Building a Foundation for Survey: Employing a Focused Introduction

This paper discusses the impact of introducing a multi-day introduction in an art history survey course in order to promote student awareness of the transferability of the skills and strategies of visual analysis to other contexts and courses outside of the discipline. Class discussion, course activities, and supplemental support materials were developed with the goal of generating student interest, investment, and self-efficacy in connection with art historical methodology and study strategies. Student performance and feedback in a recent survey course employing this introduction was then compared to earlier offerings of the course that did not employ this introduction. Preliminary results suggest the potential effectiveness of this approach. The observable behavior of students indicated greater enthusiasm and participation with the course. Academic metrics of student performance on course assessments demonstrated improvement in every area, at both the beginning and end of the semester. The teaching assessment instrument given at the end of the semester also showed an increase in students’ own evaluation of the effectiveness of the course in developing both their knowledge and broader academic skills