Highlights

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

2006

April 2006

Selected sections of English 302 participate in the pilot implementation of the Information and Communication Technology Literacy Assessment developed by the Educational Testing Service. ETS defines ICT literacy as "the ability to use digital technology, communication tools, and/or networks appropriately to solve information problems in order to function in an information society. This includes the ability to use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate, and communicate information, and the possession of a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of information." The ICT Literacy Assessment is a comprehensive test that uses scenario-based tasks to measure both cognitive and technical skills. The information from this pilot should help TAC get a general impression of students' ICT literacy looking at such factors as gender or major. Participating students will receive detailed feedback on their performance on the test. The ICT Literacy assessment is a nationally standardized test that may prove to be a useful tool in evaluating the effectiveness of integrating TAC assignments in the major curriculum and allow us to compare Mason students' performance with those of other students nationwide. Another version of the test is currently under development by ETS to be administered by industries so students' ICT skills may be a factor considered in industry hiring practices.

January 2006

Anne Agee, Dee Holisky and Beth Secrist present a pre-conference workshop, "Technology Across the Curriculum: Programmatic Approaches to Developing Students' IT Fluency", at the Association of American Colleges and Universities 92nd Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

2005

November 2005

Dee Holisky, Beth Secrist and Star Muir meet with John Kotz of SUNY Oneonta to consult and advise on the development of a TAC program at that institution.

October 2005

Beth Secrist is promoted from coordinator to director of the TAC program.

Anne Agee, Deputy CIO and Executive Director of DoIT leaves Mason to accept the position of CIO of the Connecticut State University System. Her contributions to the TAC program have been enormous and she will be missed.

July 2005

Anne Agee and Dee Holisky explain the development and impact of the TAC program to members of the Society of College and University Planners on their visit to George Mason's campus. As part of a tour of Innovation Hall, Agee and Holisky show how the needs of the TAC program influenced the design and implementation of the University's high-tech instructional facilities.

June 2005

George Mason's Technology Across the Curriculum program is featured prominently in a recent Jossey-Bass publication--Student Success in College: Creating Conditions that Matter. The book is based on extensive interviews with twenty institutions that showed unusually high levels of student engagement. In the section on Mason, the books notes:

" Illustrative of Mason's commitment to innovation is its Technology Across the Curriculum (TAC) program. The College of Arts and Sciences developed ten instructional technology goals with input from faculty, students, technology professionals, and prospective employers. More than 100 courses, reaching about 12,000 students, were redesigned to emphasize collaborative learning using information technology, as well as becoming familiar with legal, ethical, privacy, and security issues. In addition, TAC balances the challenges associated with technology use with appropriate support for both faculty and students through the Student Technology Assistance and Resource Center. The program promotes student-faculty interaction and applied learning by employing technology-savvy students to coach and assist faculty with their technology needs."

Anne Agee visits SUNY Oneonta to assist them with the development of their Technology Across the Curriculum initiative. They plan to hold focus groups with academic departments to determine the technology skills that are important for their students and compile a set of skills that can form the basis of their TAC program.

TAC Coordinator, Beth Secrist, presents "Technology Across the Curriculum Programs: Keys to Success" at the EDUCAUSE Southeast Regional Conference in Atlanta, GA, reporting on preliminary results of the TAC Symposium held in May.

May 2005

The TAC program at George Mason hosts a symposium of four other institutions implementing Technology Across the Curriculum programs. Focusing on systemic approaches to technology and the curriculum, five sessions address different aspects of effecting change systemically. Joining the group are representatives from EDUCAUSE: Diana Oblinger, delivering the keynote address; and Paul Hagner, assisting the group with its deliberations. George Mason's president, Alan Merten, also finds time in the hectic commencement and convocation schedules to meet with the group.

One or more volumes are anticipated to be published as a result of this group collaboration. Beth Secrist, TAC Coordinator, is scheduled to report on preliminary results of the symposium at the EDUCAUSE Southeast Regional Conference on Monday, June 6. Additional information on the symposium, including photos, is available here.

