UPCEA AI Lab: Leveraging AI in Enrollment and Retention Management
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Speakers
Vickie Cook
Cost
$159.00
Description
UPCEA AI Lab: Leveraging AI in Enrollment and Retention Management is a one‑week, five‑day focused AI Lab for higher education professionals engaged in recruitment, admissions, retention, student success, institutional research, and enrollment management leadership.
Participants will:
- Grasp foundational AI concepts and ethical imperatives, focused on enrollment management contexts
- Explore real-world AI tools across recruitment, CRMs, engaging with peers, retention, student support, and admissions strategy
- Engage in structured synchronous sessions that allow for peer-to-peer collaboration, reflection, and design thinking
- Apple learnings to institutional strategy immediately
- Develop a tailored, 1-page AI Action Plan—a capstone blueprint to implement AI responsibly in your workflow
- Confront the ethical and equity challenges inherent in deploying AI in enrollment management, including bias, transparency, and governance
Who Should Take this Course?
Higher education professionals engaged in recruitment, admissions, retention, student success, institutional research, and enrollment management leadership
Format and Schedule
This is a one-week course that will consist of daily asynchronous activities and two one-hour live sessions on Monday, October 13th and Wednesday, October 15th at 4:00 ET.
Vickie Cook
Vice Chancellor, Online, Professional, and Engaged Learning
University of Illinois Springfield
Vickie Cook, Ph.D., is Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Retention Management the University of Illinois Springfield. Previously, Cook served as Associate Vice President of Innovation and Technology, and Dean of the School of Education and Director of Online Learning at Greenville University. Cook has published more than 40 journal articles and book chapters in a variety of national educational publications, and serves as a peer reviewer for six of the top journals in the field of Online Learning and Education. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and an M.A. in Adult Education from Capella University, and completed her B.A. at Western Illinois University.
Key:
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Day 1: The AI Era in Higher Ed Enrollment Management
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
Define AI. Map enrollment management pain points. Explore trends.
Listen to these enrollment management professionals explore the impact of AI in the enrollment management area.
Day 1: Beyond the Hype Report
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
Beyond the Hype: Understanding and Unlocking AI's Potential in Enrollment Management. Author: Ben Upton.
Day 2: Educause Ethical Framework
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
We will explore the Ethical Framework Educause developed that will guide institutional adoption for AI use. Review the paper written by Maya Georgieva and John Stuart at the link below.
Day 2 2025 EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
The 2025 EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study, summarizes sentiments and experiences related to strategy and leadership, policies and guidelines, use cases, the higher education workforce, and the institutional digital divide.
Day 2: Higher Education’s AI Dilemma: Powerful Tools, Dangerous Tradeoffs
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
Predictive AI in higher ed promises student success, but experts warn it's fueling bias, violating privacy and outpacing governance.
Day 2 Discussion
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
After reading Emily Barnes’ “Higher Education’s AI Dilemma” and the EDUCAUSE framework, what ethical concerns (e.g., bias, transparency, privacy) are most urgent for your campus? How can your role help address them?
Day 3 How universities are using AI
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now crucial in many industries, and higher education is no exception. AI has found its way into university admissions processes and changed the way institutions assess and select potential students. The admissions process is known for being labour-intensive, subjective, and inefficient. This makes it an ideal area for AI to step in. The introduction of AI in admissions has transformed the process of university admissions.
Day 3 Discussion
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Prompt: Choose one tool (e.g., Drift, Unibuddy, Element451 or any other tool you choose to explore) that you or your team uses or is considering. What are the benefits? What data does it rely on? What ethical considerations might accompany its use?
Day 3 Enrollment Management Operational Tools Discussion
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Make 1 discussion post to continue.
As soon as we publish a list of AI tools, many things will change. here is a brief list for you to consider exploring.
Tools to Explore that are Generative AI tools.
ChatGPT (https://chat.openai.com/)
Grammarly (https://www.grammarly.com/)
Canva AI tools (https://www.canva.com/ai/)
Synthesia (https://www.synthesia.io/)
Perplexity.ai (https://www.perplexity.ai/)
Find and Post to this site Enrollment Management Operational tools that you are using in your ERM operations. For instance, we are using Niche Direct Admit for AI support with direct admissions and communication. What tools are you using or considering?
Reading: A Road Map for Leveraging AI at a Smaller Institution
Recorded 10/15/2025 | 60 minutes
Recorded 10/15/2025 | 60 minutes
Educause: Smaller institutions and others may not have the staffing and resources needed to explore and take advantage of developments in artificial intelligence (AI) on their campuses. This article provides a roadmap to help institutions with more limited resources advance AI use on their campuses.
Day 4: Georgia State University uses Behavioral Intelligence
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
Recorded 08/13/2025 | 60 minutes
How Georgia State University uses Behavioral Intelligence to improve student retention and persistence
AI Payoff vs. the Web
Recorded 09/09/2025 | 60 minutes
Recorded 09/09/2025 | 60 minutes
A look at the ROI of AI by Kathleen Ives
Day 5 Discussion
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Prompt: Review a peer’s AI Action Plan. What suggestions can you offer to enhance feasibility, impact, or ethical alignment?
Day 5: Final Assignment
Passing Grade: C
Passing Grade: C
Submit a one-page AI Action Plan focused on a real-world enrollment management operational function at your institution. This can include recruitment, marketing, retention, student support, or CRM optimization or another functional area that benefits your work.
Your plan should include:
• Area of Focus and Goal
• Proposed AI Tool or Approach
• Key Data Inputs Required
• Stakeholders and Governance Plan
• Ethical or Equity Considerations
I'm looking forward to reading both your work and your review of others.
