Faculty Member

Carmin Chan, Vice Provost, Northern Arizona University Online

Cost

Members: $459.00

Non-Members: $599.00

Description

What are the processes for identifying opportunities, developing evidence, determining goals, defining key milestones, establishing accountability, and measuring outcomes? How do you engage others in these processes? This course explores how strategy combines analysis and action.  Learning, planning, implementing, and reassessing permeate all levels of professional, continuing, and online education -- more so perhaps than in any other area of higher education. 

Topics Covered

• Approaches to planning and innovation 
• The impact of shared governance on decision-making
• Moving strategically toward the future
• The impact of data on decision-making 
• Evaluating Success 

Learning Objectives

• Recognize the impact of strategy, leadership, and implementation on an institution.
• Develop strategies that reflect effective approaches to internal and external constituents in the approach of a problem or innovation.
• Develop strategies for maintaining the role of being a learner in strategy for the future.
• Evaluate strategies for change and innovation.

Who should take this course? 

This four week course is designed for both those who are new to online and professional education as well as those who have significant experience (3-5 years and beyond) who want to learn more about strategic planning, innovation, and decision-making. Over this four week course, participants will outline a problem they are facing and develop a change template that they can immediately apply to the challenges they are facing day to day. 

Format and Schedule

This is a four week course consisting of about five hours of weekly course work made up of readings, asynchronous activities, and a weekly one hour live class meeting via Zoom. Attendance in the live class is strongly encouraged. Schedule for live meetings will be shared soon. 

See what past participants have said about this course

"This course is an exceptional resource for developing the skills you need to plan and implement a project or initiative within your organization. The step-by-step process and feedback are motivating and will help you develop a template and process to use at any point in your PCOE journey." 

-Allison Shaw, Research Analyst Sacramento State University 

"The class delivers completely on its objectives."

"Vickie's feedback was insightful, engaging, and challenging. She has an incredible personality and I loved learning from her and hearing how she engaged everyone in live sessions and in course feedback. An exception leader in PCO and a wonderful instructor for this course."

"I truly enjoyed this course as well as the assistance and confidence it provided me in creating the policy and procedure manual for my department."

"I would highly recommend this course to ALL campus leaders, even if not necessarily engaged with PCO education."

"The readings and activities were excellent and extremely relevant to the work I am doing."

"Dr. Cook was great. She made sure every voice was heard and kept the discussion lively."

"Vickie was great and I learned a lot from her. I would love to take a leadership course from her. I appreciated how she was able to engage us during our live session."

"Vickie was super - very knowledgeable, very responsive to questions, provided clear and useful feedback on assignments, and did a good job facilitating the live sessions."

Faculty Member

Dr. Vickie Cook

Cost

Members: $459.00

Non-Members: $599.00

Description

What are the processes for identifying opportunities, developing evidence, determining goals, defining key milestones, establishing accountability, and measuring outcomes? How do you engage others in these processes? This course explores how strategy combines analysis and action.  Learning, planning, implementing, and reassessing permeate all levels of professional, continuing, and online education -- more so perhaps than in any other area of higher education. 

Topics Covered

• Approaches to planning and innovation 
• The impact of shared governance on decision-making
• Moving strategically toward the future
• The impact of data on decision-making 
• Evaluating Success 

Learning Objectives

• Recognize the impact of strategy, leadership, and implementation on an institution.
• Develop strategies that reflect effective approaches to internal and external constituents in the approach of a problem or innovation.
• Develop strategies for maintaining the role of being a learner in strategy for the future.
• Evaluate strategies for change and innovation.

Who should take this course? 

This four week course is designed for both the new PCO professional as well as those who have significant experience (3-5 years and beyond) who want to learn more about strategic planning, innovation, and decision-making. Over this four week course, participants will outline a problem they are facing and develop a change template that they can immediately apply to the challenges they are facing day to day. 

