Thousands of online learners join our Institute each year and attend our conferences to benefit from collaborating, networking and developing new eLearning skills. Best of all, our members have a lot of great things to say. Read our customer reviews for online teaching and learning workshops, certificate programs, leadership programs, and educational conferences.
"The Online Teaching Certificate helped me to expand my base beyond the instructors who teach online at my home institution. The most valuable area for me was the interaction with other learners from institutions around the country. It was great to interact on common problems and see multiple solutions."
Dr. Dorothy J. Anthony, DC, DACBN - Keystone College, La Plume, PA (Certificate Program)
"The Quality Scorecard is grounded in research, best practices, and expert opinion, so I know the University is well-served by implementing the self-assessment process and demonstrating our continuous improvement processes and outcomes to accreditors."
Debbie Thorne, Associate VP for Academic Affairs and Professor of Marketing - Texas State University
"The Online Teaching Certificate helped me to expand my base beyond the instructors who teach online at my home institution. The most valuable area for me was the interaction with other learners from institutions around the country. It was great to interact on common problems and see multiple solutions."
“The Online Teaching Certification program was an extremely helpful series of online courses that provided me with tools and best practices to take online teaching to a higher level. I have made great connections with professional contacts and industry experts that I continue to correspond with, despite having completed the program. The individual workshops culminate into a unique program that provides a refreshing academic body of knowledge about online instruction that has amazing practical benefits and applicability, regardless of the size and focus of your institution.”
"The Advanced Certificate Program helped me redesign my course to include learning experiences that will engage students in their learning as well as facilitate students’ understanding of how their learning connects to the course outcomes."
"The workshop will provide you with the tools that you need to revise your course and make it much better than you dreamed it could be."
"This (OLC Advanced Certificate) program encouraged me to develop assignments that promote the application of knowledge in lieu of just understanding. I was exposed to a myriad of available technology to support instruction and the networking and sharing of ideas from colleagues was awesome. A very worthwhile experience."
"The OLC’s Advanced Certificate Program is for online instructors who are ready to challenge themselves to improve their courses and to develop an extreme course makeover during the course. This course is worth every penny and the ideas, networking and collaboration with other online educators equals a valuable experience."
"The Advanced Certificate Program has been more than I anticipated. I learned solid concepts and appreciated the step-by-step approach taught, but I was pleasantly surprised by the level of interaction with other educators taking the program and the rigor that was required. I recommend this program because it was everything I hoped it would be, and because it taught me practical ways to improve online course quality."
"The Online Learning Consortium’s Advanced Online Certificate is well worth the time, even for seasoned online facilitators with two decades of experience. Learn the latest tips for enhancing student engagement through various multimedia tools and collaborate and share with colleagues."
The Advanced Certificate provided me with an opportunity to learn more about current technologies and gave me a chance to learn from my peers who teach online. The facilitator was very helpful and encouraging, and I learned a lot that I can take with me to my institution to facilitate curriculum growth.
"The Online Learning Consortium's Advanced Online Teaching Certificate program provides faculty with opportunities to learn about and directly apply new skills for their online classes. Our faculty members value this professional training as we continue to increase the number of online undergraduate and graduate courses in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. My course instructor and fellow students were great resources during the course."
"Relevant and succinct! This course touches every aspect of quality online course development."
"This was a wonderful opportunity to learn and share with colleagues from around the nation and world. Participating in the Advanced Online Distance Educator Certification provided me with both validation of my current skills and a chance to stretch and become a better online educator."
"I have selected OLC for my professional development based on the reputation of the consortium. In the last two years, I have completed Blended Learning Mastery Series, Online Learning Certification, the Advanced Online Learning Certification, and a few other workshops from the OLC. As stated in an introduction to a course, this advanced certification and other similar programs from the OLC are in place of me working toward a Ph.D. from a graduate program. I place great value in the practical application and delivery. The training is delivered from experts in the field who provide current technology and proven solutions. My available time is limited, so I choose training with the maximum quality to benefit my career."
"The program has been beneficial in expanding my knowledge of online teaching principles and ways to engage students in the virtual classroom."
"This course exceeded my expectations. The course is highly engaging, and it motivated me to take more risks and to add more engaging elements to my online courses. My students will be the ultimate beneficiaries of my participation in this course."
"I enrolled in the OLC Advanced Certification Course with an expectation that I would learn how to improve my ability to deliver the highest quality online education to my students. It was that and more. Being able to interact with education professionals from many backgrounds was educational and inspiring. Their dedication and willingness to share their practices was an added value. I recommend this course to anyone who wants to improve their teaching capabilities and expand their tool kit."
"Within the structure of the certificate program, there was a lot of flexibility to really explore my own course and discover new ways to make my course more efficient, student-focused, and accessible."
"The program was excellent and truly prepared me, along with workshops at my University, for the online course that I am currently teaching. The most important key learnings were (1) managing a learning community and maintaining facilitator presence; (2) writing meaningful and accurate learning objectives, syllabi, and assignments; and (3) making online discussion assignments meaningful."
"I found the Online Teaching Certificate program learning experience to be transformational. This is exactly where I should be in my career, and OLC has been a big part of it."
"With online teaching & learning, there is always something new to learn, to improve my skills and create a better learning environment for my students, and to share with the faculty colleagues I assist. The OLC Advanced Online Teaching Certificate Program has significantly sharpened my skills and made me aware of new technologies and approaches. I strongly recommend this program!"
"The OLC's Advanced Certificate Program has been an amazing experience overall! This program has more than exceeded my expectations. My students are currently benefiting from my application of new and advanced active learning and assessment strategies, as well as more accessible media elements. And because I applied these changes to a course I am currently teaching while in this program, I was able to reap the benefits of having my peers review and help to refine these strategies as well. This training has been so valuable to me as an online educator, and I will recommend this program to anyone who has the opportunity to be a part of it!"
"The Advanced Online Teaching Certificate Program was a fantastic professional development opportunity for me to broaden my skills and knowledge of teaching in an online environment while networking and collaborating with peers from other institutions. The certificate program was a great way for me to take my career to the next step."
"The Advanced Online Teaching Certificate Program was a tremendous experience! The ability to learn from the facilitator and the others in the program really made the experience engaging and valuable. I know that I have grown as an instructor because of this program. I have a more clear understanding of my strengths and weaknesses as an online instructor. I also have a more clear idea of how to make the improvements that are needed in my courses to help remedy the weaknesses because of the program and those that were in the program with me. I know that what I have learned here will have benefits that go beyond just me. It will benefit my students, my colleagues, and my institution."
"The OLC provided me with more skills to better not only myself, but also help to improve the learning environment for students."
"The workshop with OLC was exactly what I was looking for to strengthen my skill set and experience in methods of curriculum design. I learned a lot from the participation of the other students and the content presented in the course. It’s given me a lot of great ideas for my credit bearing coursework as well as the staff development work."
"Participatng in the OLC Online Teaching Certificate Program exceeded my expectations on all accounts. From the functionality of assignment deliverable to the course development process, to the personal, informative feedback from the facilitator, all aspects of the course proved valuable."
"As an Instructional Designer, my experience in the foundation workshop has enhanced my efforts in designing and developing online courses."
"I found the information to be on the forefront of online classroom development. I received many new ideas for incorporating tools into my online classroom to benefit online learners and instructors!"
"I'm very pleased with the experience. One thing that was a surprise benefit was that I was learning about techniques that improve my overall effectiveness as a teacher, not just in an online delivery setting."
"As a first time online instructor, this courses ensures that you are on the right path with regard to all the basics that are required for distance education instruction: course design, effective syllabus, learning activities and assessments, instructor presence, quality metrics, content and copyright, accessibility and usability, and technology tools."
"Through interacting with the other participants, I learned best practices of faculty development program and reflected that in my organization."
"This course exceeded my expectations. It was rich in relevant content, structured in such a way as to promote meaningful engagement from the participants, the facilitator was friendly and thought-provoking."
"The OLC workshop, Helping Faculty With New Course Development, provided many practical insights that are sure to improve my professional practice. The range of topics covered is impressive. I have been working as an Instructional Designer for over 3 years, yet I felt there might be some gaps in my development as an ID. This course exposed me to relevant and timely resources, challenged me to expand my understanding in several areas, and provided a vitally important community of like-minded professionals with which to share ideas and create new insights. I can highly recommend this workshop to those wishing to develop themselves in instructional design."
"I was able to use what I learned within the same week it was taught. This course changed my approach toward faculty forever. My faculty thank you, OLC!"
"I had a great experience! This is the first OLC certificate, and most certainly will not be the last. I loved the learning environment and the encouragement to integrate and participate in the learning was well planned."
"The Helping Faculty with New Course Development online workshop really opened my eyes to how to manage the different scenarios that may come up when helping faculty build a new online course. Whether I am working with a new instructor that has never taught online before or helping an experienced instructor to improve their online course, this course has provided valuable techniques to encourage and support all faculty. The resources that I have in my arsenal will help me support my faculty."
"This has been a fantastic, applicable educational experience, I have already used several of the concepts taught throughout this first course. The combination of resources provided, thought provoking discussion prompts, and amazing collegial interaction has helped me learn so much in only four short weeks."
"To be honest, I started out lukewarm in the course for the first few days but by Week 2 warmed up to it considerably and became engrossed in the activities and assignments. My favorite part was seeing my classmates' creations, submissions, and discussing and learning from each other. I learned so much from them and plan to use what I learned overall to create better and more effective resources for my faculty."
"The Sharing Faculty Resources course within the Instructional Design Certificate Program gave me the opportunity to practice with a current resource-sharing tool that will benefit our instructional design team and the faculty we serve. By the end of the four-week course, I had accumulated a great list of resources that I was already putting to use in my work. The course also gave me the opportunity to hear about the resource sharing processes and tools used at other institutions. It was a great experience!"
"I undertook the OLC Teaching Certification during which I palpably grew. I felt it helped me design not only my online course but also to improve my face-to-face courses. I learned to clearly see the link between Learning Objectives - Learning Activities and Assessments. I followed this up a year later with the Advanced Teaching Certification since I had now developed and run my first online course. I was ready to improve it. I learned about increasing student engagement and interactivity in this course and learned to improve the accessibility of my course. I think it is a much better course now and I am proud of it. Thank you OLC instructors!"
"I have taught online for over 10 years, but I needed to break out of my usual way of doing things, and do an honest appraisal of my courses. The Online Learning Consortium made me scrutinize, in depth, everything from my course learning objectives to my course design, rubrics, assignments, and discussions, and I feel my students will benefit from what I have learned from this course. I am excited to apply my new strategies and assignments, created to engage my online students with the material, each other, and myself."
"The OLC Advanced Online Teaching Certificate was an excellent choice for me as an experienced online course designer and instructor. It focused on topics that experienced online instructors are most likely to need. The quality of the topics covered and the structure of the course made it logical and fun to participate in and work through. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for ways to refresh their online courses and for anyone who might think they do not need to refresh anything!"
"This program transforms online professors into innovative leaders."
"Working a full-time job limits the time I am able to spend with other professors. OLC provided me the ability to learn the latest and greatest tools, resources, and to network with others – just like me!"
“Robust and well designed, the content and activities I experienced in the OLC/SUNY Instructional Designer Certificate Program continue to benefit me in practical ways every day on the job.”
"The OLC Advanced Online Teaching Certificate Program is an excellent and cost-effective way to enhance your skills in a way that you can immediately apply to your courses."
"Taking the OLC Advanced Online Teaching Certificate Program helped me to identify ways that I could enhance the online program I oversee and the courses I teach."
"I have had a wonderful experience. I am so glad that I took this course. It's worth every penny I paid. It is a real investment. It will help me in my current online teaching job and also in my future online tutoring business. I strongly recommend this course to everyone teaching online or thinking of teaching online. A great workshop."
"The Online Learning Consortium's Advanced Certificate Program is exceptionally helpful for those seeking to revamp online courses. The materials and activities serve a useful guide for course revision for accessibility and student engagement."
