Our mission is to provide a diverse core of foundational art history courses which help students achieve the following: 1. fulfill General Education requirements 2. prepare art history and studio art majors for advanced study at 4-year institutions of higher learning 3. prepare art history and studio art majors for arts related careers 4. promote an appreciation for, and comprehensive understanding of, our rich cultural heritage as expressed through great art and architecture.
We offer an AA-T Degree in Art History, encompassing curricula in the history of art useful for art majors and for students from other majors who are seeking to fulfill general education and multicultural competency requirements for their degrees and for transfer to 4-year colleges. Our course offerings are as follows: ART 1 Art Appreciation ART 2 Art History Survey I (Prehistoric through Medieval) ART 3 Asian Art History Survey ART 4 Art History Survey II (Renaissance through Modern) ART 5 Survey of Modern Art ART 6 Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Native Americas
ART ACADEMIC PLOs, and SLOs
Upon successful completion of this program, the student will be able to:
- Identify, examine, and assess representative works of art and architecture from diverse world cultures and time periods employing appropriate art historical terminology.
- Analyze, discuss, and differentiate works of art and architecture in terms of historical context.
- Analyze, discuss, and distinguish the roles of art, architecture, and the artist from diverse world cultures and time periods.
- Employ college-level writing skills, creativity, and critical thinking in completing independent projects in the field of Art History.
Art Academic SLO assessments are based upon written responses done in class, essays written as homework, and exams. These activities, taken together, are designed to facilitate student achievement of all of the SLOs in Art Appreciation and Art History, so the students' final grades are a reliable indicator of their success. Taken together, student success in all of our Art Academic courses averaged 77% (up from 71.3% the year before). Indeed, the trend has been consitently positive since 2012, improving from a low 68%.
It is clear that many students find writing at college level challenging, due either to lack of previous training, aptitude, and/or motivation. We therefore endeavor to teach writing skills in these courses, and to inspire a variety of learners. We do the former by clearly laying out what the expectations are, both in assignment guidelines, and evaluation rubrics. We strive for the later by assigning topics that are engaging and require critical and creative thinking. Another conclusion that can be drawn from faculty dialog and reporting is that student success is, not surprisingly, directly correlated to their level of attendance and completion of assigned work. We emphasize early-on in each course, that in order to be successful in these transfer-level courses they must submit all required work, and prepare adequately for writing and examinations. Almost without exception, the students who do so are successful in achieving related SLOs.
| 2012FA | 68.61% | |
| 2013FA | 69.24% | |
| 2014FA | 69.49% | |
| 2015FA | 71.28% | |
| 2016FA | 76.98% | |
The Student Achievement Standards in the Art Academic Area is presently 3 percentage points higher than the campus-wide 6-year target of 74% for Transfer GE courses. To achieve this, we endeavor to make the content of our courses relevant and relatable, stress fundamental writing and critical thinking skills, and the importance of regular attendance and completion of all required work.
Implementing a Guided Pathways Model that makes career and transfer pathways clear, easy to navigate, tailored to meet labor market needs, and promotes success after transfer.*
The implementation of our AA-T Degree in Art History is a step in this direction. Our brochure and Catalog description makes it clear to aspiring Art Historians the classes needed for guarenteed transfer to CSU or UC.
More should be done to list and present rationale for the inclusion of our 6 Art Academic course offerings into Guided Pathways for certain majors.
Collaborating effectively with K-12 administrators, faculty, and counselors to set appropriate student expectations, align curriculum and pathways, and provide opportunities for high school students to earn college credits while in high school.*
This past Fall semester, we (David Cooper, Teresa Doyle) attended a Dual Enrollment conference in Ontario, CA, retruning with much enthusiasm and information relating to enhancing our relationships with our local high schools. Prior to that, during Summer 2017, The Art Department Chair, David Cooper, worked on a task-force to explore Dual-Enrollment possibilities. Last semester we hosted a meeting of faculty and an administrator from "Inspire" Charter High School in Chico, and plan to continue to work with them to set up appropriate dual enrollment courses in the Arts.
Providing effective communication (e.g. website, social media, marketing materials, messaging, and wifi access) that support student success and completion.*
Our AA-T Degree Brochure communicates effectively to Art History Majors.
We also faciltate student success in Art Academic classes by using CANVAS to communicate course expectations, augment classroom learning, provide feedback and grades for student projects, tests, and papers.
