1991 – Ralph Gomory receives approval from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Board of Trustees to start a Learning Outside the Classroom Project, later renamed the Anytime, Anyplace Learning Program.

1992 – A. Frank Mayadas joins The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as a program officer. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation established the Learning Outside the Classroom Program

1993 – First major grant ($697,422) is awarded to Roxanne Hiltz at the New Jersey Institute of Technology to initiate a project utilizing networked computer conferencing and video technology for reducing average time to graduation and enabling a B.A. degree in Information Systems for those who prefer to learn at home.

1994 – The Foundation awards $750,000 to Steve Andriole at Drexel University to develop a self-paced local and remote instruction program in Information Systems and Software Design.

1995 – Burks Oakley receives the largest grant to date for $2,116,000 to develop a Sloan Center for Asynchronous Learning Environments (SCALE) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A meeting is held in Philadelphia of Sloan grantees and others to discuss online learning (94 individuals participate). This is the 1st Sloan Annual Conference.

1996 – Mary Metz and Mary Beth Alameda at the University of California, Berkeley Extension, receive a grant for $2,028,500 to develop 100 new ALN courses.

1997 – Inaugural Issue of the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN) is published with a grant awarded to John Bourne. The Foundation awards $285,000 to Rio Salado Community College to extend an existing ALN program across the state and to Native American reservations. Quality Framework Established: The Five Pillars of Quality Online Education.

1998 – Funded by the Foundation, a Consortium (Sloan-C) housed at Vanderbilt University and headed by John Bourne emerges as an informal organization for the ALN community.

1999 – Eric Fredericksen receives a grant for $1,300,000 to develop a large-scale ALN program at the State University of New York. First Sloan Summer Workshop held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mike Ribaudo and Colette Wagner (City University of New York) receive a grant for $300,000 to develop CUNY Online. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation establishes The Sloan Consortium.

2000 – Calvin Sydnor and Betty Simmons at Hampton University receive a $400,000 grant to develop a full ALN degree program in Religious Studies. Gary Miller receives a $1,000,000 grant to develop large-scale ALN programs at the Pennsylvania State World Campus. Sloan Summer Workshop moves to Lake George, New York and becomes an annual event.

2001 – University of Central Florida, under the direction of Joel Hartman and Patrick Wagner, hosts the Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning in Orlando, Florida, that attracts almost 700 participants.

2002 – The first in a series of national surveys is conducted by Elaine Allen & Jeff Seaman at the Babson College Survey Research Group on the extent and nature of online learning in American higher education. Funded by the Sloan Foundation, this survey becomes the premiere annual study of online learning in the United States. The Foundation provides funding for a Sloan-C Committee chaired by Frank Mayadas to assist in evaluating the eArmyU Project for the U.S. Army.

2003 – Carmen González at New Mexico State University receives a grant to support a conference focused on ALN’s for American Indian learners.

2004 – First Workshop on Blended Learning under the direction of Mary Niemiec is held at the University of Illinois – Chicago, that evolves into an annual conference.

2005 – Sloan-C Institute established, providing online learning workshops & webinars. Sloan Semester – free online courses offered to students displaced by Hurricanes Katrina & Rita. 

2006 – As part of its blended learning and localness initiative the Foundation awards a $650,000 grant to Jacqueline Moloney at the University of Massachusetts to create and augment online course and program offerings for the state of Massachusetts.

2007 – Ralph Gomory announces his retirement as President of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

2008 – Sloan-C incorporates as a non-profit, 501(c)3. IELOL blended-learning leadership program introduced by Penn State & Sloan-C. Cheryl Edmonds (CANnect) receives a $50,000 grant to develop ALN modifications suitable for blind students.

2009 – Frank Mayadas retires as the Program Officer for the Anytime, Anyplace Learning Program at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

2010 – The Anytime, Anyplace Learning Program officially ends.

2011 – Quality Scorecard introduced, establishing criteria for excellence for online learning programs.

2012 – The last grant of the Sloan Foundation’s Anytime, Anyplace Learning Program is awarded to Anthony G. Picciano (City University of New York) to document and evaluate the program.

2013 – Sloan-C rebranded as the Online Learning Consortium, (OLC). JALN renamed Online Learning, expanded publications throughout the year.

2015 – OLC launches first regional event, OLC Collaborate. Online Learning (journal) merges journals with MERLOT. Recipient of $2.5M adaptive learning Bill & Melinda Gates grant.

2016 – OLC combines ET4 & Blended Learning conferences into one: OLC Innovate. Policy partnership with WCET & UPCEA. Digital learning Innovation Award launch.

2017 – Quality Scorecard expands to a suite of five scorecards. OLC launches the OLC Research Center for Digital Learning & Leadership. OLC advances Leadership Network at Innovate and Accelerate conferences.

2018 – OLC, QM, UPCEA & WCET collaborate to form the National Council for Online Education. Began work with Every Learner Everywhere network.