At the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics

MIT Omnichannel Education Lab

Pioneering innovation and practice in the new era of education

Why the MIT Omnichannel Education Lab?

Online learning is revolutionizing education on campus, in the workplace, and in the home, offering a multitude of learning options. The MIT Omnichannel Education Lab’s mission is to pioneer innovation and practice for the leaders of this new era of education and learning. We envision a world where educators deliver high-quality, high-impact omnichannel learning programs both online asynchronous and synchronous, and in-person to any individual in any location who wants to learn.

Dr. Eva Ponce

Director, MIT Omnichannel Education Lab

Our Research

Online learning is revolutionizing education on campus, in the workplace, and in the home. The MIT Omnichannel Education Lab was founded in 2021 with a mission to pioneer innovation and practice for education leaders.

Today, the lab continues to innovate and test new initiatives in massive open online courses to enhance learner engagement in online education.

Some of our recent work includes:

Ponce, E., Borrella, I. MIT CTL Roundtable: “Accelerate Your Supply Chain: Upskilling and Reskilling the SCM Workforce”, May 14, 2025.
Borrella, I. & Ponce-Cueto, E., “Developing Metrics to Evaluate Student Engagement in MOOCs: A Learning Analytics Approach”, Companion Proceedings 15th International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge (LAK25), Dublin, March 2025.
Ponce, E., Borrella, I. The role of Online Education in Upskilling the Workforce. Supply Chain Frontiers. Episode 32. March 4, 2025.
Borrella, I. et al. (2024). Mapping the impact of geographic differences on global supply chain practices. Supply Chain Management Review. September/October 2024.

The Challenge

In today’s ever-changing commercial environment, individuals must continuously update their knowledge and skills to keep pace with advances in technology and workplace management. Online and “blended” or “hybrid” learning programs provide more accessible and flexible ways to learn and acquire new abilities required in this changing landscape.

Our Response

In response, we are dedicated to helping educators design and deliver online (synchronous and asynchronous), in-person, and hybrid learning engagements for working professionals. Our goal is to enable these educators to offer programs that maximize professionals’ learning objectives, optimize their engagements, and advance their life-long career plans.

Our Research Areas

Omnnichannel education and hybrid formats

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Engagement and Dropout

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Community Building

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Manage & Track

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Learning & Assessment

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Our Team

Dr. Eva Ponce

Director

Dr. Chris Caplice

Senior Research Scientist

Dr. Inma Borrella

Research Scientist

Laura Allegue

Research Assistant

Connor Makowski

Digital Learning Lead

Jeff Baker

Digital Learning Specialist

Research Collaborators

Dr. Sergio Caballero

Research Scientist

Andrea Moreno

Research Assistant

Ahmed Bilal

Research Assistant

Dr. Alexis Bateman

Research Scientist

Sindhu Srinath

Research Assistant

Updates from the Lab

March 4, 2025The Role of Online Education in Upskilling the Workforce

MIT Supply Chain Frontiers, Episode 32. In recent years, online education has come to the forefront as an alternative to traditional education programs. Its increasing prominence reflects its adaptability, flexibility, affordability, and far-reaching scale. As the global workforce stands to undergo significant changes in the next 5-10 years due to digitalization, advancements in AI, and automation, employers are increasingly valuing skills over degrees. For …

September 4, 2024Mapping the impact of geographic differences on global supply chain practices

Global supply chains span multiple countries and regions, and diverse cultural and competitive nuances distinguish them. To manage their international operations as efficiently as possible, companies must understand these differences and how they influence supply chain practices and priorities. This article explores how approaches to key elements of supply chain management vary across geographies, particularly in North America versus the rest of the world. …

February 13, 2023Meta-LAD: a dashboard supporting metacognition

The project aims to support online learners’ self-regulated learning, performance, and retention by designing a learning analytics dashboard (LAD). The research questions: What are indicators predicting learners’ successful completion of online courses? How does the use of a LAD with metacognitive indicators and actionable feedback throughout an online course improve the learning experiences of learners? LAD design process: To address the theoretical gap and …

December 21, 2021Converting Zombies into Learners – Improving MOOC learner retention

Dr. Ponce recently shared research findings with guests from the MIT Integrated Learning Initiative. The presentation reviews details of the dropout problem in MOOCs and shares interventions and their results for predicting this dropout. https://youtu.be/imy0BBEwxrA

December 8, 2021Higher Education Leaders Showcase Innovation Strategies

Throughout the pandemic, leaders of higher education have successfully rethought and retooled pedagogy to embrace the blended learning world. During Fierce Education’s “2021 Fierce Leaders in Higher Ed”, higher education leaders, faculty, and technologists discussed innovative ways of teaching and using technologies to better engage students, while evaluating new business models to attract and retain students. The session welcomed Dr. Joe Sallustio, Executive Vice President and …

Get In Touch

Interested in collaborating with us? Do you have a research idea?

Send us a note at omnied@mit.edu to set up a time to discuss your ideas, questions, and omni-education goals.