Format and Schedule

This is a four week course consisting of about five hours of weekly course work made up of readings, asynchronous activities, and a weekly one hour live class meeting via Zoom. Attendance in the live class is strongly encouraged. The class will met on the following schedule: 

• January 11 4:00 p.m. CT
• January 18 4:00 p.m. CT
• January 25 4:00 p.m. CT
• February 1 4:00 p.m. CT

See what past participants have said about this course

"This course is an exceptional resource for developing the skills you need to plan and implement a project or initiative within your organization. The step-by-step process and feedback are motivating and will help you develop a template and process to use at any point in your PCOE journey." 

-Allison Shaw, Research Analyst Sacramento State University 

"The class delivers completely on its objectives."

"Vickie's feedback was insightful, engaging, and challenging. She has an incredible personality and I loved learning from her and hearing how she engaged everyone in live sessions and in course feedback. An exception leader in PCO and a wonderful instructor for this course."

"I truly enjoyed this course as well as the assistance and confidence it provided me in creating the policy and procedure manual for my department."

"I would highly recommend this course to ALL campus leaders, even if not necessarily engaged with PCO education."

"The readings and activities were excellent and extremely relevant to the work I am doing."

"Dr. Cook was great. She made sure every voice was heard and kept the discussion lively."

"Vickie was great and I learned a lot from her. I would love to take a leadership course from her. I appreciated how she was able to engage us during our live session."

"Vickie was super - very knowledgeable, very responsive to questions, provided clear and useful feedback on assignments, and did a good job facilitating the live sessions."

Faculty Member

Heather McCullough, Ph.D., Director, Learning and Technology at the University of North Carolina System Office

Cost

Members: $459.00

Non-Members: $599.00

Description

Learning, planning, implementing, and reassessing permeate all levels of professional, continuing, and online education, more so perhaps than in any other area of higher education. What are the processes for identifying opportunities, developing evidence, determining goals, defining key milestones, establishing accountability, and measuring outcomes? How do you engage others in these processes? This course explores how strategy combines analysis and action.

Topics Covered

• Approaches to planning and innovation 
• The impact of shared governance on decision-making
• Moving strategically toward the future
• The impact of data on decision-making 
• Evaluating Success 

Learning Objectives

• Recognize the impact of strategy, leadership, and implementation on an institution.
• Develop strategies that reflect effective approaches to internal and external constituents in the approach of a problem or innovation.
• Develop strategies for maintaining the role of being a learner in strategy for the future.
• Evaluate strategies for change and innovation.

Who should take this course? 

This course is designed for both those who are new to online and professional education as well as those who have significant experience (3-5 years and beyond) who want to learn more about strategic planning, innovation, and decision-making. Participants will outline a problem they are facing and develop a change template that they can immediately apply to the challenges they are facing day to day. 

Format and Schedule

This is a five-week course consisting of about five hours of weekly course work made up of readings, asynchronous activities, and a weekly one-hour live class meeting via Zoom. Attendance in the live class is strongly encouraged. Live sessions will meet on Wednesdays at 12:00 ET. 

Faculty Member

Heather McCullough, Ph.D., Director, Learning and Technology at the University of North Carolina System Office

Cost

Members: $459.00

Non-Members: $599.00

Description

Learning, planning, implementing, and reassessing permeate all levels of professional, continuing, and online education, more so perhaps than in any other area of higher education. What are the processes for identifying opportunities, developing evidence, determining goals, defining key milestones, establishing accountability, and measuring outcomes? How do you engage others in these processes? This course explores how strategy combines analysis and action.

Topics Covered

• Approaches to planning and innovation 
• The impact of shared governance on decision-making
• Moving strategically toward the future
• The impact of data on decision-making 
• Evaluating Success 

Learning Objectives

• Recognize the impact of strategy, leadership, and implementation on an institution.
• Develop strategies that reflect effective approaches to internal and external constituents in the approach of a problem or innovation.
• Develop strategies for maintaining the role of being a learner in strategy for the future.
• Evaluate strategies for change and innovation.

Who should take this course? 

This course is designed for both those who are new to online and professional education as well as those who have significant experience (3-5 years and beyond) who want to learn more about strategic planning, innovation, and decision-making. Participants will outline a problem they are facing and develop a change template that they can immediately apply to the challenges they are facing day to day. 

