Every day, we serve<\/strong> in a variety of roles that directly influence the experience and success of Oregon State students who learn online. We lead<\/strong> initiatives that make student learning more affordable at OSU and beyond. We partner<\/strong> closely with OSU faculty to develop high-quality online courses. We develop<\/strong> innovative educational pathways that give modern learners better access to life-changing opportunities. We conduct<\/strong> original, award-winning research that advances the field of online teaching and learning. And we collaborate<\/strong> with industry to identify solutions that solve workforce needs.<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t one<\/em> thing I enjoy most about our division\u2019s work because it all makes a tangible difference, in a variety of ways, throughout Oregon and around the world. The same is true of our many accomplishments in 2025. It was a year marked by significant achievements as we innovate for access and success<\/a> on all fronts.<\/p>\n With that in mind, we\u2019d like to highlight some of our division\u2019s most notable initiatives and successes of the past 12 months<\/strong>. And in the spirit of knowledge-sharing, each item below includes a recommendation with guidance on how you can begin to implement similar practices in your unit or at your institution.<\/p>\n The summary<\/strong><\/p>\n In June, Ecampus<\/a> earned the prestigious Eduventures Innovation Award<\/a> for our groundbreaking work in redefining how student success is measured and supported in online education. We received this honor in the outcomes award category for our initiative titled \u201cUtilizing mission, data and policies to define and track online student success metrics.\u201d<\/p>\n The initiative reflects Oregon State\u2019s deep commitment to student-centered innovation and institutional excellence.<\/p>\n The impact<\/strong><\/p>\n Drawing from institutional policies, student survey data and national benchmarks, our student success team and data analysts created a set of metrics that reflect what success truly looks like for Oregon State\u2019s online learners. These include persistence rates, course mastery, academic excellence, a sense of belonging and degree completion.<\/p>\n Our recommendation<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cRevisit your university\u2019s online student success metrics by centering them on real student experiences and incorporating the student voice \u2014 not just generic KPIs. Start by convening cross-functional teams (student services leadership, data analysts, etc.) to co-define a holistic success framework that includes persistence, mastery, belonging and progress. Be sure that you\u2019re not focusing so intently on time-to-degree. Then, regularly share and act upon that data to build continuous improvement.\u201d \u2014 Marleigh Perez, senior director of student success, Ecampus<\/strong><\/p>\n The summary<\/strong><\/p>\n To help strengthen the connection between higher education and industry needs, our Corporate and Workforce Education Unit<\/a> established a Workforce Advisory Board that will provide OSU with expert guidance and recommendations from leaders at some of the world\u2019s most successful and respected companies:<\/p>\n The impact<\/strong><\/p>\n Members of the Workforce Advisory Board will offer strategic insights to help Oregon State develop and align its holistic educational offerings with workforce demands, ensuring that learners develop workforce-ready skills that build successful careers and support industry talent pipelines. Our division will share these insights with OSU\u2019s colleges, which often have their own industry boards for effective feedback coordination.<\/p>\n Our recommendation<\/strong><\/p>\n Identify the right organizations and the optimal roles you want represented on an advisory board; Oregon State prioritized having many industry verticals at the table. Our desired impact is to help OSU develop and align holistic educational offerings across colleges with workforce demands in support of industry talent pipelines. We want to share high-value industry insights with the relevant partners across the university, particularly the colleges who develop courses and learning content.<\/p>\n The summary<\/strong><\/p>\n In March 2025, Oregon State\u2019s Open Educational Resources Unit<\/a> surveyed OSU students to discover the true impact of course materials costs on students\u2019 academic and personal lives. The majority of respondents reported being worried about their ability to pay for course materials.<\/p>\n Surveys like this help deepen our understanding of learners\u2019 academic journeys, and they help us develop strategies to make learning more affordable and accessible. The OER Unit works with OSU faculty to develop openly licensed, free course materials, and we track low-cost and no-cost course offerings for online and in-person classes.<\/p>\n The impact<\/strong><\/p>\n More than 195,000 Oregon State students (duplicated headcount) were enrolled in at least one course section that used low-cost (under $40) or no-cost learning materials in academic year 2024-25. This gave struggling students more resources to spend on basic needs such as food and rent, based on survey responses.<\/p>\n Here is more OSU data from this past year:<\/p>\n Our recommendation<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cConsider the total cost to students, both academic and personal, when choosing required course materials and reach out to your school\u2019s OER director or the library to find alternative low or no cost resources. Report all required course materials including textbooks, software, equipment, etc., to the bookstore or necessary people, even when you are using low- or no-cost course materials because it helps students make informed financial decisions when registering.\u201d \u2014 Stefanie Buck, director, Open Educational Resources Unit<\/strong><\/p>\n The summary<\/strong><\/p>\n Not only are we focused on developing new, alternative pathways to earning an OSU credential, but we\u2019re also expanding access to high-quality learning opportunities in more traditional offerings. In partnership with OSU\u2019s academic colleges, Ecampus launched 15 new online degree and certificate programs in the 2025 calendar year \u2014\u00a0and announced in-progress efforts to launch many more in 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n The impact<\/strong><\/p>\n These new programs give students opportunities to break into in-demand fields such as electrical and computer engineering, healthcare administration, special education, clinical psychology and chemical engineering. This extensive program growth meets learner needs and enables Oregon State to work toward the enrollment goals outlined in the university\u2019s Prosperity Widely Shared strategic plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n And importantly, all courses delivered online are taught by Oregon State faculty \u2014\u00a0not AI.