Goal 3

Deliver a 21st century high-quality, innovative science education that is equitable, accessible and inclusive of all learners.

Education and learning mission

To fulfill our land grant mission to serve the people of Oregon and beyond, the College of Science innovates to provide an outstanding, accessible education – inclusive of all. Delivered by our diverse community of educators, we teach foundational skills in problem solving, critical thinking and applied learning across the disciplines to prepare tomorrow's science leaders.

Actions and Implementation

An implementation committee will develop a timeline for implementing, assessing and adapting the actions and tactics detailed in each of the plan’s four goals. The committee will also develop metrics and key indicators of success.

Action 3.1 - Continue to revise and improve our curriculum and curricular policies to provide a high-quality and accessible science education to a diverse community of learners.

Modernize the Science Curriculum in both on campus and Ecampus settings to fit current needs of local, regional and global workforce

Work with our faculty, staff and students at OSU-Cascades’ to further their goal to offer a more intimate learning experience within a major research university

Invest in the professional development of teaching that focuses on training new faculty, graduate teaching assistants, learning assistants and people engaged in curriculum reform

Make continual improvement of curriculum a valued part of teaching assistant and faculty position descriptions and provide support that includes teaching releases and professional development funds for innovative work

Continue to be a world leader in education by supporting continual reform movements that adopt evidence-based instructional practices in both undergraduate and graduate programs

Increase equity and access by adopting a wider variety of free or low-cost learning resources, open educational resources and modalities

Continue to expand course and program offerings available through Ecampus to reach a broader audience and better fulfill our Land Grant mission

Provide equivalent online learning experiences and regularly assess and benchmark their effectiveness

Action 3.2 - Invest in financial and academic support systems across the entire College of Science to provide our students more equitable and inclusive resources and support student success across all programs in the College.

Focus scholarships on need-based 1st/2nd year, underrepresented minority, first generation students and work study opportunities in the College of Science

Direct resources for foundational science courses to increase academic success and remove barriers. Investments shown to work at OSU include adopting evidence-based instructional practices, tutoring centers, learning assistants, supplemental instruction tables, and partnering with instructional designers and education research experts

Action 3.3 - Expand bridge programs and experiential learning opportunities to provide skills for being competitive in the workforce and promote science literacy.

Provide support and targeted programs for transfer students

Create more robust programs aimed at increased success for all incoming graduate students

Continue to work with our partners at OSU-Cascades to aid their development in providing expanded pathways to science education

Increase and expand experiential learning opportunities for all students, including online students, that provide transformative experiences and create meaningful connections that open doors beyond OSU

Action 3.4 - Develop skills in collaboration and team building that enables a transdisciplinary education to support our science mission in research, scholarship, innovation and science communication.

Invest in interdisciplinary communities of practice and curriculum to prepare the first generation of transdisciplinary experts. Graduate students especially need more opportunities for integrated learning and research

Collaborate with faculty, advisors, staff and students in different units to work on vertical alignment of curriculum

Develop course structure, resources and assessment metrics so that students experience more consistency between courses

Provide Ecampus students opportunities to engage with interdisciplinary education experiences

Metrics to assess success

Learn more about OSU’s strategic metrics

Review College of Science metrics

What we're doing now

Leading the nation in online life sciences learning

The College of Science has been a leader in teaching biological sciences for over 100 years. Our zoology bachelor’s degree – one of the university’s most popular majors – is the nation’s first online zoology program. More than 400 students in the program learn from faculty who are nationally recognized in their field, and they are able to tailor their studies to meet their interests in animal biology.

Harnessing data to improve tomorrow

As the need for better, faster ways to harness vast amounts of information grows, mathematicians and statisticians at Oregon State are on the frontlines. Key partners in globally impactful research, they enable new insights into health, climate and industrial challenges while preparing tomorrow’s scientists to manage and interpret data at scale. For example, after graduation, Mathematics, Physics, and Computational Physics alumnus Scott Clark (’08) founded SigOpt, a startup that provides experimentation and optimization tools to thousands of researchers around the world, helping them build the future.

College of Science