Oregon State University Extended Campus (often referred to as OSU Ecampus) is the unit of Oregon State University (OSU) that develops and delivers many of OSU’s academic resources, degrees, courses and programs through alternative and off-campus course delivery methods, most prominently through online and distance delivery.[1][2]
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The roots of OSU Extended Campus trace back to 1932, when the General Extension Division, a centralized state system, was founded. Early program delivery focused on the Portland metropolitan area, with the establishment of a Portland Center in 1946. Pioneering programs included off-campus credit and non-credit seminars, like the Thundering Seas craft program on the Oregon Coast.
In 1982, Liberal Studies courses were offered at Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Oregon, which paved the way for OSU’s first distance degree program in Liberal Studies. Early distance-delivered graduate degree programs included the development of the Ed.D. Education with an emphasis in Community College Leadership program in 1988.
In 1998, the unit, then known as Distance and Continuing Education, shifted its focus to community college partnerships and 2+2 programs, enabling students to start their first two years at an Oregon community college and complete their last two years at a distance through OSU. Early distance technologies included one-on-one correspondence courses, interactive television courses and videotaped courses.
In 2002, under the leadership of Dean Bill McCaughan, the unit was renamed OSU Extended Campus (Ecampus) and priority for course and program development shifted to online delivery. In 2003, OSU Summer Session administration, which had been housed within the continuing education unit at times in the past, joined the Extended Campus division.
With the creation of University Outreach and Engagement in 2007, both OSU Extended Campus and OSU Extension were aligned in Oregon State University's new outreach unit under Vice Provost Scott Reed.[3] [4]
OSU Extended Campus delivers all of OSU’s online and distance undergraduate and graduate degree programs, online graduate certificates and over 60 subjects of online courses. OSU also houses OSU Summer Session. Additionally, OSU Extended Campus offers noncredit courses and programs both online and from a distance.[5]
Online university courses
Each year, OSU Ecampus offers over 700 courses online in over 60 subjects.[6] During the 2007-08 academic year, OSU Extended Campus developed 77 new online courses.[7]
Online and distance courses offered through Extended Campus are taught by OSU’s faculty and maintain requirements equal to OSU’s on-campus courses. Most Extended Campus online courses are delivered online through the Blackboard (Bb) Learning Portal System, which requires a user login and password to access the course.[8]
Online degrees and programs
All of OSU Ecampus undergraduate and graduate degree programs are accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and all credit-based online degree programs and courses appear the same as on-campus degrees and courses on a student’s OSU transcript.[9] All Ecampus graduates receive the same OSU diplomas as campus-based students.[10] All students, both Oregon resident and non-resident, pay the same tuition for Ecampus courses.[11]
Undergraduate programs
Currently, OSU Ecampus offers nine undergraduate degrees that can be completed online:
Additionally, Ecampus offers 14 undergraduate minors online to supplement any of the online undergraduate degrees:
Graduate
Education
Through a partnership with OSU’s College of Education, OSU Extended Campus offers the following graduate degree programs through online and distance delivery:
Adult Education and Higher Education Leadership
Both of these programs are referred to as “hybrid” programs, utilizing on-site weekend-long sessions as well as online course techniques.[14]
Teacher and Counselor Education
Science and Mathematics Education
OSU’s College of Science offers two graduate degrees online through OSU Ecampus:
Radiation Health Physics
The OSU Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics through OSU Ecampus offer the following graduate degrees online:
GetEducated.com ranked OSU Ecampus' Radiation Health Physics programs among its Top 28 Ranked Best Buys under $21,000.[18]
Natural Resources
OSU Extended Campus currently offers the following graduate degree online:
Graduate certificates
OSU Extended Campus offers the following graduate certificates online:
Other Ecampus highlights
Students who attend a community college who participate in the OSU Degree Partnership Program (DPP) can attend classes (including OSU Ecampus online courses) at both schools, combine credits for financial aid eligibility, and have the option of using campus facilities and services at both schools.[20] OSU Ecampus also delivers chemistry course sequences online at the 100-, 300- and 400-levels.[21] Currently, OSU Ecampus offers the only General Chemistry sequence with labs online. All the requirements for CH 121, 122 and 123 can now be completed online, including the lab work.[22]
OSU Summer Session
OSU Extended Campus maintains and manages OSU Summer Session during the summer term every year.[23] Summer Session offers courses both online and on-site between June and September. On-site courses are offered in various sessions from one-week sessions to 11-week sessions.[24] All students pay Oregon resident in-state tuition prices during OSU Summer Session.[25] During OSU Summer Session, students have the opportunity to participate in educational experiences that are offered during the summer months, including courses and programs at the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the coast in Newport, Oregon.[26][27] During Summer Session 2009, there was a 5.8 percent enrollment increase from the previous year, and OSU Summer Session has seen a 28 percent total increase in enrollment from 2003 to 2009.[28][29]
The Workforce and Noncredit unit of OSU Extended Campus offers the following programs for professional development and personal enrichment:
OSU Extended Campus serves students who include working professionals, stay-at-home parents, community college students, those who don’t live near a four-year university and individuals who want to take a college course.[33] Ecampus has served students in all 50 states, Canada, and many foreign countries.[34] Ecampus also serves many students in the military. Military personnel may qualify for up to 45 credit hours for military education and Ecampus also offers G.I. Bill and Tuition Assistance opportunities.[35]
This past spring quarter, more than 4,000 students were enrolled in OSU Extended Campus (Ecampus) online courses, a 24 percent jump from spring quarter 2009.
In 2009-10, Ecampus graduated a record 210 students from their online and distance degree programs. There were 131 graduates in 2007-08, and 83 in 2007-06.
OSU Ecampus courses are taught by OSU faculty members.[36] Over 700 faculty and instructors teach for Extended Campus throughout the year.[37] OSU Ecampus instructors shared their best-practices and online course delivery methods with the OSU community at the first annual Ecampus Faculty Forum in May 2008. The Faculty Forum allowed those who develop and teach classes online to answer questions and share teaching techniques with OSU faculty, staff and instructors.[38]
In 2007 Oregon State University was accepted into the Natural Resources Distance Learning Consortium. Students from the consortium's other participating universities and federal agency members have access to OSU's online graduate natural resources courses.[39][40]
OSU Extended Campus has also received awards from the University Continuing Education Association since 2002. Some of them include:
The OSU Ecampus Natural Resources online degree program won a national award for Excellence in Distance Education in 2003 and 2002 from ADEC, the American Distance Education Consortium [1].