<\/p>\n Our recommendation<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cConduct market research and leverage your partnerships \u2014 both at your institution and with industry \u2014\u00a0to identify programs that align with learner and workforce needs. Focus on programs that will help learners obtain the skills they need to be employable. Increasing enrollment is an important and worthwhile goal, but focus on developing pathways that better serve place-bound students and those who may not otherwise be able to finish their degree.\u201d \u2014 Lisa L. Templeton, vice provost, Division of Educational Ventures<\/strong><\/p>\n The summary<\/strong><\/p>\n This past year we began to see the benefits of a coordinated, institution-level approach to alternative credentials<\/a>, driven by improvements to data structures, processes and emerging strategies. In collaboration with partners across Oregon State, our work in the alternative credentials space enables OSU to better meet the needs of modern learners; directly support the university\u2019s goal to increase learning access and affordability; and stay responsive to workforce needs.<\/p>\n The impact<\/strong><\/p>\n We witnessed a 67% year-over-year enrollment increase (1,234 to 2,070) in OSU\u2019s credit-bearing microcredentials<\/a>. These short-form offerings allow learners to build specialized, in-demand skills and earn a digital badge in (usually) three courses. In AY25, we launched nine new microcredentials. So far in AY26, we\u2019ve launched 17 more.<\/p>\n This includes a collection of interdisciplinary AI fundamentals microcredentials<\/a> that introduces students to AI and machine learning fundamentals, AI ethics and industry-specific applications.<\/p>\n Our recommendation<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cContinue to expand the success of credit-bearing microcredentials by ensuring course content stays aligned with in-demand workforce skills. Build course schedules with working adults and microcredential-only students in mind to improve access and completion. And most importantly, foster strong college-level support and collaboration \u2014 it\u2019s the key to sustaining growth and creating meaningful learning opportunities for every type of student.\u201d \u2014 Devin Miles, director, Alternative Credentials Unit<\/strong><\/p>\n The summary<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019re proud that Oregon State is home to one of the only research units attached to an online education division. And in 2025, we celebrated 10 years of the\u00a0Ecampus Research Fellows Program<\/a>, which provides OSU faculty with research grants of up to $25,000, along with structured support and training.<\/p>\n The original research produced by the fellows \u2014\u00a0and the Ecampus Research Unit as a whole \u2014\u00a0significantly impacts the online teaching and learning efforts at OSU and beyond.<\/p>\n The impact<\/strong><\/p>\n In the past decade, 48 research projects from 75 Oregon State faculty members have been funded through the Research Fellows Program<\/a>. Those studies have been linked to three federal grants, 10 peer-reviewed publications and $1 million in federal grants. Faculty from nine OSU colleges have participated in the program since its inception, studying topics such as peer-reviewed writing, generative AI, 3D models and video segmentation.<\/p>\n Our recommendation<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cConsider ways that you can fund or otherwise support your faculty in conducting research on teaching and learning on your campus.\u201d \u2014 Mary Ellen Dello Stritto, director, Ecampus Research Unit<\/strong><\/p>\n The summary<\/strong><\/p>\n As a university, we strengthened our excellence in online teaching and online course development each quarter, thanks to our continuous improvement model and the ongoing collaboration between 1,300 OSU faculty members and Ecampus instructional designers and multimedia developers. The process of developing and redeveloping online courses often includes the creation of interactive multimedia tools<\/a> that make student learning experiences more engaging.<\/p>\n The impact<\/strong><\/p>\n Ecampus staff and Oregon State faculty introduced a wide variety of new innovations in online course design. This includes a GroupFinder tool that uses a customizable, algorithm-based system across multiple courses to help \u2014 among other things \u2014 new and transfer students find peers with similar interests and stay in touch throughout their time at OSU. Other innovations include a custom creative writing workshop tool, a virtual surveying instrument<\/a> for a construction engineering course, and a hands-on simulation<\/a> to apply environmental conditions to plants.<\/p>\n Our recommendation<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cApply a rigorous, collaborative approach to course development to ensure students receive high-quality learning experiences online. When you intentionally design online courses, students will see how each part of the course fits into their overall learning goals. Well-designed courses give students opportunities to engage with the content, the instructor and each other.\u201d \u2014 Karen Watt\u00e9, senior director of course development and training, Ecampus<\/strong><\/p>\n The summary<\/strong><\/p>\n Amplifying student voices is great, but we took it to a new level by creating the Ecampus Student Advisory Board<\/a> to give online learners actual seats at the table. This 12-member board played a major role in improving the online learning experience by partnering with OSU leadership, taking part in leadership development activities and connecting with students, faculty and staff.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n1. Ecampus redefines student success, earns national innovation award<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n2. Creation of Workforce Advisory Board gives OSU an additional direct pipeline to industry insights<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n3. Open educational resources help OSU students save $12.25 million<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n4. Ecampus launches 15 new online programs in high-demand fields<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n5. Alternative credentials fuel rapid growth, learner access to specialized skills<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n6. OSU celebrates 10-year anniversary of Ecampus Research Fellows Program<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n7. Faculty partnerships bolster online education excellence, student experience<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n8. Ecampus Student Advisory Board creates new opportunities for advocacy, dialogue<\/h3>\n