"Taking this OLC program was an excellent experience since it allowed me to learn about and (no easy task!) become comfortable with the nature and many dimensions of online learning. Thanks to the program's patient and incisive exposition of the most significant aspects of online learning, and especially of course design, I can now approach offering online courses with proportionate measures of confidence, humility, and determination."
"This was a very good foundation course for those of us new to online teaching. I feel confident beginning my course in the fall."
"This program gave me a greater appreciation for teaching in an online environment -- better still, it gave me the foundation I needed to not only be successful teaching my own courses, but to help other instructors become successful as well."
"The course provided an excellent opportunity to think through what is required to structure and build an online course. I highly recommend."
"I went into the class expecting to learn more about online education, and I did. What I did not expect was a wonderful opportunity to improve my teaching skills across the board, even in my face to face classes. Thanks, OLC!"
"The OLC Certificate Program - Foundation Course was very enlightening and I am so thankful for the opportunity. I learned a lot about myself and much-needed areas for teaching overall. I would recommend OLC to any faculty looking to enhance their professional development and learn some worthwhile information that will prove to be invaluable when teaching online."
"The OLC Certificate Program was a great experience. It was intensive, but well worth it. I learned more in the 10 week foundation course to improve my teaching than I have in the last 10 years. I will access the wealth of information provided for years to come. Before this experience, I did not see myself as an effective online instructor, and now I do. The content quality is top notch and the facilitator was fantastic. Thank you again for making me a better instructor in my face to face classes and the confidence to teach online."
"After teaching online for over eight years, I have to ask myself why I didn't consider taking the Instructional Designer Certificate Program, or any other Online Learning Consortium course, earlier. OLC was a hidden in plain sight treasure trove of information that I wish I accessed earlier because moving forward I am greater confidence that I will be a better instructor and subject matter expert. Thanks, OLC!"
"It has been an honor to be a part of this learning journey with OLC. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience."
"I did have a great experience in this OLC program! I really enjoyed working with colleagues from all over the world who are facing some of the same issues I face and who had some innovative and exciting suggestions to tackle those issues. I enjoyed reading about and implementing some new ideas which are immediately going into my courses. This is a very good course with lots to offer!"
"The course provided a great opportunity to learn some new skills and improve my current practice. It was a great way to network with other online teachers, and share ideas about what works best."
"Participation in the Advanced Online Learning Certificate program has made me much more excited about my online teaching."
"The Advanced Online Teaching Certificate Program offered me new insights into areas with which I was already familiar and significantly increased my understanding of issues and trends in online education. I gained significant and actionable new skills and tools for improving my courses and supporting my professional development. I worked with peers who generously offered their diverse experiences and perspectives. The instructor was phenomenal."
"The OLC Advanced Online Teaching and Learning Certificate program is the ideal sequel for the basic certificate. The supportive atmosphere is welcoming and conducive for exploring ongoing and current issues of vital importance in the field of online course delivery."
"I believe I have moved to the next level in teaching, course design, teamwork, & technology from attending OLC workshops and obtaining certificates. I have a better understanding of the importance of instructor-student interaction and student to student engagement. It is the relationships built in education that encourage success."
"Dr. Musgrove was my course facilitator when I took OLC’s foundations course as part of the Online Teaching Certificate program. Immediately, I was drawn to her teaching style and infectious excitement for all the technological and pedagogical possibilities that teaching online provides. Her humor and mentoring spirit were much appreciated. In her, OLC is lucky to have a master teacher who cares."
"The Annual International Conference on Online Learning always provides a great mix of theoretical and practical application of ideas. I always gain new ideas as well as new perspectives on how I might approach my own work."
This was my first OLC and my first conference that was not within my discipline (chemistry). It was very valuable to learn how others approach learning within their disciplines and trying to find ways they overlap with my own teaching.
Attending the Online Learning Consortium Conference was an amazing opportunity to see and hear what is happening in the Online Community. Get ideas, be inspired and leave wanting to do more for your students and instructors.ine Learning)
The Fall 2014 OLC International Conference exceeded my expectations in quality of speakers, session topics, and venue.
Great conference, Loved the Technology Test Kitchen. Very useful ideas that I can easily implement.
Every year this is the best opportunity to compare notes with online educators from around the country and world about critical issues, ranging from online learning effectiveness, pedagogy, pending legislation, emerging technologies, best practices, and a whole lot more.
"I loved just about every aspect of the Intl Conference. From the venue to the mobile app, everything was easy to find and get to. The conference content was relevant and per my expectations. I will be attending again next year."
"By far, one of the top conferences for educators and instructional designers."
One of the best conferences I have ever attended. Several very practical presentations I will be using starting next semester.
Wonderful conference. Come away each year re-energized for the challenges of the coming year.
It raised a lot of great questions for me and my organization that have really opened our eyes.
This was my first OLC conference and I am feeling incredibly inspired - I will surely return!
"I enjoyed attending the conference virtually, and feel I both developed new tools, and "met" new colleagues."
With active participation in the chat room during the live sessions, I felt I was able to network and discuss the topics nearly as well as in person. Plus, as a virtual participant, I can watch sessions I didn't have time to view live, later as recordings.
I'm at the end of this session and cannot wait to share. Great strategies to engage students in online discussions. Faculty can take away from it and use them right away in the class. - "Taming the Wild West? AKA Online Discussion Forums."
"OLC provides learning opportunities that align with our desire to provide high-quality and relevant professional development for our faculty and staff. The virtual attendee option for the OLC Innovate Conference is a perfect example that the physical presence that once proved to be a barrier to attendance is no longer applicable. The appeal of this option is considerable given the potential to maximize our resources and reach to our faculty and staff. We look forward to attending!"
"Not only did OLC Innovate in New Orleans provide an unusual and wonderful backdrop to connect with my colleagues, but the Emerging Ideas sessions and the Plugin Lounge created an environment that fostered networking and connecting with folks in similar positions with similar issues and allowed for highly useful brainstorming sessions."
Innovate totally nailed it. The variety of presentations and experiences ensured that everyone's needs were met or exceeded. Kudos to OLC. Everyone I spoke to said they are definitely coming back.
"OLC is the conference that combines intellectuals, leaders, and innovators into one productive opportunity!"
There were tons of innovative, unique ideas shared at OLC Innovate 2016 for both online, face-to-face and technology enhanced environments. I learned a lot and I can't wait to apply new strategies in the next academic year!
If you are in any way engaged in online learning, this is the conference to attend.
OLC Innovate provided an excellent opportunity to focus on a very important contemporary concern of my institution - online teaching and learning. Sharing my institution's work and learning about the work of others invigorated me to go back home and focus on innovation to solve critical issues.
This was a great experience. I learn so much from networking and am looking at things from a different perspective. Talking through my process with others has given me new ideas on how I can work with different faculty in different ways. Seeing presentations from others and having conversation was inspirational. Making new networking connections has given me new energy. I highly recommend putting this on a list of conferences to attend!
"I learned so much about the online learning landscape by attending this conference. I had no idea the vast amount of products, services and resources that were available until I attended this. I found other attendees to be friendly, helpful, bright and knowledgeable and it was great to network with them."
"Having the option to attend a conference that covers such a broad range of topics relevant to the online landscape of learning is priceless. Attending virtually and having some attend in-person allowed our institution to maximize our conference budget, while benefiting our faculty and staff with a great opportunity for professional development."
"There is nothing better than being surrounded by those you share a passion with. In a field as vast as online learning, OLC brings together the best of the best and provides a place where the everyday heroes can share their experiences and secrets. OLC Accelerate is a must attend event for any Instructional Designer."
"OLC not only provides thoughtful, relevant content, but learning opportunities are presented in increasingly innovative ways. Not only do I walk away knowing more about online learning, but I'm inspired to try new ideas for resourcing and development among colleagues."
"Attending sessions on various topics to gain better insight on the latest trends in online learning and to learn more about the issues facing higher education."
"I am loving the virtual experience. It is such a great option! It won't keep me from attending in person when I can, but I will now be able to somehow attend all the conferences you hold."
"The networking at OLC Innovate 2017 was fantastic. It was a great opportunity to see the innovative ways that other university's are tackling the challenges of online education. I am returning to my campus with many excellent ideas on how to personalize the online student experience (both in and out of the classroom) at my university."
"An exciting and engaging opportunity to explore, share, and discover!"
"This conference was a truly wonderful experience. The richness of the program offerings and the Community College Summit provided so many new ideas to take back to my students and institution for implementation now and into the future."
"The OLC Innovate Conference was one of the best conferences I've attended. The sessions and workshops all provided me with new ideas and insights for improving or incorporating innovation into the programs we're developing under our TAACCCT grant. Everything was great, from the speakers to the venue, and even the food and entertainment. Very enjoyable, I can't wait to attend again."
"This was the most engaging and enjoyable conference I have been to in a long while. The quality of presentations and level of collegial sharing were excellent!"
"OLC Innovate was an amazing opportunity to connect with peers in the field, learn about new initiatives and technologies, and deepen my understanding and appreciation for what's now, new, and next."
"I highly recommend this conference for anyone in the online learning field, regardless of institution size. I am from an institution of less than 1500 students and was able to gain insight, ideas, and knowledge of applicable programming I can immediately start planning for my institution upon return."
"OLC Innovate really recharged my Instructional Design batteries. To have three days of motivated, engaging, and innovative people has been the highlight of my year. I can't wait to attend OLC conferences and events in the near future! The conference paid for itself after about 2 hours on the first day!"
"This is one of the best conferences that I've attended with a focus on technology and innovation in higher education!"
"Absolutely loved the OLC Innovate conference! Provided a great introduction to someone starting in the field of online learning and opened my eyes to many of the issues and thoughts to come."
"There were many, many faculty members at the conference, which was excellent! I find that educational technology conferences are dominated by the technologists and have little faculty presence or input."
"This was a great opportunity to share some of my work, hear some of the amazing work from colleagues, and network with some brilliant people!"
"OLC Innovate was awesome! I loved meeting the amazing range of curious and connected educators excited to explore and try new things!"
"Great place to network with peers and leaders in online learning."
"Highly recommend this conference. It offers a broad variety of topics related to our industry and brings together recognized scholars and novices alike to share knowledge and ideas."
"It's one of the best networking opportunities in a reasonably-sized conference."
"Great conference for hearing very up-to-date topics and innovative thought about online learning."
"I would recommend [OLC Innovate] to anyone involved in distance learning, online teaching, or course design, because of the opportunities to learn from others and discover products and solutions offered by the vendors."
"Sessions are informative, faculty and staff represent many institutions and nations, and vendors are interesting and helpful. Great opportunities for networking and information sharing where I can guarantee the research is properly performed and peer-reviewed."
"This is an opportunity to renew and reinvigour as an educator. You meet individuals who are doing things that you never thought of or are using technologies that you have not come across."
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the 2018 OLC conference in Orlando. Being new to instructional design and "learning with technology", this conference was novice and expert friendly with plenty of activities, speakers and poster presentations to present plenty of relevant information to our modernization of technology in the classroom."
"This was an excellent conference. I left with tools I can implement immediately to improve the interactive possibilities of online education. The networking available at the conference was invaluable. Personally, I appreciated the morning yoga sessions and mindfulness meditation sessions."
"I really enjoyed attending OLC Innovate 2019! I was able to learn about new technologies and techniques to help improve my department's courses, and everyone was very friendly and happy to give advice. As a newcomer to this field it is wonderful to network and hear about others experiences."
"OLC Innovate was one of the best professional development conferences I have attended. Ever. The sessions were well described, the presenters knew their stuff, and everything I experienced was well organized."
"OLC Innovate 2019 was wonderful. Apart from the engaging and thought-provoking sessions, plenty of time was structured in the program for networking and reconnecting with colleagues around the world."
“In a time when so many of us are forcibly engaged in online education, it was great to hear from those who specialize in – and enjoy! – different aspects of online learning and brand practices. The volunteers were positive and helpful, the topics were relevant and current, the presenters were knowledgeable and personable. Attending virtually was almost entirely painless and the entire program was well executed! It was great and I will continue to share my experiences so more people can collaborate with OLC! Thank you!”