Format and Schedule

This is a five-week course consisting of about five hours of weekly course work made up of readings, asynchronous activities, and a weekly one-hour live class meeting via Zoom. Attendance in the live class is strongly encouraged. Schedule for live meetings will be shared soon. 

See what past participants have to say about this course: 

"This course is an exceptional resource for developing the skills you need to plan and implement a project or initiative within your organization. The step-by-step process and feedback are motivating and will help you develop a template and process to use at any point in your PCOE journey." 

"The class delivers completely on its objectives."

"I truly enjoyed this course as well as the assistance and confidence it provided me in creating the policy and procedure manual for my department."

"I would highly recommend this course to ALL campus leaders, even if not necessarily engaged with PCO education."

"The readings and activities were excellent and extremely relevant to the work I am doing."

Faculty Member

Dr. Vickie Cook

Cost

Members: $459.00

Non-Members: $599.00

Description

What are the processes for identifying opportunities, developing evidence, determining goals, defining key milestones, establishing accountability, and measuring outcomes? How do you engage others in these processes? This course explores how strategy combines analysis and action.  Learning, planning, implementing, and reassessing permeate all levels of professional, continuing, and online education -- more so perhaps than in any other area of higher education. 

Topics Covered

• Approaches to planning and innovation 
• The impact of shared governance on decision-making
• Moving strategically toward the future
• The impact of data on decision-making 
• Evaluating Success 

Learning Objectives

• Recognize the impact of strategy, leadership, and implementation on an institution.
• Develop strategies that reflect effective approaches to internal and external constituents in the approach of a problem or innovation.
• Develop strategies for maintaining the role of being a learner in strategy for the future.
• Evaluate strategies for change and innovation.

Who should take this course? 

This four week course is designed for both the new PCO professional as well as those who have significant experience (3-5 years and beyond) who want to learn more about strategic planning, innovation, and decision-making. Over this four week course, participants will outline a problem they are facing and develop a change template that they can immediately apply to the challenges they are facing day to day. 

Format and Schedule

This is a four week course consisting of about five hours of weekly course work made up of readings, asynchronous activities, and a weekly one hour live class meeting via Zoom. Attendance in the live class is strongly encouraged. Schedule for live meetings will be: 

• Wednesday 9/27 at 4:30 PM ET 
• Wednesday 10/4 at 4:30 PM ET 
• Wednesday 10/11 at 4:30 PM ET 
• Wednesday 10/18 at 4:30 PM ET 
• Wednesday 10/25 at 4:30 PM ET 

See what past participants have said about this course

"This course is an exceptional resource for developing the skills you need to plan and implement a project or initiative within your organization. The step-by-step process and feedback are motivating and will help you develop a template and process to use at any point in your PCOE journey." 

-Allison Shaw, Research Analyst Sacramento State University 

"The class delivers completely on its objectives."

"Vickie's feedback was insightful, engaging, and challenging. She has an incredible personality and I loved learning from her and hearing how she engaged everyone in live sessions and in course feedback. An exception leader in PCO and a wonderful instructor for this course."

"I truly enjoyed this course as well as the assistance and confidence it provided me in creating the policy and procedure manual for my department."

"I would highly recommend this course to ALL campus leaders, even if not necessarily engaged with PCO education."

"The readings and activities were excellent and extremely relevant to the work I am doing."

"Dr. Cook was great. She made sure every voice was heard and kept the discussion lively."

"Vickie was great and I learned a lot from her. I would love to take a leadership course from her. I appreciated how she was able to engage us during our live session."

"Vickie was super - very knowledgeable, very responsive to questions, provided clear and useful feedback on assignments, and did a good job facilitating the live sessions."

Faculty Member

Carmin Chan, Vice Provost, Northern Arizona University Online

Cost

Members: $459.00

Non-Members: $599.00

Description

Learning, planning, implementing, and reassessing permeate all levels of professional, continuing, and online education, more so perhaps than in any other area of higher education. What are the processes for identifying opportunities, developing evidence, determining goals, defining key milestones, establishing accountability, and measuring outcomes? How do you engage others in these processes? This course explores how strategy combines analysis and action.

