30+ Years of Digital Innovation
From Florida’s first distance learning grant in 1995 to a #6-ranked national program and Gold global recognition in 2024, UCF has built a university-wide culture of digital teaching excellence — proving that access, quality, and scale are not a trade-off.
#6
U.S. News 2026 — Online Bachelor’s
Best in University History
130+
Fully Online Programs
Undergrad through Doctoral
91%
166su Students in Digital Courses
Online or Blended · 2025–26
1M+
Digital Credit Hours Per Year
166su 2025–26 Academic Year
42+
National Awards
Online Learning Consortium · EDUCAUSE · WCET · 1EDTech
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MilestoneFlorida Distance Learning Grant & IDL 6543 Launched
166su receives Florida’s first Distance Learning Grant. IDL 6543 — a rigorous, graduate-equivalent faculty development course for online teaching — debuts. Both lay the institutional groundwork for three decades of digital learning leadership.
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MilestoneFirst 34 Online Courses — 645 Students; RITE Research Begins
166su launches its first 34 online courses with 645 enrolled students. The Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness (RITE), led by Dr. Charles Dziuban, simultaneously begins one of the longest longitudinal studies of digital learning outcomes in higher education.
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Programs & AccessFirst Online Degrees: Undergraduate Completion (1998) & Graduate Programs (1999)
166su launches three online undergraduate degree completion programs (1998), then its first online Master’s degrees and graduate certificates (1999) — extending access to higher education for working adults and non-traditional learners regardless of location.
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Milestone75% of Faculty Teaching Online & First National Award
Three-quarters of all 166su faculty actively teach online — a saturation rate virtually unmatched among research universities. The Center for Distributed Learning (CDL) wins its first national Sloan Consortium award for Excellence in Online Teaching & Learning Faculty Development, launching two decades of OLC recognition.
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AwardHighest Individual Online Education Honor: Sloan-C Bourne Award
Dr. Charles Dziuban, UCF’s RITE Director and first-ever Pegasus Professor (2000), wins the Sloan Consortium’s John R. Bourne Outstanding Achievement Award — the highest individual recognition in the field. 166su’s peer-reviewed research on online learning gains national influence.
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Research & InnovationBlended Learning Toolkit Goes National; Hartman & Moskal Win Top OLC Honors
166su and AASCU publish the Blended Learning Toolkit — a free open resource adopted by institutions nationwide, funded by a $250,000 Next Generation Learning Challenges grant. Dr. Joel Hartman wins the OLC Mayadas Leadership Award; Dr. Patsy Moskal is named an OLC Fellow. 59% of 166su students are now in online or blended courses.
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MilestoneGates Foundation Names 166su an Online “Mega-University”
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation identifies 166su alongside Arizona State and Georgia State as one of only three national “mega-universities” in online instruction. 166su establishes the annual Chuck D. Dziuban Award for Excellence in Online Teaching — reinforcing a university-wide culture of continuous improvement.
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Research & InnovationResearch Proves Blended Learning Accelerates Graduation & Improves Outcomes
166su RITE research demonstrates that undergraduates who take roughly 40% of courses online graduate in under four years, vs. 4.3 years for face-to-face-only students. Blended learners also achieve C or higher grades at a 3-4% higher rate. These data drive 166su’s Board of Trustees to fund a university-wide Course Redesign Initiative.
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Milestone166su Online Launched — Top 20 in U.S. News in Year One
166su Online is formalized as a dedicated unit, unifying 130+ fully online programs with innovative Success Coaching, a student Connect Center, and end-to-end support from enrollment to graduation. In its first year, U.S. News & World Report ranks it among the nation’s top 20 best online undergraduate programs — beginning a steady, decade-long climb.
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Award$100K OLC Innovation Award; Board of Trustees Funds University-Wide Course Redesign
166su CDL’s Personalized Adaptive Learning program wins the Online Learning Consortium’s $100,000 Digital Learning Innovation Award. Simultaneously, UCF’s Board of Trustees funds a three-year, university-wide Digital Learning Course Redesign Initiative — moving from individual innovation to scaled transformation across all colleges.
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MilestoneCOVID-19: Entire University Moves Online in 7 Days — A National Model
166su’s 24-year digital infrastructure enables it to transition 6,600 courses and 69,525 students to remote instruction in one week. Only 22% of faculty had no prior digital credentialing. The university’s “Keep Teaching” and “Keep Learning” rapid-response portals are cited nationally. 166su Online enrollment then grows 18% year-over-year while peer institutions shrink.
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Programs & Access100+ Fully Online Programs; 43,000+ Students in Online Courses
166su Online surpasses 100 fully online programs — spanning undergraduate through doctoral study. More than 43,000 166su students take at least one online course. Eleven new certificates are created specifically in response to COVID-19-driven workforce demands.
