Conferences
OLC Innovate 2026 | Online Learning Consortium (OLC)
Date: March 3–5, 2026
Location: Virtual (Online)
OLC Innovate brings together educators and changemakers of all experience levels to share best practices, test bold ideas, and collaborate on advancing online, digital, and blended learning. Participants will challenge traditional teaching paradigms, reimagine the learning experience, and explore how today’s disruptions are shaping the innovative classroom of tomorrow.
SXSW EDU 2026 | SXSW
Date: March 9–12, 2026
Location: Austin, TX
SXSW EDU features 300+ sessions and workshops over four dynamic days in Austin, unlocking inspiration and creativity at every turn. With 15+ films and performances, two competitions, 50+ exhibitions, and 120+ mentorship and networking opportunities, the event sparks bold new possibilities across the education landscape.
ITC 2026 Annual eLearning Conference | ITC
Date: March 13–15, 2026
Location: Austin, TX
The ITC Annual eLearning Conference invites educators, instructional designers, and administrators to “Keep eLearning Weird” by challenging the status quo of digital education. Participants will explore bold innovations, experiment with unconventional approaches, and connect with a boundary-pushing community dedicated to creating engaging, effective, and unique learning experiences.
Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference 2026 | AAC&U
Date: March 18–20, 2026
Location: Virtual (Online)
AAC&U and Project Kaleidoscope invite reformers to the fully virtual Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference to confront recent challenges in undergraduate STEM and recommit to the work ahead. “This Ain’t Over” calls participants to center justice, courage, and capacity-building as they reframe setbacks as opportunities and continue advancing meaningful, lasting progress in STEM higher education.
Higher Learning 2026 | Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
Date: March 21–24, 2026
Location: Chicago, IL
Higher Learning 2026 convenes professionals shaping the future of higher education to explore how accreditation can drive continuous improvement and ensure high-quality, transformative learning experiences. Attendees exchange ideas, discover innovative strategies, and build the skills needed to strengthen institutional impact and leadership in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Articles
U.S. Plans to Stop Funding Low-Earning Degrees. Indiana May Just End Them | Inside Higher Ed
Indiana is close to passing state legislation that would not only follow, but extend, the Federal Do No Harm earnings test, which requires that college programs demonstrate their students earn more than someone with only a high school diploma. While the federal law cuts off students attending failing programs from receiving student loans, Indiana’s Senate Bill 199 would altogether end such programs.
Florida Hands Down Sociology Curriculum to State Colleges | Inside Higher Ed
Beginning this summer, the Florida Department of Education has mandated that all public college instructors in the state will have to use a state curriculum for introductory sociology courses. The state’s education department is likely to begin similar curriculum guidance for other areas of study in the near future.
Can Drexel’s New President Make the University into a Household Name? | Higher Ed Dive
In an interview, Drexel University President Antonio Merlo discusses enrollment drops, the importance of learning by doing, and transforming Drexel’s academic status quo. Merlo is trying to guide the Philadelphia private nonprofit through some of the many challenges higher education is currently confronting.
International Enrollment is Under Pressure. How Can Colleges Respond? | Higher Ed Dive
University leaders expect declining international enrollment as federal visa and immigration policies grow more restrictive. To combat the ripple effects of these changes, many schools are trying to recruit students in new markets, expand online pathways, and grow their collaborations with other universities.
Lawsuits Test New Legal Theories about What Causes Social Media Addiction | EdSurge
Plaintiffs in a wave of lawsuits filed against social media companies are pursuing a new legal strategy, claiming it is the design of social media platforms and not the content that is harming young people. Legal experts say that what sets this new strategy apart from past lawsuits is that plaintiffs are charging that the platforms were purposefully designed to be “addictive.”
From Bedside to Blackboard: Practical Strategies to Support New Nursing Faculty | Faculty Focus
Nursing programs are hiring an increasing number of experienced clinicians to fill teaching openings, though these new faculty often have little formal preparation to teach in the classroom. Five practical strategies nursing programs can implement to better support these novice educators are discussed, including early clarification of their new roles, pairing new faculty with teaching mentors, and offering targeted professional development opportunities.
