It’s no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted how students, educators, and even employers conduct their studies and business online.

According to a recent article on the World Economic Forum website, writer Johnny Wood concluded, “The number of students accessing its online courses now exceeds pre-pandemic levels, a leading global online learning platform reports.”

The increase of online learners has only shown an incline since COVID-19 and the momentum continues as we look at the ways today’s learners have had to adapt throughout and beyond the pandemic.

The number of students learning and engaging in professional development opportunities online has only increased. In his article, Wood references a study conducted by popular professional learning platform, Coursera. Wood states, “In 2016, 21 million students registered for Coursera’s online courses, a number that increased annually by around 7 million over the next two years. But the switch to remote working as the pandemic hit triggered a three-fold increase in new registrations, bringing the figure to 71 million in 2020, and 92 million in 2021.”

The pandemic forced many students online and through remote education. What many didn’t expect was that so many students would like and actually thrive with remote learning experiences.

With so many more students looking to remote learning as an option for their education, it is imperative that we have capable, knowledgeable, and effective online educators to bring these experiences into students’ homes via online learning. KCI’s Online and Blended Learning IMPACT Program aims to arm educators with the tools needed to be successful online and blended learning instructors.

KCI’s Online and Blended Learning IMPACT Program will be starting at the end of this month. Educators in the OBI Program will explore the best practices of online and blended instruction from classroom educators who continually support educators throughout California. Each cohort is designed in response to the ever-changing landscape of education, from online learning to virtual classrooms to blended environments.

For more information and to apply, visit: https://krauseinnovationcenter.org/program/online-and-blended-impact-program/