Assessment Report:
ARTS 121 2D Design section C3,D4, Spring 2015
Instructor: A. Coffey, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Course description:
ARTS 121 is an entry-level studio course providing instruction in two dimensional design elements; line,
shape, form, colour, texture, space and value and an understanding of design principles; balance, scale,
contrast, emphasis, movement and rhythm. Emphasis is placed on methods of organization to create
aesthetically pleasing or successful design as well as expression of specific ideas to particular
audiences. Breaking down the elements and principles of successful design intends to provide students with
foundational knowledge and skills that can be put to use in subsequent fine art courses including, drawing,
painting, photography and graphic design. Recognition and execution of successful design are the objective
of the course assignments. Instruction is given through lectures and demonstrations and with the aid of
examples.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will compose a work acknowledging the underlying "grid structure" of successful design
using vertical, horizontal, oblique and/or curved lines. Shapes defined by intersecting lines will be
filled in to create a sense of depth and movement.
2. Students are able to transform a given set of shapes into a cohesive composition, applying the
design principles of symmetrical and asymmetrical balance and figure-ground relationships,
emphasized using scale, form, colour, texture and/or repetition
3. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the application of design inspired by theories and
examples present in historical movements in art and/or graphic design.
4. Students will demonstrate practical skills in executing formal compositions; measuring, drafting
clean consistent lines and clean consistent cuts using a straight edge and blade.
5. Students will demonstrate their recognition and understanding of successful design through
participation in individual and group critiques.
Student Learning Outcomes are measured through specific observable skills. Instructor will evaluate
student performance based on evidence of these skills. Objectives and criteria of evaluation are
provided for students in the written assignments. (sample assignment attached)
1. Students will compose a work acknowledging the underlying "grid structure" of successful design
using vertical, horizontal, oblique and/or curved lines. Shapes defined by intersecting lines will be filled in to
create a sense of depth and movement.
a) acknowledges the underlying grid thru successful overall placement within the framed space
b) uses line to distribute value and balance and create movement
c) uses shapes to create depth and increase movement
2. Students will transform a given set of forms into a cohesive composition, applying the design principles of
symmetrical and asymmetrical balance and figure-ground relationships.
a) understands and applies balance, either symmetrical or asymmetrical
b) understands and demonstrates definition of figure and ground
c) understands and activates figure-ground relationship using form, value, colour and/or texture
3.Students will demonstrate an understanding of the application of design inspired by theories
and examples present in historical movements in art and/or graphic design.
a) understands and demonstrates use of flattened geometrical shapes derived from nature in
Arts and Craft movement / Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements
b) understands and demonstrates "all-over" composition and flattened perspective in Cubism
4. Students will demonstrate practical skills in executing formal compositions; measuring, drafting clean
consistent lines and clean consistent cuts using a straight edge and blade.
a) drafts with the use of a straight edge, ruler, stencil and pen or pencil lines that are consistent and
accurately parallel, perpendicular and/or curved
b) able to accurately measure and place using a ruler and/or gridded template
c) able to make precise consistent cuts using a straight edge and x-acto knife or retractable blade
5. Students will demonstrate an understanding of formal and subjective colour relationships in
compostions using colour
a) understands and demonstrates successful use of complementary, analogous and triadic
colour relationships
b) understands and demonstrates subjective impact of colour
6. Students will demonstrate their recognition and understanding of successful design through
participation in individual and group critiques
a) understands and demonstrates, through verbalizing, what specific elements make the
composition successful
b) understands and uses appropriate design vocabulary in a written context
General Education Outcomes:
1. Students will communicate effectively through reading, writing, listening and speaking
2. Students will use information management and technology skills effectively for research and lifelong
learning
- Students will recognize and apply rules of 2 dimensional design in successive art courses including
drawing, painting, photography and / or graphic design
- Students will gain confidence in self and their aesthetic choices and achieve comfort and agility in
execution for future projects related or unrelated to fine arts
3. Students will differentiate and make informed decisions about issues based on multiple value systmes
4. Students will use historical or social sciences perspectives (learned values) to examine formation of ideas,
human behavior, social institutions or social processes (learned conditions of visual literacy in Western vs
Eastern cultures, deconstruct mass media ).
5. Students will apply aesthetic and intellectual criteria in the evaluation or creation of works in the arts
Tools:
Scored rubric attached
Sample assignment attached
Artifacts:
Student projects attached
Analysis:
Student learning outcomes are scored and tallied on the attached rubric using evidence from individual
assignments, midterm quiz and midterm and final critique. In some cases scores come from successive
assignments rather than a single assignment. Scores are from 2 sections totaling 35 students taught by A.
