FAQs

Assessment is “the process of collecting and analyzing information to determine if progress is being made toward a desired end” (AALHE, 2020). In the context of higher education, our focus is on learning outcomes assessment, which is an ongoing and reflective process. For the Mason Core curriculum, we assess student learning outcomes for each area, which span across courses and disciplines. The overall goal is to better understand how students are performing so that we can identify ways to better support their learning.

Assessment offers important information about student learning and experiences, which can be used to inform meaningful dialogue and decisions about how Mason can further support student success and institutional effectiveness. The process can help faculty to reflect upon their teaching practices and make informed decisions about their curriculum and coursework. Engaging in the assessment process, as well as using the findings for improvement, are required for Mason’s regional accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC); specialized accrediting agencies such as ABET and AASCB; and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to meet external reporting requirements.

ALL FACULTY who are teaching a course that is required for a given Mason Core category are expected to submit course materials for assessment when requested. This includes tenure-line, term, part-time or adjunct faculty, and graduate students who are instructors of record. It is important that all faculty who teach our students are represented in assessment findings. If you have questions or concerns about this requirement, please reach out to Laura Poms (Mason Core Director) in the office of Undergraduate Education / Provost’s Office.

Sections can differ by time, modality, or instructor, even with a shared syllabus. Submitting from multiple sections ensures a more representative assessment of student learning across the category.

Yes. Courses can differ between semesters, so submissions are required each term to ensure a broad and representative sample of student learning.

Choose the one assignment that best demonstrates student mastery of the full outcome. It can be a low-stakes or final assignment, but it should clearly reflect student learning and be easy for raters to understand without additional context.

No. The assessment rubric differs from your grading criteria. It’s used only to evaluate student artifacts against learning outcomes, not for assigning grades.

Absolutely not. The learning outcomes assessment process is not about evaluating individual instructors or their teaching. Course materials are reviewed using a common rubric, and findings are reported in aggregate across the Mason Core categories. For example, there may be 400 documents across the area of Quantitative Reasoning across 100 sections of courses within the category). Individual course-level data is kept confidential and will not be shared or reported in that way. However, if you would like to discuss your individual course assessment findings, please reach out to Laura Poms (Mason Core Director) to request an individual consultation.

It is not necessary to get student permission to use their work for the purpose of academic assessment. The Catalog contains a statement in the Student Rights and Responsibilities section about the use of student work for academic assessment. We do not recommend telling individual students that their work has been selected for assessment. George Mason does not provide individual assessment results to students, and this type of assessment makes no impact on grades or degree progress. All student work is treated with respect and confidentiality during the assessment process.

Instructors will be asked to submit randomly selected student artifacts, along with the assignment prompt, course syllabus, and a brief explanation of how the assignment aligns with the student learning outcome(s). Refer to the How to Submit link for more information about the submission process.

The primary instructor of record receives all emails regarding assessment requirements. All instructor types are expected to participate, including adjunct faculty and graduate teaching assistants (TAs). Course coordinators may support instructors with the submission process. However, since each department functions differently with individual sections (e.g, lab or recitation), the primary instructor is responsible for ensuring assessment materials are submitted for their assigned course sections.

When a Mason Core category is scheduled for data collection, all sections with enrolled students will receive an email with a list of randomly selected Student GNumbers for artifact submission. If needed, course instructor lists can be accessed through Patriot Web or the relevant department.

Student GNumbers are randomly selected by section, not by course. This is the standard process used for all Mason Core categories. As a result, the Qualtrics form requires a separate submission for each section.

For 4-credit combined lecture-lab courses, submit one artifact per selected student. If lecture and lab have separate course numbers (e.g., 3-credit lecture + 1-credit lab), submit artifacts for each course separately, as they are cataloged independently. Assigned students may differ between sections Lecture instructors may choose from Learning Outcomes 1-4, and Lab instructors should submit for Learning Outcome 5.

Assessment materials do not need to be submitted for recitation or lab sections that are not independent courses. However, each instructor who receives the survey link should still complete the survey by answering one question. At the beginning of the survey, there is an option to indicate that the section does not collect student materials separately and to list the paired lecture section number (selecting this option will end the survey).

We prefer that you not share your grading comments, just the student work. The idea is that the work will be reviewed on a rubric that is looking for specific learning outcomes, and the reviewer will not necessarily be looking for the same things that you are when you grade the paper. Typically, the assessment has a much narrower focus, such as evidence of critical thinking (rather than everything that you look for to assign a grade).

Please submit digital copies of course materials for assessment, following the instructions that are provided during the Mason Core assessment information sessions held at the beginning of each semester. If you only accept paper submissions, please scan them and turn them into PDFs.

No, you can submit as soon as you receive the email with assigned student G-numbers—usually about six weeks into the semester. For paper assignments, scan all submissions before grading to retain clean copies for submission.