Assessment Methods | 4 incremental assignments targeting aesthetic skills were administered along with a midterm exam designed to assess specific technical aspects of the course. A comprehensive Final Project is a means to pull both technical and aesthetic mastery together into a semester-long endeavor. These methods were used to assess SLOs A, B, C, E, and G. |
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When Was Data Gathered? | Over the course of the entire semester, with Final Projects due as the capstone skills indicator. |
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Discussion Logistics | Other faculty and staff within the Photography Department as well as the Department Chair. As a result of 81D assessments, a panel of instructors has been formed to evaluate and modify the prerequisite course; PHOT 51. |
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Number Assessed | 20 |
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Data and Analysis Summary | 75% of students achieved an average or better score (≥70%). 15% of students earned a below average score, and 10% scored poorly. Those below average or poor scores were primarily a result of students discontinuing their attendance and participation in the class.
Student skill in the technical aspects of digital photography improved as a result of greater focus on Lightroom aspects of the course, particularly workflow issues.. Likewise creative and aesthetic aspects of image-making rose qualitatively. With the maturation of the Photography Department printing capacity, 81D printing skills were dramatically improved. It is still the case that the Photoshop content of the course is not being fully realized as a result of the limited entry skills of students coming from the prerequisite course: PHOT 51. This necessitates considerable class time devoted to Lightroom skill development. The good news is that Lightroom mastery is being achieved demonstrably. The course sequence beginning with PHOT 51 and including PHOT 81D, 81A, and 85A are being reviewed and presumably revised. The 81D coursse content (and SLOs) should be reduced in scope and in some cases migrated to other sequence courses such as PHOT 60A or 60B. As PHOT 51 (Beginning Photography)is under review for course modification, the updating of the PHOT 81D course outline to streamline its SLOs and remove unachievable goals is pending those other course revisions. |
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Future Improvements | Revision of PHOT 51 over the 2015-16 academic year will allow for subsequent revision of PHOT 81D and PHOT 60A & B. |
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