Eighteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Outcomes-based learning assessment, a standards-oriented approach to assessment that aims to measure intended learning outcomes, has become so pervasive in higher education that it is seldom subjected to critical investigation. By most accounts, the practice has led to significant improvement in student learning based on an assumption that the specific learning sought (indeed, often referred to as essential learning outcomes) defines collegiate learning. The purpose of this study it to endeavor to discover what students learn outside of such essential outcomes through a qualitative learning assessment of 30 art critiques that served as the final exhibition requirement for a diverse group of college students over three academic years. Using this approach made it possible to conduct both a semantic and a poetic analysis, establishing its utility, even if not necessarily in the classical sense. The findings suggest student learning goes well beyond artistic technique and into areas of self discovery and transformation.