Topics Covered

• Approaches to planning and innovation 
• The impact of shared governance on decision-making
• Moving strategically toward the future
• The impact of data on decision-making 
• Evaluating Success 

Learning Objectives

• Recognize the impact of strategy, leadership, and implementation on an institution.
• Develop strategies that reflect effective approaches to internal and external constituents in the approach of a problem or innovation.
• Develop strategies for maintaining the role of being a learner in strategy for the future.
• Evaluate strategies for change and innovation.

Who should take this course? 

This course is designed for both those who are new to online and professional education as well as those who have significant experience (3-5 years and beyond) who want to learn more about strategic planning, innovation, and decision-making. Participants will outline a problem they are facing and develop a change template that they can immediately apply to the challenges they are facing day to day. 

Format and Schedule

This is a five-week course consisting of about five hours of weekly course work made up of readings, asynchronous activities, and a weekly one-hour live class meeting via Zoom. Attendance in the live class is strongly encouraged. Schedule for live meetings is below 

• Friday September 20 at 2:00 ET
• Friday September 27 at 2:00 ET
• Friday October 4 at 2:00 ET
• Friday October 11 at 2:00 ET
• Friday October 18 at 2:00 ET

See what past participants have said about this course

"This course is an exceptional resource for developing the skills you need to plan and implement a project or initiative within your organization. The step-by-step process and feedback are motivating and will help you develop a template and process to use at any point in your PCOE journey." 

-Allison Shaw, Research Analyst Sacramento State University 

"The class delivers completely on its objectives."

"Vickie's feedback was insightful, engaging, and challenging. She has an incredible personality and I loved learning from her and hearing how she engaged everyone in live sessions and in course feedback. An exception leader in PCO and a wonderful instructor for this course."

"I truly enjoyed this course as well as the assistance and confidence it provided me in creating the policy and procedure manual for my department."

"I would highly recommend this course to ALL campus leaders, even if not necessarily engaged with PCO education."

"The readings and activities were excellent and extremely relevant to the work I am doing."

"Dr. Cook was great. She made sure every voice was heard and kept the discussion lively."

"Vickie was great and I learned a lot from her. I would love to take a leadership course from her. I appreciated how she was able to engage us during our live session."

"Vickie was super - very knowledgeable, very responsive to questions, provided clear and useful feedback on assignments, and did a good job facilitating the live sessions."

As demand grows for workforce-aligned learning, employer engagement is critical to designing relevant, scalable, and sustainable credentials. This five-week pilot course offers a just-in-time learning experience grounded in UPCEA’s University-to-Business (U2B) Stakeholder Engagement Tenets and supported by Human-Centered Design (HCD) principles. 

Participants will explore the U2B Design Framework, which blends UPCEA’s five tenets—Research, Validate, Co-Design, Prototype, and Iterate—with adaptable strategies and tools that support empathy, collaboration, and responsiveness. Through hands-on activities and peer exchange, participants will discover practical approaches to align microcredentials, training, or other offerings with workforce needs and institutional priorities. 

Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, the course supports reflection, benchmarking, and real-world application to help learners build trust-based partnerships with employers and design for strategic, sustainable impact. Designed for both new and experienced professionals across roles, the course builds institutional capacity for employer-responsive credential innovation—wherever your journey begins. 

Faculty Member

Stacy Chiaramonte, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Operations for UPCEA Research and Consulting

Cost

UPCEA Members: $459

Non-Members: $599

Description

Online and professional education units have long been the leaders championing the development and implementation of innovative educational programs designed to meet the needs of a non-traditional learner. In recent years, new forms of credentialing – micro-credentials, certificates, digital badges, among other designations – have emerged as new measures of educational attainment. These credentials have become far more common in universities and in other sectors of American society. This course delves into the role online and professional education units play in alternative credentials, from evaluating program opportunities to the design, implementation, quality assurance, and administration of these credentials. How should non-degree credentials be created and run with integrity, clarity in the market, and compatibility within the traditional aspects of the university? This pragmatic course will explore opportunities and obstacles in developing and delivering alternative credentials.  

