AESTHETIC ENGAGEMENT EXTERNAL ASSESSMENTS

The process of self, peer and instructor assessment at Alverno College is based upon a model of portfolio assessment.

At the beginning, intermediate and advanced levels of aesthetic engagement students have the opportunity to present a portfolio which they have developed across several classes. In this way they begin to consider how to integrate learning from studio art, art history and courses from their majors in Art, Art Education or Art Therapy. Students receive extensive feedback from their peers and instructors. This ongoing portfolio process assists students in planning for future courses, defining skills and concepts they want to enhance, articulating a personal career philosophy and preparing for professional uses of portfolios. These assessments are held during finals week and allow students to demonstrate their learning to a wider audience outside of the classroom. Students are given feedback that assists them in refining their choices and selections of materials to include in building a portfolio for use after graduation.

BEGINNING LEVEL
At the beginning level, students share their portfolios with faculty and intermediate student assessors.

They explore how courses have introduced them to creative learning styles, art vocabulary and developing personal ideas in their work. Assessors provide practical feedback that will help beginning students prepare for classes at the intermediate level and ongoing portfolio development.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
At the intermediate level, students will share a portfolio that demonstrates their specialization in their selected major in Art, Art Therapy or Art Education.

All students will use a shared set of art frameworks and vocabulary to analyze the distinctive differences in the diverse fields in the art major.

Assessors will provide feedback that is specific to ongoing success in advanced courses. Students also begin to plan for their graduation exhibition. They draft artist statements, resumes, educational gallery text. They consider which elements of their portfolio, (art, art history research, field experiences or community activity) could be developed into an exhibition.

They receive feedback from faculty and the gallery director about their planning. Students then use this feedback to organize their work in advanced level courses which will be applied to their final exhibition.

ADVANCED LEVEL
At the advanced level, students will practice professional exhibition skills by collaborating with peers, gallery staff and the gallery director to complete all facets of exhibition design.

Each participating student will use their disciplinary expertise in Art, Art Education and Art Therapy to create and educational model of advanced art research. Studio Art majors may design an exhibition that focuses upon art production, personal aesthetic concepts or art historical influences. Art Education majors may elect to present personal art, lessons plans or work they have completed in schools or community agencies. Art Therapy majors may focus psychological principles, themes of spirituality or cultural learning or may exhibit client work from community settings.

The rich diversity of advanced research across the art disciplines is showcased to introduce the audience to the variety of expressive learning methods in the art discipline.

Students gather feedback from the audience at their art opening reception. They also present a culminating description of their learning to a faculty and peer audience. Peers ask relevant questions to prepare for their own exhibitions and faculty provide feedback about the exhibition, disciplinary learning and career goals.

MIDSEMESTER ASSESSMENTS
Each semester a student developed assessment is provided for all art majors. This one day event is designed and facilitated by students. A group of art majors meets to explore ideas that would be beneficial to their learning.

Past midsemester assessments have included guest lecturers from community arts organizations, visits to museums, research on women in the arts, hands on art activities such as storyboard and collaborative video, self portraiture through photography, and art media explorations in artist’s books, dance and installation art.

Additionally, students have designed assessments that serve the community such as a quilting project for a clinic in Ecuador, murals to enhance the Alverno campus, a community metal pour and art works in response to a gallery exhibition on the civil war in Sierra Leone.

No matter what topic the student designers select, the assessment is designed to allow art majors to work together as a creative team, to encounter media and new ideas, subjects or concepts not offered in their classes.

Student designers gain valuable experience in writing post-secondary assessment instruments and providing classroom experiences to adult audiences. They also can receive a validation for level four effective citizenship through their participation in the Midsemester Assessment.