Mason Core

Innovative approaches propel STAT 250 to new heights at George Mason Ģ��AV

Teresa Donnellan — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 14:40:51 +0000

Innovative approaches propel STAT 250 to new heights at George Mason Ģ��AV Teresa Donnellan Mon, 03/31/2025 - 10:40

In This Story

Many university students taking a general education statistics course might be tempted to shirk attendance. But George Mason Ģ��AV’s STAT 250 Introductory Statistics I boasts an impressive attendance rate of 80% across its sections. With between eight and ten sections per semester, the course is offered in-person and online both synchronously and asynchronously. It serves as one of the most popular quantitative reasoning courses in Mason Core, the university's general education program, with enrollments of nearly one thousand students per semester.

The course’s success can be attributed in part to Associate Professor Kenneth Strazzeri, the course coordinator. Strazzeri tweaks the curriculum each semester to optimize student engagement.

Kenneth Strazzeri, Photo by Office of Ģ��AV Branding

“I want students to succeed. That's been my number one goal since taking this type of role at Mason,” said Strazzeri. “When exposed to statistics again, I want them to think back and say, ‘Oh, I remember that. I took stat, and I had a good handle on these basic concepts.’”

Strazzeri’s rich background in statistics education makes him ideal for his role. He holds a PhD in mathematics education and an MS in statistics from the Ģ��AV of Virginia.

In STAT 250, Strazzeri focuses on increasing student engagement through various motivational strategies. Attendance bonuses and small incentives for completing course evaluations were introduced to encourage students to actively participate. Another key improvement was the restructuring of assignments. Previously, students were required to complete three major assignments, but these have now been split into six smaller assignments, a change that allows for more frequent feedback and helps students stay on track throughout the semester.

One course innovation that excites Strazzeri has been the introduction of simulation-based methods to teach statistical inference, a process used to draw conclusions about a population based on a sample of data taken from that population.

"We are teaching inference at an informal level first to then get to probability and modeling," Strazzeri explained.

This approach helps students grasp complex concepts related to statistical inference such as the interpretation of a confidence interval by using simulation methods such as bootstrapping—a technique used to estimate the variation of a sample statistic using only the original sample selected—at an informal level before delving into more formal methods.

Looking ahead, Strazzeri is excited about the future of STAT 250, particularly with the transition to the Canvas learning management system. He is working with Instructional Designer Abigail Smith in George Mason’s Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning to make the course even more interactive and user-friendly.

"The future of STAT 250 is bright because of the new design in Canvas," Strazzeri said. Their plans include embedding questions in instructional videos and using those questions live during in-person classes to enhance student interaction and understanding.

Overall, the efforts led by Strazzeri have significantly improved the learning experience in STAT 250. By incorporating modern teaching methods, restructuring assignments, and increasing student engagement, the Department of Statistics is ensuring students not only succeed in the course but also develop a strong foundation in statistical concepts.

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Department of Statistics

Broeckelman-Post re-elected Faculty Senate Chair

Melanie Balog — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 18:53:56 +0000

Broeckelman-Post re-elected Faculty Senate Chair Melanie Balog Wed, 06/08/2022 - 14:53

Faculty Senate Chair Melissa Broeckelman-Post could point to several senate successes from her first year as chair, including academic policy and teaching evaluation form revisions, realigning the Mason Core, and progress toward more equitable recognition for faculty.

Her main takeaway, however, might be something more meaningful than any single senate accomplishment.

“One thing I appreciated a lot is the way faculty and staff and the administration have been able to come together and collaborate and communicate about things that are critical to institutional success,” said Broeckelman-Post, professor and basic course director in the Department of Communication in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “I’m really hoping we can continue to see that collaboration moving forward.”

Melissa Broeckelman-Post

Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

Broeckelman-Post ran unopposed this spring for a second one-year term as senate chair.

The senate last fall formed the Task Force on Reimagining Faculty Roles and Rewards to better recognize ways that faculty contribute to the university through teaching, research, advising, community service, and other actions. The task force’s work will continue over the summer with an implementation proposal planned for fall.

