2012 OSU Ecampus graduates

Daniel Stroup and Lisa Stroup

M.S. in Science and Mathematics Education
Madras, Ore.

Lisa Stroup and Daniel Stroup

LISA STROUP

What does earning your OSU degree mean to you?
Earning my master’s degree in Science Education from OSU is the culmination of three years of hard work and dedication. It means I accomplished a career goal, and I can renew my teaching license. I am proud of successfully completing the professional development portion of the degree because I feel it has prepared me to be a leader in my school for science and technology education.

Why did you choose to complete your degree online through OSU Extended Campus? What did you like about this method of education?
Ecampus option allowed me to work full time as a teacher in Central Oregon while I earned my graduate degree online. I liked having a cohort of teachers that worked through the same program online, but we also met in person once a month and in the summers to complete classes. I received a grant for Central Oregon teachers that helped pay for the classes, and provided additional support through the grant coordinator in person. I especially enjoyed interacting on Skype with my classmates and professors.

Did you have an instructor or advisor who was influential in helping you succeed as a distance student?
Henry Gillow-Wiles, Maggie Niess and Emily van Zee were all instrumental in the completion of my degree as they all taught different classes, and have different areas of expertise. Maggie Niess taught me many aspects of Excel, creating websites, and integrating technology with mathematics. Emily van Zee emphasized the usefulness of hands-on learning and how to integrate temperature probes, motion detectors, GPS units, and laptops into learning science. Henry Gillow-Wiles integrated mathematics and technology while teaching new ways to learn mathematics through group settings and inquiry. They were all positive and very supportive throughout my three years in the graduate program, and without their encouragement I wouldn’t have succeeded.

What will your Ecampus degree allow you to do that you were unable to do before?
My degree will allow me to lead professional development workshops in many areas, but I feel especially qualified for science and technology. I did not have the confidence or background to successfully lead training for teachers until I completed this degree. I feel that the program provided rigorous preparation for educational leadership in my education setting. I will also be able to renew my teaching license due to this degree. I will be able to continue my academic growth with confidence.

DANIEL STROUP

What does earning your OSU degree mean to you?
Earning my master’s in science education from Oregon State University will remain one of the greatest accomplishments in my teaching career. Personally, it means after three years of hard work and dedication I have completed a goal I wanted to achieve. I have grown much as an individual, academically, and professionally in those years. In previous years I have taken many graduate level courses from various institutions and I thought this would be like those in that it was just another program. I was wrong. I have been a part of something great these past three years. This has been the most meaningful graduate level program in my teaching career. I have the OSU Ecampus, my professors, and my colleagues to thank for this.

The coursework in this program applied directly to my teaching. The interaction and support from the professors and the highly integrated learning environment provided through various technologies was excellent. Finally, my OSU degree means that I am a more highly qualified teacher, professional leader, and lifelong learner in the field of education.

Why did you choose to complete your degree online through OSU Extended Campus? What did you like about this method of education?
I chose to complete my degree through OSU Ecampus because of my location and the convenience of taking online classes. I graduated from OSU in 2001 with a Bachelors of Science and I had a desire to return to OSU to complete my master’s. This would not have been possible without the Ecampus program at OSU! I live and teach in the small rural community of Madras located in Central Oregon. What I enjoyed most about the OSU Ecampus experience was the convenience of working at home while also having an excellent collaborative and helpful online experience. With the use of different communication technologies our cohort was able to have online meetings, video chats, give supportive feedback, and even work on group projects together.

The professors, Maggie Niess and Emily van Zee, were always just an email or phone call away and were very supportive if we had any questions at any time. As a result of this program I am now connected with teachers from the various school districts in Central Oregon. I will keep in touch with these teachers as we practice our new roles of science, math, and technology experts in our schools; teaching others what we have learned. .

Did you have an instructor or advisor who was influential in helping you succeed as a distance student?
Both Maggie Niess and Emily van Zee were influential in helping me succeed with the OSU Ecampus master’s program. I remember during our first meeting with the professors we were told this Master’s from OSU would be a very rigorous program that would take a lot of hard work and dedication, but in the end we will have a Master’s degree that means something and will be able to use. They were right. This master’s program was the most challenging and rewarding body of work I have been a part of. Both Maggie and Emily were always there for us when we needed encouraging, and challenging us to work beyond our abilities. They are the type of professors who will be there for us even after the program is finished to offer an encouraging word of advice or an extra set of eyes to edit a journal article for publication. I would like to thank them for all of their hard work helping us become the educators we are today.

What will your Ecampus degree allow you to do that you were unable to do before?
My Master of Science from Oregon State University has made me not only a more effective teacher, but also an educational leader. Through this Master’s program I have become a science and technology leader at my school. I have given professional development workshops to my staff and helped build new science curriculum for the district. I have learned how to use and teach my students how to work with different probe ware technologies for science and mathematics inquires. I have developed and taught different units of study in the content area of science incorporating technology to help students learn. I have developed my own background knowledge in the areas of mathematics and science.

And finally, I have learned how to integrate mathematics, science, and technology in all of my teaching. My teaching career has improved because I am now not only a classroom teacher, but a professional leader at my school and in the field of education. The knowledge I have gained and the professional relationships and connections that have been built through the OSU Ecampus Master’s program will continue to help me be a more effective teacher of my students and professional contributing to the field of education.

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