Program Assessment Plan: Art Department

Art Department Mission Statement:

To provide a learning centered, quality art program that emphasizes creativity, innovation, conceptual thinking, technical expertise and professionalism as it strives through continual assessment to meet the individual needs of a student population with diverse educational goals.


Art Department Intended Learning Outcomes (Competencies):

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

  1. Select and use appropriate materials, methods, technologies and processes.
  2. Recognize and apply the elements and principles of art.
  3. Analyze and assess works of art.
  4. Assemble a professional presentation of work.
  5. Apply historical and contemporary references in works of art.

Photography Program Assessment Procedures:

  • Examination

Format for Data Analysis:

During the course of a semester:

  • Instructors using the same examinations will assess all students in Art 151 courses for their understanding of “depth of field” which falls under competency number one (1) of the above competencies.

Feedback to:

  • Dean AHSS
  • Chair art department
  • All full time art faculty
  • Participating adjunct faculty
  • Assessment committee

Measures and Results
Art Department Program Assessment/ Photography

Classes Assessed-Photography I, Art 151 B01, B02, B03, and B04 (Spring 2001)

Quiz #1
The correct answer is underlined. The number of students that missed the question is indicated by hatch marks following the question. 72 students took this the test.

Question #1 What is aperture? ///

a) An opening in the back of the camera designed to allow light to strike the film.
b) An opening in the lens designed to expose film for a measured amount of time.
c) An adjustable opening in the lens designed to allow light to expose film by volume of light.
d) An adjustable opening in the back of the camera that exposes light by a measured amount of time.
e) An adjustable opening in the top of the camera that allows the light to expose film by volume.

Question #2 Aperture numbers usually occur in the following order. ////

a) 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16
b) 2, 2.4, 4.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 11, 16
c) 2, 2.6, 5, 6.5, 8, 11.5, 14, 16
d) 2, 2.8, 4.5, 5.6, 8.5, 11, 16
e) 2, 4, 5.6, 6.5, 8.6, 11.5, 16

Question #3 Which aperture opening will give you the largest depth of field? ////////////

a) 2
b) 8
c) 5.6
d) 11
e) 16

Question #4 The distance from the nearest point of focus to the farthest point of focus that will be acceptably sharp and in focus in the final photograph. //

a) Depth of exposure
b) Depth of feeling
c) Depth of field
d) Depth of concern
e) Depth of perception

Question #5 Which aperture will give you the shallowest depth of field? ////////////

a) 2
b) 8
c) 5.6
d) 11
e) 16

Quiz 1 chart

Mid-term Test
The correct answer is underlined. The number of students that missed the question is indicated by hatch marks following the question. 74 students took this test.

Question #1 The distance from the nearest point of focus to the farthest point of focus that will be acceptably sharp and in focus in the final photograph. /

a) Depth of exposure
b) Depth of focus
c) Depth of field
d) Depth of perception
e) Depth of concern

Question #5 What is aperture? ////

a) An opening in the back of the camera designed to allow light to strike the film
b) An opening in the lens designed to expose film for a measured amount of time
c) An adjustable opening in the lens designed to allow light to expose film by volume of light.
d) An adjustable opening in the back of the camera that exposes light by measured amount of time.
e) An adjustable opening in the top of the camera that allows light to expose the film by volume.

Question #21 Aperture numbers usually occur in the following order. /////

a) 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16
b) 2, 2.4, 4.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 11, 16
c) 2, 2.6, 5, 6.5, 8, 11.5, 14, 16
d) 2, 2.8, 4.5, 5.6, 8.5, 11, 16
e) 2, 4, 5.6, 6.5, 8.6, 11.5, 16

Question #32 Which aperture opening will give you the largest depth of field? //////

a) 16
b) 8
c) 2.8
d) 11
e) 5.6

Question #43 What is it called when you focus the distance to the nearest object in focus when the lens is focused on infinity?

a) Average metering
b) Focal plane shutter
c) Reflected light meter reading
d) Open up
e) Hyper focal distance focusing

Mid Term chart

Quiz #2
The correct answer is underlined. The number of students that missed the question is indicated by hatch marks following the question. 57 students took this test.

Question #1 When focusing on a subject, which aperture would render the foreground and background out of focus but the main subject in focus? ////

a) 16
b) 8
c) 5.6
d) 4
e) 2

Question #2 When focusing on a subject, which aperture adjustment would most likely render foreground, background, and main subject in focus? /

a) 16
b) 8
c) 5.6
d) 4
e) 2

Question #3 The distance from the nearest point of focus to the farthest point of focus that will be acceptably sharp and in focus in the final photograph. /

a) Depth of perception
b) Depth of focus
c) Depth of concern
d) Depth of field
e) Depth of exposure

Question #4 Change the aperture/shutter speed combination of 8 at 125 to give you the largest depth of field and still allow the same amount of light to strike the film. ////////

a) 11 at 1000
b) 11 at 30
c) 16 at 60
d) 16 at 30
e) 2.8 at 1000

Question #5 Change the aperture/shutter speed combination of 5.6 at 125 to give you the least depth of field and still allow the same amount of light to strike the film. /////

a) 8 at 500
b) 2 at 1000
c) 16 at 15
d) 11 at 1000
e) 5.6 at 30

Quiz 2 chart

Interpretation Of Results

From the above results it can be interpreted that students understand the concept of “depth of field” better at the end of the semester than they did at the beginning of the semester. It appears that students are struggling with the concept of reciprocity (the relationship between aperture and shutter speed) as demonstrated in the number of wrong answers to questions #4 and #5 of Quiz II.

Changes Based On Results

  1. More in class discussions
  2. Depth of field picture making assignment
  3. Timely quiz to determine student understanding

Changes to this assessment

  1. Evaluation of photographs demonstrating students understanding of depth of field
  2. Oral and camera examination of students understanding
  3. Timely quiz
  4. Adjunct faculty understood the assessment process