Coffey
The first student learning outcome: Students will compose a work acknowledging the underlying "grid
structure" of successful design using vertical, horizontal, oblique and/or curved lines. Shapes defined by
intersecting lines will be filled in to create a sense of depth and movement. Three criteria were in place:
acknowledgment of gridded all-over space with balanced distribution, using lines to create value and
movement, and shapes to suggest depth and increase movement.
Students scored high in acknowledgment of the grid and entirety of framed space and in their ability to
utilize line to create value and movement. The majority of students did well in utilizing shapes to create
depth and increase movement though fewer students were exceptionally innovative or attentive with
shapes. The concept of the grid when pointed out or made visible is fairly straight forward and elementary
in concept, high performance is expected. Innovative use of shapes, found shapes within the lines or shapes
produced with stencils represents a secondary step and more likely to occur when students are shown
examples. Inherently creative students require fewer (and in some cases no) visual prompts.
The second learning outcome: Students will arrange a given set of forms into a cohesive composition,
anticipates understanding and demonstration of symmetrical/asymmetrical balance, a defintion and
activation of a figure-ground relationship and finessed definition using color texture and/or repetition of
form. Both symmetrical and asymmetrical balance were achieved consistently and accurately by the
majority of the students. Again, balance, when pointed out, is an elementary concept and successful
execution is expected particularly when students are working with a given and equal number of shapes.
Students were slightly less successful in activating a figure-ground relationship. Problems arose in
distinguishing a unified, singular "figure" in a space rather than simply imposing a pleasing pattern onto a
ground. The challenge was getting the students to understand the difference between the aesthetic
(abstract) figure or object and recognizable figure, i.e. human/face/heart/flower etc. Students were
specifically instructed to avoid recognizable figures and objects but to instead create an abstract figure.
Rules for forming compositions, e.g. all shapes should touch, and providing successful examples proved
helpful. An additional challenge was breaking students out of their comfort zone or taking risks. Allowing
students to use their phones to document compositions they liked or were attached to encouraged them to
make additional compositions knowing they could return to the one they liked. A successive assignment
using texture to distinguish figure and ground was successful with a noted minority of students performing
extremely well. Success relied on the use of a template with a distinct architectural structure and ground
relationship in place. Without the template designs were simple and child-like not exploring or finessing
integration of architectural structure and ground.
The third learning outcome: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the application of design
inspired by theories and examples present in historical movements in art/graphic design involved the
specific movements of Art Nouveau/Deco and Cubism. Flattening or abstracting of natural and 3
dimensional form as well as breaking from traditional Western perspective to create an "all-over"
composition was the primary objective and theme or subject was derived from Nature or machine aesthetic
with the Art Nouveau/Deco assignment and an actual still-life in the Cubism assignment. Generally good to
excellent results were achieved in flattening and simplifiying or abstracting form and three dimesnional
space. Fair results in the Art Nouveau assignment are based in the students' inability to adhere to the
theme of Nature. Students were to design a stained glass window with a theme inspired by nature, while
the design was successful in its creation of balance and movement it lapsed into a prototypical stained glass
composition sacrificing its reference to nature. The inverse problem was to adhere too closely to an
elementary landscape composition with sky at top and mid ground and foreground, forgetting to give design
aesthetic preference over realism. The desire to adhere to realism comes from what the student recognizes
as successful in Western art. To be able to draw or paint what you see are traditional markers of talent and
students are loathe to give that up. Examples from Japanese wood-block prints are helpful in pushing
towards design over realism. Ironically it is the students who don't draw well that achieve good results in
both assignments but particularly in Cubism. A desire to create perspective and volume with shading and
tone is not part of the "bad drawers" natural vocabulary. Collaged elements and drafted lines, as opposed
to freehand line work is helpful in breaking from realism.
The fourth learning outcome: Students will demonstrate practical skills in executing formal compositions
assesses the students' abilities to make use of a pen/pencil, ruler, straight-edge and/or blade to draft clean
consistent lines and cuts. The majority of students showed improvement with repeated use of necessary
tools. Drafting lines developed more quickly and consistently, cuts were more challenging and rounded cuts
remained a challenge to just under a third of the students. More experience will likely improve cutting as
well as use of proper tools. It did not always occur to students to use a fresh blade or to cut directly on the
surface of the provided cutting mats. Specific instruction and demonstration cannot be discounted in a
foundational course, particularly with the computer generation. Measuring was the greatest challenge,
simple math involved in centering any given sized compositon within the 14" x 17" bristol was difficult at
first. Most students eventually caught onto the logic behind the math but still had trouble reading the
measurements on a ruler. The ruler was often arbitrarily placed down without acknowledgement of a
starting or ending point. Again, practice and repeated experience helped but in some cases students were
unable to successfully center a box within the set dimensions of the bristol without the math being done for
them and then unable to read the ruler without individualized instruction. This I chalk up to a lack of real
use of a ruler prior to this course.
