OLC Announces 2018 Digital Learning Innovation Award Recipients

Three higher ed institutions and 10 faculty-led teams were selected from more than 60 #DLIAward entries for their innovative approaches for advancing undergraduate student success through the adoption of digital courseware.

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. and ORLANDO, Fla. (Nov. 14, 2018) — The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) today announced the recipients of the 2018 OLC Digital Learning Innovation Awards (#DLIAward). The awards were presented to honorees during this evening’s OLC Awards & Leadership Ceremony and Reception, part of this week’s OLC Accelerate conference, in Orlando.

“This year’s DLIAward recipients truly exemplify the mission of the award program, to discover and learn from institutions and initiatives that are effectively improving student success, especially among minority, first-generation and other underrepresented student groups,” said Kathleen S. Ives, D.M., CEO and Executive Director of the Online Learning Consortium. “We congratulate the 2018 DLIAward honorees, we thank them for helping grow the body of knowledge related to digital courseware, and we encourage them to continue on the path that led to their selection.”

The 2018 OLC DLIAward Recipients

The 2018 DLIAward - Institution category, accompanied by a $100,000 monetary reward, has been awarded to each of the following institutions:

  • Arizona State University (HSI), for its use of ALEKS in “Transforming College Algebra: Eliminating developmental math and using adaptive courseware to enable student success.”
  • Salt Lake Community College, for its use of Lumen Learning in “Redesigning Quantitative Literacy Pathways for Student Success: Improving Learning Efficiency, Access and Outcomes in Community College Math Using OER Courseware.”
  • University of Central Florida (HSI), for its use of ALEKS and RealizeIt Learning in “Using Innovative Adaptive Courseware to Enable Student Success in Gateway Mathematics Courses.”

The 2018 DLIAward - Faculty-Led Team category, accompanied by a $10,000 monetary reward, has been awarded to faculty teams at each of the following institutions:

  • Bay Path University, for its use of Boundless and Lumen Learning in “Scaling Adaptive Learning for a Predominantly Low-Income and Diverse Population of Adult Women Undergraduates in a Centralized Course Management Model: Capitalizing on OER Adoptions to Lower Costs and Improve Learning.”
  • Bossier Parish Community College, for its use of Open Campus in “Engaging and Retaining Underprepared, Under-resourced Learners through an OER Mobile-responsive, Gamified Delivery Platform Designed to Leverage Features of Deep Game Structure, Online Retail, Social Media, and Cognitive Applications for Learning.”
  • Georgia State University (MSI), for its use of RealizeIt Learning in “Changing the Paradigm? Creating an Adaptive Learning Course to Improve Student Outcomes and Engagement in Large Section Introductory Classes”
  • Ivy Tech Community College, for its use of Smart Sparrow in “Removing Barriers to Student Success with BioBeyond.”
  • Mohave Community College, for its use of OpenStax and Smart Sparrow in “Increasing Engagement and Access with BioBeyond.”
  • Norfolk State University (HBCU), for its use of Cengage Learning to enable “Learning without Barriers: Creating an Accessibility and Affordability Environment for First Generation Students.”
  • Portland Community College, for its use of Pre-TeXt and WeBWork in creating “Open Resources for Community College Mathematics (ORCCA): Free interactive digital course materials to improve access and affordability for underserved students in the gateway pre-college algebra sequence.”
  • Portland State University, for its use of RealizeIt Learning for “Active and Adaptive Learning in Statistics: Portland State University Addresses Inequities & Promotes Student Success.”
  • University of Florida; UF Online, for “Using IOLab to provide access to rigorous at-home data acquisition labs for the introductory physics sequence, supporting authentic lab practices and collaborative sensemaking of ‘laboratory’ data.”
  • University of Mississippi, for using Lumen Learning in “Addressing Access, Assessment, and College Readiness Gaps in First-Year Composition: Personalized OER Courseware Modules at the University of Mississippi.”

Now in its third year, the DLIAward program, which is funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Postsecondary Success Program, recognizes exemplary higher education faculty-led teams and institutions for advancing student success through the adoption of digital courseware in undergraduate programs.

Since launching in 2016, the DLIAward program has awarded more than $1 million in total to nine higher ed institutions and 25 faculty-led teams in recognition of their innovative digital courseware initiatives. These initiatives have addressed a variety of challenges impacting student success, from the high cost of textbooks and materials to student engagement and support. Awarded initiatives have targeted a range of gateway courses and programs, including algebra, astronomy, biology, chemistry, English composition, mechanical engineering, nursing and developmental reading.

Profiles of the 2018 OLC DLIAward honorees can be viewed online at https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/about/olc-awards/2018-digital-learning-innovation-award-winners/.

More information about the DLIAward program, including profiles of prior year award recipients, is available at https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/about/olc-awards/dlia.  

About Online Learning Consortium

The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) is a collaborative community of higher education leaders and innovators, dedicated to advancing quality digital teaching and learning experiences designed to reach and engage the modern learner – anyone, anywhere, anytime. OLC inspires innovation and quality through an extensive set of resources, including, best-practice publications, quality benchmarking, leading-edge instruction, community-driven conferences, practitioner-based and empirical research and expert guidance. The growing OLC community includes faculty members, administrators, trainers, instructional designers, and other learning professionals, as well as educational institutions, professional societies and corporate enterprises. Visit http://onlinelearningconsortium.org for more information.

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