The summer of 2025 marks a new era in general education at Oregon State University. After years of collaboration among faculty, students, and community partners, OSU has crafted a forward-thinking general education program designed to empower the next generation of global leaders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Core Education Curriculum will be implemented starting June 23, and students enrolling in this term and beyond will begin their academic journeys at OSU by gaining knowledge and skills through two major curriculum areas: the Foundational Core and the Signature Core.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OSU has undergone a multi-year curriculum reform<\/a> in which faculty, students, staff, alumni, community partners, and administrators came together to develop a state-of-the-art, 21st-century-focused general education program. The Core Ed curriculum underscores students\u2019 potential<\/a> to become global innovators and critical agents of societal change. By integrating real-world problem-solving and social responsibility, Core Education embodies OSU\u2019s land-grant mission to serve communities locally and globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new curriculum incorporates high-impact practices intended to support student learning and prepare them to meet challenges, solve problems, adapt to a rapidly changing world, and become proactive members of society, advancing their fields of study. These practices\u2014defined as strategies that promote deeper learning, meaningful engagement, and a positive impact on historically underserved student populations (Kuh & O\u2019Donnell, 2013)\u2014are central to Core Education. As stated in the Core Education mission, the curriculum also \u201caddresses the ever-changing needs of our learners and graduates in our global society and promotes critical thinking, information literacy, social and environmental justice, interdisciplinary teamwork, and communication.\u201d (Core Education<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Core Ed curriculum is defined by two main areas: the Foundational Core<\/a> and the Signature Core<\/a>, which offer students a variety of learning opportunities. The Foundational Core helps students build essential skills and broad knowledge, fostering lifelong learning and creative problem-solving, while preparing them to engage with complex topics in academic and professional settings. The Signature Core empowers students to apply critical thinking to create positive change in their field and society, while strengthening the skills needed to navigate a complex, interconnected world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Foundational Core includes the following categories:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Signature Core includes the following categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A standout feature of Core Education is the Beyond OSU Career Integration<\/a> component, which equips students with NACE-aligned competencies for lifelong career success. This component offers students opportunities to explore and apply career-related practices, including career readiness and advancement. It focuses on building core skills for workplace success and lifelong career management, based on the NACE Career Competencies<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Core Education reform process dates back to 2002, when OSU initiated a review of the Baccalaureate Core Curriculum<\/a>. Since then, the OSU community has worked intensively to design, develop, and implement the new general education curriculum. Ecampus has been no exception\u2014each Ecampus team (e.g., Course Development) has actively strategized its work to support this transition. Specifically, the Instructional Design (ID) Team at Ecampus has launched iterative course design initiatives to inform, test, and evaluate the course design process and resources. These initiatives include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the course design guides are fully drafted and available to the ID team, the working groups continue to communicate regularly for updates and improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The OSU community\u2014especially Ecampus\u2019s dedicated teams\u2014has worked tirelessly to bring Core Education to life. Their collaborative spirit and innovation have been instrumental in shaping this transformative curriculum. I\u2019m very proud of the initiatives we\u2019ve undertaken, and it has been an honor to lead them. This blog highlights my colleagues\u2019 work and the Ecampus leadership team\u2019s guidance, especially the Course Development and Training Unit leaders, who have fully supported the initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I invite you to explore the full Core Education Curriculum<\/a> or contact Karen Watte karen.watte@oregonstate.edu <\/em>for online course development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Core Education Curriculum Reform and Implementation The summer of 2025 marks a new era in general education at Oregon State University. After years of collaboration among faculty, students, and community partners, OSU has crafted a forward-thinking general education program designed to empower the next generation of global leaders. The Core Education Curriculum will be implemented… Continue reading Uniqueness of Core Education<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Preparing to Launch Core Education<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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