“This was my first OLC conference and I was impressed by the breadth of topics available to attend. We purchased unlimited access so our entire Academic Affairs team could attend and from what I’ve heard so far, everyone got a lot out of attending. We are considering an institutional membership now as well to take advantage of other OLC offerings. We will certainly be attending future conferences offered by OLC!”
"OLC Innovate is such an impactful and well-run conference. The fact that OLC could pivot the entire conference to fully online was not only impressive but extremely advantageous for our institution: Ten times as many of our faculty attended than would have been able to F2F."
"The workshops provide a world of resources, existing as well as innovative ideas to assist faculty in becoming better educators. The experiences and genuine collaboration from the presenters made the OLC conference truly a great experience."
"I had a great experience! I learned a lot and think you all did a good job creating an engaging virtual experience. The presenters in the sessions I attended did a good job using breakout rooms to make the sessions interactive. I wish I could have attended more sessions; during the second week I was too busy. Thankfully the sessions are recorded so I can watch sessions I missed later."
"[OLC Innovate 2020] offered diversity in topics, speakers, presentations, and attendees. Connecting people in a time of distance and crisis. Thank you OLC for the opportunity to connect, share, and promote innovative educational solutions, research, and technologies."
"This whole conference blew my mind. I was so impressed by how much work went into making my experience from afar seamless. The wealth of information is priceless. I can't wait to dig back in and watch some of the sessions that I missed."
"What an incredible two weeks of opportunity to participate with more than 5,000 talented colleagues in hundreds of conference, workshop, discovery, and conversation sessions. The ability to engage 'live' and later review sessions of particular interest – or those missed - contributed to an incredibly worthwhile professional opportunity."
"This conference was incredible - one of the best I've attended. It re-invigorated my love of online education and provided great ideas and inspiration I immediately implemented in my classroom."
"There were so many things I liked about the conference. I really liked that it was online and I am able to watch the recordings if I missed a session I wanted to attend. The topics varied so it covered a lot in education I was seeking."
"The ability to participate virtually! Long overdue, and while I was very much looking forward to attending in Chicago, the virtual option was very worthwhile."
"This was my first OLC conference and I was impressed by the breadth of topics available to attend. We purchased an unlimited access so our entire Academic Affairs team could attend and from what I've heard so far, everyone got a lot out of attending. We are considering an institutional membership now as well to take advantage of other OLC offerings. We will certainly be attending future conferences offered by OLC!"
"I attended the conference for the first time. It opened many avenues and possibilities of reflecting, reviewing, revisiting and enhancing learning frameworks and systems in Higher Education. As a librarian, it helped me get to know how I can improve my pedagogical skills and knowledge and put it into practice. One of the best things which happened to me was the realization of accessibility issues and concerns. It was totally new area for understanding and exploration. I did not see accessibility with that much diverse perspective. This would definitely help me improve my own workshop practices. I would also like to thank AMICAL consortium of Liberal Arts institutions for sponsoring and providing this unique learning opportunity. Hat's off to entire OLC team for organizing this gigantic learning experience."
"This is my third workshop and I am truly impressed with the diversity of background and experiences we have reflected in our courses, as well as the strong support from OLC staff. I look forward to continuing my collaborating with all of you"
"This course changed my perception of presenting, I feel inspired and excited to great effective presentations!"
"The Interactive Syllabus course was great all the way around - the concept, the activities, the support material, and discussion forum. Leah was an excellent instructor - supportive and very credible."
"This workshop gave me exactly what I was looking for--a concise, clear, efficient introduction to the art of designing effective multiple-choice quizzes that move beyond testing for facts and simple recall into the realms of higher-order thinking."
"I found the workshop to be engaging as well as informative. The balance between reading and discussion was managed well and the facilitator encouraged effective discussions. An excellent introduction into student retention!"
"The workshop was very helpful in determining how to use the quality scorecard. I was impressed that the creator of the scorecard facilitated the session, and the discussions by others in the field were insightful."
"The workshop provided an environment to not only learn about new applications for teaching and learning but also share our personal experiences with mobile applications and devices (both good and bad), as well as creatively plan for integrating and utilizing mobile devices and mobile applications into course curriculum. I would recommend this workshop (and the mobile mastery course) to anyone interested in mobile learning."
"The Mobile App workshop forced me to explore the world of apps. I liked the pace and intensity of the class, the helpfulness of the instructor, and the collaborative structure of the class."
"This workshop was an excellent introduction to the nuts and bolts of online teaching. The facilitator modeled techniques that we can use in our courses. The interaction with the facilitator and other students created a sense of community that made me feel connected to the course. I recommend this workshop 100%!"
"The Exploring App Smash workshop has helped me both in my career and with my future career path because it has allowed me to design and instruct in a more engaging way. The workshop also allowed me to evaluate apps to determine their instructional purpose and value."
"My self-assessment using [the] QCTIP scorecard was a wake-up call for me! Although my online teaching practices did not score as highly as I had expected, the QCTIP scorecard results provided helpful information about where and how to start to improve my online courses and online teaching. I appreciate how [the] QCTIP scorecard is organized into categories with quality indicators in each category. By comparing my scores for each category, I now can identify and target specific aspects of my online teaching for improvements (e.g., faculty engagement, continuous course improvement). With the guidance provided by [the] QCTIP scorecard, the process of improving online teaching practices is informed and manageable."
"As a mother of a disabled son who graduated from college, I wish more teachers took the time to complete a course like this. I have a lot of exposure, experience and passion for this topic and I still learned a lot from this introductory course. I served as the ""reader"" for most of my son's college courses. In numerous classes, I could not read the test questions to him in time for him to complete online tests and quizzes within the time and one-half time frame he was allowed as part of his accommodations. One teacher set the quiz to 3 seconds per question. This course covers the basics for instances like that one and so much more. It's a great overview of Accessibility Issues and provides comprehensive resources that can be used in the future as well. I highly recommend this course as the place to start when designing online courses to increase accessibility for students of all types and abilities."
"OLC is providing a monumental service to professionals through these workshops. Particularly helpful was the list of references which I will be exploring more thoroughly in the coming months. I was both challenged and inspired, and will continue to reflect deeply on my educational methodologies and the potential for increasing an online teaching presence."
"I learned so much from this course. When looking for resources for using group work assignment in an online environment, almost all of us found different resources that I didn't find when I search for resources. We all think differently and so search differently and the result is I now have a library of resources covering all aspects of group work."
"Prior to taking the New to Online: Essentials, Part 1 Getting Started workshop, I had no experience or formal training with online teaching/learning. The workshop exceeded my expectations. I learned a tremendous amount and developed new skills sets that I can immediately apply to re-designing my courses for an online environment. The workshop facilitator was helpful and provided useful, supportive feedback in a timely manner. The required readings and assignments were doable and practical given the time frame of the workshop. I expect to take additional OLC workshops in the future to continue enhancing my professional development."
"This course was a wonderful introduction to online teaching. The instructor was helpful and provided wonderful ideas, especially on engaging students."
"The Fundaments: ADA & Web Accessibility workshop is well designed and offers participants a wealth of information that opens your eyes to see the educational challenges through the eyes of individuals who have various disabilities. The workshop reading, materials, and assignments are very practical and one can gain new knowledge and skills regarding how to design online courses that ensure accessibility to all students. It's worth the time, effort, and expense to participate in this workshop."
"This workshop was very helpful and was successful in providing me an introduction to online teaching and course design. The skills and competencies gained from this workshop will be applied in my future online courses."
"If you want a quick, accessible, and informative class to get your feet wet in beginning your first online class, this is for you. You'll come away having thought about online pedagogy, working through some things to do on the front end to ensure students will get as much as possible from the course, and lots of literature you can refer to later."
"Such a great, informative and interactive format to help us fill our toolbox with great tools to carry out dynamic hybrid and online courses! The tools I gained in this week of the workshop will definitely help me improve my online classes!"
"This was my first course with OLC and it was a very pleasant surprise. The course was perfectly planned and facilitated. I was able to immediately use my assigned tasks from the Exploring Interactive Video Tools in my current Blackboard class. I had no idea how easy to use each of the resources covered in this course would be and how easily they could be added into my online course websites. Can't wait to take my next course!"
"Great experience. I chose this workshop from a varied list of opportunities because I am always interested in how to motivate. I, too, teach and strive to stay motivated myself. This workshop definitely was intense for three days and the motivation plan is a great takeaway."
"I thoroughly enjoyed the structure of the workshop, the level of engagement on the discussion forums, lead by the online facilitator and the support that she provided. The reading materials provided were useful, topical and insightful. I gained many real world ideas that I can implement at our institution. I would recommend this workshop to anyone looking to improve their online retention strategies."
"This workshop was a good review and inspiring eye-opener for me in initial course design and improving presentation skills. The instructor offered plenty of additional resources for further information which I will put in my files and consult going forward. I'm glad I had the opportunity to take this course."
"The quality of instructor support and the clarity and variety of instructional materials was top notch."
The ADA & Web Accessibility Self-Paced Workshop exceeded my expectations, and as I worked my way through the course, I found myself becoming engaged with the content and excited about sharing my findings with other faculty members. The workshop does an excellent job presenting the concepts in a simple, easily understood way. In addition, the vast amount of resources provided will definitely help me to work on a plan for improving the accessibility of our online courses. I highly recommend this workshop for anyone who is interested in learning more about ADA and accessible design principles!
"I was unaware of the actual accommodations an instructor must take into account in order to have an accessible online course. In reviewing some of the online courses at our institution, I am beginning to at least be able to identify some of the problems with accessibility within the course. I am glad I took this workshop as I have learned much about accessibility and have a better appreciation of what someone with any type of disability has to deal with in order to take an online course (or a face-to-face course.) Although they have challenges, it is not impossible to find accommodations and solutions to be able to better serve our students"
"I learned quite a bit of useful information from this program. While I've tried to design my classes to be inclusive, there are some technical things I just didn't know, and I'm not sure how anyone would know without a class like this or some very serious individual research. I am already making changes to my classes based on the material I've learned and will continue to incorporate the principles I learned as I develop new classes. This is a class I would recommend to anyone who wants to teach online and frankly, a lot of the information would be useful to improve face to face classes as well."
"This workshop far exceeded my expectations. The facilitator was beyond prepared, knowledgeable and she was outstanding with her explanations and patience. The organization of her material, the pace of the course and the supplemental support and references provided were excellent. I know I will be referencing this course for YEARS to come and am appreciative that we have access for another year."
"This OLC workshop fulfilled the need for me to further develop an understanding of ADA regulations as they pertain to college courses in an online environment."
"The Creating Useful Resources for Faculty (ID 2) workshop gave me a different perspective regarding tools and resources instructors use for their courses. This will help me guide my SMEs toward the resources that will improve the online learning experience for their students."
"This course was supremely helpful for someone starting from ground zero when it comes to research. It covers the basics and gives you information that you can then take back to your job to do your own research. I highly recommend it for other Instructional Designers who are new to research."
"The course provided great insights through the engagement and collaboration of Instructional Designers and Instructors from different Colleges in the United States. It was an eye opening experience to reflect on what my institution has accomplished so far, what are the next actions we have to implement to ensure a continuous improvement, and how to create an effective synergy between design and development process, faculty professional development, and evaluation strategy to measure the impact of our services."
"This program is wonderful -- the immediate networking garnered through discussion forums as well as the wholly pertinent and relevant information conveyed through weekly readings and activities have served to strengthen my awareness and skills in this burgeoning field of ID."
"The OLC program offers several courses that are designed to support you in real-time. My experience has been one where my current work was enhanced by OLC in a lock-step fashion. All instruction matched my real-time work needs."
"This was my first OLC workshop for professional development and I found it to be excellent per the facilitator and the curriculum. I highly recommend OLC workshops to traditional and online faculty as an excellent resource to fulfill professional development requirements."
"I have taught online classes for over 10 years, but the OLC course gave me the opportunity to share ideas among others--Priceless! Thank you!"
"It was really helpful in building my online course and thinking about issues I had not already addressed. Also created a space for ideas from other professors, which I probably would not have had prior."
