Art Library Instructional Assessment

Art 151 : History of Western Art (Fall 2011)Strategies & Tools

1. Course Overview2. Course (Final) Assignment3. Library Instruction & Worksheet4. Sakai5. Planning for spring semester

Art151: History of Western Art IAncient - Medieval Art (Dr. Paroma Chatterjee)

•259 students

•14 recitation sections

•8 Art History TAs

Majority of students are non-art majors.

Spring 2011

Final Assignment for the course

“Library Research Assignment”

1. A detailed description of the object on display at the Ackland Art Museum.

2. An annotated list of at least three research questions.

3. An annotated bibliography of published scholarly literature and web-based resources that will allow you to answer the questions posed.

Art Librarian, 4 SILS graduate students who have an educational background in art/art history, 1 art history graduate student (summer Art Library employee)

Our Instruction Team

Library Instruction Sessions – 50 minutes

1. Visual analysis – “what do you see?” 2. Class develops questions based on what they

see3. Textual analysis (excerpt from Oxford Art

Online)4. New questions about the object5. Internet search – evaluating information

sources6. Locating books7. Locating articles8. Begin worksheet

What do you see?

What questions do you have about this

object?

Kore with pomegranate (Berlin Goddess), Cemetery

at Keratea, near Athens, Greek,

570 BCE

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Germany). Antikensammlung, ARTstor ID 10-01-08/43

Tools – Linoit virtual “sticky notes”

Powerpoint annotation tools

Goal – make library worksheet “homework”

Students have 1 week to complete the worksheet. That means we can devote more library session time to:

•Interact with the class

•Developing good research questions

•Discussion of the research process

•“using resources” processes

•Answering their questions

Tools – Sakai

The “Library Research Skills Worksheet”1. Describe the object you are researching.

2. Working from what you know about the object, list five key terms (synonyms) or phrases that you will use in your search.

3. Locate three different resources that relate to your object:a) a bookb) an articlec) website

4. Evaluating Your Sources: Explain why you would or would not include the source in your final assignment.

5. Develop two new research questions. These two new questions should be more nuanced than the initial questions you had about the object.

Sakai version…

Our feedback for students, aka “grading”

Comment boxes in Sakai…

Over Fall Break…

•Complete “grading” of worksheets and submit feedback to students.

•Export student answers into Excel spreadsheet – see if this is helpful for identifying patterns.

•Tallying – rubric feedback (advanced, intermediate, preliminary, incomplete)

Preliminary results…

•199 students submitted worksheets; 28 “in progress”

•Integration of research-related skills into TA recitation sections (e.g. citations, bibliography, more about evaluating sources, etc.)

•Increased dialogue and cooperation with faculty and TAs – a true partnership.

Later this fall…

•Meet with Instruction Team to identify patterns, discuss things we want to change.

•Give feedback to TAs based on our assessment process and observations.

•Conduct short TA & faculty survey.

•Improve process for spring course based on our assessment process and observations. Talk to Sakai support about improvements, bugs, etc.

Thanks!