Nine student-led teams competed in the sixth annual OSU Institute of Technology Mastermind Marathon this year, learning more about communication at every stop.
The Mastermind Marathon, a critical thinking race, is a creative method used to raise awareness of the student's Assessment of Student Learning core outcomes, a common foundation required of each OSUIT graduate regardless of program or degree. Within this objective, teams of students race across the OSUIT campus with hopes of being the winner.
“The event provides students a fun way to explore one of the outcomes each year, which are the foundations of each degree at OSUIT,” said Melissa Dryer, communications instructor and campus assessment coordinator.
This year’s focus was on the outcome communication. The definition of the communication outcome is to effectively communicate electronically, verbally and in writing.
Each race stop made a connection back to communication with its own interpretation relating back to the respective program, school, organization or department. There were nine race stops this year:
- Listen Up by Nursing faculty and staff
- Simple Cipher by Association of Information Technology Professionals
- Picture This by Visual Communications Collective
- Name That Spice by Future Chefs Association
- Communications in Clay by Humanities faculty
- Island Hopping by Network Gaming Executives
- Communicating in the Binary Language by International Society of Automation
- Find it in the Library by the Library
- Wheelchair Challenge by Orthotics & Prosthetics
“By participating in this event students have fun, represent their programs and student clubs, and as student club members earn points for their student club,” said Dryer. “In addition, students are able to learn about other schools and programs on campus.”
Each team of three students has the goal of completing all race stops and making it to the finish line first. Each team was given a passport to record participation and completion of each race station.
“This year’s best race stop, as voted by the race teams, was O&P’s Wheelchair Challenge,” said Dryer.
The O&P club race stop used an obstacle course to test the communication skills of each team. One race team member communicated the twists and turns of the obstacle course to their blindfolded teammates, who navigated the course in a wheelchair.
Over $1,000 was donated for prizes this year from the School of Arts, Sciences & Health, School of Creative & Information Technologies, School of Engineering & Construction Technologies, School of Transportation & Heavy Equipment, Academic Excellence & Distance Learning and Workforce & Economic Development.
First Place Winner - $100 gift certificate to OSUIT bookstore, each
NGE - Shawna Doyle, Tucker Dugan and Daniel Matheyer
Second Place Winner - $50 gift certificate to OSUIT bookstore and OSUIT lanyard, each
SASH - Caitlyn Fox, Ege DeBock and Ryan Weis
Third Place Winner – OSUIT gear
VCC - Kendall Morisset, Brandon Reed and Danielle Burkhart