The fifth learning outcome: Students will demonstrate an understanding of colour relationships in
compositions using colour measures students' abilities to comprehend and execute successful colour
relationships including triadic, complementary and analogous. Almost all students demonstrated a good
sense of colour even without any specific instruction in colour theory and even my lowest performing
student showed good colour sense though his palette was limited. Given definitions for primary and
secondary colour and triadic, complementary and analogous colour relationships most students
intentionally engaged specific and successful colour choices. Inconsistencies were in stating the proper
terms as opposed to executing appropriate colour compositions. Subjective impact of colour was not
consistently successful. Problems can be alleviated with more abundant supplies and more emphasis on the
importance of colour and impact of colour choice. Color theory up until Fall 2014 was a required course and
less emphasis was made on colour in a 2D course; with a shift in curriculum 2D will begin to absorb more
instruction in colour.
The sixth and final student learning outcome: Students will demonstrate their recognition and
understanding of successful design through participation in individual and group critiques. This outcome is
scored on the students' ability to assess the success of his/her own work as well as others' work in spoken
form using appropriate vocabulary and then to provide in written form accurate definitions of design
terminology and short descriptions of successful technique. Group critiques and a midterm and final exam
were used as tools of measurement. Few consistent verbal responses occurred; most students were
hesitant to respond verbally in critiques. Spoken responses while accurate did not use appropriate
vocabulary with ease or confidence. Written responses showed a significnt bump in accuracy to generally
good use by approximatley half of the students. The difference in spoken vs written reponses may be
explained by a student's lack of confidence because of English being a second language or simply the lack of
familiarity with the vocabulary or performance anxiety among their peers. Written reponses are private and
mistakes are not registered/penalized in a public fashion. Overall quality of spoken and written
performance can be improved with more impromptu and less formal critques increasing experience and
decreasing anxiety. Also an effort on the instructor's part to repeat specific vocabularly and to encourage
note-taking will improve comprehension. Using vocabulary in context and short lectures and discussions (in
addition to instruction and demonstration) with each assignment will also aid understanding and use.
Summary:
Overall, Student Learning Outcomes are being met at realistic expectations with most students hovering
around "good" spilling over into "excellent" and falling into "fair" performance levels. The lowest
performance is in the area of verbalizing and writing about those tasks they can otherwise successfully
perform. Fall 2015 sections of ARTS 121 will incorporate low stakes but consistent impromptu critiques and
being sure to utilize appropriate vocabulary to a. define, b. enhance and spot correct/incorrect use and c.
increase confidence and ease in speaking accurately about work. All of my studio courses have at least 1 out
of 20 students that is markedly challenged physically or socially in his/her course participation. Typically
what the student lacks in ability is made-up for in an eagerness to learn and so with added individualized
instruction ends in positive results This semester I had a student who did not show an eagerness to learn
and I was faced with how to engage the student as well as how to gain positive results. Though overall
results did not reach above fair I did in the end engage the student in a more productive dialogue and the
student particpated with (relatively) greater ease and accuracy in the final critique. Consistent nonconfrontational addressing of the student was helpful. On the opposite end of the spectrum I was especially
delighted by five students that never failed to amaze me with intelligent innovative designs and was equally
pleased to see an additional group of students turn corners and produce brilliant compositions in the final
two to three assignments. The idea of an anonymous survey, presented at the beginning and end of
semester, where the student evaluates his/her skill (as a designer) was brought up as a tool of measurement
during the Spring 2015 Workshop. I intend to use the survey in Fall 2015 for the benefit of tracking
students' self-perception and confidence as well as measuring real and perceived results. Participation in
the Assessment Institute Workshop has proven valuable in making course objectives and student learning
objectives more visible and making conscious the deliberate choices and criteria for meeting stated
objectives. That is to say, those steps a good instructor naturally (and often unconsciously) goes through are
brought to the surface for the purposes of being placed in a more tangible and universal context to the
benefit of student, instructor and institution.