WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Funded on a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), a task force comprised of representatives of leading national organizations in online and e-learning in higher education, has issued a report on the future of online learning in higher education. The Task Force includes representatives from the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC), the Association of Continuing Higher Education (ACHE), EDUCAUSE, the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C), UPCEA and the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET).

The Summit on the Future of Online Learning held in Chicago in September 2011 addressed many of the issues facing online learning in higher education today. An outcome of the Summit was a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to convene an Inter-Organizational Task Force on Online Learning.

"Each of these organizations is deeply engaged in the development, delivery and support of high quality online education," said Robert Hansen, CEO of UPCEA."This report lays the foundation for working together with the goal of advancing the interests of the students and institutions we serve through quality online learning."

The report, issued October 3rd, 2012, calls for several action steps to achieve that goal:

"This is a unique initiative among the leading national associations in online and e-learning in higher education," said Ray Schroeder, Chair of the Task Force and Associate Vice Chancellor at the University of Illinois at Springfield."In the rapidly evolving online environment, it is important that we draw upon the knowledge and experience of those who represent the colleges and universities who have demonstrated their commitment to quality and innovation in this field."

Please visit http://www.upcea.edu to view the full report.

Contact: Robert J. Hansen, Ph.D. Chief Executive Officer University Professional & Continuing Education Association rhansen@upcea.edu 202-659-3130

Ray Schroeder Associate VCAA for Online Learning University of Illinois Springfield Schroeder.ray@uis.edu 217-206-7531

SOURCE University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA)

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Online learning organizations create a national e-learning alliance to promote access to quality higher education online