Partnership to Support Educators in Worldwide Shift to Online Learning

(AUSTIN, TX - July 21, 2020) — The Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC) and the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) announced today a new partnership to further collaborations between the two organizations on international online learning projects. Together, TIEC and the OLC will offer capacity-building programs internationally to further quality online teaching for educators and higher education systems globally.

TIEC and OLC have established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as a framework for cooperation in order to promote continuity of education, international development and capacity-building programs, and facilitate cross-institutional engagement for the enhancement of their programs.

“By working with the Online Learning Consortium, we are able to bring a wealth of online learning expertise to our projects and partners overseas,” said Heather Farmakis, Ph.D., Chief Learning Officer at TIEC. “As partners working together, we capitalize on the experience of TIEC and its member universities, leverage that of the OLC, and enhance the overall strength of our programs.”

The two organizations will work with foreign ministries of education and universities abroad to train faculty and administrators on the tools and best practices to make online learning successful.

“During this time of unprecedented disruption for students around the world, TIEC and OLC are committed to promoting global standards for online and digital learning,” said Jennifer Mathes, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, the Online Learning Consortium. “Through our partnership, we look forward to exploring additional opportunities that leverage our combined resources and expertise in support of the global digital learning community.

TIEC represents 31 Texas public universities and facilitates international education programs and partnerships on behalf of its members. The Online Learning Consortium is a global authority in online teaching and curriculum evaluation.

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About Online Learning Consortium (OLC):

The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) is a collaborative community of higher education leaders and innovators dedicated to advancing quality digital teaching and learning experiences designed to reach and engage the modern learner – anyone, anywhere, anytime. OLC inspires innovation and quality through an extensive set of resources, including best-practice publications, quality benchmarking, leading-edge instruction, community-driven conferences, practitioner-based and empirical research, and expert guidance. The growing OLC community includes faculty members, administrators, trainers, instructional designers, and other learning professionals, as well as educational institutions, professional societies, and corporate enterprises. Learn more at onlinelearningconstorium.org.

Media Contacts:

Anna Charnitski

Texas International Education Consortium | anna@tiec.org | 512-600-6066

Jean Simmons

Online Learning Consortium | Jean.simmons@onlinelearning-c.org | 781-583-7537