Art & Design 
Assessment Report 2001

Department of Art and Design: Assessment Measures, 1998-2001

1. Assessment Measures: Portfolio reviews (BA, BFA, BS). Each student must prepare, mount and verbally present a significant body of work for review by a three-person faculty review committee whose job it is to summarized the strengths and weaknesses of the work, and to provide advice and recommendations for improving or expanding the student's artistic output. Each faculty member completes a formal written evaluation, which includes a chart with a numerical rating system to indicate the relative success or failure of a student in addressing all basic components of artistic production and presentation. The student receives a copy for reference, and a copy is placed in the student's academic file in the department.  Students must complete three formal Portfolio Reviews in the course of their four years of study. (Summary of Assessment Data - pdf )

Changes: Review of our materials revealed that the scale used on the Portfolio Review Form did not adequately meet our needs in defining the relative success or failure of student performance in specific areas, and that the wording of the form lacked clarity in certain areas. A committee reviewed the form, and suggested and implemented appropriate changes. The new form will be utilized for the first time in the spring semester, 2002.

2. Assessment Measure: Exhibition Requirement (BA, BFA, BS): Public Presentation (BFA Graphic Design). All students in studio areas, with the exception of Graphic Design, must develop and mount an exhibition of their artwork in the Art Gallery of the Roland Dille Center for Arts as a requirement for graduation. This exhibition is reviewed by the major advisor (in the case of candidates for the BA and BS), or by a three-person committee (in the case of the BFA).  Exhibitions must meet established professional standards in terms of quality and presentation, both in the physical works of art, and in written component (Artist's Statement; labeling). Students completing the BFA in Graphic Design must develop and successfully complete a final project, and make a public presentation of their project, as well as place their work on display for review.  Standard approval/denial forms, with comments, are completed by students and faculty at each stage of the development of the exhibition or final project. Copies of completed forms are 1) given to the student, 2) placed in the student's permanent file in the department, and 3) sent to the registrar to confirm completion of exhibition or presentation requirement.

Changes: Previous to using this system, which was implemented in 1999, all students were required to work with a three-person committee. This system proved too unwieldy, as the number of students graduating each year rose to 50 or more. In addition, we are currently discussing the possibility of holding an "exit interview" with students graduating with a FGA degree, in order to provide opportunity for a final exchange of information.

3. Assessment Measure: Minnesota Teaching Licensure Requirements (BS in Art Education).  Students completing the BS in Art Education must successfully complete the PPST, Professional Knowledge and Subject/Content tests for licensure in the State of Minnesota, according to current licensure requirements. All students graduating in our department 1998-2001 successfully completed the tests which were required by the State at the time of graduation.

4. Upper-level Writing Requirement (BA, BFA, BS). Assessment of writing skill occurs at all levels within the department, but a student is considered to have fulfilled the Upper-level Writing Requirement through successful participation in and completion of the writing components of the History of Art I and II (all degrees), and required 300- and 400-level art history classes (BA, BFA). In addition, students in the BA or BFA programs must successfully complete the capstone seminar Contemporary Art, Design and Theory. Students in the BFA program must also successfully complete the BFA Seminar. Students completing the BS in Art Education are considered to have fulfilled the Upper-level Writing Requirement by successfully completing the writing components of the History of Art I and II, and specified courses in the Education component of the curriculum. Changes: Review of student outcomes suggested the need for a greater number of writing experiences, and a formal evaluation of student writing in the final stages of curricular work. To that end, we have initiated writing projects in almost all studio classes, and are currently finalizing a formal writing project with specific criteria for evaluation to take place in the capstone seminar, Contemporary Art, Design and Theory. This represents a formalization of a process already in place in the seminar which will allow us to capture data on student writing abilities. In addition, it has become evident that a more complete formal documentation of student performance in writing and presenting the Senior Thesis (BA, Art History) would be helpful to both the student, and to our assessment of the success of the program. We are currently discussing specifics of this assessment tool.

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