OIEP Launches Excellence in Annual Assessment Awards
Inaugural Excellence in Annual Assessment Awardees
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (OIEP) has launched the Excellence in Annual Assessment Awards to highlight George Mason’s commitment to continuous improvement and elevate exemplary assessment practices.
All academic programs submit annual assessment of student learning outcomes and receive constructive feedback from members of the Mason Academic Assessment Council (MAAC) through a systematic peer review process. MAAC identified programs with exemplary submissions and the finalists were reviewed utilizing the annual assessment feedback rubric.
The MAT Art Education, MS Forensic Science, and MS Systems Engineering programs were selected from over 175 academic programs to receive an inaugural Excellence in Annual Assessment Award. Colleagues from MAAC, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the College of Science, and the College of Engineering and Computing celebrated this accomplishment at a reception hosted by OIEP in October 2024.
All three programs engaged in a holistic and comprehensive approach to documenting student learning and each awardee spoke to how their program’s assessment efforts support student learning. The complete assessment plan and specific strengths for each awardee are included below:
MAT Art Education
The program presented a strong longitudinal improvement plan that builds upon findings from year-to-year.
MS Forensic Science
The assessment results directly led to curricular improvements and course development.
MS Systems Engineering
The assessment methodology was detailed, aligned, and multidimensional.
Future Awards
OIEP plans to expand the Excellence in Annual Assessment Awards to support the development of a robust culture of assessment at George Mason. In Spring 2025, the awards will recognize exemplary annual assessment submissions from academic, administrative, and co-curricular units.