OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
The Daily Barometer
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DAILYBAROMETER
Tuition revenue surpasses state funding n
Tropical fish eat algae, damage temperate water ecosystems n
Warming waters allow tropical fish to move into temperate waters, where they eat important algal forests By Kat Kothen
THE DAILY BAROMETER
Women’s gymnastics at Gill Coliseum
Sports, page 5
Column: Make sports available for all Sports, page 5
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After years of research, OSU begins replacing Blackboard with Canvas this winter By Chris Correll
THE DAILY BAROMETER
See CANVAS | page 4
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
With tuition rising, Katie Lidster (left), Neal Mankins (center) and Marilyn Barba (right) are among many students working on-campus jobs.
The temperate algal forests of the Mediterranean Sea are threatened by an influx of tropical fish. Algal forests provide important habitat for native species.
Canvas boots Blackboard
See ECOSYSTEMS | page 4
Justin Frost
Contributed by Fiona Tomas-Nash, Photo by E. Ballesteros
@DAILYBARO, @BAROSPORTS
With warming water temperatures, temperate marine systems are experiencing an influx of tropical fish, and these hungry beauties spell trouble for native species. Tropical coral reefs are known for their amazing diversity of fish, with stunning, colorful and interesting patterns fluttering through coral seascapes. Temperate environments in the water don’t usually have this same diversity in fish species. A study published December 2014 in The Journal of Ecology suggested that deforestation of temperate water algal forests may be due to tropical fish moving into these normally cooler environments. Fiona Tomas-Nash, a courtesy professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, was one of the researchers in an international research team who authored the paper. Tomas-Nash said that tropical fish — specifically the fish she studied in the Mediterranean Sea, the rabbitfish — have moved into temperate water systems now that the water is much warmer than before. The culprit for warming waters, she said,
By Justin Frost
THE DAILY BAROMETER
See TUITION | page 4
VOL. CXVII, NO. 59
For the past 14 years, the learning management system Blackboard has served as the standard software for Oregon State University’s courses, both on campus and online. Blackboard’s use will steadily decline as more classes switch to the university’s new software, Canvas. Many regard Canvas as cleaner, more accessible and more efficient than its predecessor. In one year, it will totally replace Blackboard. Meanwhile, Blackboard will remain active while faculty and staff confront the task of moving information to the new site and formatting it for student use. That means that until winter term 2016, students could have classes that use either software. While it might seem simpler to move all the courses over at the same time, Instructional Technology Specialist Lynn Greenough said that just isn’t an option given the time needed to format classes “to fit the way Canvas displays and manages course material.” “It would be too abrupt of a change to turn one off and the other one on,” Greenough said. “They (professors) in many respects need to reorganize their course.” Current students, particularly freshman, may get occasionally tripped up working with two websites. But according to Greenough, instructors will ultimately deal with “the real burden” of the transition process. The transition itself consists of several stages. During winter, only professors who have chosen to “opt in” operate on Canvas. In spring, nearly all OSU courses will be taught using the new system. Benefits of implementing Canvas will include 24/7 tech support, a more straightforward user interface and the ability to add media via webcam. The decision to switch will also promote interconnectivity between OSU and the other members of Unizin, a national consortium of research colleges created to share educational resources. OSU joined Unizin in October 2014; all of Unizin’s members use Canvas. Smoother online functionality is especially important for the university’s thousands of e-campus users. “Out of 661 e-campus courses offered in winter 2015, 129 are in Canvas,” said Jessica Dupont, director of marketing and enrollment services. Dupont said that of the instructors who have taught using Canvas so far, their experience has gone smoothly. Shannon Riggs, director of course development and training, described Canvas as “social-media like” with a “cleaner, clearer design” when compared to Blackboard. She mentioned shortcomings in Blackboard’s performance as one reason why a new learning management system became
College students struggle to pay bills as state funding drops, tuition prices rise
As the time to pay tuition bills hits campus, students at Oregon State and other public universities can’t help but notice the associated high price. Although last year’s tuition freeze at OSU helped to dull the impact of the incoming bills, tuition costs are still creeping upwards at a rate that makes affording classes increasingly difficult. According to a report released last month from the government accountability office, public colleges received 25 percent of their revenue from tuition and only 23 percent from the state, marking
THURSDAY JANUARY 8, 2015
Christmas tree farms and their benefits
Forum, page 7