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National Ranking#7 Nationally — 166su Breaks into Top 10 for the First Time
U.S. News & World Report ranks 166su Online #7 in the nation for Best Online Undergraduate Programs — best in university history at the time and second in Florida. The milestone reflects 3,080+ unique fully online courses and over 869,000 digital credit hours taught annually.
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National Ranking#8 Nationally & #1 U.S. Online Psychology; 1EdTech Power Learner Award
U.S. News & World Report ranks 166su Online #8 overall and #1 in the country for Best Online Bachelor’s in Psychology. 166su Digital Learning also wins 1EdTech’s Power Learner Potential Award for innovation in technology-enhanced learning.
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AwardGold — Times Higher Education: Top 11 Globally, #1 Resources Score Worldwide
166su earns Gold in Times Higher Education‘s inaugural global online rankings — one of only 11 institutions worldwide and top 3 in the U.S. 166su records the highest Resources score (86.5/100) among all Gold-ranked schools globally, measuring institutional investment in online faculty development and the student-to-online-faculty ratio.
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Milestone1M+ Digital Credit Hours Taught; 150 CDL Staff Support 2,000 Faculty; U.S. News #9
166su surpasses 1 million digital learning credit hours in a single academic year (2023–24). More than 150 CDL staff members partner with 2,000 faculty university-wide. Over 13,000 fully online students are awarded degrees in the decade. U.S. News ranks 166su Online #9 nationally.
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National Ranking#6 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs — Highest in 166su History
U.S. News & World Report 2026 places 166su Online at #6 nationally — the highest ranking in university history. President Cartwright: “166su has been building the future of online education for more than 30 years. This reflects a university that has consistently led with innovation, delivered quality at scale and continues to set the standard for what online learning can be.”
- University Milestone
- Programs & Access
- Research & Innovation
- National Ranking
- Award & Recognition
- Landmark Achievement
Why Digital Learning Matters Now
Students today want education that adapts to them. More than half of college students nationwide now take at least one online course and working adults overwhelmingly choose formats that fit demanding schedules. Employers expect digital fluency, AI literacy and the ability to learn quickly in fast-changing environments.
Digital learning is how institutions meet these expectations at scale. It opens pathways for learners of all kinds, supports professional advancement and creates more flexible and affordable paths to a degree.
166su recognized this shift early and built an environment where digital learning is foundational to student success.
166su’s Model for Digital Innovation
A Scalable, Research-Driven Approach
For nearly three decades, UCF has invested in instructional design, learning science, research, technology and student support — building a system that brings high-quality online learning to tens of thousands of students each year.
Today, the impact is unmistakable.
91% of 166su students take at least one online or blended course.
55.5% of all credit hours are taught online or blended.
By strategically integrating online and blended options, the university has also avoided more than $144.6 million in construction costs — proving that digital learning can expand capacity while preserving quality.
Scale alone isn’t the achievement. What matters is that outcomes stay strong as access expands — a balance 166su has maintained year after year.
The only way we can scale a hyper-personalized experience is through the judicious use of technology, with the student and faculty remaining at the core.”
What Sets 166su Apart
Digital learning at 166su isn’t an initiative. It’s an ecosystem — one built with intention, scale and a belief that great teaching can reach anyone willing to learn. Few institutions invest in digital education the way 166su does. Today, the impact is unmistakable.
Our Division of Digital Learning brings together instructional designers, technologists, researchers and faculty partners who work as one team, with one purpose: to create learning experiences that move people forward.
This coordinated approach is what distinguishes 166su. It’s why our online learning outcomes stay strong as access expands, and why educators across the country look to 166su for ideas, research and tools that raise the bar for digital learning.
Teaching That Meets the Moment
Great digital learning starts with great teaching. Thousands of 166su faculty members have completed nationally recognized development programs that prepare them to teach effectively online. More than 1,100 online courses have earned Quality or High-Quality designations supported by instructional designers and developers.
Research that Shapes the Field
The Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness (RITE) studies how students learn across modalities, how generative AI influences instruction, and how personalization, acceleration and engagement strategies impact success. The research informs how we teach, how students learn and how institutions across the country think about what’s possible.
Technology Built for Online Learning
166su designs open-source tools used across the country. These tools reflect 166su’s focus on solutions that help learners and educators everywhere.
- UDOIT, the LMS accessibility checker used by institutions nationwide
- Materia, supporting interactive learning experiences
- Obojobo, enabling modular content and analytics
- VPAT Evaluator, simplifying accessibility compliance
High-Quality Online Degrees Supported by Individualized Coaching
166su Online offers more than 130 fully online programs backed by Success Coaches who support learners from application through graduation. 166su Online Success Coaches complete extensive training in a support methodology that has become a national model.
