Student Art Assessment

The purpose of the Portfolio Assessments is to track better the progress of our students in the creation of a professional portfolio, which is the primary requirement of all graduating art majors in preparation for employment or graduate study.

The department does not require a portfolio review for acceptance into the art program. However, students must exhibit growth, dedication and artistic maturation during their first two years to remain in the program. Successful students will be asked to stay in the program. Students who fail to demonstrate these qualities will be prevented from continuing in the department, or in their chosen concentration.

Student growth, dedication, and artistic maturation is gauged via seven portfolio assessments. Each year all art students will be assessed, based on their work and presentation of their work in the portfolio assessment. These assessments are based on where the student is in the program. The student and his or her work are assessed on of five core competencies (see below). Depending upon when the student entered the program, his or her assessment will take place either before Spring Break or just after Fall Break.

Seven Core Competencies

Communication Skills: Develop and employ the ability to write and speak about art, design and art history with clarity and logic, and be able to form and support critical judgments about art, design and art history.
Formal and Technical Skill: Acquire and demonstrate technical mastery of the relevant materials and tools, and the terminology, theories, and practices relevant to the student’s field of study.
Conceptual Skills: Develop and demonstrate the ability to generate, support, and utilize individual thoughts and ideas.
Critical Thinking and Research Skills: Develop and demonstrate the ability to do research in art design, and art history, and the competence and knowledge to analyze and think critically.
Historical and Contemporary Relevance: Acquire and utilize an expanding knowledge of historical achievements and contemporary thinking, trends, processes, and issues in art and design.
Thematic Body of Work: Conceive, Design and create a coherent high-quality body of work for the evaluation in the major area of study.
Professional Skills: develop competencies in professional practice in the student's field of study.

Students are responsible for preparation of work and signing up on time. They are notified through Canvas, emails, and postings in the Theater, Art and Graphic & Animation Design Department.

A more detailed explanation of the Portfolio Assessments follows.

Mandatory Portfolio Assessments

As a graduation requirement, all students must participate in, and pass each of the five levels of the Art Department’s portfolio assessments. At each of the five assessment levels, students must present work that is predetermined by the faculty. The assessment evaluations are scored as either pass, fail, or conditional fail. See "Evaluation scores explained" for definitions of each evaluation score.

Evaluation scores explained

A pass permits the student to progress to the next level and continue to take Art classes.
A conditional no pass is granted only if the assessing faculty members believe the problems with the work can be improved in the remaining weeks before the end of the semester. If a conditional no-pass is granted, the student will be reassessed. The student will be informed as to what must be improved, and a date and time for the reassessment will be set. The reassessment will take place within the remaining weeks before the end of the semester and by the original assessors.
A no pass stops the students from advancing to the next level in the Art programs. Only one no-pass assessment is permitted. A second no-pass results in the student losing the opportunity to major in Art. Any student receiving a no-pass in an assessment must wait one year before that student is eligible to be reassessed.

A common rubric is used by all studio concentrations. The Assessment rubric is included in every course syllabus, and the rubric is reviewed by each studio art and art history faculty every semester. Please address any questions to your art faculty advisor.

Mandatory Participation in Junior Show

As a condition for passing the Third-year Portfolio Assessment, all Art majors must exhibit work in the annual Junior Show.

Mandatory Participation in Senior Show

As a condition for graduation, all Art seniors must exhibit their Senior Project at the annual Senior Show.

Mandatory Zero-credit classes

Each student must register for the appropriate zero-credit class for each level of assessment. The zero-credit classes are used to prevent students who have failed an assessment from continuing to take either Art classes (in the case of First-year Assessment) or in the student’s area of concentration(in the case of Second-year Assessment). Since the class is zero credit, it does not affect the student’s GPA. Each student will register for the appropriate zero-credit class when they register for classes in each of their Assessment semesters. Beginning with the Second-year Assessment, students will register for the appropriate section of the zero-credit class in their area of study.

Zero-credit Class Schedule

ART 183 – First-year Assessment
ART 283 – Second-year Assessment – choose the section specific to the student’s area of study.
ART 383 – Third-year Assessment – choose the section specific to the student’s area of study. Participation in the Junior Art Show is mandatory to pass third-year Assessment.
ART 423 – Fourth-year Assessment – choose the section specific to the student’s area of study.
ART 483 – Senior Project Final Assessment – choose the section specific to the student’s area of study. Participation in the Senior Art Show is mandatory to pass Senior Assessment.

Portfolio Assessment requirements:

The five levels of assessment progress as follows:

First-year Portfolio Assessment – usually takes place in mid-March close to Spring Break. Five art works from the student’s first year are assessed; one work, each, from Art 120, Art 130, Art 131, and Art 233, as well as an additional piece of the student’s choosing are required. The First-year faculty will determine which works are assessed. All 2D work must be professionally matted. Please refer to the faculty of your first-year art classes if you have any questions about presentation standards.

At each of the next four assessment levels, art education students must present work that is predetermined by the faculty.

Second-year Portfolio Assessment – usually takes place in mid-March prior to Spring Break. Five to seven works from the student’s concentration are assessed.
Third-year Portfolio Assessment – usually takes place in mid-March prior to Spring Break. The focus of this assessment is the evaluation of the student’s Senior Project Proposal, although additional work from the student’s third year may be assessed. Participation in the Junior Show is mandatory to pass third-year assessment.
Senior Project Mid-Assessment – usually takes place in mid-October just after Fall Break. The focus of this assessment is the evaluation of the student’s Senior Project at its mid-point.
Senior Project Final Assessment – usually takes place in mid-March prior to Spring Break. The focus of this assessment is the evaluation of the student’s completed Senior Project. Participation in the Senior Art Show is mandatory to pass Senior Assessment.

You will find our handy Art Assessments and Professional Presentation Standards (pdf) helpful as you prepare for assessments.