"Getting ready to start out with online teaching had me nervous and anxious. All of my fears were eliminated after taking the New to Online, Essentials Part 1 course with Linda! At the end, I had the toolkit necessary to create a learning environment that the students will thrive in! I feel prepared and excited about starting with fresh ideas, resources, and the research to back me up."
"I had a great experience in this OLC program! I learned about how to "Flip" my blended/hybrid course with out "flipping the entire course" or "reinventing the wheel" for effective instructional practice. Now, I know how to make the learning in my online modules and in class sessions more student-centered and interactive."
"The workshop on Flipping the classroom is a long-awaited panacea to ameliorate one of the challenges of the 21st-century learning. The workshop is focused and totally meets its objectives. I recommend this workshop to every lecturer transitioning to become a facilitator and to every teacher trying to create a classroom that is student focused. Great Workshop!"
"The QCTIP scorecard workshop has really shown me that online teaching and learning is a possible and user friendly platform to use. All it requires is proper planning on time and implementing it."
"This was a very informative course which have answered a lot of the questions I were struggling with in the most practical ways. It was good to experience the how positive SDL work when you have a good facilitator and the students really engage online with each other."
"I think to teach in the online environment it is essential to also experience an online environment and what better way than doing it through the OLC with these great courses."
"The course was insightful as we collaborated in discussions. It was great to hear from the people of the same institution what their frustrations are."
"OLC provides great professional development and a bevy of resources for all Online Education Professionals."
"The workshop was clearly presented. The materials supported the lesson and provided many tips for improvement of my online course. It was indeed a great experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone teaching an online course."
"Another great course that will enhance online classroom and the effectiveness of content delivery."
"I was a skeptic as it pertained to online instruction. Since I have been enrolled in the OLC Certification, I am a convert and have advocated for others to complete the certification. Everything that I learned has changed my perspective on not only teaching online, but also teaching the face to face classes."
"I really did have a great experience while taking this course. I learned a lot and still taking some tools which I haven't had the chance to read over, home to learn and explore more. I may not use all of them but I will definitely recommend them along with learning techniques to instructors I know."
"This was a useful course that gave me a great introduction to gamified learning environments."
"During this course I learned about the wealth of OER resources that are available for educators and how to use these in order to foster a skills-building approach rather than strengthening a content focused/didactic approach in the classroom. In the course, I was guided by the facilitator to explore these resources in a self-directed way, rather than being instructed on what to learn. The input and insights from the other participants also enriched the course and offered new and different insights to the process."
"I had an absolute blast with this workshop. It is something which I had never done before so yes it came with difficulties and challenges however it was worth it. Seeing my end results at the end of each activity was a proud moment for me."
"I did have a great experience in this OLC program. I learned a lot, and the experience is definitely worth the effort put in. The discussions were enlightening and engaging, and the course material thought provoking and inspiring. The possibilities for using what I have learned over the last week are numerous, and I definitely plan on implementing what I've learned in the future."
"It was an excellent well presented logical and informative course sharing and developing information on infographics and relevant for both online and in class environments. I will continue looking for opportunities to participate in OLC courses.
"The OLC program offering was a great experience. The opportunity to hear and discuss topics with others in my field was invaluable. This session me with great insight, knowledge, and resource that can assist me in my current position and in the future."
"I didn't realize that project management played a huge role in being an ID. Before taking this workshop, I had begun studying for a PMP certification, however, it was very overwhelming. I'd try to see the relevance with what I do as an ID, which I did, but there was so much information to learn. When I saw and took this workshop, it put many things into perspective and I began to relate what I do as having a purpose when aligning it with project management. I still plan to pursue a PMP certification and this workshop has definitely helped push me to do it."
"I had a great learning experience through the class (LXD) I took from the OLC program. We had an excellent and knowledgeable facilitator that was an active member of the class discussions and overall assignments of the course. I would definitely recommend these workshops to anyone interested in furthering their education and skills. The one-week workshops are perfectly designed to meet the needs of busy full-time faculty, instructional designers, and anyone else interested in learning more about professional development opportunities in the field of education."
"I found the Strategy workshop for accessibility very helpful in providing poignant resources, thoughts on who needs to be included in an institution's development of a Web Accessibility Plan and the guidelines for a timeline."
"The OLC Workshop provided me with relevant assessment information and tools that I can use to enhance online instruction."
"My experience with this class was very good. I hope that I answered the questions and assignments properly. I was a but unsure about where to post some of my assignment and what grades I received, but I assume that this is because I needed to read the syllabus more thoroughly. Overall, the experience was very positive and added to my professional wherewithal."
"This workshop provided me with new insight that I can implement into my current and future classrooms. It was both thought-provoking and interesting."
"I think most educators should take this (Part I and Part II) of the Neuro, Cognitive and Learning Sciences: Applying theory to practice workshop. At least part I. it had challenged many misconception that we learned in the past about learning. Incorporating learning gained on how memory works and how to harness different strategies to improve students' learning will be reflected in the success and retention of students. I could not have asked for better facilitators and have taken many workshops both at OLC and other institutions. I learned so much and feel I will be a better instructor and learner because of these workshops. What I learned will help me be an effective learner as much as a more effective instructor/facilitator."
"This program is designed to give participants choices to read/watch study material, It motivates me to change my teaching methods to be more inclusive towards the learners with learning difficulty."
"This workshop was informative, encouraging, practical, and professional; highly recommended."
"Since I have very little experience teaching online, I was originally apprehensive about the workshop, but I was quickly pulled in and welcomed. Linda made navigating the course simple and easy to do. I will note that she implemented all the topics that we learned about in her course, providing an excellent model for each of us. I learned a lot from the readings and it was reinforced throughout the posts of others. Overall, I enjoyed the workshop!"
"I found this workshop extremely valuable and well-worth the time. If one is willing and able to put in the time to read the articles and complete the assignments, there is much real-world applications. I am away with concrete ideas for developing a new online course that will run this summer, and have already been working with the teaching team to get them into the course."
"This class was excellent and I recommend it to teachers who are new and familiar to online teaching. Rather than taking a class and maybe using the information, this workshop is effective in providing a resource that can be used immediately for a class."
"OLC made me aware of the benefits and challenges in instituting CBE which I am appreciative!"
"This was a dynamic and fast class full of other professionals who have expertise in various areas and technological skills. Facilitator was open, accessible, and interactive on a daily basis, adding to the relationship and trust which developed quickly. The reading and assignments were challenging at just the right level and the course flew by. I highly recommend this course to anyone seeking to enhance or learn about online teaching and practical experience."
"My experience in this course has been wonderful and informative. I have learned new strategies to use in my online and face to face courses. I plan to review all of the course materials in order to make efficient use of the suggestions and ideas shared by all participants. This extensive exposure has been my "great experience"!"
"My institution is currently revising its online programming, including course evaluation process. This workshop was invaluable in helping me understand best practices in online course evaluation. I was able to leave the workshop with an evaluation tool that my college will be able to use next semester."
"I enrolled in the Designing Gamified Learning Environments workshop because my colleagues have been talking about introducing gamification into courses to better engage students. I hoped the course would provide a more systematic way of learning about game theory and design. I was very pleased with the activities and pace of the course, the assigned readings, and the assignments. It not only helped me learn more about gamification, but also encouraged me to change the way I structure my online courses, as well. Thanks again!"
"[I have found that] all of the workshops with OLC are very interesting, and thought-provoking with great resources."
"Designing Gamified Learning Environments was an eye-opening course that changed my perspective on course delivery. I can't wait to gamify my classroom!"
"The workshop opened up a new world to me. I learned a lot. I am going to use all the ideas to create games to teach various courses effectively. I will be also presenting to my colleagues at my university."
"I have taken five courses through the OLC Workshop Program thus far, and I have thoroughly enjoyed each course. The content is always up-to-date, relevant to the topics discussed; the instructors have always been significantly present in the workshops I've taken which is of the utmost importance in an online course learning environment; and I can say without hesitation that I've taken away at least one new skill/assignment/idea that I can immediately implement in my teaching. Thanks very much for providing such high quality professional development opportunities in manageable chunks via week-long workshops - extensive, intensive, but worth the effort!"
"I had heard of Universal Design for Learning but didn't know what it actually encompassed. I was thinking "accessibility," which is part of the consideration, but not really "learning about addressing the buy-in of the audience" by offering multiple paths to the one goal. I am going to have to spend a lot of time thinking about all the ideas in this course. I recommend it!"
"As a graduate teaching assistant, I have been working at our Center of Teaching Excellence for the last four years. The Project Management for Instructional Designers workshop is wonderful and invaluable to me because while trained in a discipline outside of project management or education, I now have the proper vocabulary and description of approaches that I have already been engaged in. Participating in this workshop has given me so much confidence in my job performance."
"This is the most intensive course I have taken in a long time. The information contained in each lesson is a must for instructional designers especially those without a background in education. Be ready to invest time and effort into each activity. You will not be disappointed!"
"My experience with the OLC program was phenomenal and loved every moment of it. I completed my first-course last week and it was an amazing experience and this week I completed two more courses and workshop. I still really like this LMS workshop program and would recommend it to anyone who is curious about learning material to help them or someone else."
"I absolutely had a great experience. This workshop made me aware that accessibility is truly the responsibility of everyone on campus."
"One of the most critical, yet underdeveloped, areas of online teaching and learning is related to inclusivity and being ADA compliant. This workshop provided a variety of resources (written and tutorials) that explained or demonstrated quite well how to fully address the many visible and invisible disabilities that exist in our student population. I completed the workshop with a better understanding about simple steps that I can, and will take, to ensure inclusivity and that will provide all learners with the experience that they deserve."
"I had a great experience in this OLC program. Thank you for the great experience! I enjoyed the workshop because the facilitator facilitated dialogues on thought-provoking discussion questions. As I read other posters' posts, I began to understand a bigger picture of how much impact online has on education. As I progressed through the workshop, I delivered my thoughts after reading materials and responded to their thought-provoking questions. I learned more about how to best design my online course. Thank you for training me!"
"This course was a great and easy introduction to teaching online. It can be overwhelming to teach online and the information disseminated in this course made it more realistic. Great course."
"This was my first experience enrolling in the Essential OLC course, I have learned a lot, quite a good experience. I am planning to take the OLC higher and advanced level course in the coming months."
"I enjoyed this class very much and learned more than I thought I would learn. I recommend this course and will be furthering my online professional development through OLC in the future."
"The workshop was a compact experience during which I could reach resources from various media and learn as a group. The facilitator and the group participants were so active and helpful that I forgot many times that I only met them virtually, not physically. Thanks, OLC team!"
"Great learning experience in new technology and online teaching skills."
"Even though I am a music professor, I learned many strategies that I will take into my teaching process online this coming Fall semester. Student engagement is something every professor needs to learn how to manage, and this workshop gave me many practical tools and ideas to ensure that this is doable for my courses this semester."
"The OLC Workshop on Creating Effective Assessments helped me improve in the clarity and intentionality of my assignments as they relate to course design. This is an effective and efficient way to focus in on one aspect of online teaching."
"The self-paced workshop allowed me to work at my own pace to pick up strategies to improve my online courses."
"The essentials workshop modeled the core concepts of an exemplary online learning experience. Regardless of experience level with online environment, the workshop offered support, engagement, and valuable resources to build better courses. The facilitator‘s authentic feedback guided conversations and invited meaningful dialog."
"The IELOL program content was “spot-on” regarding leadership challenges common to universities, and the IELOL facilitators were knowledgeable, engaging, and helpful throughout the program. Best of all, now I am part of an IELOL alum group that is a tremendous resource for me going forward!"
"Making the connection to fellow Institute participants, and having a diverse alum group to call upon, is indeed reassuring. The IELOL faculty is top-notch, and these relationships have proven to be invaluable. Like so many of my colleagues that are involved in academic administration, I am constantly challenged to focus on providing leadership and vision in a fast-paced, sometimes chaotic working environment that demands so much of my personal attention to operational details. For me, the IELOL helped me to better define my role as an institutional leader, reinforced the importance of visionary leadership, and provided practical strategies for achieving a better balance between leadership and management of our blended and online learning operations."
