Considering The Mason Core: A Collaborative Visioning Workshop

Abstract

Location: Gold Room

NOTE: This is a co-located workshop, meaning that it is open to both ITL attendees and the broader Mason community.  You do not have to be registered for the conference to attend this session.

We are completing an assessment cycle for the Mason Core, and as we think about whether and how to update the Mason Core to better achieve our outcomes and meet the needs of today's students, we want to seek input and participation from faculty across campus. The Mason Core is the general education program that builds the foundation for the Mason Graduate, and as such should build the knowledge and skills that all Mason graduates should have, regardless of major. Since the curriculum is in the purview of the faculty, and since the Mason Core is an important part of all of our studentsâ education, the purpose of this session is to give a larger group of faculty an opportunity to grapple with and share feedback on the current Core, and to participate in shaping a vision for its future. In this workshop, we will first briefly share some of the challenges and successes that have been uncovered in the most recent round of course assessments. Next, weâll do a collaborative feedback workshop with attendees to invite perceptions and feedback on the current Mason Core. We will also share a few examples of curriculum models that are in place on other campuses, and will follow that with a collaborative visioning workshop to provide attendees with an opportunity to help shape the vision for the Mason Core as we continue to refine our curriculum to meet the needs of todayâs students. Participants will learn about some of the current successes and challenges of the Mason Core, and then will participate in a discussion aimed at generating collaborative feedback on the current framing of the Mason Core and what is and is not working. Next, facilitators will share a few examples of alternative curriculum models that are in place on other campuses, and participants will then participate in a collaborative visioning session to help shape the future of the Mason Core. Workshop participants will be asked to work in tables to discuss the following questions and then share their perspectives with the larger group, first in a feedback portion of the workshop focused on concerns about what we are doing now, and then in a visioning workshop focused on broadening our vision of what we can and might do.

Key questions:

1. What should all of our students know and be able to do when they graduate, regardless of their major?

2. Are we accomplishing the outcomes that you identified above with our current Mason Core? What are some additional ways that we can accomplish those outcomes

3. What is working well in our current Mason Core?

4. What is not working well in our current Mason Core? What would you add or change if you could?

5. How is your program contributing (or might your program contribute) to the outcomes of the Mason Core?