Courses

Applying for graduate or professional school can be a daunting task. How and where to apply, how to choose an advisor, what to look for in a school, and how to obtain funding are hurdles to overcome during the application process. Supplemental materials will be provided as part of the course materials.

Designed for students who are pursuing careers in a university setting, this course exposes current, relevant issues in higher education. Students will receive a broad understanding of the context they will be working in to give them a foundation for understanding their future work.

Self-directed learning experience, providing structure and context for professional development opportunities in teaching, such as workshops, seminars, webinars, symposia, and other relevant programming. Designed to encourage and reward continuing investment in the development of knowledge and skill sets as educators. Consists of participating in self-selected teaching-related programming (in-person or online), as well as reading, writing, and reflecting on your chosen experiences. Credits are variable for a maximum of 3 credits.

Covers the expectations for writing at the graduate level. Examines features of successful, graduate-level academic writing to produce documents for program, courses, advisors, and colleagues. Explores topics related to information literacy, proposal and grant writing, and general graduate writing strategies.

A weekly one-hour pause for graduate students to take stock of their lives by examining theories and practices of well-being, and exploring the concepts related to happiness, grit, mindfulness, and mindset. The course encourages the application of these concepts and practices into graduate students’ course of study, career planning, and as a general blueprint for ongoing health and healing.

This is a 1-credit, just-in-time pedagogy and teaching support course for Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) at Oregon State University. This course will provide support for GTAs and other graduate students across OSU’s academic disciplines who teach site-based, hybrid, and online courses. The course focuses on evidence-based pedagogical practices with an emphasis on practical strategies and problem-solving, and will be tuned to graduate students’ needs and the classes they are instructing.

Covers 10 topics in responsible conduct of research: ethical decision making; human subjects; animal welfare; data acquisition; sharing and ownership; research misconduct; conflicts of interest; authorship; peer review; mentor/trainee responsibilities; and collaborative science. Useful to all students who conduct scholarly activity.

Careful examination of all aspects of research data management best practices. Designed to prepare students to exceed funder mandates for performance in data planning, documentation, preservation and sharing in an increasingly complex digital research environment. Open to students of all disciplines.

Workshop-style course resulting in applications that are ready for IRB review. Ethical issues in research will be discussed. Students will draft all submission materials outside of class and participate in the critique of each other's protocols and consent forms. IRB approval will not be granted as part of this class.

An examination of multidisciplinary scholarship on difference, power, and discrimination; critical pedagogies; and curriculum transformation. Discussions of theory and research are coupled with practical hands-on opportunities for students to develop and hone their teaching and course development skills.

Offers a professional learning experience for graduate students looking to grow as a dialogue facilitator and integrate dialogue practices in their current or future professional responsibilities related to teaching, research, leadership, and/or service.

Prepares students to develop and teach distance courses. Students explore practical aspects of course development and facilitation: a brief history of distance education and pedagogical theory; course design principles; engagement of adult learners; active learning; and investigation of how online instruction, in addition to offering flexibility and convenience, also offers distinct pedagogical benefits. Open to students in all disciplines.

Examination and analysis of theories and research related to teaching and learning in higher education contexts with emphasis on theoretical applications for GTAs, instructors, and other who teach in the college and university classroom.

Exploration of research and research-based practices related to teaching and learning in higher education contexts with emphasis on course design, facilitation, and other instructional techniques for GTAs, instructors, and others who teach in the college and university classroom.

Explores evidence-based communication strategies that empower graduate students to foster clarity and connectedness in their relationships with academic colleagues and to productively raise and respond to concerns when they arise.  Emphasizes active learning and practical applications to various contexts in the graduate student experience.  Builds skills to support graduate success and to reduce stress, ambiguity and the potential for discord. Provides a safe space for graduate students to discuss concerns regarding academic relationships. 

Supports students who are in the writing stages of their thesis or dissertation. Teaches rhetorical analysis of model texts, techniques for drafting and revising texts, strategies for overcoming writing blocks, and methods of self-care for managing stress.

For students with TOEFL scores above the OSU minimums but who lack confidence in English composition for advanced academic purposes, this course focuses on graduate-level writing for English-language learners in all disciplines. It covers both grammatical issues that commonly arise within scholarly argumentation and rhetorical strategies for achieving greater clarity and persuasiveness in framing research methods and results. This new course was created in partnership with the School of Writing, Literature, and Film.

Scientific and Technical Research Writing is for graduate students who are looking to practice writing and communicating about their research and learn more about how writing is accomplished in their field of study. Students do not need to come into the course with a data set and can be at any place in their graduate program. We’ll analyze how writing is done by experts in your field, find out what to expect from your thesis or dissertation project, and write an article that can reach a much wider public. Perhaps most importantly, students can also choose a writing project they want to work on and get one-on-one help on that project from writing faculty.