Oregon State University Ecampus

Oregon State University Ecampus is the online education unit of Oregon State University. In partnership with the institution's faculty and staff, OSU Ecampus develops and delivers courses, degree programs and certificate programs online and at a distance to students worldwide.^[1] Ecampus courses and programs are delivered fully online or in a hybrid (blended) format that combines virtual learning with face-to-face instruction.^[2] In January 2016, the Ecampus bachelor’s degree programs were ranked top 10 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for the second straight year.^[3]

Oregon State Ecampus is a unit within OSU Extended Campus, which is overseen by OSU's Division of University Outreach and Engagement.^[4]

History

Oregon State University first's foray into distance education was in the 1930s, when it delivered pioneering programs in Portland, Oregon, and on the Oregon coast.^[5] OSU's first complete distance degree program was offered in liberal studies via correspondence and video in the 1980s. 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.

In 2002, OSU converted its Distance and Continuing Education program into OSU Ecampus – as the unit exists today – and began building full-fledged online degree programs.^[6] Ecampus is now under the leadership of Lisa L. Templeton, who assumed the role of executive director in November 2009.

Academics

Oregon State Ecampus partners with more than 600 OSU faculty members annually^[7] to develop and deliver programs and courses online. Ecampus delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, graduate certificates and more than 900 courses online.^[8]

Students who pursue an education online with Oregon State earn the same diploma and transcript as OSU's on-campus students. OSU's online courses have the same learning objectives and student learning outcomes as the university's on-campus courses.

Oregon State courses online

Oregon State offers nearly 1,000 classes online each year in more than 90 academic subjects. Working with Ecampus instructional designers to build an online course, OSU faculty use animations, readings, videos, conferences and other interactive materials for students online.^[9] OSU employs a separate effort to measure quality of its existing online courses. Quality Matters, a Maryland-based nonprofit group, offers a means to evaluate and certify the design of online courses.^[10]

Ecampus delivers complete chemistry course sequences and labs online,^[11] as well as course sequences in 12 foreign languages.^[12]

Oregon State degrees online

Ecampus delivers more than 40 undergraduate and graduate programs online, with some hybrid programs that feature face-to-face components.

Undergraduate degree programs

Students can earn a bachelor's degree online from Oregon State in the following disciplines:^[13]

B.S. in Agricultural Sciences
B.A./B.S. in Anthropology
B.A./B.S. in Business Administration
B.S. in Computer Science (post-baccalaureate)
B.A./B.S. in Economics
B.S. in Environmental Economics and Policy
B.S. in Environmental Sciences
B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
B.A. in German
B.A./B.S. in History
B.S. in Horticulture
B.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences
B.A./B.S. in Liberal Studies
B.S. in Natural Resources
B.A./B.S. in Political Science
B.A./B.S. in Psychology
B.A./B.S. in Sociology
B.A. in Spanish
B.S. in Sustainability (double degree)
B.A./B.S. Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Graduate degree programs

Oregon State also offers graduate programs online and at a distance, some of which can be completed fully online while others include a face-to-face component.^[14]

MBA in Business Analytics
MBA in Executive Leadership
Ed.M. in Adult Education
Ed.M. in K-12 Education
M.S. in Counseling – School Concentration
Ph.D. in Counseling
Ed.D. in Education – Community College Leadership
M.S. in K-12 Science or Mathematics Education
M.S. in Science or Mathematics Education – Free-Choice Learning
Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering (focused on engineering management)
Professional Science Master’s in Fisheries and Wildlife Administration
Master of Natural Resources
M.S./M.H.P. in Radiation Health Physics

Graduate certificates and endorsements

Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics
Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching
Graduate Certificate in Fisheries Management
Graduate Certificate in Forests and Climate Change
Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science (GIS)
Graduate Certificate in Public Health
Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Natural Resources
Graduate Certificate in Urban Forestry
Graduate Certificate in Water Conflict Management
Graduate Certificate in Wildlife Management
ESOL/Bilingual endorsement

People

Students

Ecampus serves students in all 50 states and more than 40 countries.^[15] OSU's distance learners include full- and part-time students, working and retired professionals, community college students, active-duty and retired military, high school students and lifelong learners.^[16]

In the 2013-14 academic year, 15,470 students enrolled in at least one Ecampus course.^[17]

Alumni

Each year hundreds of learners earn their OSU degrees after completing course work online through Ecampus. A record 501 distance students received their diplomas from OSU in June 2014.^[18]

Faculty

All OSU Ecampus courses are developed by Oregon State faculty members.^[19] Each year, OSU instructors share best practices in online teaching with features interactive discussions at the Ecampus Faculty Forum.^[20]

Awards and recognition

Oregon State Ecampus has earned numerous honors as a provider of online education in recent years. These distinctions are based on a variety of factors, including "academic quality, support for students, student satisfaction, market credibility and prestige."^[21]

In 2016, U.S. News & World report ranked Oregon State No. 7 nationally in its annual Best Online Bachelor's Programs list. The criteria for the rankings were student engagement; faculty credentials and training; peer reputation; and student services and technology.^[22]

The following honors have been bestowed upon Ecampus in the past several years:

Best Online Bachelor's Programs – U.S. News & World Report (2014, 2015, 2016)^[23]
The 30 Best Online Colleges – Great Value Colleges (2015)^[24]
The 25 Best Online Colleges – Best College Reviews (2015)^[25]
The 25 Best Accredited Online Colleges – Create a Career (2015)^[26]
Best Online College in Oregon – TheBestSchools.org (2014)^[27]
Smart Choice 25 Best Online Colleges – SuperScholar (2012, 2013, 2014)^[28]
Nation's Best Public Online Colleges – Affordable Colleges Online (2013)^[29]
The 30 Best Online Colleges – TheBestSchools.org (2012, 2014)^[30]
Top 20 Online Colleges – TheBestColleges.org (2011)

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, January 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.