Mason Impact for Faculty

A RS experience provides the opportunity for students to engage in the process of generating and sharing undergraduate research and creative inquiry.

Students engaged in these types of activities make a genuine intellectual or creative contribution to their field and take ownership of their project and process regardless of field of study.

RS projects may include: a research paper, a research poster, a public presentation, a public performance or showing, or a large-scale creative work in manuscript form. All projects must be presented in a public forum appropriate to the research area or the creative field.

A CECL experience provides opportunities for students to engage in a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge, resources, or service in a context of partnership and reciprocity with the community (local, regional/state, national, global) for the purpose of community engagement.

Students will leverage the knowledge and resources of the Mason community with those of the public and private sectors to prepare engaged citizens; strengthen civic responsibility and the community-engaged learner; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.

Projects in an MI+CECL are in association with social agencies, service or civic organizations, public policy initiatives, or faith communities on behalf of long-term social change or helping to solve immediate problems and alleviate present suffering.

An ENTR experience provides the opportunity for students to engage in the process of identifying and solving problems to create stakeholder value. Entrepreneurship can result in commercial activities (non-profit or for profit) and draw from academic research and practice.

Entrepreneurship projects may include launching a business or social impact venture, and can come in the form of a project plan, social impact plan, prototypes, white paper, community report, feasibility report, change plan, etc. In addition, as an important part of the MI+ENTR experience, all projects must be presented in a forum appropriate to the project and the discipline.

1. Understand knowledge creation: Students will understand how knowledge is generated and communicated, and how it can be used to address questions or problems in disciplines and in society. 
2. Engage multiple perspectives: Students will be able to identify and negotiate multiple perspectives, work collaboratively within and across multiple social and environmental contexts, and engage ethically with their subject and with others. 
3. Investigate a meaningful question: Students will use inquiry skills to articulate a question; engage in an inquiry process; and situate the concepts, practices, or results within a broader context. 

To be considered as a MI course, submit a syllabus with the following: 

1. Mason Impact logo 
2. Description of how your course connects with the Mason Impact 
3. Mason Impact learning outcomes (you can use our language or write your own; make the pertinent objectives in bold for ease of review) 

To submit your course, talk to your catalog editor and have them check the Mason Impact (MI) box in CIM and attach your syllabus. 

1. Understand knowledge creation: Students will understand how knowledge is generated and communicated, and how it can be used to address questions or problems in disciplines and in society. 
2. Engage multiple perspectives: Students will be able to identify and negotiate multiple perspectives, work collaboratively within and across multiple social and environmental contexts, and engage ethically with their subject and with others. 
3. Investigate a meaningful question: Students will use inquiry skills to articulate a question; engage in an inquiry process; and situate the concepts, practices, or results within a broader context. 
4. Complete a project: Students will design and carry out an individual or collaborative project that explores an original question, seeks a creative solution to a problem, applies knowledge to a professional challenge, or offers a unique perspective. Students engage deeply in this original work. 
5. Communicate and share outcomes: Students will communicate knowledge from their project through presentation, publication, or performance to an audience beyond the classroom. 

MI+ courses meet the criteria of MI courses, plus contain an embedded student project in one of the following focus areas: RS, CECL, or ENTR. These projects can be completed by a team or individual projects and must be communicated or shared in a manner consistent with the student’s discipline outside of the classroom. Students can then submit their completed projects to receive a special transcript designation displaying the title of their project. 

To be considered as a MI+ course, please submit the following: 

1. Syllabus containing:

• Mason Impact Logo
• Description of how your course connects with the Mason Impact
• Mason Impact learning outcomes (you can use our language or write your own; make the pertinent objectives in bold for ease of review)

2. Narrative (as a pdf file with no more than 4 pages) responding to the following questions

• What is the rationale for designating this experience as Mason Impact + in your desired focus area?
• How does your course meet the course criteria? 
• How does your course fit into the educational career of an average student enrolled in the course? 
• How will student work meet the project criteria? 
• How does student learning progress through the course to aid students in the development of the skills needed to complete their project?

