New Faculty Orientation 2026 will be held on Monday, August 17 and Tuesday, August 18, 2026. Register now.
Orientation sessions cover a wide variety of topics, including an introduction to Mason's campus culture, the inside scoop from colleagues on being new to Mason, sessions on seeking research funding, and hands-on workshops to enhance your teaching skills (for both online and in-person classes).
To ensure a smooth transition to the Mason community, all new full-time faculty members are expected to participate in this program.
All orientation materials and session information will be hosted in Canvas. We recommend starting with these resources from George Mason's Information Technology Services (ITS) team.
- Getting Started for Employees with ITS: Start here to set up your Mason email and access a number of important resources, including the Getting Started Guide, Canvas support, Duo Two-Factor Authentication, classroom support, and more. Access to these features may depend on when you and/or your department have completed onboarding with Human Resources and Payroll.
- Zoom Support: All Mason employees are granted a Zoom Pro account. Please activate your account and familiarize yourself with Zoom prior to attending the workshop.
2026 Orientation Schedule
Monday, August 17 in Horizon Hall
| Time | Session and Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-8:30a.m. | Registration Opens and Breakfast, Second Floor Atrium | ||
| 8:30-9a.m. | Welcome to George Mason University, Room 2014 | ||
| 9:05-9:45a.m. | Panel Discussion - Engaging with Mason Students, Room 2014 | ||
| 9:45-9:55a.m. | Comfort Break | ||
| 9:55-10:55a.m. | Creating a Dynamic Classroom: Succeeding in the First Week of Class, Rooms 2009, 2010, 2017 | ||
| 10:55-11:05a.m. | Comfort Break | ||
| 11:05-11:50a.m. | Panel Discussion - Key Institutional Resources and Policies, Room 2014 | ||
| 11:50-11:55a.m. | Additional Context Setting, Room 2014 | ||
| 11:55-12:45p.m. | Lunch, First Floor Atrium | ||
| 12:45-1:35p.m. | Transforming Assignments for Student Success, Room 2017 | Mapping your Post-Doctoral Journey: Mentoring and Professional Development, Room 2010 | Tips for Seeking Research Funding, Room 2009 |
| 1:35-1:45p.m. | Comfort Break | ||
| 1:45-2:35p.m. | Fostering Engagement and Belonging with Inclusive Classroom Techniques, Room 2014 | ||
| 2:35-2:50p.m. | Mindful Movement, Room 2014 | ||
| 2:50–3p.m. | Comfort Break | ||
| 3-3:50p.m. | Instructional Term Faculty Panel, Room 2017 | Engaging Students in All Modalities, Room 2010 | Tips for Seeking Research Funding, Room 2009 |
| 3:50-4p.m. | Comfort Break | ||
| 4-4:45p.m. | Community Building Session, Room 2014 | ||
| 4:45-5:30p.m. | Happy Hour, Second Floor Atrium | Try-Out Classroom Technology, Room 2008 | |
Tuesday, August 18 Online via Zoom
| Time | Session | |
|---|---|---|
| 9-9:25a.m. | Welcome Back and Overview of Day | |
| 9:25-9:30a.m. | Quick Break | |
| 9:30-10:10a.m. | Panel Discussion - Supporting Mason Students: Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources | |
| 10:10-10:15a.m. | Quick Break | |
| 10:15-10:55a.m. | AI: Key Considerations for Your Classroom | |
| 10:55-11:05a.m. | Comfort Break | |
| 11:05-11:15a.m. | Faculty Governance | |
| 11:15-11:20a.m. | Quick Break | |
| 11:20-12p.m. | Panel Discussion: What I Learned from My First Year as a Faculty Member | |
| 12-12:30p.m. | Lunch Break | |
| 12:30-1:30p.m. | Teaching in Canvas: Overview and Basic Design | |
| 1:30-1:40p.m. | Comfort Break | |
| 1:40-2:30p.m. | Teaching in Canvas: Student Engagement and Grading/Feedback | Responding to Students Effectively |
| 2:30–2:45p.m. | Introduction to Patriot Connect | |
| 2:45-3:00p.m. | Closing Session | |
Attendees at prior orientations said...
"Thank you so much for your incredible work! It was great to get to know the new colleagues and Mason students. It is really a lot so I highly appreciate the Canvas course."
"I felt more at home as a faculty at Mason and it was great to have a cohort of folks all at the same stage across tenure-track, term, and other positions. It ran smoothly, was varied, well-catered, and had a nice balance of encouraged mingling and also directed talks and workshops."
"I was very impressed with the dynamic speakers and qualities each presenter had to share about their area. It was a very positive representation of George Mason."