Introduction to the Special Issue: Select papers presented at recent OLC conferences

Authors

  • Patsy Moskal University of Central Florida

Keywords:

online learning, digital learning, Online Learning Consortium, blended learning, generative AI, online education

Abstract

Each year, the September issue of the Online Learning Journal (OLJ) highlights select articles showcasing research presented at one of the past year's Online Learning Consortium (OLC) conferences, including OLC Accelerate, OLC Innovate, and OLC Elevate. This special issue presents five studies demonstrating the breadth and depth of current scholarship in online and digital learning. The featured work addresses K12 blended learning quality, online program coordinator roles and support, transparent assignment design for generative AI, pre-COVID online STEM education, and collaborative alternatives to traditional threaded online discussions. Collectively, these studies provide actionable insights for practitioners seeking to improve educational outcomes in digital learning environments.

Author Biography

Patsy Moskal, University of Central Florida

Patsy D. Moskal is the Director of Digital Learning Impact Evaluation for the Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Since 1996, she has served as the liaison for faculty research of distributed learning and teaching effectiveness at UCF. Patsy specializes in statistics, graphics, program evaluation, and applied data analysis. She has extensive experience in research methods including survey development, interviewing, and conducting focus groups and frequently serves as an evaluation consultant to school districts, and industry and government organizations. She has also served as a co-principal investigator on grants including the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Gates-Foundation-funded Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC). She frequently serves as a reviewer for conferences and journals and also for Department of Education and National Science Foundation SBIR/STTR proposals. Patsy has co-authored numerous articles and chapters on blended and online learning and frequently presents on these topics. In 2011 she was named a Sloan-C Fellow “In recognition of her groundbreaking work in the assessment of the impact and efficacy of online and blended learning. Patsy's most recent book, with co-authors, Dziuban, Picciano and Graham, Conducting research in online and blended learning environments: New pedagogical frontiers was published in 2015.

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Published

2026-09-15

How to Cite

Moskal, P. (2026). Introduction to the Special Issue: Select papers presented at recent OLC conferences. Online Learning, 30(S1), iii-v. Retrieved from https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/6538

Issue

Vol. 30 No. S1 (2026): Online Learning

Section

Introduction

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Patsy Moskal

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