Inspire Blog Tag: oregon state university

Haunted by a Blank Course: Tales from a First-Time Developer

Special Edition: Guest Blog by Assistant Professor of Practice (Urban Forestry), Jennifer Killian When I was asked to create a new course for Oregon State University’s Ecampus program, my first reaction was a mix of sheer excitement… and, well, a little terror. I’ve built workshops, presentations, and even all-day trainings, but assembling ten weeks of graduate-level content from scratch? That felt like wandering through a haunted house to me. Dark, empty, and full of unknowns. Adding to the surrealness, I realized that thirteen years ago, I was a graduate student here, taking several Ecampus courses myself including an early version of the very class I would now be teaching. The idea that I could bring my professional experience back to … Haunted by a Blank Course: Tales from a First-Time Developer
by · October 20, 2025

When Passing Is Failing: Cultivating Critical AI Literacy

We all remember the warning from math class: “You won’t always have a calculator in your pocket!” How we laugh now, with calculators first arriving in our pockets and, eventually, smartphones putting one in our hands at all times. I have seen a lot of comparisons across the Internet to artificial intelligence (AI) and these mathematics classes of yesteryear. The idea being that AI is but the newest embodiment of this same concern, which ended up being overblown. But is this an apt comparison to make? After all, we did not replace math lessons and teachers with pocket calculators, nor even with smart phones. The kindergarten student is not simply given a Casio and told to figure it out. The … When Passing Is Failing: Cultivating Critical AI Literacy
by · September 29, 2025

Integrating Microsoft Teams into Canvas: A Win-Win for Students and Professors

Too often, online courses struggle with communication that feels slow and one-sided. Students swap ideas in discussion boards, but collaboration stops there. Integrating Microsoft Teams into Canvas changes that. It brings real-time conversation, file-sharing, and group spaces directly into the LMS–helping students connect more naturally and giving instructors new ways to guide and engage. This integration not only boosts collaboration, it also provides more opportunities for Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) between students and instructors—structured, faculty-initiated engagement that is required in online courses under federal guidelines. Seamless Collaboration Across Projects and Courses Integrating Teams into Canvas ensures that group work and peer review move beyond static discussion boards into dynamic, asynchronous interactions. Students can download the app on their mobile … Integrating Microsoft Teams into Canvas: A Win-Win for Students and Professors
by · September 2, 2025

Problem Solving, Team Conflict and Large Enrollment in Online Courses: Research and Design

Core Education at Oregon State University launched summer 2025 and is designed to deepen how students think about problem-solving in ways that transcend disciplinary-specific approaches. It aims at preparing students to be adaptive, proactive members of society who are ready to take on any challenge, solve any problem, advance in their chosen career and help build a better world (Oregon State University Core Education, 2025). Designing Seeking Solutions Signature Core category courses presents a few challenges, such as the nature of wicked problems, cross-discipline teamwork, and the global impact of wicked problems, to name just a few. In the past eight months, instructional designers at Oregon State University Ecampus have worked intensively to identify design challenges, brainstorm course design approaches, … Problem Solving, Team Conflict and Large Enrollment in Online Courses: Research and Design
by · August 25, 2025

Student Voices Support Quality Standards in Online Education

This post was written in collaboration with Mary Ellen Dello Stritto, Director of Ecampus Research Unit. Quality Matters standards are supported by extensive research on effective learning. Oregon State University’s own Ecampus Essentials build upon these standards, incorporating OSU-specific quality criteria for ongoing course development. But what do students themselves think about the elements that constitute a well-designed online course? The Study The Ecampus Research Unit took part in a national research study with Penn State and Boise State universities that sought student insight into what elements of design and course management contribute to quality in an online course. Data was collected from 6 universities across the US including Oregon State in Fall of 2024. Students who chose to participate … Student Voices Support Quality Standards in Online Education
by · August 18, 2025