College of Fine and Applied Arts

SECTION 1: PROCESS

The preparation of the Degree Programs Assessment Plan (DPAP) for the School of Art and Design was assigned to the Associate Director with the intention of coordinating it with the regular accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Associate Director attended all of the training sessions, assessed the website, and downloaded the appropriate materials. Based on written and verbal feedback on the original proposal the Assessment Workshop Staff assisted in finalizing this plan.

Faculty Involvement

The Associate Director of the School of Art and Design presented the DPAP to the Executive Committee in December 1998 and at the faculty meeting in March 1999. The following general development steps and content were suggested for the plan of assessment outcomes:

1. The School will use the existing mission statement and goals: The School of Art and Design is the state's most comprehensive program in art and design. Given the appropriate resources, the mission is to provide instruction at the baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels in areas not generally available at other public or private institutions in Illinois. Faculty in the School of Art and Design are responsible for generating and transmitting knowledge, and providing professional services to the people and institutions of Illinois and the nation. In many cases, these services have an international impact. The School of Art and Design is a unit within the College of Fine and Applied Arts and offers degrees in the following areas: (a) Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education, Art History, Crafts (Ceramics, Metals, Glass), Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Painting, Photography, and Sculpture; (b) Master of Arts in Art Education and Art History; (c) Master of Fine Arts in each of the Bachelor of Fine Arts studio content areas and Printmaking; (d) Doctor of Education in Art Education; and Doctor of Philosophy in Art History.

2. The School will use and rely on a future website to generate alumni surveys.

3. The School will make more assessment use of ICES reports.

4. Evaluative data will be collected from capstone courses, teaching evaluations by students, evaluations of internships, grade distribution, final shows, critiques, grade reports, exit interviews, professional grants, and conferences. The data will be summarized, distributed, and reviewed.

5. Every five years the School will create a regular survey of alumni that will include items for assessments of outcomes.

SECTION II: LEARNING OBJECTIVES (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ATTITUDES)

Outcome 1. a) B.F.A. and Master's students will be prepared for careers as professional teachers, graphic and industrial designers, museum professionals, and practicing artists. b) Ed.D. and Ph.D. students will be prepared for careers as teachers, museum professionals, and researchers in specialized fields.

Outcome 2. All students will be prepared to critically respond to a broad range of art and design studies and also to write in formats appropriate to their levels and majors. Samples of artwork and papers from studio and design majors, and papers from Art History and Art Education, will be collected and evaluated.

SECTION III: MEASURES AND METHODS

1. Learning Objectives.  While objectives for each degree program vary in content, examples of the overall objectives are to help students:

a) acquire the ability to create original objects of art or design;

b) clearly articulate the nature of art and design;

c) critically observe a broad range of art and design from different cultures and areas;

d) develop skills that can be used to describe, analyze, and evaluate theoretical and practical issues in art and design.

Specific Methods of Analysis for each objective:

a) Objective: To acquire the ability to create original objects of art or design. Method: Evaluative data from capstone courses, final shows, critiques and grades will be summarized, distributed, and reviewed.

b) Objective: To clearly articulate the-nature of art and design. Method: Written statements, papers, exams, and exit interviews concerning the student's ability to articulate concepts about art and design issues will be evaluated.

c) Objective: To observe and respond critically to a broad range of art and design from different cultures and areas. Method: Written statements, papers, exams, and exit interviews to assess the student's ability to articulate art and design issues will be evaluated. The plan includes questions in alumni surveys which will give additional post-graduation data.

d) Objective: To develop skills that can describe, analyze, and evaluate theoretical and practical issues in art and design. Method: Each program will create its own instrument.

2. Entry Questionnaire. Undergraduates will submit a Professional Interest Statement and graduate students will submit a Statement of Intent with their application. Several faculty currently administer questionnaires in required classes in order to discern the range of student expectations, values, and attitudes. Because the School accepts students from a wide spectrum of degree backgrounds, it is useful to administer a substantive knowledge entry survey to all students.

3. ICES Data. Expanded analysis of ICES data for each instructor and teaching assistant in each course will be conducted. Additional items will be added to the core list of inquiries about a specific or general course. In addition, the School will review the data with teaching assistants and new faculty.