Topics Covered

• Current trends in the market for alternative credentials. What is driving demand for these credentials?
• Creating the right programs for your institution, including partnerships with external stakeholders. 
• Building the infrastructure at your institution to support these credentials, including institutional standards, student services, and faculty buy-in.
• Marketing and delivering credential programs.
• What does the future hold for alternative credentials? How can online and professional education units better contribute to lifelong learning, personal and professional growth, workforce development, and social equity? 

 Learning Objectives

• Gain an understanding of the alternative credentials landscape and online and professional education units’ role in developing this programming.
• Evaluate the opportunities for your institution. Identify the target audience and types of programming that align best – the who, what and why for your university.  Determine which programs should be credit-bearing, and investigate stackability for these credentials. 
• Build support for these programs with your leadership and faculty - what are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of programming and how can it be integrated into the portfolio.
• Develop your university’s standards, policies and processes to ensure rigor and quality of credentials.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to successfully develop and launch alternative credential programs, including student record-keeping, access, funding, and support.
• Develop marketing and communication plans to drive enrollment.
• Plan for the future of this evolving landscape including accreditation, quality monitoring, program assessment, evaluation of future opportunities. 

Who should take this course? 

New professionals will have an opportunity to explore the multifaceted process and hone in one the skills and knowledge they need immediately to be more effective in their roles. More seasoned professionals will be challenged to review their program planning approach and determine if they can refine or be more inclusive of different components covered in the course. 

Format and Schedule

This is a five week course consisting of about five hours of weekly coursework made up of readings, asynchronous activities, and a weekly one hour live class meeting via Zoom. The class will meet on Wednesdays at 1:30 PM ET starting 02/19/2025. 

See what past participants have said about this course: 

"This online course provided an excellent start and foundation in leading my university to develop a proposal plan to develop a microcredential program." Ervin Howard, University of North Georgia

"The content and format of the course was excellent and the resources provided were invaluable!" Peggi Kriegbaum Fresno Pacific University

"I loved that true adult education principles were applied in this course.  The flexibility, the personalization, and the collegiality were exceptional!" Glenda Ballard, St. Edward's University

Faculty Member

Stacy Chiaramonte, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Operations for UPCEA Research and Consulting

Cost

UPCEA Members: $459

Non-Members: $599

Description

Online and professional education units have long been the leaders championing the development and implementation of innovative educational programs designed to meet the needs of a non-traditional learner. In recent years, new forms of credentialing – micro-credentials, certificates, digital badges, among other designations – have emerged as new measures of educational attainment. These credentials have become far more common in universities and in other sectors of American society. This course delves into the role online and professional education units play in alternative credentials, from evaluating program opportunities to the design, implementation, quality assurance, and administration of these credentials. How should non-degree credentials be created and run with integrity, clarity in the market, and compatibility within the traditional aspects of the university? This pragmatic course will explore opportunities and obstacles in developing and delivering alternative credentials.  

Topics Covered

• Current trends in the market for alternative credentials. What is driving demand for these credentials?
• Creating the right programs for your institution, including partnerships with external stakeholders. 
• Building the infrastructure at your institution to support these credentials, including institutional standards, student services, and faculty buy-in.
• Marketing and delivering credential programs.
• What does the future hold for alternative credentials? How can online and professional education units better contribute to lifelong learning, personal and professional growth, workforce development, and social equity? 

 Learning Objectives

• Gain an understanding of the alternative credentials landscape and online and professional education units’ role in developing this programming.
• Evaluate the opportunities for your institution. Identify the target audience and types of programming that align best – the who, what and why for your university.  Determine which programs should be credit-bearing, and investigate stackability for these credentials. 
• Build support for these programs with your leadership and faculty - what are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of programming and how can it be integrated into the portfolio.
• Develop your university’s standards, policies and processes to ensure rigor and quality of credentials.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to successfully develop and launch alternative credential programs, including student record-keeping, access, funding, and support.
• Develop marketing and communication plans to drive enrollment.
• Plan for the future of this evolving landscape including accreditation, quality monitoring, program assessment, evaluation of future opportunities. 

