OSU Ecampus web developer
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. are simply the tools web developers use to do their real job: helping people communicate.
For the last 18 years, Paul Bausch has helped communities communicate. Paul earned a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Nebraska before joining the team at Pyra Labs where he helped co-create the well-known Blogger service. After he and his team successfully fast-tracked personal weblog publishing to the top of your Google search results, Paul spent several years writing books about web technologies, building a crowd-sourcing app that helps you drive economically, and administering one of the oldest web communities to host millions of conversations between people from across the globe.
Finding himself at Oregon State Ecampus just one year ago, Paul has wasted no time in applying his knowledge of coding languages and internet technologies to support adult learners in their pursuit of knowledge.
By Jess Waldschmidt
Jan. 18, 2018
Hometown
Columbus, Nebraska
When did you begin working at Oregon State Ecampus?
January 2017
What excited you about the opportunity to work for OSU Ecampus?
“College was a transformative experience for me, and the idea that I can play some small part in helping others find their own transformative path is exciting to me. I also believe online learning can open that experience to more people than ever, and the chance to help make that a reality with a team of people who feel the same is rewarding.”
Describe your role and what your responsibilities are.
“I’m a web developer with OSU Ecampus Marketing and Enrollment Services. I spend most of my time working on the public-facing web pages you see at ecampus.oregonstate.edu. I also help bring projects like the OSU Ecampus Research Unit’s Online Learning Efficacy Research Database to the web. In addition, I work behind the scenes to help improve our internal applications and processes.”
Explain the importance of web developers and how their work benefits Ecampus students.
“Part of what OSU Ecampus does is teach people about Ecampus — what it is and what it offers. We do that through advertising, telling stories about current and former students, and describing the degrees and programs available. I assist with all of those activities by writing code that makes the stories clear, accessible and working well across any sort of device people might use to access them. Often someone’s first impression of Oregon State Ecampus happens through the website, and I help make that a good impression.”
What do you like most about your job?
“I like the challenge of taking an idea from concept to something that functions in the world. The space where code, fonts and images meet computers, phones and tablets is a jumble of inconsistent features and capabilities. Organizing that jumble in a way that resembles the original idea is satisfying.”
Collectively we developers might be most comfortable behind our computers writing code, but we’re here to work with people.”
What do you wish others knew about your job?
For the last 18 years, Paul Bausch has helped communities communicate.
“I’d like others to know that a developer is more than the collection of technology jargon on their resume. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. are simply the tools web developers use to do their real job: helping people communicate. Collectively we developers might be most comfortable behind our computers writing code, but we’re here to work with people.”
What made you decide to get into this field?
“I discovered the web early when there wasn’t much online to see. The moment I realized I could create a web page and anyone with an internet connection could read it, I was excited about the possibilities. After studying journalism in college, I helped create an early weblog application called Blogger so others could experience that excitement of publishing without learning to code. I also authored or co-authored several books about making the most of web services. I’ve been publishing on and about the web in one form or another ever since.”
What do you believe is your greatest accomplishment in this position thus far?
“My move to Oregon State University took me from a company with seven employees to an organization with over 7,000 employees. Simply deciphering the rules around parking feels like an accomplishment to me. I am particularly proud of a system of scalable animated icons I helped build that we now use across our websites. I enjoy them whenever I see them.”
What advice would you like to give to students, staff and faculty?
“Don’t be hesitant about using the technology involved with online learning. OSU Ecampus has an amazing team of people who are experts at making technology work for education.”
What is one surprising thing about you that not many people know?
“A long, long time ago I played guitar and sang in a bar band.”
What are your favorite activities outside of work?
“I like to play disc golf, Dungeons & Dragons and guitar but not all at the same time. Yet.”