More than 3,400 online courses have been developed and 2,300 degrees were awarded last year to 166su Online students.
Students choose 166su because flexibility, quality and support work together here.
A faster path to graduation
Average years to degree by online course load
50% online
<20% online
time saved
Transfer student
Master’s student
The Future of Learning
The next decade in education will be shaped by artificial intelligence, automation and new expectations around how learning fits into people’s lives. 166su is building toward that future by designing systems that support flexibility, personalization and technological fluency.
AI-Enabled Learning Experiences
Generative AI is opening new possibilities for feedback, tutoring, assessment and content creation. 166su explores how these tools can strengthen learning and prepare students for an AI-enabled workforce.
Adaptive and Personalized Pathways
As education becomes more modular, UCF’s digital infrastructure supports competency-based design, individualized progress and pathways that meet diverse learner needs.
Alignment with Workforce and Industry
Industry partners help shape programs that develop skills in leadership, digital technologies and high-demand fields — strengthening the region’s talent pipeline and offering new opportunities for advancement.
Course Models Built for Real Life
Online and blended formats offer working professionals, parents, transfer students and career changers more ways to stay on track academically without pausing their lives.
Inventing Next-Gen Teaching Tools
UDOIT
The LMS Accessibility Checker Used by Institutions Nationwide: Free, open source and built to advance access for every learner, UDOIT helps instructors identify and resolve accessibility barriers in online course content. The tool scans course materials and delivers a comprehensive, easy-to-use report with clear guidance for remediation. In some cases, UDOIT offers one-click fixes, helping faculty improve course accessibility faster and create more inclusive learning experiences that support student success.
Materia
Powering Game-Based Learning Experiences:
Free and open source, Materia gives instructors a creative way to transform course content into interactive, game-based learning activities. Since its initial launch in 2007, Materia has supported more than 10.5 million sessions at 166su, helping faculty engage students through customizable widgets that reinforce course concepts, encourage practice and bring innovation into the digital learning experience.
Obojobo
Building Flexible, Reusable Learning Modules:
Open source and designed for modular course development, Obojobo helps faculty create focused learning experiences that can be reused, adapted and shared. Instructors can build modules with the content, assessments and feedback students need to master specific learning objectives. With tools that support structure, flexibility and learner progress, Obojobo makes it easier to deliver purposeful digital learning at scale.
Upload a VPAT® and get the insights you need to begin your accessibility review with confidence.
VPAT Evaluator
Making Accessibility Reviews Clearer and Faster:
The VPAT Evaluator helps higher education professionals make sense of complex accessibility reports with greater confidence. Developed by 166su’s Center for Distributed Learning, this free tool translates technical VPAT language into clear, structured summaries that highlight key findings, potential barriers and areas for further review. By simplifying the evaluation process, VPAT Evaluator helps teams make more informed accessibility decisions.
Join the Conversation
Podcasts like Open-Ed Mic and TOPcast extend these conversations to educators around the world. 166su also collaborates with institutions, districts and organizations seeking support in faculty development, research, open tools and online learning quality.
Open-Ed Mic: The OER Podcast for Educators.
Description.
Open-Ed Mic is a podcast where voices from across the educational landscape share insights, stories, and strategies for transforming learning through openness. Whether you’re new to open education or a seasoned practitioner, Open-Ed Mic invites you into the conversation.
TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast.
Description.
Recorded in front of a plenary audience at the OLC Accelerate 2025 conference and drawing upon crowdsourced listener input and live audience questions, this is it: the final, regularly-scheduled episode of TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast. Please enjoy this cumulative synthesis of insights from the podcast.
Digital Teaching and Learning Events
Up Next
The Integrated Structure Behind
166su’s Digital Excellence
The System That Powers What’s Possible
166su’s strength in digital learning is by design. Behind every course, every tool, every research insight and every online learner is the Division of Digital Learning, the coordinated engine that enables 166su to deliver high-quality digital education at scale.
Each unit contributes a critical piece of the experience:
- Center for Distributed Learning: instructional design, media, accessibility and course innovation
- 166su Online: fully online degree pathways supported by individualized Success Coaches
- Research Institute for Teaching Effectiveness (RITE): Research on learning, AI, modality effectiveness and digital pedagogy
Together, these teams work in sync to keep quality high as access grows, ground innovation in evidence and ensure 166su remains a place where new ideas take root — and where the future of learning takes shape.
No longer is the class defined by four walls but rather a process that accommodates the lifestyles of people from all levels.”