Moving into 2026 with Purpose:
3 Mindsets to Master with Your Learners

Every year brings a new learning curve, and 2026 will undoubtedly have expected and surprising changes that will impact online teaching and learning. Digital literacy skills are a foundational start that can help to navigate the digital landscape, but advances in technology and resulting pedagogical shifts demand something deeper: intentional application and ethical judgment.

Here are three essential mindsets for you and your online learners to cultivate, helping you thrive amidst digital evolution in the year ahead and beyond.

Hold AI Accountable:

This is the human element of proactively judging the suitable use of AI and reviewing its resulting output. As educators, we can determine what is appropriate AI use for a particular assignment and actively incorporate its use as part of the learning process. By setting clear guardrails for each activity and explicitly teaching learners how to critically analyze AI outputs, we help them form constructive habits and AI literacies while reducing academic anxiety.

In practice:

• • Add a clear statement for how AI can be used for your online course or an assignment. The SUNY Online Teaching Syllabus template includes a section to express expectations for AI use in the course, while this AI Policy Statement Generator, created by Ed Beck and Tera Doty-Blance, provides a user-friendly tool to structure statements that can be copied or exported into an online course page. Additionally, SUNY’s FACT2 council recently held a recorded webinar on Developing AI Policies for Your Course, and more information can be found in their guidebook, AI in Action: A SUNY FACT2 Guide to Optimizing AI in Higher Education.
  • For a writing activity that focuses on tone, meaning, and rhetoric, ask learners to analyze AI examples in comparison to their own. This idea is included in Amy Stornaiuolo’s framework for AI integration in writing instruction that ranges from using AI as an assistant to critically evaluating its impact.

Incorporate Inclusive Design:

This is about supporting all our learners’ needs and modeling such practices for our learners to understand and apply. We know that ADA Title II updates in April 2026 will require accessible course content from the start, shifting workflows from a reactive to a proactive approach to accessible digital content. By applying Universal Design for Learning principles to the overall course design, such as providing information in multiple formats and applying structured formatting, our instructional content becomes accessible and supportive by default. When we model these practices and teach learners how to make their own shared work accessible, we empower them to communicate effectively with the widest possible audience.

In practice:

• • For any online learner work that will be shared with their peers, include clear instructions in the assignment prompt for how they can make their submissions accessible. Many tools provide accessibility tutorials, such as Canva or Microsoft.
  • You can use AI image generation to diversify representation and/or have it compose alternative text, but still review it for accuracy and contextual application. Microsoft now provides the option to auto-generate alt text, and Arizona State University has shared an image description generator where you can upload images.

Develop Digital Resourcefulness:

This refers to the higher-order ability to troubleshoot, explore, and adapt when the tools inevitably change. It means being open to exploring a new platform, the patience to solve technical snags using search or help guides, and the strategic thinking to pivot to an alternative tool when necessary. By modeling this process of exploration (or experimentation!) and guiding online learners on how to troubleshoot or pivot, we help them build resilience and confidence to engage in the ever-changing digital environment.

In practice:

• • Anticipate technical challenges learners may have and create a self-help checklist, FAQs area, or provide specific tutorials in advance. If a technical issue arises during an online synchronous session, turn it into a teachable moment and calmly demonstrate how to pivot or work through it.
  • Resourcefulness is limitless, and the ISTE Standards for Educators provide a roadmap for continually developing the pedagogical use of technology through exploration, analysis, and community.

The digital landscape of 2026 will certainly bring new challenges, but these three mindsets remind us that we can adapt to them. By prioritizing intentionality and human impact, we ensure that technology serves our goals and enriches the learning experience.

Which of these mindsets do you feel will be the most impactful for you and your online learners in the year to come?