Online Learning

OLC Working with Instructure to Enrich Teacher Training Resources, Expand Access to Equitable Digital Learning

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 12/10/21

The Online Learning Consortium has announced a multi-year partnership with Instructure to collaborate on research projects and work together through Instructure's Canvas learning management system to enrich teacher training resources and expand access to equitable digital learning.

"The pandemic demonstrated how important it is to ensure that faculty and students alike have access to robust and detailed technical documentation, training and support," Angela Gunder, OLC's chief academic officer, said in a news release. "Our partnership will enable us to share a plurality of digital learning practices that educators can employ across contexts to better address the needs of our students."

Over the next several years, the partnership will include:

• OLC-hosted professional development courses on the Canvas learning management system;
• OLC member access to Canvas Studio, plus access to the subscription training portal, project consulting and support services;
• Instructure providing scholarships for participants in OLC's Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning leadership development program; and
• OLC participation in Instructure's Edtech Collective, an effort launched in July that partners innovative ed tech companies with educators to create an open and extensible ecosystem based on the Canvas system.

"There has never been a more critical time to forge deep partnerships and leverage our collective strength in the form of diverse communities of practice, specifically around technology usage in the classroom," Instructure's Melissa Loble said in the news release. "These professional development programs are designed for the modern learner with technology at its core. By partnering with OLC, we can reach more educators and impact more learners."

For more information, visit OLC's website.