In the News

Inside Higher Ed | March 6, 2017 - A new study examines how six adult-serving institutions are defining and using alternative credentials such as badges, noncredit certificates and those issued for successful completion of MOOCs or coding and skills boot camps. The 30-page report, which was released today by the Distance... Read More>

First-of-its-kind study explores key definitions and reveals five common themes focused on competency-based education (CBE), prior learning assessment (PLA), alternative credentials, the importance of reliable data, and traditional vs. non-traditional learning. WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 6, 2017) — For contemporary learners, the path to higher education degree attainment frequently involves a myriad of... Read More>

A master in mobile learning shares his best advice for rebooting your instruction. Campus Technology | December 13, 2016 - When Pokémon Go surfaced in mid-summer, students would stand "like zombies" outside the "hotspot" building where Scott Hamm works. "There'd be people out there all the time," recalled the director of... Read More>

Awards will be presented at next month’s #OLCInnovate conference, April 5-7, in New Orleans NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (March 2, 2017) — The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) today announced recipients of its 2017 OLC Effective Practice Awards, recognizing effective techniques, strategies and practices that are shared by members of the OLC community to... Read More>

A cadre of experts offer their views -- many critical -- of a prominent Stanford researcher's new study questioning the ROI of online education. Inside Higher Ed | March 1, 2017 -  The release this week of a Stanford University economist's study of the return on investment for students in online programs... Read More>

EdSurge | February 17, 2017 - Wesley Engers has an unusual hobby: beta testing online courses from well-known colleges and universities. He doesn’t get paid, but he helps improve the quality of courses by catching mistakes in quizzes and pointing out befuddling bits of video lectures, which can then be clarified... Read More>

Inside Higher Ed | February 22, 2017 - Online learning's growth shows no signs of slowing. The Online Learning Consortium estimates that 85 percent of Americans enrolled in postsecondary institutions have at least one trait of a nontraditional learner. Online learning's growth shows no signs of slowing. The Online Learning Consortium estimates... Read More>

#OLCInnovate’s Best-in-Track sessions, keynotes and overall program exemplify this year’s conference theme of “Education Reimagined.” NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (Feb. 22, 2017) — The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) will gather the online learning community in New Orleans, April 5-7, for OLC Innovate (#OLCInnovate), the annual event focused on innovation in online learning. The conference... Read More>

Inside Higher Ed | February 13, 2017 - In this new feature, we're trying to create a space to discuss institutional experiments with digital technologies -- what worked, what didn't, and what other colleges can learn from the attempts. (The Online Learning Consortium's Effective Practices program has contributed initial ideas.) Send... Read More>

Education Dive | February 7, 2017 - Dive Brief: Several higher education advocacy organizations have united to form a new organization supporting the development of adult learners in higher education.  The National Adult Learner Coalition, a joint venture created by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), President’s... Read More>