ARTH 1301
Art History Survey I
Janis Elliott
1. Have changes been made in the way instructors (faculty or graduate students) teaching your core courses in humanities are trained, oriented, or supervised?
Yes. a) Our Survey I faculty meet regularly to discuss pedagogical improvements to the course. Since 2010 we have added online resources and online quizzes which have improved student outcomes. We have recently attended demonstrations (by Pearson) of better online resources and have decided to adopt new textbook in Fall 2013, Stokstad’s Art History, vol. 1. This, along with the move to the new Core Curriculum syllabus, is causing us to reconsider the way we teach the course. Already the changes in the Core Curriculum have resulted in increased classroom discussion and new assignments involving team debates and team presentations. We anticipate, due to abundant online resources with the new textbook, that there will be a lot more self-motivated learning on the part of the students.
b) Our MA in Art History students, who are in a 2-year program, don’t have time to teach, so they train as TAs. We currently mentor FADP students over two semesters in ART 5100 to teach Survey I. ART 5100 involves learning the Art History content of the course, classroom management (attendance, grades, online quizzes, Blackboard, etc), and the creation and grading of assignments. By the second semester of the course, students create their own syllabus and begin teaching units in preparation for their own section. The changes to the Survey I syllabus and the new textbook will necessitate changes in the mentoring of the doctoral students who train to teach Survey I. They will need to be much more involved with individual students and in organizing the team efforts. Survey I faculty will monitor the graduate instructors’ teaching more frequently than we did with the lecture course model.
2. Have changes been made in the base syllabus for your core courses in response to assessment results?
Yes. The Survey I syllabus has changed with the new Core Curriculum requirements and will change again over the next few semesters as we adjust to take advantage of the online resources of our new textbook. We integrated and streamlined the student learning outcomes in the syllabus to accommodate both the Core Curriculum outcomes and the traditional Survey I outcomes as follows:
TTU Core Curriculum Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Identify and describe a body or works (individually and collectively) in the creative arts (CT, CS).
Methods for assessing this expected learning outcome: 3 tests, 10 online quizzes, 1 paper, in-class discussions.
2. Explain and differentiate creative works as expressions of values within cultural and historical
contexts (CT, CS, T, SR).
Methods for assessing this expected learning outcome: 3 tests, 10 online quizzes, 1 paper, in-class discussions.
3. Analyze and summarize aesthetic principles that structure creative works (CT, CS).
Methods for assessing this expected learning outcome: 3 tests, 10 online quizzes, 1 paper, in-class discussions.
Expected Course-level Student Learning Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete this course will:
1. Recognize and describe the formal qualities of artworks using basic art historical vocabulary (CT, CS).
Methods for assessing this expected learning outcome: 10 online chapter quizzes; 3 multiple-
choice tests.
2. Understand the chronological periods, geographical centers, and formal characteristics associated
with the canon (major art works in the historical development of art) (CT, CS).
Methods for assessing this expected learning outcome: 10 online chapter quizzes; 3 multiple-
choice tests.
3. Develop writing skills and visual communication skills to create thoughtful and logical
interpretations of ancient and medieval visual culture. (CT, CS)
Methods for assessing this expected learning outcome: 1 formal analysis paper.
4. Analyze aesthetic principles that structure creative works and recognize the rudiments of historical,
social, cultural, and religious circumstances that engendered works of art and aesthetic systems
(CT, CS, T, SR).
Methods for assessing this expected learning outcome: 1 formal analysis paper; 1 group presentation
analyzing a scholarly article and debating the issues surrounding the stewardship of cultural property.
5. Analyze critically a scholarly article and argue one side of the issues presented in it (CT, CS, T, SR).
Methods for assessing this expected learning outcome: 1 group presentation of a scholarly article.
3. Have you adjusted the way the courses are assessed, the examinations, or the base content in the areas listed above in response to assessment results?
Somewhat. By adding new assignments for Teamwork and Social Responsibility we have had to reduce the value of the three tests. As we move further toward student-centered learning, the test values may be further reduced.
4. Have you made any changes in the way content is delivered such as adding on-line modules, improving classroom technology, using on-line quizzes or exams, making lectures available to students on-line, or flipping the classroom?
Yes. Our classrooms have been retrofitted to include smart technology since 2009. Instructors are able to project websites, power point files, videos, etc. during class. In 2010 we added online resources that accompany our current textbook and initiated online quizzes. We will add new and improved online resources in Fall 2013 with the new textbook.
5. Have you made any changes in how students are provided with help to improve their comprehension of the material such as on-line tutoring, face-to-face or group help sessions, etc.
None of these, but the online resources in My Art Kit offer a lot of study aids such as flash cards, sample test questions, and further information about many of the works of art. The new My Arts Lab will offer even more to the students in terms of study support. During office hours, faculty and TAs are available for help sessions. We anticipate that increased teamwork in class may lead to the formation of peer study groups.