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There was a time when the idea of “seeing the big picture” was more than Ravonne Byrd could manage. She was trying to find her footing professionally, but the different career paths she tested became unappealing the further she ventured down them. Newly married with a baby on the way, Byrd wondered if she’d missed out on her prime career opportunities. She was swimming in self-doubt, and if there was a big picture, she feared it might have swallowed her whole. “There was a lot of uncertainty, and I did a lot of crying,” she said. Read more »

Ecampus award winners stand together for a photo. From left: Blake Hausman, Doug Reese, Noah Buckley, Marc Curtis, Lynn Greenough.

Video: OSU faculty, staff lauded for commitment to online student experience

For the seventh year in a row, Ecampus presented its Ecampus Awards. The 2023 awardees included six OSU faculty and staff partners who exemplify the Oregon State commitment to student success and course innovation. Read more about each faculty member and the university’s five instructors who received Quality Matters certifications this year.

Jose Torres

The power of bringing honors online

In the winter of 2023, Jose Torres became the first Oregon State University student to complete an honors degree online. Ask him how he got here, and his story might surprise you. “Nobody in my family’s ever gone to college or university, so it wasn’t even in my mind. We’re all working class people, and so that was my thing,” he says.

woman's hands typing on a laptop

Oregon State publishes new study about equity and bias in online learner data

Learning analytics is a fast-growing field that tracks how students interact with their online courses, and it has the potential to improve the online learning experience for many university students. But the collection and analysis of student data also invites ethical issues. A team of interdisciplinary researchers, led by the Oregon State University Ecampus Research Unit, recently published a study in the Journal of Learning Analytics that sought to bring different perspectives to issues of equity and bias in this emerging field.

Text on image: Tips to reduce class anxiety as an online student

How to reduce your anxiety in online classes

If you’re anything like me, class anxiety is a real thing. Also, like me, I find it annoying, time-consuming and baffling. I still can’t figure out why I get so anxious in class, why my heart pounds every time I speak up and why I dread papers and tests. I’m not a psychologist, a counselor or a trained specialist in class anxiety, but I can offer a few things I’ve learned as an Oregon State Ecampus student and in my graduate studies at Harvard that can help.

Act now: Ways to make learning more affordable for Oregon State students

Oregon State University faculty, administrators and staff recently attended a new event called the Think Affordable Summit. The event, held in Corvallis and online, included a panel discussion centered on how to make college more affordable in Oregon — hosted by Provost Edward Feser and featuring Ben Cannon, executive director of the Oregon Higher Education Act now: Ways to make learning more affordable for Oregon State students

Text on image: How to build connections with faculty online

How to build connections with instructors in online classes

Connections made during college can have profound and lasting effects on our lives. I would not have been able to anticipate how the professors I met online through Oregon State Ecampus would enrich not only my educational experience but also my development as a person. If I hadn’t reached out to build connections with instructors, I would have missed out on one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Hope Nelson, an Oregon State University alum, stands outside in commencement cap and gown with a blue sash that says veteran.

Oregon State Ecampus secures grant funding to help veterans who learn online with housing costs

Thanks to a state grant, Oregon State Ecampus is offering assistance to some military veterans in Oregon who learn online but receive significantly less GI Bill housing support than students enrolled in on-campus instruction. The new funding will support military veteran students studying online at OSU in fields related to technology, health care or manufacturing. In Oregon, a full-time online student who receives Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits gets $1,015 less in monthly housing allowance than an on-campus student.

Beaverton mayor and Lacey Beaty speaks into a microphone at an outdoor public event.

First female and youngest-ever mayor of Beaverton, Oregon earned her OSU degree online

Service to others has been a major through line in Lacey Beaty’s path. These days, it’s public service: Beaty is the first woman to serve as mayor and the youngest-ever elected official in Beaverton’s history. She was elected in 2020 after acting as a city councilor for six years. Beaty also served as a U.S. Army combat medic in Iraq, having joined the military right out of high school. She later earned a political science degree online with Oregon State.

A person with painted nails, holding a box full of desk item hands over a written resignation.

Use this checklist before you quit your job

Deciding whether or not to quit your job is never an easy task. This piece takes a look at some preliminary steps you can take before you take the plunge. From improving professional skills to networking, more preparation for your next career move than you think can be done through online education.

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