Artificial Intelligence
Meet AVA: Blackboard’s AI-Powered Virtual Assistant for Faculty | UCMB: Divisional of Information Technology
Blackboard Ultra has introduced an AI-powered virtual assistant in Blackboard designed to help faculty save time by summarizing rubric feedback, refining comments, and generating real-time answers to common student questions based on course content.
‘AI didn’t cause this, but AI is revealing it’: Utah professor lectures on AI’s effect in higher education | The Pitt News
Professor Hollis Robbins argues that AI is revealing deep structural flaws in higher education by easily delivering the same general knowledge universities teach, and urges a shift toward cultivating expert, irreplaceable knowledge that AI cannot generate.
An Ancient Answer to AI-Generated Writing | Inside Higher Ed
Stephen Kidd proposes that privileging speaking over traditional research essays, drawing on ancient rhetorical education, can counter the challenges posed by AI writing tools and restore authentic student expression and thinking in higher education.
What your students are actually doing with GenAI | Times Higher Education
Survey findings at the University of Westminster suggest that students are using GenAI in ways that reflect growing digital literacy, agency, and thoughtful engagement with learning, such as using AI to support but not replace their own thinking.
The AI disruption in engineering education: an analysis of changing student norms through cultural historical activity theory | Journal of Computing in Higher Education
Engineering students’ use of generative AI is transforming educational norms by altering learning goals, student autonomy, and teacher roles—revealing tensions between traditional practices and AI-enabled expectations that institutions must address.
Honorlock’s Student AI Survey | Honorlock
A survey of 1,005 U.S. college students shows most students use AI for coursework and expect it to be part of their future careers, but few have access to formal AI training at their institutions, highlighting a growing gap between student practice and campus support.
The worst AI strategy in higher ed is no strategy at all | University Business
Kelsey Behringer contends that having no AI strategy in higher education creates confusion and conflict, and calls for clear, evolving institutional visions that integrate AI into curriculum and policy to better support learning and future career competencies.
Ed Tech
Best AI Tools for College Students: A Guide for Higher Ed | Ed Tech Magazine
Campuses can thoughtfully evaluate and adopt AI tools like Grammarly for writing support, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot embedded in productivity suites, and NotebookLM for research and study assistance, while balancing benefits with concerns around cost, data privacy, academic integrity, and responsible use.
Active Learning Classrooms Foster Collaboration Among Students | Ed Tech Magazine
In active-learning classrooms, instructors break up traditional lectures with intentional activities that leverage tools like online polling (such as Poll Everywhere), idea sharing, and collaboration among students.
Multiverse partners with the AA to launch AI for Business Value Apprenticeship course | Ed Tech Innovation Hub
Multiverse and AA launch an AI for Business Value Apprenticeship program that will train 50 AA employees in hands-on AI skills designed to deliver measurable business impact, equipping them with technical fluency, data understanding, and AI responsibility strategies.
When Machines Think, Human Thinking Must Go Higher | Ed Surge
AI tools that can summarize texts, generate essays, and mimic academic voice are flattening traditional cognitive benchmarks in education; thus, educators must design learning that requires interpretation, credibility evaluation, and cross-disciplinary reasoning rather than rote recall, using AI to support deeper thinking.
Digital Holistic Student Supports Initiative Aims to Improve How Colleges Use Technology to Support Students | Campus Technology
A new Gates Foundation-funded Digital Holistic Student Supports Initiative provides a $500,000 grant to participating institutions that co-design and test integrated digital tools and data systems, such as unified data platforms, dashboards, and predictive analytics.
Tool to Try – Peergrade | Peergrade by HundrED
Peergrade is a free online platform with customizable rubrics that enables students to anonymously give structured peer feedback and assess each other’s work, while giving teachers oversight of submissions and feedback quality.
Podcasts
Higher Education After Its Peak | The World of Higher Education
A deep discussion with futurist Bryan Alexander about demographic shifts, AI’s impact, and strategies institutions can use to navigate what may be a declining phase in higher education.
What Does Pre-K to PhD Look Like at the Only Christian School to Offer It? | The EdUp Experience
Dr. Keith Newman (Southern Nazarene University) discusses an unusual cradle-to-career model and what this means for educational continuity.