"My involvement with the IELOL program was by far the best professional development experience I have had in my 12 years of working in higher education. The program is directed by national leaders in online education and facilitates the creation of a strong network of colleagues across the country."
"The Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning through Penn State and the Online Learning Consortium has been a transformational experience for me. The conversations alone with professionals around the globe were enlightening and affirming. They deepened my understanding of the challenges we face as online advocates and provided realistic solutions and possibilities for positive change. The support from the IELOL faculty has been outstanding! I would highly recommend participation in this Institute."
"The IELOL experience has re-invigorated, enhanced, and contributed to my leadership skills in distance education. Distance education initiatives are booming here at Hodges University, and thanks to the IELOL experience we remain tightly focused on OLC’s five pillars of quality in online education — access, learning effectiveness, faculty satisfaction, student satisfaction, and scale.
Recently, the DE Department exposure to, access to, and participation with the University administration’s and advancement/development office’s activities has been greatly enhanced. Distance education is recognized as a key component of the University’s strategic plan."
"This program was one of the most productive experiences I have had since starting my position at PSU. The convergence of Novice — Experienced decision-makers was rich, encouraging, and highly engaging. I appreciated the use of blended medium throughout our days together. (We used everything from flip-charts to video conferencing!) Alumni of the program talked with us about the steps they had taken since the previous summer. We have resources to work with all these months out and I use them. I think I will for sometime. I cannot recommend this program enough. I will end by saying that the greatest opportunity was the interaction with the leaders that brought us these jobs all the way from the 80s, 90s, and the turn of this century. There really is not an adequate price tag to place on that kind of chance in time."
"IELOL is a collaborative learning experience that has shaped my daily approaches to integrating innovative practices, communication with colleagues and college leaders, everyday decision-making, and quality initiatives. The well-respected faculty offer studied frameworks and practical approaches for addressing growth and support of online learning. My enthusiasm for the field continues to grow because of the opportunities for collaboration, multi-faceted approaches, and mentoring. IELOL models active learning and a leadership approach that I can transfer into my leadership within the college and as an online instructor."
"I have been to other leadership development opportunities, and IELOL is, by far, the most engaging, most meaningful, and best one of its kind. To be frank, the others are not even close!"
"The IELOL (2015) program has greatly enhanced my leadership skills and professional network. I continuously use and refer back to the learning that took place during the institute. I would highly encourage anyone who wishes to grow as a leader to apply. The commitment is definitely worthwhile!"
"I studied leadership in graduate school and am sort of a nerd for participating in leadership development programs. That being stated, IELOL (2015) has been my most rewarding leadership experience to date! Not only was I impressed by how much it encouraged me to grow in a short amount of time, but how the bonds that I made with the group continue to be so very enriching personally and professionally."
"A number of alumni from my IELOL class are part of an Advisory Group for the formation of a new degree. Without IELOL, I would never been able to put that group together. We are in the early stages but certainly a great chance to collaborate."
"The OLC Mastery Series in Online Science Labs provided resources and information that has helped me design new labs for the online course I teach. I highly recommend the workshop to others teaching online science."
"It is an extremely useful course for grounding one's use and approach to online learning. Time well spent."
"What I learned in this Mobile Learning Mastery Series I immediately put to use in my teaching curriculum. I have engaged my students using their own tools to help them develop a sociological imagination. They are using their Smartphones and tablets to comment on sociological theories and concepts and engage each other both inside and outside of the classroom. My students like to see their comments projected on the projection screen at the front of the class. One student stated in class the other day that "this is the only class we can come to and tweet and it's ok by the professor." Then she tweeted her comment while in class."
"A program that gives a new and wonderful insight into the realm of online laboratory teaching, assessment and learning."
"OLC does an excellent job of providing high quality instructors, materials, resources, and activities that make online learning informative and enjoyable. Thank OLC!"
"The OLC Leadership in Online Learning Mastery Series provided the opportunity to analyze and make recommendations about distance education at my institution from the perspective of institutional goals, organizational structure, existing policy and legislation, and funding models. It is rare to be in a position to consider all of those important factors together and doing so provided insight into how decisions are made and how they might be guided."
“The Leadership in Online Learning Mastery Series was one of the best professional development experiences I have ever had. Dr. Hillstock’s wisdom, energy, and insight combined with an excellent curriculum was a critical resource in establishing a strategic online agenda at Hardin-Simmons University. Since the series, I have consulted Dr. Hillstock on multiple occasions for advice and guidance. She is wicked-smart, kind, and engaging. This workshop was an investment in the strategic direction of our university, an investment in my personal learning network, and an investment in some of the most useful resources in our field. I could not recommend another learning experience more highly."
“The Leadership in Online Learning Mastery Series provided excellent guidance in thinking about leadership in online learning. The instructor, Dr. Laurie Hillstock, guided us through the issues that need to be addressed in the development of a quality online program and provided very useful feedback that took into account the unique local environments of each learner. Anyone who is just starting out in developing an online program should consider enrolling in this Series. It was time well spent!"
“The Mastery Series offered by OLC was an excellent opportunity to increase my knowledge of online learning administration. The experience continues to be meaningful as I administrate an online program at my home institution. Learning with others who are in similar situations or are working toward administration of online programs was invaluable for me. That interaction has continued beyond the OLC Mastery Series. I would highly recommend the series.”
"An excellent, hands-on, practical Mastery class that addresses all of the important issues educators need to know and understand if they are contemplating SM use in classes or programs."
"The online learning mastery series was an effective and fun way to help me develop new authentic and robust learning activities for online student nurse learners."
"I have learned so much by taking the Foundation and Blended Mastery Series that I will be redesigning my classes this summer. The Blended Mastery Series has so much information that you really need additional time to take it all in. I recommend any of the OLC workshops, but if you really want to make a difference, I encourage you to take the Blended Mastery Series. It is so worth it."
"The blended mastery series of workshops leverages theory and research, ties them effectively to practice, and opens up so many possibilities to create an effective teaching and learning environment."
"This is a must-take workshop for anybody who is planning to teach a blended course."
"This series on teaching lab sciences online provided a wealth of great ideas and a diversity of perspectives that were most helpful as I continue teaching science with online labs!"
"The Designing Online Science Labs Mastery Series was awesome! I learned so much more than I thought I would, and am looking forward to taking more workshops soon."
"I learned a great deal about ways to provide more of a laboratory-type experience to online students."
"This workshop enhances my ability and confidence in delivering effective and engaging on-line nursing instruction. I'm thankful the the exceptional role model this course provided and the opportunity to gain the skills in this supportive environment. Nursing educators of the future are encouraged to participate in this OLC workshop."
"This was a fantastic learning experience! I would highly recommend it for all nursing faculty using online resources for student engagement and learning."
"The OLC Mobile Learning Mastery Series is an outstanding opportunity to discover ways in which mobile learning is currently being implemented into education and provides a valuable opportunity to interact and engage with folks that have a wide range of mobile learning experience. I recommend this course to all educators who are interested in mobile learning!"
"This workshop has enabled me to integrate mobile learning technologies and techniques into my curriculum, not only from a pedagogical improvement point of view, but also to make learning fun and engaging for the students."
"The Mobile Mastery class is memorable, and I feel I formed life-long skills using mobile technology. There is just the right amount of learning and time for reflection and absorption. It's the learning style that fits me best, and I am now able to take these new-found skills and apply them to my classes, my job, and life long endeavors."
"I was attracted to this course due to its learning outcomes, and I was not disappointed. It exceeded my expectations in terms of material covered and the facilitator's feedback. The workshop focuses on a highly important topic, instructional design. It provides fundamental as well as practical help in the design of an online course."
"OLC does an exceptional job of providing high quality instructors, materials, resources, and activities that make online learning informative and enjoyable. Thanks OLC!"
"The OLC ID Mastery Series opened a door towards greatly improving my online course before actually applying the time online first. Having never used or constructed a course learning outcomes matrix, IS plan, or analysis/improvement plan, I was pleasantly surprised doing so with the OLC versions. These tools provided a panoramic landscape of my course that helped me see its strengths, weaknesses, etc. I'd never seen nor contemplated! This course was intense, liberating, and practical—so if that's what you're looking for, it's right here, and I will continue to laud its benefits to others!"
"The Instructional Design Series was excellent in helping me understand my options for developing online and blended courses. The series forms a great basis for my further development as an educator."
"I enjoyed the activities, feedback and collaborative learning designed in these series of workshops. It was a valuable use of my time to learn from peers experiences. I enjoyed all of the innovative ideas and support found in the forums."
"The Blended Learning Mastery course was a fantastic learning experience, even for a graphic designer such as myself. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to learn, develop and meet like-minded cohorts."
"I have completed all the QM training as a Master Reviewer, and this Mastery Series from OLC takes a deeper dive into not only the course design process, but a much larger look at the entire organization. This training provided a better understanding of how to use the OLC Scorecard."
"The OLC Scorecard Mastery Series helped me in several ways. First, I found out there were others in the same situation as me. There were some that were further along and I could learn from them. Others were not as far along and I could share my experiences with them. And always, Dr Shelton was at the helm to guide us in our own individual journey. I now have a plan for moving our institution forward and research to back up the plan we will present to our institution. The course has been of benefit to my institution and to my own personal professional development."
"I feel this course is very relevant not just for online teachers, but for anyone wanting to make their courses more relevant for the students they teach. Social media usage grows more each year, and if we want to reach our students, we need to be able to use their platforms."
"I come from a background far away from Instructional Design. This series gave me a new perspective, and motivated me in a time when I needed encouragement to put that instructional design hat on, and go out in the field. Maybe have a career shift towards ID, who knows!
"Through my participation in this workshop series I have been enlightened, empowered and given practical guides for use of ID Methods and Tools, those I had previous knowledge of and those of which I was without knowledge. As a result of the resources and collaborative discourses shared—I was also able to add focus to my online course revision. No longer an uphill battle, but definitely and uphill journey of exploration and application in the field of Instructional Design—and one worth trekking."
"I was able to take the Instructional Design Mastery Series course within my first year of service in online learning. While working with faculty developing and revising courses, I now feel confident to make suggestions and our courses are stronger than ever. My Instructors are very impressed and can't wait to improve the rest of their courses."
"The IDMS course was thorough and interactive. I learned how to effectively write course objectives which had a huge impact on my instructional training course. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise!"
"I enjoyed interacting with a knowledgeable instructor and peers eager to share their experiences. I benefited a lot from the discussion forum which made me embrace new ideas and perspectives. And developing an institutional plan was a more than useful practice!"
"The OLC Quality Scorecard Mastery Series is simply the best way to learn about and experience implementing the OLC Quality Scorecard. I exchanged sound ideas with fellow online program leaders and I received feedback from the creator of the Scorecard herself."
"The Mobile Learning Mastery Series is an engaging experience that introduces new mobile applications that can be used in the classroom."
"As an educator who has been teaching online for over 20 years, I was amazed at the relevant and applicable tools for instructional design that I learned about. The facilitator was engaging and provided timely feedback to meet all of our needs."
"Wonderful experience! I didn't know quite what to expect when I signed up. I didn't have much background in online learning, but you surpassed my expectations! Great information that will enhance my training work with the unemployed. Keep up the great work!"
"It was so helpful to read the participants' posts about the policies and procedures used at their institutions. The workshop helped me to narrow the focus of the distance education strategic plan and to think ahead of consequences of decisions made now."
"I thoroughly enjoyed learning in this wonderful course. I cannot fault the expertise and support of the facilitator, the clarity of instruction, the quality of resources and the design of assessments. My fellow participants were enthusiastic and knowledgeable practitioners, also keen to improve their professional practice through scholarship and a community of inquiry. I am confident that engaging with this course and with others in this course will make a significant impact on my professional practice in the future."
"This Mastery Series was run by a very knowledgeable and friendly facilitator, and provided a great venue not only to learn about best practices in teaching with social media, but make meaningful connections with fellow educators from around the world who are interested in similar themes."
