Online Learning Consortium

Name

Online Learning Consortium

Legal name

Online Learning Consortium

Website

https://onlinelearningconsortium.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Learning Professional Development & Quality Assurance Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

OER Quality Review, Alignment & Certification (rubrics/standards) (EDAGAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cohort-Based Course Platforms (EDAFAIAB), Assessments, Quizzes & Learning Analytics Tools (MPACALAK), Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAMAC)

Keywords

• Online learning services
• Professional development programs
• Digital learning quality
• Instructional design training
• Higher education consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Newburyport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Recurring annual membership fees from Institutional/Organizational Members (priced by FTE enrollment) and Individual/Professional Members ($195/year). Provides access to Quality Scorecard, free webinars, peer networking, member-only research, and discount pricing across all OLC offerings.
2. Conference & Event Registration: Ticket sales for three annual conferences — OLC Accelerate (in-person), OLC Innovate (virtual), and OLC Elevate (regional). Includes additional paid add-ons such as Immersion Classes (Combo Packages), AI Summit, HBCU Summit, ID Summit, and K-12 Summit offerings.
3. Professional Learning (Workshops & Certificate Programs): Tuition-based fees for workshops (7-day, 1-week, 4-week self-paced), certificate programs (Online Teaching Certificate, Advanced Online Teaching Certificate, Instructional Designer Certificate, Advanced Instructional Designer Certificate, Global Leadership Certificate), Mastery Series, and Career Certifications (DEL, IDP). Pricing tiered by Member status: Institutional Member / Professional Member / Non-member.
4. Quality Review & Consulting Services: Fee-based Program Reviews, Course Reviews, Quality Review Endorsements, and expert consulting solutions delivered across Higher Education, K-12, and Corporate segments. Includes Quality Scorecard Navigator service to maximize digital learning program effectiveness.
5. Publications & Sponsorship: Revenue from the *Online Learning* Journal, OLC Insights, OLC Store publications, and sponsorship/endorsement fees paid by Annual Supporters and Solutions Providers (including the OLC Solutions Provider Endorsement program).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Online Learning Consortium (OLC) is a nonprofit educational consortium that sells organizational and individual memberships, hosts annual conferences (OLC Accelerate, OLC Innovate, OLC Elevate), and delivers tuition-based professional learning programs (workshops, self-paced workshops, Mastery Series, certificate programs such as the Online Teaching, Instructional Designer, Advanced Instructional Designer, Global Leadership, and IELOL leadership certificates, plus the DEL and IDP career certifications). It also provides quality assessment tools and services built on the proprietary OLC Quality Scorecard (Program-Level, Course Review, and Spanish Language Scorecards) and the AI-powered Course Review Assistant GPT, along with consulting solutions for higher education, K-12, and corporate segments.

Product overview

Online Learning Consortium (OLC) operates a member-based portfolio that is best understood as a platform-plus-modules architecture anchored around three service pillars: (1) Conferences & Events — OLC Accelerate (in-person, Orlando, FL), OLC Innovate (virtual, joint with MERLOT), and the newly launched regional OLC Elevate series; (2) Professional Learning — a Center for Professional Learning delivering synchronous Workshops, Self-Paced Workshops, a Mastery Series, and an extended certificate family that includes the Online Teaching Certificate, Advanced Online Teaching Certificate, Instructional Designer Certificate, Advanced Instructional Designer Certificate, Global Leadership Certificate, and the IELOL leadership institute; (3) Quality & Consulting — the OLC Quality Scorecard suite (Program-Level, Course Review, and Spanish Language Scorecards), the AI-powered Course Review Assistant GPT (exclusive to Institutional Members), Quality Review Services, and Consulting Solutions for Higher Ed, K-12, and Corporate audiences. These core offerings are supplemented by Career Certifications (DEL, IDP), the Online Learning Journal (OLJ), OLC Insights publications, OLC Webinars, the Faculty Development and GenAI Playbook (co-published with Every Learner Everywhere), the annual Awards & Recognition program, the Global Accessibility Awareness Day event series, and Institutional/Individual Membership tiers that govern access and pricing across the ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OLC Accelerate: OLC's premiere annual conference on online and digital learning research and practices (Orlando, FL in 2026)
• OLC Innovate
• OLC Elevate
• IELOL (Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning)
• Online Learning Journal
• OLC Insights
• OLC Quality Scorecard
• DEL (Digital Education Leader) Certification
• IDP (Instructional Design Professional) Certification
• Course Review Scorecard