TAC graduate assistants Jeremy Boggs, James Halabuk and Janet Yun participate in the E-Learning Forum showcasing faculty and departmental TAC projects. The E-Learning Forum is sponsored by the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area with this year's theme focusing on "Crafting Technology: From Tool to Art". Mills Kelly, a multiple TAC award recipient, delivers the keynote address.

April 2005

TAC graduate assistants Jeremy Boggs, James Halabuk, Janet Yun, Brandon Wicks and Jason Prokowiew participate in Innovations, showcasing the work they have done over the past year for departments and faculty participants in the TAC program. The TAC award for best use of technology to enhance learning goes to Cindy Lont's undergraduate and graduate courses in communications collaborative video project for Loudoun County Caregivers.

Two recent TAC grant recipients are recognized by the university for excellence in teaching. A recipient of five TAC grants, Christopher Thaiss, English, is the David J. King Teaching Award winner for 2005. This endowed award is given to a faculty member who is "an outstanding teacher and has made significant contributions to the overall educational excellence of the university." The General Education Award, a new award this year, is awarded to T. Mills Kelly, History and Art History, for "significant contributions to the overall educational excellence of the university." Dr. Kelly is also a recipient of five TAC grants.

March 2005

Dee Holisky, Anne Agee, Star Muir and Beth Secrist present an overview of the current state of the TAC program for Pres. Merten and invited guests at a meeting hosted by Joy Hughes, Vice President of Information Technology. Representatives from the Graduate School of Education, the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, College of Nursing and Health Science, School of Law and the School of Information Technology and Engineering learn more about the structure of the TAC program with the view of extending the model to other colleges and schools at George Mason.

The official call for papers for a special TAC issue of inventio is issued.

Dee Holisky and Beth Secrist assist in hosting visits from Middle Tennessee State University and St. Albans School. Christopher Quarto, Associate Professor of Psychology at MTSU, led a delegation of three other professors to learn more about TAC and technology support services. Delegate teams of four professors each are visiting peer institutions to investigate current practices in faculty development in the support of integrating learning and teaching strategies in MTSU's curriculum. The delegations' findings are to be presented at a "Learning Summit" in April. Participating with TAC in giving tours and presentations are Anne Agee, Star Muir, Charlotte Rinderknecht, Buz Grover and Jean McNeil (Division of Instructional Technology and Support Services); Laurie Fathe (Center for Teaching Excellence). The St. Albans delegation is led by Jack Biddle, board member, with Reese Frier (Director of Technology), Colleen Mehan (Director of Capital Planning) and Adrian Verkouteren (Director of Information Management) also participating. Hosting the delegation is Joy Hughes, Vice President and CIO of Information Technology, with tours and presentations by the Division of Instructional Technology and Support Services (Anne Agee, Star Muir, Charlotte Rinderknecht, Buz Grover), the Library (Craig Gibson) and TAC (Beth Secrist).

February 2005

T. Mills Kelly, an assistant professor of history and art history and associate director of the Center for History and New Media (CHNM), receives a 2005 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award (OFA). Kelly is the first recipient of the award of "Teaching with Technology", a new category for the commonwealth's recognition of faculty excellence at Virginia's colleges and universities. Kelly has received five TAC grants over the last four years, ranging from assignments using webographies to critically examine history resources on the web to the EndNote initiative. He will be a research scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars during the summer. Following are links to Kelly's TAC-funded projects:

TAC-funded image manipulation assignment projects are presented at a Faculty Showcase sponsored by the Instructional Resource Center and the Center for Teaching Excellence. "The Power of Images: Faculty Showcase on a Variety of TAC-Funded Image Manipulation Assignments" features presentations by Cathy Tompkins, Molly David and Michael Wolf-Branigin who are faculty in the department of Social Work.