“It will probably be a three- to five-year process, if not longer, of gradually implementing changes,” said Broeckelman-Post, a Faculty Senate member since 2014, the year after she arrived at Mason. “So far, this has been a good chance to understand our own institutional processes and where we vary college to college and unit to unit, and where we have best practices in place we could use more broadly, as well as where we can learn from and build upon innovations at other institutions.”

Another key senate action was approving a new Course Evaluation Form for more equitable assessment of teaching performance and more constructive feedback. Prior evaluation forms have been more like student satisfaction surveys that can reinforce biases, Broeckelman-Post said. The new form measures teaching practices that support better learning and can be used to continuously improve courses.

The senate’s Academic Policies Committee proposed several changes to support struggling students, including designating incompletes as “no credit” instead of failing grades that can drop GPAs and hinder retention.

“Incompletes usually occur when there is some sort of crisis or emergency,” Broeckelman-Post said. “We want to make sure academic grades don’t reflect non-academic behavior.”

The senate also approved an enhanced Mason Core to better align the university’s general education curriculum with Mason’s goal to prepare students to live and work in a global society.

What’s on tap for 2022-23? Hard to say. Broeckelman-Post said she went into her first year as senate chair with no real agenda.

“We’re not the same university that we were before COVID,” she said. “The world is not the same world we lived in. People’s lives are not the same as before. I hope we can be thoughtful about what we’ve learned and think creatively about what the future of the institution may look like.”

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Campus News

Faculty and Staff News

Mason Core

George Mason Ģ��AV Professor Duminda Wijesekera wins CCI Impact Award

Tama Moni — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 18:54:36 +0000

George Mason Ģ��AV Professor Duminda Wijesekera wins CCI Impact Award Tama Moni Mon, 04/11/2022 - 14:54

In This Story

Duminda Wijesekera

The first winner of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Impact Award is Duminda Wijesekera, computer science professor and acting chair of the Department of Cyber Security Engineering at George Mason Ģ��AV.

“I am delighted and honored to receive the award,” Wijesekera said. “CCI funding has made it possible to work on projects that could change our daily lives. These projects include autonomous vehicle security, 5G, and such 5G applications as connected transportation, smart building, and smart city initiatives. It’s exciting to help students learn about these advances in the excellent research atmosphere created by CCI.”

The CCI Impact Award recognizes an individual, group, or organization that has conducted breakthrough cybersecurity research or innovation or developed creative ways to improve the cybersecurity workforce opportunities for our industry partners or students. The winner was selected by a subcommittee of five members of the CCI Technical Advisory Board.

"The five nominees for this award have made incredible contributions to CCI's mission, including recognized research leadership, student mentoring, and entrepreneurship in cybersecurity,” said Luiz DaSilva, CCI executive director. “I am thrilled for their success, and in particular for the recognition of Duminda's impact on securing cyber-physical systems, from manufacturing to smart transportation."

Wijesekera has led or participated in more than 10 CCI research projects with dozens of faculty and numerous industry and government partners, secured or filed multiple patents, and attracted millions of dollars of new investment in Virginia's cybersecurity research enterprise, said Liza Wilson Durant, director of the CCI Northern Virginia (NoVA) regional node and associate provost at George Mason Ģ��AV.

"The CCI NoVa Node community is proud to see Dr. Wijesekera recognized for the profound impact his collaborative leadership and expertise have had on the success and economic impact of CCI,” said Durant. “He has strategically built the CCI NoVa Node's Living Innovation Lab assets to advance the security of Next G across many Internet of Things applications and has been generous with his time to mentor and collaborate.”

"The efforts of Dr. WIjesekera and the several hundred other Virginia faculty who are working to advance cybersecurity research and innovation in Virginia are the secret sauce to CCI's success in elevating Virginia as a global leader in cybersecurity with more than $77 million of economic impact to date," Durant said.

Researchers nominated for the award include:

Adwait Nadkarni, an assistant professor in the department of computer science and director of the Secure Platforms Lab at the College of William & Mary.

Haiying Shen, an associate professor in the department of computer science, the department of systems and Information engineering, and the electrical and computer engineering department at the Ģ��AV of Virginia.

Sachin Shetty, the executive director of the Center for Secure and Intelligent Critical Systems at Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center, and holds a joint appointment as a professor of computational modeling and simulation engineering at Old Dominion Ģ��AV.

