Packing Slip 
item |
Modernizing Modern Art |
contact |
Adria Pecora (Paradise Valley Community College) adria.pecora@pvmail.maricopa.edu |
college(s) |
Paradise Valley Community College |
discipline(s) |
Art History; Art; Women's Studies; Film; Media Studies; Philosophy; Music; Literature; Theater |
summary |
The grant partially supported research and development in regards to a 20th century art history course resulting in the formation and delivery of course content including study guides for distribution. |
details |
The course supported research and development of course content and delivery, enabling me to discuss the subject in a sophisticated manner while not alienating the students. ------------------------------------------------------------ How did the project improve, advance, or enhance student learning? Please provide specific examples. ------------------------------------------------------------ The ultimate goal of the project was to enhance student learning through profound discussion of the subject matter. Since it is an introductory level course, I worked under the assumption that the students would need to cultivate rudimentary skills. I assumed that they would lack • familiarity with a sophisticated textbook • vocabulary skills • the ability to take adequate notes • discipline regarding study habits The syllabus and grading policy thus demanded regular attendance, weekly reading, and study with a study group of their peers. A comprehensive presentation of sophisticated content was delivered in an organized and easy to understand manner, enabling students unfamiliar with modern art to appreciate the diverse aesthetics involved and how they relate to a sociopolitical context. A mix of lectures, discussions, and media presentations delivered the material in a variety of ways to appeal to diverse learning styles. Clear and organized study guides were distributed weekly to students supporting their ability to take notes from the text and in lectures. ------------------------------------------------------------ How did you evaluate your project's success? What did it tell you? ------------------------------------------------------------ Of 22 students enrolled: 2 never attended 4 withdrew due to personal reasons/family 1 received a grade of incomplete 2 students received a final grade of B 11 students received a final grade of A 10 students received an A on their final exam, 6 with perfect scores 10 students had 1 absence or less 7 had perfect attendance records Anonymous feedback was requested from students during the final session. A card reads, "There is honestly nothing I would change about ARH 112. There is a good balance of peer and peer professor interaction and the lectures, although sometimes overwhelming, are always engaging." Another comment reads, "It was nice how all of the information needed was literally handed to us before our paper or exams. Nothing negative to correct, I really enjoyed the class and your lectures." Students were required to participate in a group presentation, an individual paper, and two take home exams. Overall, the presentations, papers and exams were of exceptionally high quality. What I have learned, is that you can set the bar high and expect the best of community college students. They require discipline, extrinsic motivation, and extensive support in terms of study guides and extracurricular tutorial sessions. They also will be more excited about learning in a fun environment. Several mentioned that they just enjoyed coming to class. And many forged friendships through their study group. ------------------------------------------------------------ What is your plan to share this project with others? ------------------------------------------------------------ I found myself sharing my appreciation of art history and theory with studio art students (Painting and Drawing), recommending that they consider their work relative to aesthetics, movements, particular artists, etc. I work with advanced studio artists, prodding them to realize and verbalize their interests by writing artist statements. Artists need to know what their work is about, how it relates to traditions and addresses contemporary cultural issues. The course content also supports my teaching of Art 106, Gallery Operations. Perhaps the broadest form of sharing will derive from my partnership with the library staff on a series of newly acquired resources: • subscription to Artforum magazine • subscription to the databases JStor and ArtStor • acquisition of 20th century art holdings • development of a Library Guide for 20th century art listing the college's texts, media, and online resources, many of which were acquired under my stewardship ------------------------------------------------------------ What, if anything, will happen in the future with this project? ------------------------------------------------------------ Each semester, I plan to tweak my methodologies and materials, learning from students what works best for them and implementing their suggestions. My hopes and expectations for the course are: • that it will continue to deliver in depth content • that it will continue to improve • that it will become more interactive ------------------------------------------------------------ What, if anything, would you do differently? ------------------------------------------------------------ • edit lectures to permit more discussion and activities in class. • revise study questions to foster creative brainstorming • revise study guides, making them more concise Note! As a professional courtesy to the owner of this package, if you use some aspect of this package or have some thoughts about it, please share your feedback via the comments form below. |
web links |
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/learngrant/ |
shareback |
A "Shareback" cites the places on the web that mention, reference, or use this MLX package, and "shares" that information back here (more about shareback...) Sharebacks can be generated automatically by weblog tools. |
extra |
Last modified: May-14-2009 Date created: May-08-2009 Visitor count: 595 Dublin Core Metadata record  This package is included in the Maricopa Learning Grants special collection. |
Maricopa Learning eXchange
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/slip.php?item=2268