Who should take this course? 

New professionals will have an opportunity to explore the multifaceted process and hone in one the skills and knowledge they need immediately to be more effective in their roles. More seasoned professionals will be challenged to review their program planning approach and determine if they can refine or be more inclusive of different components covered in the course. 

Format and Schedule

This is a five week course consisting of about five hours of weekly coursework made up of readings, asynchronous activities, and a weekly one hour live class meeting via Zoom. The class will meet on Tuesdays at 2:00 PM ET starting May 19th. 

See what past participants have said about this course: 

"This online course provided an excellent start and foundation in leading my university to develop a proposal plan to develop a microcredential program." Ervin Howard, University of North Georgia

"The content and format of the course was excellent and the resources provided were invaluable!" Peggi Kriegbaum Fresno Pacific University

"I loved that true adult education principles were applied in this course.  The flexibility, the personalization, and the collegiality were exceptional!" Glenda Ballard, St. Edward's University

Faculty Member

Stacy Chiaramonte, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Operations for UPCEA Research and Consulting

Cost

UPCEA Members: $459

Non-Members: $599

Description

Online and professional education units have long been the leaders championing the development and implementation of innovative educational programs designed to meet the needs of a non-traditional learner. In recent years, new forms of credentialing – micro-credentials, certificates, digital badges, among other designations – have emerged as new measures of educational attainment. These credentials have become far more common in universities and in other sectors of American society. This course delves into the role online and professional education units play in alternative credentials, from evaluating program opportunities to the design, implementation, quality assurance, and administration of these credentials. How should non-degree credentials be created and run with integrity, clarity in the market, and compatibility within the traditional aspects of the university? This pragmatic course will explore opportunities and obstacles in developing and delivering alternative credentials.  

Topics Covered

• Current trends in the market for alternative credentials. What is driving demand for these credentials?
• Creating the right programs for your institution, including partnerships with external stakeholders. 
• Building the infrastructure at your institution to support these credentials, including institutional standards, student services, and faculty buy-in.
• Marketing and delivering credential programs.
• What does the future hold for alternative credentials? How can online and professional education units better contribute to lifelong learning, personal and professional growth, workforce development, and social equity? 

 Learning Objectives

• Gain an understanding of the alternative credentials landscape and online and professional education units’ role in developing this programming.
• Evaluate the opportunities for your institution. Identify the target audience and types of programming that align best – the who, what and why for your university.  Determine which programs should be credit-bearing, and investigate stackability for these credentials. 
• Build support for these programs with your leadership and faculty - what are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of programming and how can it be integrated into the portfolio.
• Develop your university’s standards, policies and processes to ensure rigor and quality of credentials.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to successfully develop and launch alternative credential programs, including student record-keeping, access, funding, and support.
• Develop marketing and communication plans to drive enrollment.
• Plan for the future of this evolving landscape including accreditation, quality monitoring, program assessment, evaluation of future opportunities. 

Who should take this course? 

New professionals will have an opportunity to explore the multifaceted process and hone in one the skills and knowledge they need immediately to be more effective in their roles. More seasoned professionals will be challenged to review their program planning approach and determine if they can refine or be more inclusive of different components covered in the course. 

Format and Schedule

This is a five week course consisting of about five hours of weekly coursework made up of readings, asynchronous activities, and a weekly one hour live class meeting via Zoom. The class will meet on Wednesdays at 1:30 PM ET starting 09/17/2025. 

See what past participants have said about this course: 

"This online course provided an excellent start and foundation in leading my university to develop a proposal plan to develop a microcredential program." Ervin Howard, University of North Georgia

"The content and format of the course was excellent and the resources provided were invaluable!" Peggi Kriegbaum Fresno Pacific University

"I loved that true adult education principles were applied in this course.  The flexibility, the personalization, and the collegiality were exceptional!" Glenda Ballard, St. Edward's University