Practicing strategic enrollment management that integrates financial planning with student need and achievement. *
We teach our Art Academic courses with a mix of Full-time Tentured faculty and Associate faculty. The classes tend to have high fill-rates and enroll large numbers of students, so they generate high FTES efficiently.
Maintaining life-cycle replacement for computer labs, smart classrooms, and faculty and staff computers.*
The team noted that the last Validation Team review called for two new full-time faculty positions. Since that time, three full-time and several experienced associate faculty have left. It is clear that despite the limited institutional resources, the number of full-time faculty should be increased to sustain the future of the department. While multiple areas of need are recognized, particularly striking was a lack of full-time faculty in 3D areas. Ceramics and Sculpture do have skilled associate faculty, but a full-time faculty will provide forward-thinking leadership for these large and quite complex programs. Recognizing other departmental faculty needs, a General Education Area C-rooted faculty could be sought who has additional expertise in the Art Academic areas, specifically Art History. Of particular importance to the overall health of the department would be the reinstatement of staff positions to prior levels. Lab tech support staff positions should be returned to previous levels to permit all the deferred maintenance that builds up during the school year.
We have reinstated the Secretary III role to 12-month. We need to eventually hire an additional full-time instructor in the art academic area.
• As the Background Statement of the Art Department’s 2014 Program Review rightly states, “Art has been an integral part of human culture for over 30,000 years” (p. 1) and it remains essential by reinforcing our “shared beliefs and values” (p. 2), increasing our “empathy” (p. 3) and reinforcing our “social bonds” (p. 3). Because of the Arts’ central importance in human development and behavior, it is extremely disheartening to see the cuts and restrictions Butte’s Art Department has suffered in recent years. Therefore, it is the Validation Team’s recommendation that the Art Department be allowed to expand its course offerings (which are also profitable for the college). It is also the team’s recommendation that creative solutions be sought to somehow address students’ needs for skills development in Studio Arts classes given current, inappropriate state-mandated limits on repeatability of classes.
We are endeavoring to add courses as the college experiences lower-than-anticipated enrollments. In the past, we have been met with resistance by an administration focused on classes perceived as more central to the “completion agenda”. With enrollments continuing to decline, threatening the financial well-being of the college, the climate may be changing in favor of allowing the arts to grow and flourish once more
• We recommend that the Art Department review what is in the catalog currently on page 117 for the Arts major requirements. Most of what is listed is aligned with Chico State, our biggest transfer destination; yet, the page does not reflect what is currently on assist.org for many majors.
We are now relying more on our AA-T degrees in Art History and Studio Art
• The Validation Team recommends that the Art Department discuss and agree to the use of a standard departmental name. Clearly denote the “programs” included within the Art Department. Ensure that signage on Art Department doors and walls, promotional materials and student advisement documents reflect the official organizational structure and name of this department.
We are using the title “ARTS”. This includes Art Academic, Art Studio, Photography, Fashion, and Drama
• The Validation Team recommends that the Art Department continue to address ongoing requests and concerns with regard to tweaking operating budgets. Faculty and technical support personnel need to continue to provide input as far as what is needed to support and enhance instruction and carrying our program operations. Unit Plans supply an important vehicle for facilities support, but more can be done outside of Unit Plan cycles. For example, only instructors know best what visual delivery systems work best in their classrooms. Their views should be respected and reflected in various budget requests at various times during the academic year. This includes support for the Art Resource Center.
This is in-progress and ongoing.
• The Validation Team recommends a renewed, more inclusive approach to the running of the Art Gallery. While we commend the individuals who have recently carried the bulk of the organization and presentation of Gallery exhibits, we believe that the vision for the Gallery should reflect a more broad consensus. We recommend that the Art Department, in conjunction with an advisory committee comprised of other interested, appropriate parties, both establish the vision and do planning for the Art Gallery. Ensure that input is gathered from more full-time and associate faculty. We also recommend that the Gallery not be so reliant on personal donations from faculty and staff. The Gallery requires the support of student assistants, reinstatement of reassigned time for faculty taking a leadership role relative to the Gallery and stipends for those curating exhibits.
This is in-progress and ongoing.
• We recommend that the Art Department continue the ongoing work of SLO assessment, align Student Learning Outcomes with General Education outcomes, and implement a 6-year assessment cycle for all disciplines and/or programs within the department.