Why AI Might Help Us Be Human Again | The EdUp Experience
A discussion with Dr. Dave Schippers on how educational integration of AI could humanize learning rather than depersonalize it.
Will a Flood of Credentials Threaten the Four-Year Degree? | FutureU Podcast
Colleges have rapidly expanded non-degree credentials, but new research shows only about one-third deliver strong economic returns, prompting a conversation with Matt Sigelman of the Burning Glass Institute about improving transparency around ROI and how the value of credentials is closely linked to traditional degrees.
The 3-Year Degree With Robert Zemsky | Inside Higher Ed
Higher-ed researcher Robert Zemsky discusses his push for three-year bachelor’s degrees, arguing that student “product rejection” signals the need for shorter, more flexible programs and encouraging institutions to experiment rather than cling to traditional models.
Use your brain!’ And other pointers from a seasoned computer scientist on using AI in research | Campus Talks
As AI’s computing power and capabilities rapidly expand, computer scientist Karin Verspoor discusses how researchers can effectively use AI to accelerate discovery—particularly in biomedical and clinical fields—while thoughtfully managing its risks and limitations in academic research.
Reports
Clearinghouse Enrollment Insights Series: Final Fall Enrollment Trends | National Student Clearinghouse Research Center
Final fall 2025 data show modest overall enrollment growth, led by gains at community colleges and public four-year institutions, while private colleges and international graduate enrollment declined—highlighting continued volatility in postsecondary participation.
Distance Education Enrollment Surges Nationwide | Inside Higher Ed
National data indicate continued growth in online and hybrid course participation, underscoring sustained student demand for flexible learning models even as participation varies significantly by state.
Varying Degrees 2025 | New America
Americans across political and demographic groups share more common ground on higher education than public debate suggests, with broad agreement on affordability, workforce relevance, and practical outcomes—offering institutions guidance on rebuilding trust and communicating value.
State Opportunity Index (2025) | Strada Education Foundation
The 2025 Index estimates that 70% of recent public college graduates will experience a positive ROI within 10 years and benchmarks states across five keys—Clear Outcomes, Quality Coaching, Affordability, Work-Based Learning, and Employer Alignment—providing a framework for aligning academic programs with workforce opportunity.
How Instructors Regulate AI in College: Evidence from 31,000 Course Syllabi | UC Berkeley Center for Studies in Higher Education
Analysis of 31,000 syllabi shows faculty are shifting from blanket AI prohibitions toward more nuanced, task-specific policies—restricting AI where it undermines skill development and permitting it where it enhances learning—signaling evolving instructional norms in an AI era.
Job Outlook 2026 | National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
Employers project steady hiring for the Class of 2026, with 25% increasing hires and strong emphasis on internships, industry experience, and demonstrated competencies. The report also finds 13.3% of jobs—and 10.5% of entry-level roles—require AI skills, while most employers are augmenting rather than replacing early-career roles with AI.
Connected Education Report, Fourth Edition | Salesforce
Surveying 1,500+ students and 500+ higher education leaders globally, this report finds rising student expectations for faster communication, personalized support, and stronger career preparation, alongside faculty and staff optimism that AI can reduce administrative burden and free time for higher-value teaching, advising, and student connection.
Webinars
The Death of the Checkbox: How to Automate Feedback for Complex Learner Answers | Training Magazine Network
Date: Tuesday, March 3, 12 pm ET
Location: Virtual (Online)
Learn how to move beyond multiple choice assessments without the heavy lift of manual feedback. This webinar will showcase how to utilize AI to scale personalized, rubric-aligned feedback for self-paced learners.
The Future of Video Search in Canvas: How AI Is Changing The Way Students Learn | Instructure
Date: Thursday, March 26, 11 am ET
Location: Virtual (Online)
Hear from Instructure, Panopto, and University of Nevada, Las Vegas on how institutions are transforming video in Canvas, harnessing the AI-powered capabilities of Panopto to boost comprehension and retention and shift away from passive learning.
The AI Model Matchmaker: Pairing AI Tools with QM Standards for Course Design Excellence | Quality Matters
Date: Friday, March 27, 1 pm ET
Location: Virtual (Online)
Discover which AI models work best for different aspects of course design and leave with a practical matchmaking matrix to align AI seamlessly with QM Standards.