"The Social Media Mastery Series was a very eye-opening program. It helped me to reflect on the use of social media in my online teaching practice. The MS was informative and included strategies and tools about how can I develop a social media implementation. The MS gave me a unique insight into how other people perceive my implementation ideas by interaction with others educational colleagues. Without even notice, I started to develop my online persona, and the capstone to start my implementation, and it is something I am truly grateful for."
"Do you want to move your ability to teach online up a notch? Then buckle your seat belt as you are going to reach new heights in the OLC Mastery Series that you would never have expected. With very supportive and experienced faculty you will be mentored by the best. New online tools are used in each course and you are exposed to so many new ideas, both from your instructors and your classmates. These courses are well worth the time you take in reading the abundant resources and completing very applicable assignments, all tailored by you to your personal circumstance."
"The Blending Learning Mastery Series pushed me to rethink and move beyond my assumptions and practices of 10 years of blended instruction in higher education. I found myself re-engaged with creating a community of inquiry and using discussion boards productively in blended courses. I also found myself re-examining how the online and face-to-face components transcend just "replacing some class periods" with online work by actually blending both spaces in regards to student learning."
"I had an awesome experience in the Instructional Design Mastery Program. OLC gave me some great tools that I can share with faculty and my design team, and the series sparked new ideas that I can implement in my design process. Thanks, OLC!"
"I was excited to learn more about increasing my effectiveness in teaching within the online environment. Through this course, I learned about current best practices, theoretical frameworks guiding best practice, and some really great technologies that can help make online learning more interactive and effective. I appreciate what I learned in a short amount of time! I will definitely recommend the course to my colleagues!"
"The Leadership in Online Learning Mastery Series program was an excellent way for new leadership to think strategically about our own institution and how to plan for online learning there. The workshop provided time to think critically about our unique organization and strategize how to work within it to improve online learning."
"The Online Learning Consortium Quality Scorecard Mastery Series was excellent for its pacing, the richness of resources and the discussions with my colleagues from across the country and higher education about this important area of improvement for our online and distance education programs. As we worked through learning how to apply the scorecard, the idea that it must be locally and collaboratively implemented was a powerful takeaway. This is an important tool for improving the entire infrastructure of online education. The Quality Scorecard moves us beyond the important work in expanding student services and improving individual courses into institutional and systemic responsibility for student success in the online modality. This is the sphere where lasting change can happen."
"The Instructional Design Mastery Series, following the Online Teaching Certificate program, has given me the tools and strategies I need to enhance my creation and facilitation of online instruction. I have a deeper understanding of the components of quality online instruction and feel ready to work toward a profession in instructional design. The courses have been enjoyable, challenging, and fit into my full-time work schedule."
"The Online Learning Consortium Quality Scorecard Mastery Series was excellent for its pacing, the richness of resources and the discussions with my colleagues from across the country and higher education about this important area of improvement for our online and distance education programs. As we worked through learning how to apply the scorecard, the idea that it must be locally and collaboratively implemented was a powerful takeaway. This is an important tool for improving the entire infrastructure of online education. The Quality Scorecard moves us beyond the important work in expanding student services and improving individual courses into institutional and systemic responsibility for student success in the online modality. This is the sphere where lasting change can happen."
"I took the Instructional Design Mastery Series which was held during the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic. As the epidemic progressed and we all moved to online and virtual teaching across the country the activities and information shared in the class were very relevant to me in both my professional responsibilities and on a personal level. Professionally the activates, readings and additional information shared by the instructor provided some guidance and new knowledge that I could apply to the accelerated need for teacher training. On a personal level, the discussions and being able to stay in contact with other professionals to discuss the new needs we all were feeling was very rewarding.
If asked about this course I would say, 'Yes, take it you will not only get a great instructor and instruction, but also many new colleagues from around the country who share the same professional challenges.'"
"My dean and director recommended that our nursing instructors take the OLC Online Nurse Mastery course. I am new to being an instructor, thus the online instructing role is new to me as well.
I can’t believe how much I learned in this OLC course. It was amazing all the different technology tools and programs that we learned. I transformed one of my nursing courses using the various multimedia technologies that I learned. My students are more engaged and motivated in my course. I’ve had lots of student feedback stating how interactive this class is, and that they are enjoying it."
"The Quality Scorecard is grounded in research, best practices, and expert opinion, so I know the University is well-served by implementing the self-assessment process and demonstrating our continuous improvement processes and outcomes to accreditors."
“We have found the OLC Quality Scorecard to be a very effective tool for the administration of online education programs. The Scorecard provides a helpful framework for strategic planning and is used to evaluate programs, identify areas for change, and reassess annually.
"The scorecard serves as a national baseline to show us how we benchmark against online learning best practices."
"Quality continues to remain one of the greatest challenges in online education; the OLC Quality Scorecard is a robust tool meant to take the guesswork out of ascertaining quality in online programs."
"The Online Learning Consortium Quality Scorecard Mastery Series was excellent for its pacing, the richness of resources and the discussions with my colleagues from across the country and higher education about this important area of improvement for our online and distance education programs. As we worked through learning how to apply the scorecard, the idea that it must be locally and collaboratively implemented was a powerful takeaway. This is an important tool for improving the entire infrastructure of online education. The Quality Scorecard moves us beyond the important work in expanding student services and improving individual courses into institutional and systemic responsibility for student success in the online modality. This is the sphere where lasting change can happen."
"Listening to Tom Cavanagh and Kelvin Thompson in TOPcast made me feel like I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop with two really good friends having a great conversation about one of my favorite subjects. Their considerable expertise in the field of online learning and engaging conversational style is a winning combination that is both informative and entertaining!"
"TOPcast is a great idea . . . tune in if you are interested in down-to-earth, practical discussions on current issues in online and blended learning. These lively discussions happen with leaders in the field of online and blended learning and… cover a range of current topics relevant to leaders and practitioners."
"The chemistry between Tom and Kelvin is fabulous. The episode sounded like a professional, seasoned radio talk show, very interesting and entertaining. The length of the podcast was great. Time flew."
"Thank you for the opportunity to listen to… TOPcast. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. You are addressing issues and topics relevant to all in higher education. The style of delivery is warm and enjoyable. I will be sharing with my colleagues and plan to use future TOPcast episodes as jumping off points for faculty discussions and workshops."
"The TOPcast is an incredibly informative podcast that addresses the challenges we face in higher education around technology in teaching and learning. The podcast is sprinkled with humor and makes me wish I were sitting in the room with my own cup of coffee able to join in the conversation."
"The TOPcast hosts draw from their decades of experience as they discuss current issues in online and blended learning relevant to leaders and practitioners. Any online instructor, instructional designer, or aspiring online learning leader will find benefit from the insights shared. Personally, I’ve subscribed, listened to all previous episodes, and won’t miss another! Keep ‘em coming!!"
"TOPcast is a great resource by Tom Cavanagh and Kelvin Thompson from UCF - monthly podcast plus transmedia and even coffee trivia. These are conversations with real practitioners who actively support faculty and students."
"OLC is truly the leader in helping leaders define quality in online learning. The true benefit of this experience is having people with a great deal of expertise learn about our online operations and provide feedback for improvement."
"Dr. Powell was well prepared and connected with the faculty; she was also familiar with faculty skills and knowledge. She was able to reinforce a consistent message throughout the sessions, especially when it comes to verifiable verbs!"
"The professional development that I have received from OLC has not only been a catalyst for improvement in distance teaching and learning at our institution, but has also been the foundation from which I have been able to grow as a leader."
"I have taught online for over 10 years, but I needed to break out of my usual way of doing things, and do an honest appraisal of my courses. The Online Learning Consortium made me scrutinize, in depth, everything from my course learning objectives to my course design, rubrics, assignments, and discussions, and I feel my students will benefit from what I have learned from this course. I am excited to apply my new strategies and assignments, created to engage my online students with the material, each other, and myself."
"The OLC Advanced Online Teaching Certificate was an excellent choice for me as an experienced online course designer and instructor. It focused on topics that experienced online instructors are most likely to need. The quality of the topics covered and the structure of the course made it logical and fun to participate in and work through. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for ways to refresh their online courses and for anyone who might think they do not need to refresh anything!"
"I was unaware of the actual accommodations an instructor must take into account in order to have an accessible online course. In reviewing some of the online courses at our institution, I am beginning to at least be able to identify some of the problems with accessibility within the course. I am glad I took this workshop as I have learned much about accessibility and have a better appreciation of what someone with any type of disability has to deal with in order to take an online course (or a face-to-face course.) Although they have challenges, it is not impossible to find accommodations and solutions to be able to better serve our students"
"I learned quite a bit of useful information from this program. While I've tried to design my classes to be inclusive, there are some technical things I just didn't know, and I'm not sure how anyone would know without a class like this or some very serious individual research. I am already making changes to my classes based on the material I've learned and will continue to incorporate the principles I learned as I develop new classes. This is a class I would recommend to anyone who wants to teach online and frankly, a lot of the information would be useful to improve face to face classes as well."
"This workshop far exceeded my expectations. The facilitator was beyond prepared, knowledgeable and she was outstanding with her explanations and patience. The organization of her material, the pace of the course and the supplemental support and references provided were excellent. I know I will be referencing this course for YEARS to come and am appreciative that we have access for another year."
"OLC Innovate was awesome! I loved meeting the amazing range of curious and connected educators excited to explore and try new things!"
"I definitely would recommend this conference to colleagues because they will get a sense that they are not alone in their fields, they will meet people who can share strategies and resources to help solve the daunting problems we are facing in online learning."
"Great place to network with peers and leaders in online learning."
"Highly recommend this conference. It offers a broad variety of topics related to our industry and brings together recognized scholars and novices alike to share knowledge and ideas."
"It's one of the best networking opportunities in a reasonably-sized conference."
"Great conference for hearing very up-to-date topics and innovative thought about online learning."
"Quality continues to remain one of the greatest challenges in online education; the OLC Quality Scorecard is a robust tool meant to take the guesswork out of ascertaining quality in online programs."
"I would recommend [OLC Innovate] to anyone involved in distance learning, online teaching, or course design, because of the opportunities to learn from others and discover products and solutions offered by the vendors."
"The OLC Blended Learning Mastery Series: Research into Practice was a professionally enriching and very satisfying experience."
"Working a full-time job limits the time I am able to spend with other professors. OLC provided me the ability to learn the latest and greatest tools, resources, and to network with others – just like me!"
“Robust and well designed, the content and activities I experienced in the OLC/SUNY Instructional Designer Certificate Program continue to benefit me in practical ways every day on the job.”
"The OLC Quality Scorecard Mastery Series is simply the best way to learn about and experience implementing the OLC Quality Scorecard. I exchanged sound ideas with fellow online program leaders and I received feedback from the creator of the Scorecard herself."
"This OLC workshop fulfilled the need for me to further develop an understanding of ADA regulations as they pertain to college courses in an online environment."
"Completing the OLC Online Nursing Mastery Series served as a catalyst to further my knowledge and skills in online teaching."
"The OLC Online Science Labs Mastery Series Program was engaging, inspiring, and helped me feel connected."
"I didn't know how much I didn't know until I completed the OLC Online Science Labs Mastery Series Program. I feel more prepared to better serve students, which was my goal!"
"The OLC Instructional Design Mastery Series Program was a useful and enriching experience, both in terms of knowledge gained and the collaboration between individuals."
"The OLC Advanced Online Teaching Certificate Program is an excellent and cost-effective way to enhance your skills in a way that you can immediately apply to your courses."
"The Mobile Learning Mastery Series is an engaging experience that introduces new mobile applications that can be used in the classroom."
"Student learning and engagement will be enhanced by the knowledge we gained from the OLC Online Nursing Mastery Series."
"Taking the OLC Advanced Online Teaching Certificate Program helped me to identify ways that I could enhance the online program I oversee and the courses I teach."
"The OLC Certificate Program - Foundation Course was very enlightening and I am so thankful for the opportunity. I learned a lot about myself and much-needed areas for teaching overall. I would recommend OLC to any faculty looking to enhance their professional development and learn some worthwhile information that will prove to be invaluable when teaching online."