Products and services

• OLC Accelerate OLC's flagship annual conference showcasing research and effective practices in online, digital, and blended learning for K-12, higher education, and corporate L&D audiences.
• OLC Innovate A virtual joint conference presented by OLC and MERLOT that provides a venue for innovators of all experience levels to share best practices and test new ideas in online, digital, and blended learning.
• OLC Elevate A new regional initiative from OLC that brings high-impact digital learning discussions, hands-on workshops, and thought leadership directly to regional communities.
• OLC Workshops Synchronous and asynchronous expert-led workshops offered year-round through the OLC Center for Professional Learning, organized into skills pathways such as Teaching and Learning with AI, Accessibility, Holistic Learner Support, Engaging Multimedia, Supporting IDs, Learning Sciences, Supporting Faculty, and Online STEM.
• Self-Paced Workshops On-demand, asynchronous workshops accessible for 365 days from enrollment covering topics such as ADA & Digital Accessibility, Giving Effective Feedback, Assessment Strategies, Podcasting for Teaching & Learning, Blended Learning, DEI Digital Learning Environments, and Reframing Disability; award a digital credential upon completion.
• Online Teaching Certificate Program A multi-phase certificate that prepares educators to design and improve online courses using OLC's Pillars of Quality, combining a 10-week foundation course, electives, and a mentor-led capstone.
• Advanced Online Teaching Certificate Program A 12-week workshop program for experienced online educators to fine-tune existing online courses and degree programs, using OSCQR, QCTIP, and the Peralta Online Equity Rubric.
• Instructional Designer Certificate Program A four-course flagship certificate for instructional designers that builds skills in working with faculty, learning theories, emerging digital-learning best practices, and designing course-quality review processes.
• Advanced Instructional Designer Certificate Program An advanced three-phase certificate for experienced instructional designers with 3+ years of experience, focused on strengthening learning-design and project-management skills.
• Global Leadership Certificate Program Launched Fall 2025, this multi-phase certificate broadens digital learning leaders' perspective to a global level through core courses on Digital Learning Transformation and Applying Design Thinking, electives, and a capstone strategy guide.
• IELOL (Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning) OLC's premier cohort-based, blended leadership-development program running mid-July to November annually since 2009, designed for emerging digital learning leaders.
• OLC Mastery Series A 4-week Recognition-of-Expertise program that guides participants through research and application, with current offerings including the Instructional Design Mastery Series and the Online Nursing & Health Professions Mastery Series.
• OLC Quality Scorecards A benchmarking methodology containing 72+ quality indicators for higher education to measure and quantify elements of quality in digital education programs, including Program-Level, Course Review, and Spanish Language Scorecards.
• OLC Quality Review Services Formal evaluation services that elevate the quality of online and blended learning, comprising Program Reviews, Course Reviews, and Quality Review Endorsements performed using OLC's scorecard methodology.
• OLC Consulting Solutions Expert consulting offered across three segments — Higher Education, K-12, and Corporate — to help institutions transform online learning through strategically sophisticated, practical advice drawn from OLC's global network.
• OLC Course Review Assistant GPT A generative-AI chat assistant that helps OLC Institutional Members evaluate online courses against the OLC Course Review Scorecard, launched in June 2025.
• Digital Education Leader (DEL) Certification A career certification that recognizes and supports leaders in online and digital education, providing networking opportunities and a showcase of professional skills and knowledge.
• Instructional Design Professional (IDP) Certification A renewable career certification for higher-education instructional designers that showcases background, knowledge, and skills, awarded upon completion of the OLC Instructional Designer Certificate Program.
• OLC Organizational Membership An institutional membership tier providing all full-time employees of an organization access to webinars, networking, OLC consulting, Quality Scorecard tools, and member pricing on professional development and conferences.
• OLC Individual Membership A $195 individual membership for digital learning professionals offering free webinars, international networking, awards eligibility, and member pricing across all OLC workshops, programs, conferences, and select publications.
• AI Exploration Zone An interactive hands-on experience at OLC Accelerate 2026 organized around three zones (The Experience Lab, The Educator's Makerspace, and The Beacon Lab) where participants experiment with generative AI tools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 51 responses for the February 2026 OLC Snap Survey — the highest participation yet for an OLC Snap Survey
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Every Learner EverywhereflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Faculty Development and GenAI Playbook released in 2025. The playbook offers research-backed guidance for implementing Generative AI policies and training in higher education, addresses faculty challenges, and emphasizes ethical use and trust-building in GenAI integration.
• Baylor University (Moody School of Education)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration enabling OLC Advanced Certificate alumni to apply their professional learning toward up to 6 graduate credits in Baylor's fully online graduate programs. Benefits include a 10% tuition scholarship for school employees pursuing online master's or graduate certificates (MS in Learning Design and Technology, Graduate Certificate in Learning Design and Technology, Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning), eligibility for Baylor's 8% Priority Enrollment Scholarship for the EdD in Learning and Organizational Change, waived application fee, transfer credit consideration, and Prior Learning Assessment (PLA).
• MERLOTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented annual OLC Innovate conference, providing a path for innovators of all experience levels and backgrounds to share best practices, test new ideas, and collaborate on driving forward online, digital, and blended learning. The 2026 conference was held virtually March 3-5, 2026.
• Elon UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOLC endorsed the 2025 Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence, released by Elon University and the American Association of Colleges and Universities.
• American Association of Colleges and UniversitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOLC endorsed the 2025 Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence, released by Elon University and the American Association of Colleges and Universities.
• World Health Organization (WHO)minorOthersOLC cites WHO statistics on disability prevalence (1.3 billion people / 16% of the world population) in its accessibility thought leadership content and Global Accessibility Awareness Day programming.
• W3C (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)minorOthersOLC aligns its accessibility commitments and resources with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards and references the WCAG framework in its Organizational Accessibility Statement.
• Purdue UniversityminorOthersPurdue University's Cohort Program for Innovation and Leadership in Online Teaching (CoPILOT) won the OLC Excellence in Digital Learning Innovation Award for its structured, cohort-based approach to helping instructors develop high-quality online courses.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• edX (2U): Major MOOC and online degree platform now part of 2U, offering courses, certificates, and degree programs through university partnerships. Comparable in scale and content overlap with OLC's online learning quality and certificate businesses, but operating a different (platform-mediated) business model.
• Instructure (Canvas): LMS vendor serving higher education and K-12 institutions with the Canvas platform. Adjacent/incumbent in the digital learning infrastructure stack, with overlap in the institutional buyer base and growing interest in quality and AI tooling that competes with OLC's Quality Scorecard and Course Review Assistant positioning.
• Coursera: Large-scale MOOC and online credentialing platform serving both individual learners and institutions (Coursera for Campus). Comparable in the broader online-learning ecosystem, particularly around credentialing, certificate programs, and enterprise/institutional learning offerings that overlap with OLC's certificate and professional learning business.
• Anthology: Higher-education technology company (formed from Blackboard, Campus Management, and others) offering LMS, student information systems, and analytics. Comparable as an incumbent serving similar institutional customers with overlapping product surface area (course delivery, quality analytics, AI-assisted course design) that could compete with OLC's quality review tools.
• EDUCAUSE: Larger and longer-established higher education IT association with institutional and individual memberships, annual conferences, research, and professional learning programs. Broader in scope (covers all of higher-ed IT) but directly comparable in its member-based, community-led model serving CIOs, instructional designers, and online-learning leaders.

