Mason Core is comprised of thoughtfully designed courses that support the university’s goal of broadening student knowledge and skills for informed, engaged citizenship. Faculty play a vital role in this mission by designing courses that meet category outcomes, providing invaluable learning experiences for all George Mason students. Below are the course standards that guide this work, as well as guidelines for creating a Mason Core course proposal and resources specific to teaching Mason Core courses.
Teaching in Mason Core
Mason Core faculty members have a unique platform teaching courses that include students from an array of backgrounds and majors. With this comes many opportunities, such as introducing students to new concepts and ideas they might not have experienced in their majors or the possibility of helping exploratory students identify their major or career goals in response to one of your Mason Core courses. However, it also introduces a variety of challenges, from making your content accessible to learners outside of your discipline to using assignments you might not have created for the purpose of consistency in assessment.
Mason Core Instructor Certification Program
If you regularly teach courses within the Mason Core program, consider participating in the Mason Core Instructor Certification Program (MC-ICP), offered in partnership with Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning. MC-ICP is open to all George Mason University instructors who have taught one or more Mason Core courses in the past two years. Instructors may complete one or multiple levels as they have time and interest.
Participating in MC-ICP also allows faculty to
- Learn about strategies, assignments, and approaches that can make their teaching in a general education course more effective, engaging, and efficient
- Connect with a wider community of faculty teaching general education courses
- Document their teaching for reappointment or promotion processes
This program incorporates a variety of learning opportunities available through Stearns Center each semester and can be completed through a workshop pathway or a portfolio pathway. For the workshop pathway, you can take workshops associated with each of the following topics:
- Teaching Foundations
- Relevant Assignment Design (or equivalent Stearns Center Design workshop)
- Good Stuff (or equivalent Stearns Center Engage workshop)
- Grade Efficiently (or equivalent Stearns Center Assess workshop)
Whichever pathway you select, you will need to attend this workshop:
- Solving the Puzzle: Engaging Non-Majors in Mason Core Courses, which orients you to the differences in approaches needed when teaching new Mason students. You will find it useful, no matter how many times you’ve taught a Mason Core course.
Additional Resources
- Visit Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning for guides and resources, including effective syllabus design, assignment design, exam construction, grading policies, and more. Additionally, several workshops are offered through the Stearns Center that are specially developed for Mason Core instructors.
- Explore supplemental resources to assist in course development, such as open educational resources and George Mason’s TextSelect Program.
- Never miss an update about Mason Core by subscribing to our newsletter.
- Refer to the University Libraries’ Infoguides to support your students’ research in a variety of disciplines.