The same technology that can spit out an essay or solve a problem set in seconds is also powering smarter tutors, faster feedback and more personal courses. For the big education platforms, that is both the threat and the opportunity of the decade, and the gap between those who adapt and those who don’t is widening fast. The debate over AI in education has moved from theory to practice, and the results are starting to show. The early scoreboard is clear. Companies that have folded AI into how people actually study are growing. Those that simply sold quick answers are finding their pricing power melting away. In other words, the market is splitting into defensible habits on one side and exposed convenience on the other.
The power of purpose, culture, and grit: An interview with JoAnne Bass - McKinsey
The Air Force’s former top enlisted leader reflects on the value of lifelong learning, writing your own playbook, and preparing the next generation to serve. I often say that you’re never too young to lead and you’re never too old to learn. If you met folks who knew me way back when, they’d say, “No way. There is no way she’s the chief master of the Air Force.” When I was younger, learning how to lead required reps and sets so that I could continue becoming the leader that our Air Force was going to need. That’s the goodness of leadership. As a young leader, I thought I had to have all the right answers. But the reality is that as you grow and become a more mature leader, you realize that you don’t have to have all the answers. You create the atmosphere so that the folks around you can thrive.
Friday, September 11, 2026
A New Era in Learning: Celebrating National Online Learning Day - Sara Cutler, Milwaukee Courier
According to the Future of Jobs Report, 60% of employers expect digital expansion to reshape their industries by 2030. Virtual schooling is leading the way into this future. No longer is online learning discussed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, we have embraced a new way of schooling. We are reframing education as a system that answers to students, not the other way around. Because of our responsive approach, across the country, record number of U.S. parents are exploring school options, reflecting an increasingly diverse education landscape beyond traditional public schools. A recent survey by the National School Choice Awareness Foundation found 60% of parents considered sending at least one of their kids to a new school last year, and 27% of those parents explored a full-time online option.
Technology is here to stay—now let’s get it right - The Acorn
When the LVUSD Board of Education gathers for its very important next meeting on Sept. 15, it should focus less on choosing sides and more on establishing sensible guardrails. Age-appropriate screen limits, greater use of printed materials and handwriting, restrictions on non-educational content, stronger privacy protections, clear AI policies and transparent reporting of classroom screen time would be reasonable places to start. Technology is here to stay. The challenge isn’t eliminating screens. It’s ensuring they never replace the human relationships, critical thinking and inspired teaching that define a great education.
Workforce Pell is promising, but we still need to fix what’s broken - Bill Nance, University Business
While Workforce Pell is a meaningful policy victory, we should be careful not to mistake funding access for system reform. The skilled trades gap persists because of the three critical components of workforce development—employers, education providers and funding sources—operate largely independent of one another. Employers need skilled workers now and individuals need accessible pathways into stable, high-paying careers. While funding exists to support workforce development, it is often limited in which programs are covered, as well as difficult to navigate and disconnected from the actual workforce demand. The result is a broken triangle. Students accumulate debt they do not need, employers struggle to fill essential roles, and training providers strain to bridge the gaps that should not exist in the first place. Workforce Pell can help address one side of that challenge by expanding access to training, but real progress requires redesigning how all three sides connect.
https://universitybusiness.com/workforce-pell-is-promising-but-we-still-need-to-fix-whats-broken/
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Texas becomes the latest player in the three-year degree movement - Alcino Donadel, University Business
The three-year bachelor’s degree is coming to Texas, marking an emphatic expansion of the growing accelerated-degree movement. Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to build a framework for a three-year bachelor’s degree to drive down college costs and boost completion in high-wage, high-demand fields. “Every semester adds to tuition, fees, housing, food, transportation, and other living expenses, and delays students’ ability to begin their careers,” Abbott wrote when announcing the directive. Accelerated bachelor’s degrees typically require only 90 to 96 credits to complete, rather than the typical 120 that have shaped the past century.
ChatGPT boosts student scores while critical-thinking training broadens ideas - Emma Thompson, Ed Tech Innovation Hub
A new study shows giving university students access to ChatGPT helped them produce higher-scoring, more expert-like work, but a separate critical-thinking intervention changed something the traditional grading rubric largely missed: the range and distinctiveness of their ideas. The randomized controlled trial, conducted by researchers at Bocconi University in collaboration with OpenAI Economic Research, involved 1,053 first-year undergraduates studying economics, management and finance. Students were split into four groups. One received access to ChatGPT Edu using GPT-4o, another completed training in causal reasoning, a third received both, and a control group received neither. They were then given 45 minutes to tackle the same real-world business problem, producing a short consultant-style recommendation for increasing awareness and use of their university’s merchandise among alumni. On the conventional performance measure, ChatGPT made the clearest difference. Students with GPT access scored an estimated 0.86 points higher on a five-point scale than the control group, whose estimated score was 2.09. Their recommendations were also more similar to those produced independently by three domain experts.
Artificial Intelligence as a Pedagogical Tool in Higher Education: Enhancing Reflection and Formative Assessment - Nancy Marsh and Nan Flickinger, Faculty Focus
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education has generated both enthusiasm and apprehension among educators. This article argues that AI can serve as an adaptive pedagogical partner, enhancing formative assessment, reflection, and metacognitive learning. Through illustrative examples, the study demonstrates how AI can provide individualized feedback and foster deeper conceptual understanding. The discussion emphasizes the ethical and pedagogical implications of AI integration, positioning it as a catalyst for reflective and responsible learning practices. The article concludes that AI, when employed intentionally, can amplify human instruction and promote the development of digitally literate, critically engaged learners. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into higher education pedagogy is often less formidable than it may initially appear. When educators reconceptualize AI not as a disruptive force but as an adaptive, resource-rich instructional tool, the possibilities for enhancing student learning and engagement expand considerably.
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
USC and UCLA bet big on AI to meet soaring student, job market demands - Jaweed Kaleem, LA Times
The Viterbi school of engineering at USC is offering a four-year program to prepare students for such fields as drug discovery, robotics and agriculturel UCLA, USC and other universities are launching new majors to train students either to build AI systems or to use them in the humanities. USC’s AI degree immerses students in model-building aimed at producing industry-ready graduates.The digital humanities department at UCLA uses AI tools to examine disciplines including history, languages and arts.
How Accreditation Changes Could Impact Professional Licensure - Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed
President Trump’s proposal to strip the American Bar Association’s accreditation arm of its gatekeeping powers for federal student aid has triggered a cascade of questions and concerns about whether future law school graduates in certain states will be able to obtain an attorney’s license. Legal and higher ed experts say it will come down to each state’s licensure rules and what, if anything, those rules say about whether practitioners are required to graduate from a law school accredited by a federally recognized agency. But at a time when accreditation is becoming increasingly politicized and volatile, the complex relationship between state licensure regulations and the Education Department’s recognition of accreditors is being tested, they say, creating a sense of uncertainty.
Canada Hires 48 Scholars Away From Top U.S. Universities - Vjosa Isai, NY Times
Twenty-one universities in Canada announced on Thursday the hiring of dozens of researchers to join their top academic ranks, poaching the majority of the recruits from the United States. Of the incoming 64 researchers, 48 will leave American campuses including Harvard, Yale and M.I.T., and the remainder are from Europe, Asia and Australia. Turmoil in American academia, precipitated by a crackdown on prestigious universities by the Trump administration and attacks on scientific research groups, has allowed Canada a rare opportunity to lure some of those schools’ top minds north. Their hiring is paid for through a Canadian government investment of more than 500 million Canadian dollars (about $364 million) in research fields that are strategically important, from global warming to artificial intelligence.
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