"After teaching online for over eight years, I have to ask myself why I didn't consider taking the Instructional Designer Certificate Program, or any other Online Learning Consortium course, earlier. OLC was a hidden in plain sight treasure trove of information that I wish I accessed earlier because moving forward I am greater confidence that I will be a better instructor and subject matter expert. Thanks, OLC!"
"It has been an honor to be a part of this learning journey with OLC. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience."
"This course was supremely helpful for someone starting from ground zero when it comes to research. It covers the basics and gives you information that you can then take back to your job to do your own research. I highly recommend it for other Instructional Designers who are new to research."
"The course provided great insights through the engagement and collaboration of Instructional Designers and Instructors from different Colleges in the United States. It was an eye opening experience to reflect on what my institution has accomplished so far, what are the next actions we have to implement to ensure a continuous improvement, and how to create an effective synergy between design and development process, faculty professional development, and evaluation strategy to measure the impact of our services."
"This program is wonderful -- the immediate networking garnered through discussion forums as well as the wholly pertinent and relevant information conveyed through weekly readings and activities have served to strengthen my awareness and skills in this burgeoning field of ID."
"The OLC program offers several courses that are designed to support you in real-time. My experience has been one where my current work was enhanced by OLC in a lock-step fashion. All instruction matched my real-time work needs."
"I did have a great experience in this OLC program! I really enjoyed working with colleagues from all over the world who are facing some of the same issues I face and who had some innovative and exciting suggestions to tackle those issues. I enjoyed reading about and implementing some new ideas which are immediately going into my courses. This is a very good course with lots to offer!"
"The course provided a great opportunity to learn some new skills and improve my current practice. It was a great way to network with other online teachers, and share ideas about what works best."
"Participation in the Advanced Online Learning Certificate program has made me much more excited about my online teaching."
"The Advanced Online Teaching Certificate Program offered me new insights into areas with which I was already familiar and significantly increased my understanding of issues and trends in online education. I gained significant and actionable new skills and tools for improving my courses and supporting my professional development. I worked with peers who generously offered their diverse experiences and perspectives. The instructor was phenomenal."
"The OLC Advanced Online Teaching and Learning Certificate program is the ideal sequel for the basic certificate. The supportive atmosphere is welcoming and conducive for exploring ongoing and current issues of vital importance in the field of online course delivery."
"I believe I have moved to the next level in teaching, course design, teamwork, & technology from attending OLC workshops and obtaining certificates. I have a better understanding of the importance of instructor-student interaction and student to student engagement. It is the relationships built in education that encourage success."
"Sessions are informative, faculty and staff represent many institutions and nations, and vendors are interesting and helpful. Great opportunities for networking and information sharing where I can guarantee the research is properly performed and peer-reviewed."
"This is an opportunity to renew and reinvigour as an educator. You meet individuals who are doing things that you never thought of or are using technologies that you have not come across."
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the 2018 OLC conference in Orlando. Being new to instructional design and "learning with technology", this conference was novice and expert friendly with plenty of activities, speakers and poster presentations to present plenty of relevant information to our modernization of technology in the classroom."
"This was an excellent conference. I left with tools I can implement immediately to improve the interactive possibilities of online education. The networking available at the conference was invaluable. Personally, I appreciated the morning yoga sessions and mindfulness meditation sessions."
"I really enjoyed attending OLC Innovate 2019! I was able to learn about new technologies and techniques to help improve my department's courses, and everyone was very friendly and happy to give advice. As a newcomer to this field it is wonderful to network and hear about others experiences."
"OLC Innovate was one of the best professional development conferences I have attended. Ever. The sessions were well described, the presenters knew their stuff, and everything I experienced was well organized."
"OLC Innovate 2019 was wonderful. Apart from the engaging and thought-provoking sessions, plenty of time was structured in the program for networking and reconnecting with colleagues around the world."
"This was my first OLC workshop for professional development and I found it to be excellent per the facilitator and the curriculum. I highly recommend OLC workshops to traditional and online faculty as an excellent resource to fulfill professional development requirements."
"The Blending Learning Mastery Series pushed me to rethink and move beyond my assumptions and practices of 10 years of blended instruction in higher education. I found myself re-engaged with creating a community of inquiry and using discussion boards productively in blended courses. I also found myself re-examining how the online and face-to-face components transcend just "replacing some class periods" with online work by actually blending both spaces in regards to student learning."
"I had an awesome experience in the Instructional Design Mastery Program. OLC gave me some great tools that I can share with faculty and my design team, and the series sparked new ideas that I can implement in my design process. Thanks, OLC!"
"I was excited to learn more about increasing my effectiveness in teaching within the online environment. Through this course, I learned about current best practices, theoretical frameworks guiding best practice, and some really great technologies that can help make online learning more interactive and effective. I appreciate what I learned in a short amount of time! I will definitely recommend the course to my colleagues!"
"The Leadership in Online Learning Mastery Series program was an excellent way for new leadership to think strategically about our own institution and how to plan for online learning there. The workshop provided time to think critically about our unique organization and strategize how to work within it to improve online learning."
"I have taught online classes for over 10 years, but the OLC course gave me the opportunity to share ideas among others--Priceless! Thank you!"
"It was really helpful in building my online course and thinking about issues I had not already addressed. Also created a space for ideas from other professors, which I probably would not have had prior."
"Getting ready to start out with online teaching had me nervous and anxious. All of my fears were eliminated after taking the New to Online, Essentials Part 1 course with Linda! At the end, I had the toolkit necessary to create a learning environment that the students will thrive in! I feel prepared and excited about starting with fresh ideas, resources, and the research to back me up."
"I had a great experience in this OLC program! I learned about how to "Flip" my blended/hybrid course with out "flipping the entire course" or "reinventing the wheel" for effective instructional practice. Now, I know how to make the learning in my online modules and in class sessions more student-centered and interactive."
"The workshop on Flipping the classroom is a long-awaited panacea to ameliorate one of the challenges of the 21st-century learning. The workshop is focused and totally meets its objectives. I recommend this workshop to every lecturer transitioning to become a facilitator and to every teacher trying to create a classroom that is student focused. Great Workshop!"
"The QCTIP scorecard workshop has really shown me that online teaching and learning is a possible and user friendly platform to use. All it requires is proper planning on time and implementing it."
"This was a very informative course which have answered a lot of the questions I were struggling with in the most practical ways. It was good to experience the how positive SDL work when you have a good facilitator and the students really engage online with each other."
"I think to teach in the online environment it is essential to also experience an online environment and what better way than doing it through the OLC with these great courses."
"The course was insightful as we collaborated in discussions. It was great to hear from the people of the same institution what their frustrations are."
"OLC provides great professional development and a bevy of resources for all Online Education Professionals."
"The workshop was clearly presented. The materials supported the lesson and provided many tips for improvement of my online course. It was indeed a great experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone teaching an online course."
"Another great course that will enhance online classroom and the effectiveness of content delivery."
"I was a skeptic as it pertained to online instruction. Since I have been enrolled in the OLC Certification, I am a convert and have advocated for others to complete the certification. Everything that I learned has changed my perspective on not only teaching online, but also teaching the face to face classes."
"I really did have a great experience while taking this course. I learned a lot and still taking some tools which I haven't had the chance to read over, home to learn and explore more. I may not use all of them but I will definitely recommend them along with learning techniques to instructors I know."
"This was a useful course that gave me a great introduction to gamified learning environments."
"During this course I learned about the wealth of OER resources that are available for educators and how to use these in order to foster a skills-building approach rather than strengthening a content focused/didactic approach in the classroom. In the course, I was guided by the facilitator to explore these resources in a self-directed way, rather than being instructed on what to learn. The input and insights from the other participants also enriched the course and offered new and different insights to the process."
"I had an absolute blast with this workshop. It is something which I had never done before so yes it came with difficulties and challenges however it was worth it. Seeing my end results at the end of each activity was a proud moment for me."
"I did have a great experience in this OLC program. I learned a lot, and the experience is definitely worth the effort put in. The discussions were enlightening and engaging, and the course material thought provoking and inspiring. The possibilities for using what I have learned over the last week are numerous, and I definitely plan on implementing what I've learned in the future."
"It was an excellent well presented logical and informative course sharing and developing information on infographics and relevant for both online and in class environments. I will continue looking for opportunities to participate in OLC courses.
"The OLC program offering was a great experience. The opportunity to hear and discuss topics with others in my field was invaluable. This session me with great insight, knowledge, and resource that can assist me in my current position and in the future."
"I didn't realize that project management played a huge role in being an ID. Before taking this workshop, I had begun studying for a PMP certification, however, it was very overwhelming. I'd try to see the relevance with what I do as an ID, which I did, but there was so much information to learn. When I saw and took this workshop, it put many things into perspective and I began to relate what I do as having a purpose when aligning it with project management. I still plan to pursue a PMP certification and this workshop has definitely helped push me to do it."
"I had a great learning experience through the class (LXD) I took from the OLC program. We had an excellent and knowledgeable facilitator that was an active member of the class discussions and overall assignments of the course. I would definitely recommend these workshops to anyone interested in furthering their education and skills. The one-week workshops are perfectly designed to meet the needs of busy full-time faculty, instructional designers, and anyone else interested in learning more about professional development opportunities in the field of education."
"I found the Strategy workshop for accessibility very helpful in providing poignant resources, thoughts on who needs to be included in an institution's development of a Web Accessibility Plan and the guidelines for a timeline."
"The OLC Workshop provided me with relevant assessment information and tools that I can use to enhance online instruction."
"My experience with this class was very good. I hope that I answered the questions and assignments properly. I was a but unsure about where to post some of my assignment and what grades I received, but I assume that this is because I needed to read the syllabus more thoroughly. Overall, the experience was very positive and added to my professional wherewithal."
"This workshop provided me with new insight that I can implement into my current and future classrooms. It was both thought-provoking and interesting."
"I think most educators should take this (Part I and Part II) of the Neuro, Cognitive and Learning Sciences: Applying theory to practice workshop. At least part I. it had challenged many misconception that we learned in the past about learning. Incorporating learning gained on how memory works and how to harness different strategies to improve students' learning will be reflected in the success and retention of students. I could not have asked for better facilitators and have taken many workshops both at OLC and other institutions. I learned so much and feel I will be a better instructor and learner because of these workshops. What I learned will help me be an effective learner as much as a more effective instructor/facilitator."
"This program is designed to give participants choices to read/watch study material, It motivates me to change my teaching methods to be more inclusive towards the learners with learning difficulty."
"This workshop was informative, encouraging, practical, and professional; highly recommended."
"Since I have very little experience teaching online, I was originally apprehensive about the workshop, but I was quickly pulled in and welcomed. Linda made navigating the course simple and easy to do. I will note that she implemented all the topics that we learned about in her course, providing an excellent model for each of us. I learned a lot from the readings and it was reinforced throughout the posts of others. Overall, I enjoyed the workshop!"
"I found this workshop extremely valuable and well-worth the time. If one is willing and able to put in the time to read the articles and complete the assignments, there is much real-world applications. I am away with concrete ideas for developing a new online course that will run this summer, and have already been working with the teaching team to get them into the course."
"This class was excellent and I recommend it to teachers who are new and familiar to online teaching. Rather than taking a class and maybe using the information, this workshop is effective in providing a resource that can be used immediately for a class."
"OLC made me aware of the benefits and challenges in instituting CBE which I am appreciative!"
"This was a dynamic and fast class full of other professionals who have expertise in various areas and technological skills. Facilitator was open, accessible, and interactive on a daily basis, adding to the relationship and trust which developed quickly. The reading and assignments were challenging at just the right level and the course flew by. I highly recommend this course to anyone seeking to enhance or learn about online teaching and practical experience."
"My experience in this course has been wonderful and informative. I have learned new strategies to use in my online and face to face courses. I plan to review all of the course materials in order to make efficient use of the suggestions and ideas shared by all participants. This extensive exposure has been my "great experience"!"
"My institution is currently revising its online programming, including course evaluation process. This workshop was invaluable in helping me understand best practices in online course evaluation. I was able to leave the workshop with an evaluation tool that my college will be able to use next semester."
