Overview of Online and Professional Continuing Education - January 2026
Includes Multiple Live Events. The next is on 01/06/2026 at 2:00 PM (EST)
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Register
- Non-member - $599
- Member - $459
Faculty Member
Ryan Torma, Associate Dean of Professional Development and Lifelong Learning at the University of Minnesota
Cost
Members: $459.00
Non-Members: $599.00
Description
What are the various ways universities organize and empower their units for online and professional continuing education? What are some unique features and approaches within these entities, particularly in how they address the educational needs of adult learners? This course provides a broad understanding of the variety of roles and models for online and professional continuing education across the academic landscape -- and the issues and opportunities they face. This course also looks at internal organizational structures, skill sets, and staffing, and discusses professionalism and the role that UPCEA plays in networking and educating those in this domain.
Topics Covered
- Benefits and challenges of various online and professional continuing education models
- The history of continuing education
- Analyzing online education at your institution
- Federal regulations and accreditation
Learning Objectives
- Differentiate between different structures and reporting homes for units of professional and continuing education.
- Identify and discuss the benefits and challenges of various models.
- Reflect on the history of continuing education.
- Identify key considerations for developing new programs.
- Identify internal and external regulators in higher education.
- Recognize the direct causal connections between federal regulations, accreditation, and institutional culture.
Who should take this course?
This course is designed for new and mid-career higher education professionals who seek a deeper understanding of the history of online and professional continuing education and it's place within the higher education landscape.
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 on Tuesday afternoons at 1:00 ET.
Dr. David Schejbal
President, Excelsior University
David Schejbal, Ph.D., is President of Excelsior University. He served as Vice President and Chief of Digital Learning at Marquette University before assuming the presidency at Excelsior. Prior to Marquette, he was dean of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Extension. In that role, Schejbal helped launch the new UW Flexible Option, the first system-wide competency-based, self-paced learning option in the nation. Schejbal also previously held leadership roles at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University. Schejbal writes and speaks broadly about the future of higher education and how that future is shaped by social, economic, technological, and political forces. In 2012, he was one of the founding members of C-BEN: The Competency-Based Education Network: A National Consortium for the Development of Higher Education Models. Schejbal holds a doctorate from the University of Connecticut, and a B.A. from Iowa State University.
Ryan Torma
Associate Dean of Professional Development and Lifelong Learning
University of Minnesota
Ryan Torma Ed.D. is the Associate Dean of Professional Development and Lifelong Learning at the University of Minnesota. He leads a dynamic team that offers professional development and continuing education courses, certificates, events, and conferences. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota in this role, he has worked as a leader, faculty member, and designer supporting online, professional, and continuing education programs at a variety of higher education institutions large and small, public and private. Ryan is passionate about how online, professional, and continuing education programs provide accessible and affordable higher education pathways that help people grow personally and professionally. Ryan has also been a leader in the UPCEA community and has served as the co-chair of the Council for Credential Innovation, a mentor in the UPlift program, and a member of the Convergence and Central Region planning committees.
Dr. Reba-Anna Lee
Assistant Dean, Distance Learning, School of Professional Studies
Northwestern University
Dr. Reba-Anna Lee received her doctorate in Educational Technology in August 2006 from Alliant International University. She completed her Masters and Bachelors at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to joining Northwestern in 2015, she was the Associate Director of Academic Technology and eLearning at Marist College in New York. Her background includes over 10 years of K-12 experience, as well as over 15 years of higher education administrative and teaching experience.
Dr. Lee has experience working with faculty in implementing new technologies in their classroom, whether it is face to face, blended or completely online. Heading into the post pandemic era, she plans to continue to be an advocate for the online student experience.
See what past participants have to say about this course:
"This class should be required for any person entering the PCO division for the first time. I wish I had taken this class five years ago when I first started working in this sector."
"The value of the connections, information sharing and perspectives of peers has been invaluable."
"This course was incredibly helpful in leading me through the history of PCO and how that looks at my institution and gave me some incredible insight into some of the ways I could be working toward positioning myself for a leadership role."
"Great experience and perspectives on topics we are all dealing with. I really enjoyed his interviews with other Dean's that we watched early on in the course."
"I very much enjoyed the conversations among so many great colleagues sharing their experiences. This is very helpful to me knowing what others are doing, brainstorming with them, and sharing experiences, both good and bad, and how we can improve those that didn't work for us. Thank you so much for letting me be part of this wonderful educational experience!"
"The course provided a solid overview of the PCO field. The best part of the course content was the set of interviews with current and former leaders of PCO units. The interviewees were engaging, thoughtful, refreshingly candid, and, in the case of Dr. Wingard, inspiring. I was pleased to see that there was some diversity in both the interviewees and the organizational structures and universities they represented."
"The Dean at my institution asked me my opinion about the courses. I spoke highly of the curriculum and instructors. He said he wished more of my colleagues would give them a try."
"The content was excellent. I especially liked how each module focused on a different aspect, bringing together understanding the adult learner from a variety of aspects such as motivations, marketing, and content."
"I appreciated the discussion board more than I thought I would. It was great to hear other people's experience and view points of how the topic applied at their institution. I learned a lot from others in this course."
"The overall topics covered and cadence of the course was great. I know there is a lot but I enjoyed how we touched on everything and the rich resources were available to dive deeper."
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