{"678584":{"#nid":"678584","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Center for 21st Century Universities Recipient of UPCEA Research and Scholarship Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U) at Georgia Tech is thrilled to announce its receipt of the 2025 UPCEA Research and Scholarship Award, which recognizes significant new research with implications for professional practice in online and professional continuing higher education. In addition to the center itself, several key team members were individually recognized: Executive Director Stephen Harmon, Director of Research in Education Innovation Jeonghyun (Jonna) Lee, and Research Scientist Meryem Y\u0131lmaz Soylu.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are honored to receive this recognition, highlighting our commitment to excellence and innovation in education. At C21U, we foster thought leadership through research, experimentation, design, prototyping, and implementation. We aim to define the next generation of educational practices and technologies by enhancing educational technology design, building vital community connections, and supporting Georgia Tech\u2019s mission of developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.\u201d Harmon said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EC21U\u2019s latest projects include studies using machine learning (ML) techniques to improve engagement and foster higher-order thinking in online learning environments. Yilmaz Soylu explained, \u201cOur research compared students\u0027 cognitive and behavioral engagement patterns to provide actionable insights for instructional designers and instructors. Besides enhancing learning experiences, our findings could increase online degree and professional certificate program success rates.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe have also researched and developed AI-enhanced tools for instructors and curriculum developers to boost learner engagement and improve completion rates. Additionally, we have created models to identify applicants based on their skills and predict those most likely to complete online master\u2019s programs. The impact of large language model AI on adult students\u2019 learning processes has also been a focus of our studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe remain committed to shaping the future of lifetime learning through our ongoing projects, such as using generative and transformer-based natural language models to detect durable skills in written documents and dialogue. These initiatives enhance our online programs, empowering students to succeed and fostering continuous personal and professional growth.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis recognition inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of educational research. At C21U, we are dedicated to leveraging AI technology and data-driven approaches to address the unique challenges of large-scale online learning. We are excited to see how our work shapes the future of accessible, high-quality, and transformative online education programs,\u201d Lee stated.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUPCEA, the online and professional education association, recognizes its members\u0027 contributions to the field and innovative achievements since 1953. The UPCEA Association Awards program honors individual and institutional accomplishments, with recipients celebrated at the 2025 Annual Conference, March 24-26, in Denver, Colorado.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EC21U was recognized with the 2025 UPCEA Research and Scholarship Award, which recognizes significant new research with implications for professional practice in online and professional continuing higher education.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The award recognizes C21U for its innovative research that impacts professional practice in online and continuing higher education."}],"uid":"33969","created_gmt":"2024-11-21 15:56:15","changed_gmt":"2024-11-21 15:59:54","author":"ymrv3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2024-11-21T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-11-21T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675695":{"id":"675695","type":"image","title":"UPCEA-Award2025.jpg","body":null,"created":"1732204591","gmt_created":"2024-11-21 15:56:31","changed":"1732204591","gmt_changed":"2024-11-21 15:56:31","alt":"The C21U UPCEA Award recipients.","file":{"fid":"259349","name":"UPCEA-Award2025.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/11\/21\/UPCEA-Award2025.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/11\/21\/UPCEA-Award2025.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":349797,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/11\/21\/UPCEA-Award2025.jpg?itok=9pjVQpEb"}}},"media_ids":["675695"],"groups":[{"id":"66244","name":"C21U"},{"id":"660375","name":"Lifetime Learning"}],"categories":[{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"116471","name":"education technology"},{"id":"180401","name":"#gtinnovation"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ymrv3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYelena M. Rivera-Vale, M.A.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(she\/her(s)\/ella)\u003Cbr\u003ECommunications Program Manager\u003Cbr\u003ECenter for 21st Century Universities\u003Cbr\u003ECollege of Lifetime Learning\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ymrv3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}