Danfeng (Daphne) Yao is a computer science professor at Virginia Tech, the Elizabeth and James E. Turner Jr. '56 Faculty Fellow, and a CACI Faculty Fellow.

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College of Engineering and Computing

Mason Core

Department of Cyber Security Engineering

Input sought on changes to Mason Core

Colleen Rich — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 14:59:55 +0000

Input sought on changes to Mason Core Colleen Rich Wed, 02/09/2022 - 09:59

Since 2000, the Mason Core has served as a pathway for George Mason Ģ��AV students to strengthen their foundation in key content areas and skills needed for academic success, to explore and broaden their perspectives through learning across the university, and to integrate their knowledge and skills learned in their majors.

The 42 credits in the Core meet or exceed the general educational expectations for accreditation at the state and regional levels.

For Mason to successfully prepare graduates to act in the increasingly diverse and interconnected world, the Mason Core needs to be appropriately updated. The Mason Core Committee has proposed three models that provide the opportunity to include courses, such as Justice and Equity in Diverse Societies (from the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force [ARIE] initiative), into the curriculum.

Individuals are encouraged to visit the Mason Core website to view the recent town hall and download a copy of the presentation to learn more about the proposed enhancement. The community is invited, and encouraged, to share what they value about the undergraduate experience and tell the committee their preferences regarding the presented models. All comments and suggested alternative models will be considered by the committee. Comments are due by Friday, Feb. 18.

“Enhancing the Mason Core will help us better serve our students,” committee member and Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Debra Stroiney said. “It will demonstrate that Mason is a leader in being innovative, changing with the times, and still providing a quality liberal arts education while also addressing the needs of its students.”

Bethany Usher, associate provost of undergraduate education, noted that Mason is uniquely positioned “to confront the past and teach students how to create a more equitable future.” The goal of these enhancements is to integrate diverse and global perspectives in our shared educational experience,” Usher said.

Faculty and staff input is critical to ensuring the curriculum is an “integrated product,” committee member and Associate Professor of Management Matthew Cronin said.

“Students know what they like and want, but that is not necessarily what educates them. Faculty know how people learn and their own discipline, but that may not be easily absorbed by students. Integrating the different kinds of knowledge—student and faculty—requires that each group bring their knowledge to the table,” Cronin said.

“These past few years have clearly demonstrated the need for a society well-versed in many aspects of education such as health, science, policy, economics, and so on,” said Jason Kinser, committee member and chair of Computational and Data Sciences. “Exciting opportunities await the Mason faculty, ripe for pursuing new ideas, to resolve critical conflicts, and to improve our society. The enhancement of the Mason Core is designed to strengthen faculty’s ability to pursue these opportunities.”

The enhanced Mason Core will begin a phased-in approach in the Fall 2023 semester. Students who enroll in Mason starting then will use the new curriculum while current students continue under the existing Core.

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Faculty and Staff News

Office of the Provost

Mason Core

Back to School Supply Drive: Arlington Campus

admin_alpha — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 18:08:00 +0000

Back to School Supply Drive: Arlington Campus admin_alpha Thu, 07/17/2014 - 14:08

Lincoln Properties and 3434 Washington Boulevard will hold a Back to School Supply Drive from July 21 – August 8 to support Safe Shores, an educational program through The DC Children’s Advocacy Center and DC Public Schools.

Donations should be left in the basket located in the Metropolitan Building, Plaza Level Lobby.

Suggested items include: pencils, pens, crayons, markers, erasers, rulers, glue sticks, notebook paper, spiral notebooks, three-ring binders, pencil boxes, pocket folders and backpacks.

For questions, contact Lincoln Properties at 703-351-0000.

ITU Projects Briefing

admin_alpha — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 16:57:00 +0000

ITU Projects Briefing admin_alpha Fri, 10/18/2013 - 12:57

The ITU Project Management Office is proud to present semi-annual ITU Projects Briefings to the entire Mason community. These briefings provide a forum to learn about and discuss both ongoing and upcoming ITU projects. They provide live demonstrations, services, and the major projects taking place in the Information Technology Unit (ITU). As always, feel free to bring your questions.

To get involved, plan to attend the upcoming ITU Project Briefing. For more information on this or previous briefings, visit the Project Management Office website or contact Sarah Morehouse at smoreho3@gmu.edu.