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CORVALLIS - The Oregon State University School of Education and OSU's Extended Campus program have signed an agreement with the Foundation for California Community Colleges to create a series of online education courses aimed at teachers - and business professionals who may want to occasionally teach.

Funding for the initiative was provided through a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, administered through the California Community Colleges chancellor's office.

The courses will be developed from recently created text modules that look at teaching methods in 19 different areas, from accounting to web design to fundamentals of business. The need for such courses is profound, according to Juanita Lamley, an assistant professor of education at OSU who is overseeing the project. She also is coordinator for Extended Campus's professional development program for educators.

"Classroom teachers at both the secondary level and at community colleges are one target group because of their need to maintain certification or their desire to learn techniques of online teaching," Lamley said. "And there is another group of people out there from the business community who would love to share their knowledge in the classroom but haven't been exposed to teaching methodology."

The agreement licenses OSU to use the text modules to create the courses, and then offer them back to California community colleges as well as to potential students anywhere. Lamley says OSU will work with school districts, community colleges and businesses to meet the growing need for teaching methods courses. Five courses are offered this spring term, including networking technologies, multimedia technologies, computer applications, international business, and student retention.

"Student retention is an especially important area for online classes," Lamley pointed out. "Students are really on their own, so keeping them engaged is critical." Lamley said the agreement will give OSU an opportunity to reach a target audience that includes community college instructors, corporate trainers, and even executives of small or large firms from across the country who may want to teach.

Eventually, she said, OSU may include these courses in a new certificate program for teaching methodology. More information on the program is available at this website: ecampus.oregonstate.edu/teach.