This is in-progress and ongoing.
- Increase the number of AA-T Degrees awarded in Art History
- Increase student success in Art Academic courses
- Maintain our equipment and facilities to remain effective in facilitating faculty, student, and staff success
Strategy 1 - AA-T Degree in Art History
From last year's Unit Plan: Work within the State Transfer Model Curriculum frameworks to develop and offer an AA-T degree program in Art History. Mentor students to increase their awareness of these majors to encourage them to think of graduation as a meaningful goal.
The AA-T Degree in Art History has been developed and approved. It now appears in the Course Catalog, and is available through brochures highlighting our AA-T degrees in Art History, Art Studio, and Drama. We need to publicize and inform students about the efficacy of this degree path in transferring to 4-year colleges.
Student success is facilitated when we provide clear and meaningful degree pathways leading to increased rates of Associate of Arts degrees and seamless transfer to 4-year institutions.
Strategy 2 - SLO, PLO achievement
From last year's Unit Plan: Continue the work of refining and implementing the assessment of meaningful Student Learning Outcomes in each of our Art Appreciation and Art History courses.
This work is ongoing, and has been faciliated by the development of templates for reporting within Curricunet.
This work is facilitating student success by clarifying our major objectives for each of our courses, stimulating faculty interaction, and improving our pedagogy.
Strategy 3 - Provide supplemental instruction through the ARC
From last year's Unit Plan: Continue to offer ongoing supplemental learning resources and peer tutoring through the Arts Resource Center (ARC).
Update: This was curtailed due to budgetary restrictions, but should be reestablished at previous levels.
Update, 2-5-15: Presently the ARC is open and available to students MW 9-1:00, staffed by a Work-study student iunder the direct supervision of faculty member Alex Meier. Hopefully we will be able to increase this access in the future to also accomodate TTh students.
Located between the two Art History/Art Appreciation classrooms in the Arts Building, this facility provides students and faculty with access to Art, Music, and Drama books, DVDs, and computer resources. It contributes to student success in these classes by augmenting and enriching classroom instruction.
Strategy 4 - Hire a full-time, tenure-track Art Instructor
The position we requested in our last Unit Plan was for a generalist Visual Arts Instructor: someone qualified to teach Studio Art classes, as well as our academic Art History and Art Appreciation classes. With the impending retirement of David Cooper, we requested and were granted a replacement FT faculty position. We are currently accepting applications and will screen and interview candidates this Spring.
Pressing need for full-time leadership
We requested a Full-time Tenure-track position in Academic Art to replace David Cooper, who has declared his intent to retire at the conclusion of the Spring 2018 semester. Since 1989 Mr. Cooper has provided leadership and offered courses in Art History, Art Appreciation (Summer Bridge), and Honors Art History. More recently, with the support of the Office of Instruction and key leaders of the Curriculum Committee, Mr. Cooper helped develop AA-T Degrees in Academic and Studio Art. These provide guided pathways for students seeking to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree at a California State University.
The Academic Art Program currently offers a rich diversity of art history courses to students seeking to either meet General Education requirements (C-1 for CSU GE; 3-A for IGETC) or to transfer with an AA-T degree to a four-year university or private college. The Academic Art Courses we offer are:
Art 1, Art Appreciation
Art 2, Art History Survey I
Art 3, Asian Art History Survey
Art 4, Art History Survey II
Art 5, Survey of Modern Art
Art 6, African, Oceanic, and Native American Art History Survey
Each of the courses listed above are applicable to the AA-T Degree, each meets CSU and IGETC requirements, and Art 3 and Art 6 additionally satisfy Multicultural Competency requirements.
In the last fiscal year 2016-2017 our programs generated 41.44 FTES, and is highly cost-effective: second only to Mathematics, Academic Art brings in almost twice as much revenue as is expended to offer courses in the discipline. We’ve accomplished this with two Full-time Faculty, and four-to-six Associate Faculty. This ratio of faculty has proved serviceable over the past decades, but is due to change significantly at the conclusion of the Spring 2018 semester, with the retirement of Mr. Cooper, who has served for the past 5 years as Department Chair as well as having taught six to seven sections of Academic Art classes each year.
