Inspire Blog

Designing Effective Online Lab Experiences

Labs offer an important space for students to apply the knowledge they’ve learned during their course, but can a virtual lab provide the same experience for remote students without access to a physical campus? At OSU’s Ecampus, we hear this question all the time. A student participating in an online lab has an undeniably different experience from one on campus; however, the difference isn’t necessarily a disadvantage. In some cases, an online environment can give students opportunities to interact with equipment, data, and experimental procedures in ways that aren’t possible in a physical lab. During the development process, course creators often want to replicate every aspect of a physical lab. Some physical aspects can convey important lab techniques, like how … Designing Effective Online Lab Experiences
by · October 19, 2026

Beyond the AI Policy: Why Students Belong in the AI Conversation

If you are an instructor you’ve likely written some version of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy into your syllabi. If you’re an instructional designer, you’ve probably read dozens of versions of these policies or might have helped craft one. An AI policy is an important first step in communicating to our learners what is allowed, what is not, and how AI could impact their learning. In fact, the faculty senate at Oregon State University recently voted that an AI policy on course syllabi is now required that explicitly communicates expectations for student AI use. This is a step in the right direction, but a policy alone is not enough. As we already know, many learners are actively using AI tools. … Beyond the AI Policy: Why Students Belong in the AI Conversation
by · October 5, 2026

Five Ways Faculty Can Support Online Student Mental Health

In May 2026, OSU became the first Health Promoting University in Oregon, officially adopting The Okanagan Charter, an international, collaboratively drafted vision that calls on institutions of higher education to incorporate health-promoting practices at every level and create supportive environments that encourage and inform health knowledge across campus. As part of this effort, over the past two years Oregon State University’s Student Mental Health Improvement Initiative has worked to gather information about student mental health across the Corvallis campus, OSU-Cascades, and Ecampus. Sponsored by the Health Promoting University Core Group, Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS), and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), the initiative brought together faculty, staff, and campus partners to examine how institutional practices influence student well-being. … Five Ways Faculty Can Support Online Student Mental Health
by · September 21, 2026

AI Disclosure Matters: Closing the alignment gap between online instructors and students

In online education, transparency is foundational to high-quality learning experiences (Ecampus Essentials, 2026). Transparency about who the instructor is, how the course set-up, what tools are available, and how learning will be assessed helps students trust the learning process. The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in higher education raises important questions about transparency in online courses, particularly regarding instructor and student disclosure of AI use. Disclosure of AI use in online teaching and learning can be challenging for a number of reasons. First, it may be difficult to know what constitutes “use.” For example, is a Google search that resulted in an AI generated summary to gather information for course development considered “use”?  What about a student using … AI Disclosure Matters: Closing the alignment gap between online instructors and students
by · September 8, 2026

Term Project – Doesn’t Have to Be an Odyssey  

One instructor I work with said this recently: I like that idea! So then students can start their project early on, get some classmates’ comments, and submit their final version” This response came after we spent some time discussing the challenge that comes with a term project that gets submitted as a one-time assignment at the end of the term. Some instructors express interest and concerns about developing a term project and how to implement it in an asynchronous course. A project can be a great opportunity for engaging students with the content, learning from and with peers, and applying the concepts they learn in more practical and hands-on activities; and for it to be clear and well-implemented, it needs structure. However, it is not always clear for some instructors how the project could be spread out through the term in ways that allow students to … Term Project – Doesn’t Have to Be an Odyssey  
by · August 24, 2026