3. A project description for the student project

4. Map portions of the student project to Mason Impact student learning outcomes

5. Letter of support from chair or dean (additional letters of support can also be included)

To submit your course, talk to your catalog editor and have them check the Mason Impact (MI) box in CIM and attach your syllabus. 

1. Understand knowledge creation: Students will understand how knowledge is generated and communicated, and how it can be used to address questions or problems in disciplines and in society. 
2. Engage multiple perspectives: Students will be able to identify and negotiate multiple perspectives, work collaboratively within and across multiple social and environmental contexts, and engage ethically with their subject and with others. 
3. Investigate a meaningful question: Students will use inquiry skills to articulate a question; engage in an inquiry process; and situate the concepts, practices, or results within a broader context. 
4. Complete a project: Students will design and carry out an individual or collaborative project that explores an original question, seeks a creative solution to a problem, applies knowledge to a professional challenge, or offers a unique perspective. Students engage deeply in this original work. 
5. Communicate and share outcomes: Students will communicate knowledge from their project through presentation, publication, or performance to an audience beyond the classroom. 

MI + co-curricular options are non-course-based experiences that meet the criteria of MI+ courses and must contain an embedded student project in one of the following focus areas: RS, CECL, or ENTR. These projects can be completed by a team or individual and must be communicated or shared in a manner consistent with the co-curricular experience. Students will have the option to submit their completed projects to receive a special designation displaying the title of their project on their transcript. 

To be considered for a MI + co-curricular option, please submit the following: 

1. Program description and/or student requirements with:

• Mason Impact logo 
• Description of how this experience connects with the Mason Impact 
• Mason Impact learning outcomes (you can use our language or write your own; make the pertinent objectives in bold for ease of review) 

2. Narrative (as a pdf file with no more than 4 pages) responding to the following questions: 

• What is the rationale for designating this experience as Mason Impact + in your desired focus area? 
• How does your course fit into the educational career of an average student participating in your co-curricular program? 
• How does the project the students will complete match the focus area criteria? 
• How does student learning progress through the program to aid students in the development of the skills needed to complete their project? 

3. A project description for the student project

4. Map portions of the student project to Mason Impact student learning outcomes

5. Letter of support from chair or dean (additional letters of support can also be included)

Submit a MI + Co-Curricular Option for approval.

If you are teaching a Mason Impact (MI) or a Mason Impact Plus (MI+) course, you are eligible for a MICRO Grant. These grants are for materials, supplies, class trips or other expenses that you need to teach your MI course.  

Faculty are eligible for this grant once an academic year. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the semester. 

Find out more about MICRO Grants

Apply for a MICRO Grant to cover expenses needed to teach your MI course.

The Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research and the Office of Undergraduate Education offer grants for the creation of Summer Team Impact Projects. 

Summer team projects are based around a central theme, question, or problem, where faculty propose a topic and structure that is multidisciplinary in nature. 

These projects are led by at least two faculty members with support from additional faculty members, staff, and graduate students. The research team, with the support of the Mason Impact staff, then hires six to 10 undergraduate students to actively engage with the project over the summer.  

Students work on the faculty-defined project over the summer, presenting the results at the Summer Celebration of Student Scholarship.

Find out more about leading a Summer Team Impact Project

Apply for a Summer Team Impact Project to fund your multidisciplinary summer project.

Curriculum Impact Grants support educational innovation—the development of cross-unit, multidisciplinary curricula—that enhances the Mason Impact program.  

• Engage with world issues and challenges by connecting to the UN Global Goals 
• Scaffold undergraduate and/or graduate learning from intellectual discovery to the development of specific knowledge and skills, culminating in a high-impact experience 
• Engage faculty and staff from multiple units, departments, and divisions in sustainable multidisciplinary collaboration 
• Pilot models of scalable multidisciplinary collaborations that have the potential to become new minors, majors, or graduate degrees

Find out more about Curriculum Impact Grants

Apply for a Curriculum Impact Grant to support your development of multidisciplinary curricula.