Lack of Associate Faculty/Inability to meet student-demand
Although we have been served faithfully and well by many Associate Faculty in the Academic Art area, especially in our Art Appreciation offerings, it is difficult to recruit and retain qualified art historians. In the recent past, through advertising and word-of-mouth networking with graduate advisors at California State University Chico, we have managed to attract only a few applicants, many of whom are also studio artists, and prefer to teach practicum classes. A dedicated Academic Art Instructor could maintain and help grow the program to accommodate the many students seeking to satisfy G.E. who are turned away from our over-enrolled courses in Art Appreciation. Currently, we have six Art Appreciation courses with 50 students in each, and three other sections in alternate smaller venues that average 25 students. Of these nine, seven classes had between 4 and 15 wait-listed students hoping to enroll this Fall.
Strategy 5 - Supporting Art Academic Instruction
Supply faculty members with functional computers.
Alex Meier has been using an outdated computer for many years now. This despite the fact that she generates the most FTES of any faculty member in the Area, through teaching Art History and Art Appreciation courses averaging 40-50 students per section. She is overdue for a replacement computer.
None.
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Full-time Art History Instructor | Personnel | 11-000-512-1-100220 | 52210 | $0.00 | $109,000.00 |
| Art Academic | Pressing need for full-time leadership We are requesting a Full-time Tenure-track position in Academic Art to replace David Cooper, who has declared his intent to retire at the conclusion of the Spring 2018 semester. Since 1989 Mr. Cooper has provided leadership and offered courses in Art History, Art Appreciation (Summer Bridge), and Honors Art History. More recently, with the support of the Office of Instruction and key leaders of the Curriculum Committee, Mr. Cooper helped develop AA-T Degrees in Academic and Studio Art. These provide guided pathways for students seeking to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree at a California State University. The Academic Art Program currently offers a rich diversity of art history courses to students seeking to either meet General Education requirements (C-1 for CSU GE; 3-A for IGETC) or to transfer with an AA-T degree to a four-year university or private college. The Academic Art Courses we offer are: Art 1, Art Appreciation Art 2, Art History Survey I Art 3, Asian Art History Survey Art 4, Art History Survey II Art 5, Survey of Modern Art Art 6, African, Oceanic, and Native American Art History Survey Each of the courses listed above are applicable to the AA-T Degree, each meets CSU and IGETC requirements, and Art 3 and Art 6 additionally satisfy Multicultural Competency requirements. In the last fiscal year 2016-2017 our programs generated 41.44 FTES, and is highly cost-effective: second only to Mathematics, Academic Art brings in almost twice as much revenue as is expended to offer courses in the discipline. We’ve accomplished this with two Full-time Faculty, and four-to-six Associate Faculty. This ratio of faculty has proved serviceable over the past decades, but is due to change significantly at the conclusion of the Spring 2018 semester, with the retirement of Mr. Cooper, who has served for the past 5 years as Department Chair as well as having taught six to seven sections of Academic Art classes each year. Lack of Associate Faculty/Inability to meet student-demand Although we have been served faithfully and well by many Associate Faculty in the Academic Art area, especially in our Art Appreciation offerings, it is difficult to recruit and retain qualified art historians. In the recent past, through advertising and word-of-mouth networking with graduate advisors at California State University Chico, we have managed to attract only a few applicants, many of whom are also studio artists, and prefer to teach practicum classes. A dedicated Academic Art Instructor could maintain and help grow the program to accommodate the many students seeking to satisfy G.E. who are turned away from our over-enrolled courses in Art Appreciation. Currently, we have six Art Appreciation courses with 50 students in each, and three other sections in alternate smaller venues that average 25 students. Of these nine, seven classes had between 4 and 15 wait-listed students hoping to enroll this Fall. |
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| 2 | Arts Resource Center | Personnel | 11-000-512-1-160100 | 52468 | $0.00 | $8,670.00 |
| 2 Student Assistants, 15 hours per week each. | Student help is critical in providing access to the materials and equipment in the ARC. These resources are targeted to facilitate student success in Academic Art courses which meet G.E. and transfer requirements, and Studio Art Courses. |
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| 3 | Art Academic | Equipment | $2,870.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Replace outdated laptop computer | Alex Meier has been using an outdated computer for many years now. This despite the fact that she generates the most FTES of any faculty member in the Area, through teaching Art History and Art Appreciation courses averaging 40-50 students per section. She is overdue for a replacement computer. |
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