4. Campus Generated Data. To determine alumni opinions, questionnaires will survey their critical approaches and attitude changes (for example, their respect for diversity) since they left the institution. The responses about their education will be gathered from regular surveys using the School of Art and Design website as a resource for compiling the data. This data will be compiled and included in a report on a five-year basis.

5. Alumni Survey.  A survey of alumni will be conducted on an ongoing basis from the website, and the School plans to publish the website address in its Alumni Newsletter. This survey, coordinated with the Development Officer, will include specific and open-ended questions to elicit opinions on the quality and relevance of course work and the ability of alumni to perform professional work. In addition, items will be included to determine the respondent's ability to compete with other professionals in achieving the expected student outcomes.

6. Evaluations a Performance Evaluation. Specific written work from all programs will be collected from capstone courses and evaluated first by the programs themselves with a report submitted to the Executive Committee each year. The quality of presentations of design and art work in senior critiques will be noted by their faculty committee at the end of the year.

Exit interviews and surveys in all programs will be conducted by the Director or an appointed committee each year.

Documentation of student teaching in Art Education will be reviewed yearly by the Art Education faculty.

7. Employer Evaluation of Interns.  In order to insure valuable preparation for the work force, the School will develop a survey form for employers of the School's intems.

a) Employers and external supervisors will complete a confidential evaluation form on the performance of each intern in Graphic Design and Industrial Design, and in Art Education on student teaching as a condition of awarding credit for the course. Data will be compiled and analyzed for all internships that are arranged by program advisers.

b) Employers will be requested to complete a confidential questionnaire on the performance of students in workshops, projects and thesis.

c) Accreditation Review.  The School of Art and Design undergoes accreditation by the National Association of Schools of A rt and Design (NASAD) every ten years. The NASAD review will be combined with the data generated by the assessment methods. These will be subject to review.

IV: PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT

1. complete summary of assessment data will be included in a report to the faculty every five years. The assessment plan will be reviewed at the first faculty meeting of the academic year. Recommendations for revision may be made at that time by any faculty, staff, or student in the School of Art and Design.

Based on those recommendations adjustments will be made and the revisions will be presented at the annual faculty retreat in January by appointed committees.

2. Administration of the School. The Director will bring significant information to the attention of faculty and committees of the School as well as the data to bear on organizing, managing, and evaluating personnel and School programs.

3. Curriculum Revisions. The assessment data will be considered with other factors as the basis for needed change and continuing evolution of the various curricula. The Curriculum Committee and the Program Chairs will consider and recommend improvements in their areas of responsibility based on the relevant data.

4. Student Information. Students will be informed of the survey results and recommendations. Recommendations from student input will be received and reviewed by the faculty and the Director.

5. Alumni Information. Alumni will be informed of the survey results and recommendations flowing from it. Recommendations from the alumni survey will be received and reviewed by the faculty and the Director.

6. Confidentiality. It is intended that the assessment survey will respect confidentiality to assure anonymity and utility in seeking to improve the programs of the School.

V: TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION

1. Upon adoption of this plan by the faculty in Art and Design, implementation is anticipated to start in fall 1999 with Section 1, 3 and 4.

2. Development of necessary survey instruments for Section 111, 1 and 2, will begin in fall 1999 with their application to begin in fall 2000.

3. The first assessment review by the faculty will be completed in January 2004, which will include the remaining initiatives.

4. Data generated in the interim will be presented to the faculty and students for discussion of possible revisions.

VI: RESOURCES AND SUPPORT NEEDED TO SECURE THIS PROCESS

1. The School needs a web-master for its alumni survey. This new position will also include development of survey instruments and compiling data, which requires statistical, computational, and technical support skills. It is estimated a person with such skills will require a salary of approximately $32,000.

2. In addition, survey expense will add an additional $5,000 per year to the operating budget for mailing and additional part-time help.

The complete assessment plan will be reviewed at the first faculty meeting of the academic year. Recommendations for revision may be made at that time by any faculty, staff, or student in the School of Art and Design.