Departmental Assessment Update - Arts and Humanities Report
Department: Art and Art History
Program: MA/MFA
Level: Graduate
1. Has your program developed learning outcomes? If
yes, please list.
The department has two graduate programs, an MA in art history and an MFA in studio art. Both degree programs have defined goals and objectives which can be rearticulated as learning outcomes, a process we hope to complete this year. In addition there are program-specific goals and objectives, as noted in the undergraduate section.
2. If your program has learning outcomes, where are
they published (e.g., department web page)?
General degree goals and objectives are published on the department website.
3. Do your faculty list course learning outcomes on
their syllabi?
Currently about 75% of faculty syllabi have course learning outcomes listed. We are planning workshops on learning outcomes in order to improve the clarity of these listings and to help them articulate with larger program goals.
4. Does your program have a curriculum map that
links course outcomes to program outcomes? If
so, please include.
No. This will be produced in the process of articulation mentioned above, hopefully in the next year.
5. Does your program benchmark or have goals for
student performance? (e.g. 70% students will
graduate within 5 years)
The majority of students are expected to graduate from both MFA and MA programs within 3 years. It is so unusual for this not to happen that we have not set a formal benchmark goal for number of graduates.
6. Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to
determine that graduates have achieved stated
outcomes for the degree? (i.e. capstone project,
class assignment)
MA students write a master’s thesis, a long research paper which is overseen by a faculty advisor and defended to a committee of art history and area studies faculty. MFA students hold a thesis exhibition which is defended to a committee of studio art and art history faculty; MFA students also write a thesis paper reflecting on and articulating the goals of the thesis exhibition.
7. Who interprets the evidence of student learning?
The faculty at large participate in semester reviews of all MFA students. In the final year, the thesis committee is primarily responsible for interpreting the evidence of student learning. Because all faculty serve on multiple committees, this provides a spread of perspectives through the entire body of students.
8. How are the assessment data/results used to
inform decisions concerning the curriculum and
administration of the program?
Because most programs contain only one or two faculty members, decisions on curriculum and administration at the program level are usually made on an ad hoc basis, taking assessment data into consideration. Changes affecting an entire degree program are proposed by interested faculty and voted on by all the graduate faculty in the department.
9. What attempts are made to monitor students’ postgraduate
professional activities?
We maintain a mailing list of alumni (both regular mail and e-mail) and have set up alumni forums through online services such as Facebook. As this is a relatively recent development, we are still building our mailing lists and hope to expand them soon. This year for the first time we are conducting an alumni show of graphic design work, and if it is successful we hope to make alumni exhibitions a regular departmental event.