By The OLC Marketing Team
The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) is proud to announce the recipients of the Innovate 2025 awards, recognizing outstanding contributions to online, blended, and digital learning. These awards celebrate individuals and teams who exemplify innovation, inclusivity, and excellence in course design, student support, and research.
Excellence in Online and Blended Learning Innovation
The Excellence in Online and Blended Learning Innovation Award honors groundbreaking initiatives that enhance education through creativity, collaboration, and inclusivity. This year’s award goes to the creators of Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions, a visionary 2-credit course designed by a team of course designers, instructors, and campus partners from multiple institutions. This large-scale learning experience emphasizes effectiveness, accessibility, and engagement, setting a new standard for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in digital learning.
Excellence in Design Practice
The Excellence in Design Practice Award recognizes innovative approaches to course design that transform learning experiences. This year’s award goes to a team from the University of Alberta for their exceptional work on ECON 102: Introduction to Macroeconomics. Through a dynamic collaboration between academic experts and instructional designers, they reimagined a traditionally theoretical subject into an engaging, interactive asynchronous course, pushing the boundaries of excellence in online learning.
Excellence in Online and Blended Student Support
The Excellence in Online and Blended Student Support Award celebrates initiatives that enhance student success in digital learning environments. This year’s award goes to a team from the University of Florida for their project, Shared Metacognition for Online and Blended Student Support. By empowering students to co-regulate their learning and providing faculty with tools to facilitate student success, their innovative approach fosters a more engaging and supportive online education experience.
Karen J. Swan OLJ Outstanding Research Achievement Award in Digital Learning
The Karen J. Swan OLJ Outstanding Research Achievement Award in Digital Learning is awarded to Dr. Patrick R. Lowenthal, Professor of Educational Technology at Boise State University. Dr. Lowenthal’s research on online communication, social presence, identity, and community has made a significant impact on the field, with over 9,000 citations. As a longtime member of the Online Learning Journal Editorial Board, his contributions have been invaluable in advancing digital learning research.
DEI Scholarship
The DEI Scholarship recognizes educators who are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in digital learning. This year’s recipient is Yen-I Lai, an exceptional educator at George Westinghouse College Prep. Through her dedication to culturally responsive pedagogy, external partnerships, and student advocacy, she creates an inclusive and empowering learning environment where all students can thrive.
Nominate the Next Leaders in Online Learning
Join us in celebrating these inspiring award winners for their outstanding contributions to the field of online and blended learning! Do you know an individual or team making a significant impact in digital education? The OLC Awards Portal is now open for fall submissions. Nominate an innovative project or leader today and help recognize excellence in online, blended, and digital learning.
For more information about the OLC Innovate 2025 Awards and our commitment to advancing digital education, visit OLC’s website.