"I enrolled in the Designing Gamified Learning Environments workshop because my colleagues have been talking about introducing gamification into courses to better engage students. I hoped the course would provide a more systematic way of learning about game theory and design. I was very pleased with the activities and pace of the course, the assigned readings, and the assignments. It not only helped me learn more about gamification, but also encouraged me to change the way I structure my online courses, as well. Thanks again!"
"[I have found that] all of the workshops with OLC are very interesting, and thought-provoking with great resources."
"Designing Gamified Learning Environments was an eye-opening course that changed my perspective on course delivery. I can't wait to gamify my classroom!"
"The workshop opened up a new world to me. I learned a lot. I am going to use all the ideas to create games to teach various courses effectively. I will be also presenting to my colleagues at my university."
"I have taken five courses through the OLC Workshop Program thus far, and I have thoroughly enjoyed each course. The content is always up-to-date, relevant to the topics discussed; the instructors have always been significantly present in the workshops I've taken which is of the utmost importance in an online course learning environment; and I can say without hesitation that I've taken away at least one new skill/assignment/idea that I can immediately implement in my teaching. Thanks very much for providing such high quality professional development opportunities in manageable chunks via week-long workshops - extensive, intensive, but worth the effort!"
"I had heard of Universal Design for Learning but didn't know what it actually encompassed. I was thinking "accessibility," which is part of the consideration, but not really "learning about addressing the buy-in of the audience" by offering multiple paths to the one goal. I am going to have to spend a lot of time thinking about all the ideas in this course. I recommend it!"
"As a graduate teaching assistant, I have been working at our Center of Teaching Excellence for the last four years. The Project Management for Instructional Designers workshop is wonderful and invaluable to me because while trained in a discipline outside of project management or education, I now have the proper vocabulary and description of approaches that I have already been engaged in. Participating in this workshop has given me so much confidence in my job performance."
"The Online Learning Consortium Quality Scorecard Mastery Series was excellent for its pacing, the richness of resources and the discussions with my colleagues from across the country and higher education about this important area of improvement for our online and distance education programs. As we worked through learning how to apply the scorecard, the idea that it must be locally and collaboratively implemented was a powerful takeaway. This is an important tool for improving the entire infrastructure of online education. The Quality Scorecard moves us beyond the important work in expanding student services and improving individual courses into institutional and systemic responsibility for student success in the online modality. This is the sphere where lasting change can happen."
"This is the most intensive course I have taken in a long time. The information contained in each lesson is a must for instructional designers especially those without a background in education. Be ready to invest time and effort into each activity. You will not be disappointed!"
"OLC Collaborate exceeded my expectations from a networking and information perspective. The format is designed to be interactive, and the conference delivered on that expectation."
"The OLC conference Feb 7 at OSU in Corvallis, Oregon was an awesome learning, sharing, and collaborating experience. Well done!"
"The Instructional Design Mastery Series, following the Online Teaching Certificate program, has given me the tools and strategies I need to enhance my creation and facilitation of online instruction. I have a deeper understanding of the components of quality online instruction and feel ready to work toward a profession in instructional design. The courses have been enjoyable, challenging, and fit into my full-time work schedule."
"My experience with the OLC program was phenomenal and loved every moment of it. I completed my first-course last week and it was an amazing experience and this week I completed two more courses and workshop. I still really like this LMS workshop program and would recommend it to anyone who is curious about learning material to help them or someone else."
"The Online Learning Consortium Quality Scorecard Mastery Series was excellent for its pacing, the richness of resources and the discussions with my colleagues from across the country and higher education about this important area of improvement for our online and distance education programs. As we worked through learning how to apply the scorecard, the idea that it must be locally and collaboratively implemented was a powerful takeaway. This is an important tool for improving the entire infrastructure of online education. The Quality Scorecard moves us beyond the important work in expanding student services and improving individual courses into institutional and systemic responsibility for student success in the online modality. This is the sphere where lasting change can happen."
"I absolutely had a great experience. This workshop made me aware that accessibility is truly the responsibility of everyone on campus."
"One of the most critical, yet underdeveloped, areas of online teaching and learning is related to inclusivity and being ADA compliant. This workshop provided a variety of resources (written and tutorials) that explained or demonstrated quite well how to fully address the many visible and invisible disabilities that exist in our student population. I completed the workshop with a better understanding about simple steps that I can, and will take, to ensure inclusivity and that will provide all learners with the experience that they deserve."
"I had a great experience in this OLC program. Thank you for the great experience! I enjoyed the workshop because the facilitator facilitated dialogues on thought-provoking discussion questions. As I read other posters' posts, I began to understand a bigger picture of how much impact online has on education. As I progressed through the workshop, I delivered my thoughts after reading materials and responded to their thought-provoking questions. I learned more about how to best design my online course. Thank you for training me!"
"This course was a great and easy introduction to teaching online. It can be overwhelming to teach online and the information disseminated in this course made it more realistic. Great course."
"This was my first experience enrolling in the Essential OLC course, I have learned a lot, quite a good experience. I am planning to take the OLC higher and advanced level course in the coming months."
"I enjoyed this class very much and learned more than I thought I would learn. I recommend this course and will be furthering my online professional development through OLC in the future."
"The nursing mastery series was great. Instruction was exceptional. I would recommend the course to all nursing instructors whether brand new or experienced."
"For any current or prospective leader in Distance Learning in higher education, the Leadership in Online Learning Mastery Series is a must. This series leads to a more thoughtful, thorough, and institution-specific approach to shaping excellence in online learning on one's campus."
"I am pleased that I chose this course. It gave me exposure to what is happening in other institutions with similar problems, albeit at a larger scale. Wearing the student shoes I appreciated the importance of facilitator presence and relevance of content."
"I found this OLC Mastery Series to be very beneficial. It was thought-provoking and got me to explore options I had not thought of on my own before. Additionally, the ideas and feedback I got from my peers was very useful and helped me as I created my final product. I would recommend this series to anyone who is interested in online science education."
"Dr. Musgrove was my course facilitator when I took OLC’s foundations course as part of the Online Teaching Certificate program. Immediately, I was drawn to her teaching style and infectious excitement for all the technological and pedagogical possibilities that teaching online provides. Her humor and mentoring spirit were much appreciated. In her, OLC is lucky to have a master teacher who cares."
“In a time when so many of us are forcibly engaged in online education, it was great to hear from those who specialize in – and enjoy! – different aspects of online learning and brand practices. The volunteers were positive and helpful, the topics were relevant and current, the presenters were knowledgeable and personable. Attending virtually was almost entirely painless and the entire program was well executed! It was great and I will continue to share my experiences so more people can collaborate with OLC! Thank you!”
“This was my first OLC conference and I was impressed by the breadth of topics available to attend. We purchased unlimited access so our entire Academic Affairs team could attend and from what I’ve heard so far, everyone got a lot out of attending. We are considering an institutional membership now as well to take advantage of other OLC offerings. We will certainly be attending future conferences offered by OLC!”
"OLC Innovate is such an impactful and well-run conference. The fact that OLC could pivot the entire conference to fully online was not only impressive but extremely advantageous for our institution: Ten times as many of our faculty attended than would have been able to F2F."
"The workshops provide a world of resources, existing as well as innovative ideas to assist faculty in becoming better educators. The experiences and genuine collaboration from the presenters made the OLC conference truly a great experience."
"I had a great experience! I learned a lot and think you all did a good job creating an engaging virtual experience. The presenters in the sessions I attended did a good job using breakout rooms to make the sessions interactive. I wish I could have attended more sessions; during the second week I was too busy. Thankfully the sessions are recorded so I can watch sessions I missed later."
"[OLC Innovate 2020] offered diversity in topics, speakers, presentations, and attendees. Connecting people in a time of distance and crisis. Thank you OLC for the opportunity to connect, share, and promote innovative educational solutions, research, and technologies."
"This whole conference blew my mind. I was so impressed by how much work went into making my experience from afar seamless. The wealth of information is priceless. I can't wait to dig back in and watch some of the sessions that I missed."
"What an incredible two weeks of opportunity to participate with more than 5,000 talented colleagues in hundreds of conference, workshop, discovery, and conversation sessions. The ability to engage 'live' and later review sessions of particular interest – or those missed - contributed to an incredibly worthwhile professional opportunity."
"This conference was incredible - one of the best I've attended. It re-invigorated my love of online education and provided great ideas and inspiration I immediately implemented in my classroom."
"My dean and director recommended that our nursing instructors take the OLC Online Nurse Mastery course. I am new to being an instructor, thus the online instructing role is new to me as well.
I can’t believe how much I learned in this OLC course. It was amazing all the different technology tools and programs that we learned. I transformed one of my nursing courses using the various multimedia technologies that I learned. My students are more engaged and motivated in my course. I’ve had lots of student feedback stating how interactive this class is, and that they are enjoying it."
"There were so many things I liked about the conference. I really liked that it was online and I am able to watch the recordings if I missed a session I wanted to attend. The topics varied so it covered a lot in education I was seeking."
"The ability to participate virtually! Long overdue, and while I was very much looking forward to attending in Chicago, the virtual option was very worthwhile."
"This was my first OLC conference and I was impressed by the breadth of topics available to attend. We purchased an unlimited access so our entire Academic Affairs team could attend and from what I've heard so far, everyone got a lot out of attending. We are considering an institutional membership now as well to take advantage of other OLC offerings. We will certainly be attending future conferences offered by OLC!"
"I attended the conference for the first time. It opened many avenues and possibilities of reflecting, reviewing, revisiting and enhancing learning frameworks and systems in Higher Education. As a librarian, it helped me get to know how I can improve my pedagogical skills and knowledge and put it into practice. One of the best things which happened to me was the realization of accessibility issues and concerns. It was totally new area for understanding and exploration. I did not see accessibility with that much diverse perspective. This would definitely help me improve my own workshop practices. I would also like to thank AMICAL consortium of Liberal Arts institutions for sponsoring and providing this unique learning opportunity. Hat's off to entire OLC team for organizing this gigantic learning experience."
"The workshop was a compact experience during which I could reach resources from various media and learn as a group. The facilitator and the group participants were so active and helpful that I forgot many times that I only met them virtually, not physically. Thanks, OLC team!"
"Great learning experience in new technology and online teaching skills."
"Even though I am a music professor, I learned many strategies that I will take into my teaching process online this coming Fall semester. Student engagement is something every professor needs to learn how to manage, and this workshop gave me many practical tools and ideas to ensure that this is doable for my courses this semester."
"The OLC Workshop on Creating Effective Assessments helped me improve in the clarity and intentionality of my assignments as they relate to course design. This is an effective and efficient way to focus in on one aspect of online teaching."
"The self-paced workshop allowed me to work at my own pace to pick up strategies to improve my online courses."
I was very hopeful when the conference had to be changed to a virtual environment and I was not disappointed. This was my first OLC Accelerate experience, but certainly not my last. There is nothing like leaving a conference with things to try and broadened perspective. I look forward to next year's event!
"Regis University has used the OLC Workshop Pass for several years. The breadth and depth of workshop topics provides our faculty course developers, instructors and administrators with a well-rounded blend of materials, with outcomes that can be put to use immediately. This has allowed my department to focus on more specific topics. The Workshop Pass has been well worth the price of admission for our professional development efforts."
"OLC is providing a monumental service to professionals through these workshops. Particularly helpful was the list of references which I will be exploring more thoroughly in the coming months. I was both challenged and inspired, and will continue to reflect deeply on my educational methodologies and the potential for increasing an online teaching presence."
"The OLC Workshop Pass is indispensable for faculty interested in hybrid online teaching."
Testimonial
"The program was excellent and truly prepared me, along with workshops at my University, for the online course that I am currently teaching. The most important key learnings were (1) managing a learning community and maintaining facilitator presence; (2) writing meaningful and accurate learning objectives, syllabi, and assignments; and (3) making online discussion assignments meaningful."
Dr. Janine Aronson, Professor of Management Information Systems, The University of Georgia (Certificate Program)
