Recommendations
The visual literacy and new media committee has three recommendations to make:
1. A learning goal for visual literacy should be added to the College’s list of general education learning goals (as listed annually on the GEARS report form).
2. The CIP, perhaps in collaboration with the Gallery, should create a set of web pages describing programs and pedagogical tools to provide interested faculty with strategies for improving teaching in visual literacy. The “How Do You Look?” site, hosted by the Duke Nasher Museum of Art, provides an example of the form (but not necessarily the content) of such a site. See http://nasher.duke.edu/howdoyoulook/.
3. The College (through CPC or some other constituted body) should conduct an inventory (perhaps asking departments to provide information) about where and how we already teach visual literacy. We need to take stock of where we are already teaching visual literacy; then we will be in a position to assess how visually literate our students might be (using the learning goals and rubrics we have included in our report).
We discussed the possibility both of a skills based course designation (VL, comparable to the QR or W designation) and a visual literacy requirement; however, we felt that a requirement would only limit students’ flexibility within the curriculum. While the committee was split on the issue, we felt that the place to start was 1) to inventory the curriculum to determine where and how often visual literacy was already being taught; and 2) to get a better sense of our students’ competencies in visual literacy.
back to home page, final report
The visual literacy and new media committee has three recommendations to make:
1. A learning goal for visual literacy should be added to the College’s list of general education learning goals (as listed annually on the GEARS report form).
2. The CIP, perhaps in collaboration with the Gallery, should create a set of web pages describing programs and pedagogical tools to provide interested faculty with strategies for improving teaching in visual literacy. The “How Do You Look?” site, hosted by the Duke Nasher Museum of Art, provides an example of the form (but not necessarily the content) of such a site. See http://nasher.duke.edu/howdoyoulook/.
3. The College (through CPC or some other constituted body) should conduct an inventory (perhaps asking departments to provide information) about where and how we already teach visual literacy. We need to take stock of where we are already teaching visual literacy; then we will be in a position to assess how visually literate our students might be (using the learning goals and rubrics we have included in our report).
We discussed the possibility both of a skills based course designation (VL, comparable to the QR or W designation) and a visual literacy requirement; however, we felt that a requirement would only limit students’ flexibility within the curriculum. While the committee was split on the issue, we felt that the place to start was 1) to inventory the curriculum to determine where and how often visual literacy was already being taught; and 2) to get a better sense of our students’ competencies in visual literacy.
back to home page, final report
