Leaders in Online and Professional Continuing Education

Overview of Professional, Continuing, and Online Education - May 2023

  • Registration Closed

Faculty Member

Dr. Amy Heitzman

Cost

Members: $459.00

Non-Members: $599.00

Description

What are the various ways universities organize and empower their units for professional, continuing, and online 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 professional, continuing, and online 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 professional, continuing, and online 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 PCO 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 PCO professionals, who seek a deeper understanding of the history of professional, continuing, and online education and it's place within the higher education landscape. 

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. The schedule for the weekly meetings is below: 

Tuesday, May 16, 2:00-3:00 PM ET: Welcome, Course Introduction
Tuesday, May 23, 2:00-3:00 PM ET Week 1
Tuesday, May 30, 2:00-3:00 PM ET: Week 2
Tuesday, June 6, 2:00-3:00 PM ET: Week 3
Friday, June 16, 2:00-3:00 PM ET: Week 4 and Course Wrap Up 

Amy Heitzman

Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Chief Learning Officer

UPCEA

With degrees in art history from the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago, Amy began her career in museum education, developing programs and training museum educators at various university art museums, as well as the Art Institute of Chicago and the Dallas Museum of Art. In 2002, after having served as Education Director for the Meadows Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University, her interest in adult learners led her to the directorship of SMU’s Continuing Education unit.

Over the course of the next decade, she expanded the unit’s reach into the community and on campus, transforming the role of Continuing Education at SMU into one of broad, inter-disciplinary collaboration. As Executive Director of Continuing and Professional Education, Amy directed a new strategic vision for the unit, effectively doubling the number of programs offered and students served, increasing the university’s capacity to more deeply engage with its community. While at SMU, Amy served in various leadership roles including board membership in the SMU Staff Association and the Hegi Family Career Center and as an appointed member of the Presidential Council for Community Engagement and the Faculty and Staff Committee of the Second Century Capital Campaign.

It was during her time at SMU that she earned graduate certificates in marketing and nonprofit leadership, as well as the M.Ed. Amy earned her doctorate in Higher Education Administration at The University of Texas at Austin in 2014, and her dissertation focused on female student veterans in higher education. Her current research agenda is broad and involves examinations of nontraditional learners, the experiences of student veterans—particularly those of female student veterans, as well as comparative studies of international higher education systems.

Prior to joining the UPCEA staff, Amy was deeply engaged as a volunteer leader for the organization, having served as Chair of the South Region, Vice-Chair of the Leadership and Management Commission, a member of the Board of Directors, and as Chair of the national Membership Committee and Regional Cabinet.

Amy lives in Rockville, Maryland, with her husband, Brandt, and their two children.

See what past participants have said 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."


Key:

