Ohio State launches streamlined Professional and Continuing Education portal

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Ohio State launches streamlined Professional and Continuing Education portal

New site allows users to access broad array of courses in one location

To assist working professionals in gaining in-demand skills to advance their careers, The Ohio State University has launched a new Professional and Continuing Education (PCE) portal.

The streamlined site enables users to access Ohio State's PCE resources through one location, said Jason Lemon, vice provost and dean of online learning in the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA).

"Previously, when departments or colleges wanted to make something available to the public, they had to create stand-alone webpages," he said. "They had to find ways to have people connect into the registration system. It was not a straightforward or an easily accessible thing."

By bringing together colleges and units from across the university, the PCE portal makes it easier for users to explore Ohio State's wide array of noncredit and continuing education offerings, Lemon said.

Before the new portal's launch, "it was not uncommon for us to see 50,000 people getting into noncredit, public-based courses in a year. But those people were finding specific things, as opposed to being able to view the broader offerings," he said.

"This system allows the public as well as our own campus to really see the breadth and the depth of noncredit and publicly available courses."

The new PCE portal and its registration process enable both the public and those affiliated with Ohio State to experience learning through the university in a flexible way, said Jessica Philips, senior director of OAA's Professional and Continuing Education unit.

"We've launched the new Professional and Continuing Education portal in a way that is centralized, easy to find and designed to support our land-grant mission," she said. "Ohio State can educate and reach people across the state."

Ohio State's noncredit and continuing education offerings support Gov. Mike DeWine's workforce development initiatives, said Ben Kitchen, OAA online marketing manager.

"They're all career-focused, career-aligned certificates that are conceived with industry in mind," now available through the new PCE portal, he said. "We're very much focused on the state of Ohio with these courses and how we can empower Ohioans and Ohio business owners to ensure their organization is primed for success and to meet the workforce needs of tomorrow."

The PCE portal also supports Ohio State President Walter "Ted" Carter Jr.'s Education for Citizenship 2035strategic plan, Lemon said.

"We're trying to open the door to what Ohio State has to offer. We're trying to show people that we are accessible and we're responding to the needs of our communities and that we're helping the people of Ohio to participate in the best that Ohio State has to offer," he said.

"We have a lot of great things to offer through the university, and we want to make sure people have a chance to explore and experience a teaching and learning opportunity with us."

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