Mason Core Committee Procedures

1. Meeting Procedures 

1.1 Schedule 

• The Committee meets approximately once a month or 5 times a semester during the academic year. 
• The meeting schedule is posted at the beginning of the academic year. 
• Additional working sessions and special meetings may be called as needed. 

1.2 Agenda 

• The Committee Co-Chairs, in collaboration with the Mason Core team, prepare and distribute the agenda at least one week before each meeting. 
• Agenda items include scheduled proposal reviews and other items as needed. 

1.3 Quorum and Voting 

• A quorum consists of a simple majority of voting members. 
• Decisions on course proposals are made by a simple majority vote (see Section 2.4). 
• Decisions on policy and structural changes to Mason Core are made by a two-thirds majority vote. 

2. Course Proposal Review Process 

2.1 Mason Core Course Approval Requirements 

Course must meet these minimum requirements to be approved for Mason Core: 

• A completed course proposal package is required (for resubmissions, changes must be clearly marked). Incomplete course proposals will be returned to the proposer without Committee review. The course may then be resubmitted as long as requested materials are included. A course is not considered ready for Committee review until all required materials are submitted and verified. 
• A complete course proposal package includes: 
  • A fully detailed assignment map, illustrating thoughtful alignment between assessable assignments and category learning outcomes. Assignments must result in individual student artifacts that can be collected for assessment purposes.  
  • Copies of the actual assignments used to fulfill the category learning outcomes.  
  • A detailed course management plan that includes: 
    • how each unit or department will support new and returning instructors 
    • how the unit plans to enforce that all sections appropriately cover the category learning outcomes for consistency and assessment purposes 
    • how often the course will be offered and the expected enrollment.  
• Additional guidance and resources to support course development are provided on the Mason Core website.  

2.2 Proposal Submission Requirements 

• Faculty submit proposals through the established curriculum management system (currently Courseleaf, also referred to as CIM). 
• The following documents must be uploaded in CIM:  
  • A completed proposal worksheet, including rationale, course assignment map, and course management plan 
  • Syllabus 
  • Assignments to support assignment map 
• Course proposals must be at the Mason Core Committee review step in CIM at least two weeks prior to a scheduled Committee meeting to be eligible for inclusion on the agenda for that meeting (see Section 2.3). 

2.3 CIM Review Stages* 

2.3.1 CIM Review Stages for Existing Undergraduate Courses 

1. Departmental Review: Approval from the originating department. 
2. College-Level Review: Endorsement by the appropriate college curriculum committee. 
3. Mason Core Committee Review: Evaluation by the Mason Core Committee. 
4. Registrar Implementation. 

2.3.2 CIM Review Stages for New Undergraduate Courses 

There is a two-step process for newly created undergraduate courses. It is not an automated process. Please plan for the time this might take. 

1. Departmental Review: Approval from the originating department. 
2. College-Level Review: Endorsement by the college curriculum committee. 
3. Undergraduate Council (UGC) Review: Approval of newly created course 
4. Registrar Implementation 

At this point, the course must be resubmitted through CIM as follows: 

1. Departmental Review: Approval from the originating department. 
2. College-Level Review: Endorsement by the college curriculum Committee. 
3. Mason Core Committee Review: Evaluation by the Mason Core Committee. 
4. Registrar Implementation 

*Each college designates its own review process. It is the responsibility of the course proposer to monitor the progress of the proposal through the review process. Courses requiring resubmission are rolled back to the first stage in the process.  

2.4 Committee Review Process 

• Committee members follow these course review procedures: 
  • A minimum of 3 voting Committee members review each proposal. 
  • Each reviewing Committee member completes their individual review of the proposed course prior to the scheduled Committee meeting. 
  • When reviewing Committee members unanimously agree that a proposal warrants approval, the full Committee may approve without further discussion. 
  • In the absence of unanimous agreement, the full Committee will discuss the proposal during the scheduled Committee meeting. 
  • Following discussion, the Committee will vote to either approve the course or request revisions. This process consists of two sequential steps: 
    • The first vote determines whether the course can be approved as submitted, with no revisions. If a majority of Committee members vote in favor, the course is approved, and no further action is required. 
    • If the majority votes against full approval, a second vote will determine the nature of the revisions: 
      • If the revisions are limited to minor, administrative issues (e.g., syllabus formatting, updates to course numbers), the proposal will be returned for administrative review only. 
      • If the revisions involve substantive changes (e.g., updates to assignments, clarification of alignment with learning outcomes), no matter how minor, the course must be resubmitted for Committee review to ensure Mason Core Committee faculty oversight of Mason Core curricular decisions. 
      • In rare cases, the Committee may vote to reject a course outright, without encouragement to resubmit. 
    • All requests for revision must be accompanied by clear, specific feedback outlining the changes necessary for future approval. 
• The Committee’s decisions are communicated to proposers within one week of the meeting in which a proposal is discussed.  
  • If approved, proposers are notified via email, and the course will be sent forward in CIM for processing.  
  • Any non-approval is accompanied by clear feedback regarding the reasons for the Committee’s decision. 

2.5 Course Revision Process 

• Within one week of the Committee meeting, courses requiring revisions are rolled back to the initiator step in CIM, accompanied by detailed feedback. 
• Resubmissions by course proposers must include the following: 
  • The resubmission coversheet (provided at time of feedback) with a detailed description of how each specific element of feedback has been addressed. 
  • All required documentation to support the proposal, including assignments, with revisions marked. 
• The Mason Core Director and/or another designated representative(s) of the Committee are available to meet with proposers to discuss feedback if requested.  
• If a course proposal has been resubmitted twice or more without approval, the submitter must meet with the Mason Core Director and/or another designated representative(s) of the Committee before any additional resubmissions. 

2.6 Mason Core Course Continuance Requirements  

Once approved for Mason Core, courses must adhere to these requirements for continuance in Mason Core:  

• Mason Core courses must be offered at least once every two years. If a course is not offered regularly or a unit plans to remove the course from rotation, the course should be removed from Mason Core.  
• Participation in assessment, including artifact collection, is required of all Mason Core courses, and failure to participate could lead to removal of that course from the program.  
• All Mason Core instructors, regardless of employment status (full-time, part-time, adjunct, GTA, etc.), are required to participate in the submission of student artifacts when the category is under assessment. These artifacts are collected on a cycle, determined in partnership with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning.  
• Departments and units must continue to comply with their established course management plan, ensuring that each section appropriately aligns to the category learning outcomes. 
• Courses must comply with any future category changes (e.g. learning outcome revisions) or recertification processes as determined by the Committee. 

3. Record Keeping and Communication 

3.1 Documentation 

• Minutes are recorded for all meetings and stored on the Mason Core website. 
• Approved curriculum changes are documented in the official course catalog. 

3.2 Reporting 

• As required by Committee charge, the Faculty Co-chair submits an annual report to Faculty Senate. 
• Summary updates are communicated to faculty and relevant stakeholders as needed by the administrative team. 

These procedures were adopted by the Mason Core Approval Committee on September 11, 2025.