Direct peers

• Quality Matters: Nonprofit membership organization that provides peer-reviewed course design rubrics and quality certifications for online learning. Directly comparable to OLC because both serve higher education institutions with quality benchmarks, course reviews, and membership-based professional development, competing head-to-head in the same buyer category.
• UPCEA (University Professional and Continuing Education Association): Association for university-based professional, continuing, and online education, with institutional memberships, conferences, and credentialing programs for online program leaders. Closely comparable member-based model and buyer profile to OLC's higher-education institutional segment.
• WCET (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies): Consortium focused on digital learning policy, practice, and regulation in higher education, serving a similar institutional membership base with policy advocacy, events, and resources. Comparable to OLC as a higher-ed-focused consortium operating in adjacent quality, regulatory, and digital-learning practice spaces.
• 1EdTech Consortium (formerly IMS Global): Educational-technology consortium that develops interoperability standards (LTI, Caliper, CASE) used across LMS platforms. Comparable as a member-driven consortium setting standards and providing certification/endorsement frameworks in the same institutional buyer base OLC serves.
• MERLOT: Multidisciplinary open educational resources (OER) network offering peer-reviewed teaching materials, a metadata catalog, and conferences. Directly comparable as an OER-focused consortium and existing OLC partner (co-presents OLC Innovate), with overlapping editorial, peer-review, and community functions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/OnlinelearningconsortiumOrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/OnlineLearningConsortium
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/onlinelearningconsortium
• Instagraminstagram.com/onlinelearningconsortium
• Xx.com/OLCToday

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Online Learning Consortium