This month’s Snap Survey also marked a new milestone for OLC. For the first time, we used LinkedIn polls to engage a broader cross-section of the online learning community in a series of quick, timely conversations about issues shaping our field. While these polls are not intended to be scientific surveys, they provide a valuable snapshot of current perspectives and an opportunity to continue the conversation beyond the results.
The online learning profession has never been static, but the pace of change over the past few years has been remarkable. Artificial intelligence is reshaping instructional practices; learner expectations continue to evolve, and institutions are rethinking how they design, support, and deliver high-quality learning experiences.
To better understand how our community views these changes, OLC’s June 2026 Snap Survey asked two questions about the future of online learning work. Together, the results offer an interesting glimpse into where professionals believe the field is heading—and what skills may be needed to get there.
Future Skills: AI Fluency and Adaptability Rise to the Top
In our first LinkedIn poll, we asked:
Which skill will become MOST important for online learning professionals over the next five years?
A total of 121 community members responded.
- AI and digital fluency – 42% (51)
- Adaptability and change management – 37% (45)
- Communication and collaboration – 14% (17)
- Learning design and pedagogy – 7% (8)
Perhaps the most striking finding is the degree of consensus around change itself. Four out of five respondents (79%) selected either AI and digital fluency or adaptability and change management, suggesting that the profession expects continuous evolution rather than a return to stability.
The close margin between AI fluency and adaptability is also noteworthy. Respondents did not overwhelmingly prioritize technical expertise alone. Instead, they appear to recognize that thriving in the years ahead will require both understanding emerging technologies and developing the capacity to continuously learn, adapt, and lead through change.
Meanwhile, communication, collaboration, and instructional design received comparatively fewer votes. Rather than indicating these skills have diminished in importance, respondents may view them as foundational competencies that every online learning professional is already expected to possess.
Where Will Professionals Have the Greatest Impact?
Our second poll shifted the focus from professional skills to areas of online learning practice, asking respondents where they believe professionals should concentrate their efforts in the years ahead.
A total of 91 community members participated.
- Student engagement strategies – 41% (37)
- Assessment and feedback practices – 26% (24)
- Course design workflows – 22% (20)
- Faculty support and training – 11% (10)
Student engagement emerged as the clear leader, receiving more than four in ten responses. This suggests that despite rapid advances in AI and instructional technologies, respondents continue to view the learner experience as the profession’s highest priority.
Assessment and feedback also ranked highly, reflecting ongoing conversations about authentic assessment, meaningful feedback, and maintaining academic integrity in an AI-enabled environment.
Course design workflows followed closely behind, highlighting the growing need to rethink how courses are developed and maintained as technologies and learner expectations continue to evolve.
Interestingly, faculty support and training received the fewest responses. This may reflect a perception that faculty development serves as an important means to improving student learning rather than being the ultimate objective itself.
Looking Across Both Polls
Viewed together, the two polls tell a compelling story.
Respondents expect AI and rapid change to redefine online learning professionals’ work, yet they do not believe the profession’s mission is changing. Instead, they see innovative technologies as tools that should strengthen teaching, learning, and student success.
In other words, AI may become an essential professional competency, but engagement remains the destination. These findings may also reflect a broader shift in the field. Over the past two years, much of the conversation has centered on AI adoption: experimenting with tools, developing policies, and understanding the technology itself. Increasingly, however, attention is turning toward AI integration: how these technologies can be thoughtfully embedded into teaching, learning, assessment, and student support. The survey results suggest that online learning professionals are already making that transition, viewing AI not as the destination, but as one part of creating stronger learning experiences. Ironically, respondents were asked to look five years into the future, yet many of the skills identified, particularly AI fluency and adaptability, are becoming essential today rather than sometime down the road.
That perspective aligns with a broader trend emerging across higher education. As institutions experiment with AI, attention is gradually shifting from simply adopting new tools and toward asking deeper questions: How do we design learning experiences that foster curiosity? How do we keep students engaged in increasingly digital environments? How do we ensure assessment remains meaningful? And how do we prepare faculty and staff for continual change rather than one-time technology implementations?
These survey results suggest that our community sees the future of online learning as one where technological innovation and human-centered learning must advance together. The results also hint at an expanding professional identity. Online learning professionals are increasingly expected to serve not only as instructional designers or technologists, but also as change leaders, strategic advisors, facilitators of faculty development, and translators between emerging technologies and effective educational practice. Interestingly, the highest-ranked responses span both technological and human dimensions of online learning, reinforcing the idea that successful digital transformation depends as much on people, processes, and pedagogy as it does on technology itself.
They also raise another important question: Where are online learning professionals developing these capabilities? As AI continues to evolve and expectations for online learning grow, professional development is becoming less about mastering a single tool and more about cultivating habits of continuous learning. Whether through conferences, webinars, communities of practice, mentoring, institutional initiatives, or independent exploration, staying current will require ongoing engagement with both emerging technologies and evolving pedagogical practice.
Discussion
This first LinkedIn Snap Survey generated more than 200 responses across the two polls, offering a valuable glimpse into the priorities and perspectives of the online learning community. We look forward to continuing these monthly conversations and exploring the trends that emerge over time. The online learning landscape will certainly look different five years from now than it does today. Innovative technologies will emerge, learner expectations will continue to evolve, and the skills required of our profession will keep changing.
But one question remains at the center of that evolution:
If AI and adaptability are becoming the essential professional skills, how can we ensure they lead to richer, more engaging learning experiences rather than simply more efficient workflows?
We would also love to hear how you are preparing for that future.
Where do you turn for professional development that helps you stay current? Are there conferences, communities, podcasts, colleagues, newsletters, or other resources that have become indispensable?
At OLC, we are always looking for opportunities to support the evolving needs of the online learning community, and your insights help shape future conversations, resources, and professional development opportunities. Whether you are looking to strengthen your AI fluency, explore novel approaches to student engagement, or connect with colleagues navigating similar challenges, the Center for Professional Learning offers opportunities to continue your professional growth.
About OLC Snap Surveys
OLC Snap Surveys provide quick insights into emerging trends, challenges, and perspectives in digital learning. Surveys are distributed to the OLC community and offer a rapid way to capture practitioner experiences across institutions.
OLC welcomes participation in future Snap Surveys to help inform ongoing conversations about the future of online and digital learning. Follow OLC on LinkedIn to participate the latest Snap Survey, shared monthly.
As senior researcher at OLC, Carrie designs, conducts and manages the portfolio of research projects that align with the mission, vision, and goals of the Online Learning Consortium. She brings with her over 15 years of experience as an online educator and instructional designer with a passion for research. She has peer-reviewed publications covering a variety of topics such as open educational resources, online course best practices, and game-based learning. In addition to a strong background in higher education teaching and instructional design, Carrie brings with her extensive experience in customer service and small business management. She holds a PhD in Educational Technology from Arizona State University, an MS in French from Minnesota State University, and BA in French from Arizona State University.