Complete
Failed
Available
Locked
Welcome and Course Overview
Course Description
Read Content
Course Faculty Member & Support
Read Content
Competencies
Read Content
Course Requirements and Schedule
Agree to terms to continue.
Agree to terms to continue. The following activities are required for successful completion of this course. A badge will be issued at the end of the course if all requirements have been met.
Video: Course Introduction
View Content
View Content Please view the the media content for this week.
Course Overview and Welcome - Video Conference Meeting - Tuesday 05/16/2023, 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM (Eastern)
05/16/2023 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 05/19/2023
05/16/2023 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 05/19/2023 Join Zoom Meeting: https://upcea.zoom.us/j/88175955357?pwd=NXF2M3Jzci83Z05QcVVOak4yYyszdz09
Week 1
Week 1 Overview
Read Content
Week 1 Virtual Field Trip
Review the Content to Continue
Review the Content to Continue How are PCO units organized? In advance of our live session, examine the following selection of media which illustrate brief examples of some of the varied ways the PCO enterprise is structured and located in today’s higher education landscape.
Week 1 Readings
Click here to access the weekly readings
Click here to access the weekly readings In advance of our live session, please set aside some time for reviewing this collection of materials which together offer background on the mission and context of contemporary PCO units:
Week 1: Videos and Guest Speakers
View View Content
View View Content In advance of our live session, please visit these short, self-captured videos of esteemed leaders in UPCEA, each offering perspectives and reflections on their particular institutional context and what that positionality means in terms of their missions and outcomes:
Week 1 Discussion: Organizational Structure
Enter Discussion
Enter Discussion In advance of our live session, please respond to these prompts with a short reflection each (half page/approximately 125 words per prompt)
Week 1 - Video Conference Meeting - Tuesday 05/23/2023, 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM (Eastern)
05/23/2023 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 05/25/2023
05/23/2023 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 05/25/2023 Join Zoom Meeting: https://upcea.zoom.us/j/88175955357?pwd=NXF2M3Jzci83Z05QcVVOak4yYyszdz09
Week 1 Reflection - Due 05/29
Graded as Pass/Fail
Graded as Pass/Fail Due May 29. In a one page/approximately 250 word reflection, please respond to the following:
Week 2
Week 2 Overview
Read Content
Week 2 Virtual Field Trip
View Content
View Content Who is the adult learner? In advance of our live session, examine the following selection of media which illustrate brief examples of some of the varied and changing demographics of audiences served by PCO units.
Week 2 Readings
Read Content
Read Content In advance of our live session, please set aside some time for reviewing this collection of materials which together offer background on the trajectory of today’s learner:
Week 2 Videos and Guest Speakers
View Content
View Content In advance of our live session, please visit these short, self-captured videos of esteemed leaders in UPCEA, each offering perspectives and reflections on today’s learner and the ways in which they are addressing PCO in service of today’s changing world of work:
Week 2 Discussion: Serving Adult Learners
Read Content
Read Content In advance of our 5/30 live session, and after engaging with this module’s pre-activities, please respond to these prompts with a short reflection to each (half page/approximately 125 words per prompt):
Week 2 - Video Conference Meeting - Tuesday 05/30/2023, 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM (Eastern)
05/30/2023 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 06/02/2023
05/30/2023 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 06/02/2023 Join Zoom Meeting: https://upcea.zoom.us/j/88175955357?pwd=NXF2M3Jzci83Z05QcVVOak4yYyszdz09
Week 2 Reflection - Due 06/05
Graded as Pass/Fail
Graded as Pass/Fail Due June 5. In a one page/approximately 250 word reflection, please respond to the following:
Week 3
Week 3 Overview
Read Content
Week 3 Virtual Field Trip
View Content
View Content How do PCO units define their mission and aspirations? What are some of the current regulatory challenges facing PCO contexts? In advance of our live session, examine the following selection of media which illustrate brief examples of some of the most timely policy and regulatory issues facing PCO right now.
Week 3 Readings
Read Content
Read Content In advance of our live session, please set aside some time for reviewing this collection of materials which together offer background on the policy and regulatory landscape of higher education.
Week 3 Videos and Guest Speakers
View Content
View Content In advance of our live session, please visit these short, self-captured videos of esteemed leaders in UPCEA, each offering perspectives and reflections on the ways in which they are meeting mission in the context of laws, regulations, policies, governance, and institutional environment relevant to the PCO enterprise.
Week 3 Discussion: Policy and Regulatory Context
Read Content
Read Content In advance of our 6/6 live session, and after engaging with this module’s pre-activities, please respond to these prompts with a short reflection each (half page/approximately 125 words per prompt):
Week 3 - Video Conference Meeting - Tuesday 06/06/2023, 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM (Eastern)
06/06/2023 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 06/12/2023
06/06/2023 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 06/12/2023 Join Zoom Meeting: https://upcea.zoom.us/j/88175955357?pwd=NXF2M3Jzci83Z05QcVVOak4yYyszdz09
Week 3 Reflection - Due 06/12
Graded as Pass/Fail
Graded as Pass/Fail In a one page/approximately 250 word reflection, please respond to the prompt:
Week 4
Week 4 Overview
Read Content
Week 4 Virtual Field Trip
View Content
View Content How do PCO units evaluate and demonstrate their effectiveness and success? How can PCO professionals stay current with active learning? How can we support an atmosphere of integrity, respect, and high standards? In advance of our live session, examine the following selection of media which illustrate brief examples of some of the ways in which goals of continuous improvement and commitment to excellence are wielded in PCO communities.
Week 4 Readings
Read Content
Read Content In advance of our live session, please set aside some time for reviewing this collection of materials which together offer background around ways in which PCO units evaluate and demonstrate effectiveness, how we collaborate for success, and how we develop and encourage professionalism.
Week 4 Videos and Guest Speakers
View Content
View Content In advance of our live session, please visit these short, self-captured videos of esteemed leaders in UPCEA, each offering perspectives and reflections on the ways in which they are leading efforts to evaluate and demonstrate the value of PCO, think strategically and creatively, and lead with integrity and professionalism.
Week 4 Discussion: Professionalism and Evaluating Success
In advance of our 6/16 live session, and after engaging with this module’s pre-activities, please respond to these prompts with a short reflection each (half page/approximately 125 words per prompt).
Week 4 - Video Conference Meeting - Friday 06/16/2023, 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM (Eastern)
06/16/2023 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 06/23/2023
06/16/2023 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 06/23/2023 Join Zoom Meeting: https://upcea.zoom.us/j/88175955357?pwd=NXF2M3Jzci83Z05QcVVOak4yYyszdz09
Week 4 Activity: Final Reflection Due 06/23
Graded as Pass/Fail
Graded as Pass/Fail In a one page/approximately 250 word reflection, please respond to the following