George Mason University - Instructional Technology Program

George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia. It was named #1 for national university to watch on the list of up and coming schools (promising & innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus or facilities) in U.S News & World Report. They are in the process of investing $500 million between 2002-2013 in high tech academic buildings, on campus hotel, conference center and residential communities.

The History department teamed up with the media center to create the "Center for History and New Media" this collaboration is one that incorporates current medias into the field of history. Students have immediate access to primary sources, online teaching modules and technologies such as Zotero (online database to store reference list, properly cite them, etc). The concept of digital history is also revealed here - it is the approach to examining and representing the past while taking advantage of new communication technologies. History is able to reach many audiences worldwide because of technological exhibits.

Instructional Technology Program

The Instructional Technology program at George Mason University provides its graduates with the skills needed to be very marketable and competitive in the workforce market. The program has 3 tracks on can choose from:

1. Instructional Design and Development - for the person who desires to become an Instructional Designer; gain knowledge and the skills needed to design and develop technology based systems and learning environments. (30 credits)

2. Integrating Technology into Schools - this program is for the person who desires to effectively integrate technology in the teaching/learning process. The program focuses on the k-12 arena and students are prepared to assume leadership roles in technology integration in schools. (36 credits)

3. Assisted Technology - students are prepared to work with students with disabilities, service providers and family members. Technology will be used to help individuals function more efficiently at school, home, work and in the community.

Admission Procedures/Policies

The GRE is not a requirement to be admitted to the programs. However, admission differs slightly for each of the three programs, the requirements are as follows:

1. Instructional Design and Development - completed Application for Graduate Study and the non-refundable application fee; Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 credits-of-study (some applicants with a lower GPA may be admitted provisionally if there is sufficient evidence of potential success); 2 official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended; 1-2 page goals statement; 3 letters of recommendation from professional references targeting instructional technology and academic abilities and passing scores on TOEFL test for non-native English-speaking applicants.

2. Integrating Technology into Schools - Completed Application for Graduate Study and the non-refundable application fee; Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 credits-of-study (some applicants with a lower GPA may be admitted provisionally if there is sufficient evidence of potential success); 2 official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended; 1-2 page goals statement that gives the reasons for choosing Instructional Technology as your profession; 3 letters of recommendation from professional references targeting instructional technology and academic abilities and passing scores on TOEFL test for non-native English-speaking applicants.

3. Assisting Technology - Completed Application for Graduate Study and the non-refundable application fee; Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 credits-of-study (some applicants with a lower GPA may be admitted provisionally if there is sufficient evidence of potential success); 2 official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended; 3 letters of recommendation from professional references and passing scores on TOEFL test for non-native English-speaking applicants.

The instruction & design and integrating technology into schools programs both have graduate certificates associated with them as well. These certificates are completed with 15 credit hours. There is also the e-Learning graduate certificate as a secondary program option. With this option 13 of the 30 credits required for the primary degree program can be applied towards this e-Learning certificate.

Marketing Materials - there are brochures and flyer's for each program. They offer detailed information about the admission process, admission requirements, what you can do with the degree, highlights of the degree program, faculty members, various types of programs offered in the instructional technology department as well as sample course information.

Resources - there are many resources available to students and faculty. Students will use Patriot Web to schedule the courses, look up class offerings, view their grades and transcripts. It is an online information portal for students. There is also Blackboard and WebCt that is used by faculty to facilitate online course or disseminate important information.

There is a multitude of information available to students to view online such as: tuition rates, how to apply/deadlines, instructional technology courses, frequently used forms and the graduation process. Items that are available for faculty members are the faculty handbook, salary matrix, course/syllabus preparation, ordering textbooks and employee tuition exemption request.

There is also an Instructional Technology listserv that conveys information about job opportunities, upcoming and new classes being offered and Instructional Technology events. One will need to email the listserv to gain access to it.

A program that I found to be of interest was the Immersion Program. The program is designed for full time students in the Instructional Design and Development track. Students will immerse themselves in several project-based experiences that requires them to translate their educational experiences into authentic real-world experience. Key features of the program are:

• Master's in Education/Instructional Technology granted in three semesters of full-time student participation
• Tuition is funded (up to 27 credits) by sponsoring agency
• Participation real world design projects
• The promotion of students' positive interaction with a design team and support of their development as independent learners
• Portfolio based assessment of student represents individual accomplishments and contributions to the design project

Personnel

Personnel is handled exclusively by the human resources department. The IT department has 9 full time faculty members; 19 affiliated, Instructional & adjunct faculty members; one full time and one part time staff members currently employed in the department. Each member has their own areas of research that focus/teach. Faculty members have profile pages that can be viewed at: http://it.gse.gmu.edu/profiles/.

Budget for the Instructional Technology Department

The College of Education receives 5.56% of the total universities budget($300,609,300). Of that each department is allotted monies based on their needs. A appeal for additional monies can be made to the Budget Advisory Board in the College of Education when there is surplus monies available. The program will have to justify the needs for the monies, how they will be spent, the outcomes and the benefits. According to Kevin Clark the Instructional Technology department has been favored when it comes to their budget. They are given sufficient monies to recruit top faculty members and students, purchase current technologies and conduct research.

In closing, George Mason University's Instructional Technology Program seems to be a pretty good one. It has unique features that is able to attract students from near and far to attend. The school's campus is beautiful and is centrally located. The program provides opportunities for students to translate their education into real-world opportunities thus making them more marketable in the workforce arena.