Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Master of Arts in Arts Administration –Initiated in 2003 –Low-residency—one weekend per month (over 10 months) –Career advancement for non-profit professionals –2 years of full-time enrollment –Thesis as culminating experience –Typically admits 6-7 students per year –Program Director and two adjunct faculty

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration What were motivations for revision?

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration ASSESSMENT! !!!!

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Reaffirmation process with SACS in Arts Administration Consultant recommended by AAAE. –Consultant report guided the college’s decision to restructure the program –Changes for the future required to accommodate students currently in program—”repairing the engine while it’s still running”

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Restructuring goal –Embed the program’s learning outcomes into every aspect of the program Mission Program goals Curriculum Assignments in each course –Call this “vertical alignment”

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Start with best practices as defined by current scholarship and embraced by professional organization standards (AAAE) –Main resource was AAAE standards for graduate program curricula –In a nutshell a program should achieve these goals…..

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration AAAE program Goals (Handout 1) When completing a graduate degree, students should possess specific core competencies in certain areas including: Financial and audience development, strategic analysis and planning The dynamics and logistics of institutional development related to how art gets presented and produced The legal, ethical, and policy environments for the arts Leadership in complex organizational environments including the dynamics of working with boards, organizational structure and staffing, and working with artists and other constituencies The international environment for the arts and the impact of the global economy The application of research methodologies to the field including the ability to conceptualize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate data

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Based on AAAE goals, proceeded to revise the program learning GOALS (the program is the “subject” of the sentence) MAAA Program Goals To provide students a curriculum of best practices in governance, organizational management, audience development, financial management, and legal principles pertaining to non-profit arts organizations and cultural institutions. To prepare students for leadership roles in community engagement with the arts, arts advocacy, and arts policy development. To explore evolving technologies, global issues, ethical questions, and leadership practices as they relate to non-profit arts. To guide students to successful completion of an individual investigation or applied thesis research project as a culminating experience.

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Created program level SLOs for the MAAA program that aligned with AAAE content standards (the student is the “subject” of the sentence). (Handout 2) Graduates of the MAAA degree program will be able to: –Demonstrate understanding of historical development and strategic planning for non-profit arts organizations. –Demonstrate understanding of fiscal sustainability and institutional development for non-profit arts organizations. –Demonstrate knowledge of and skills in production, distribution, and marketing of the arts. –Demonstrate knowledge of key aspects of the legal, policy, and ethical environments of the arts. –Demonstrate understanding of and skills in advocacy and community relations for the arts. –Demonstrate understanding of research methodologies and skills to conceptualize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate data.

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Within the MAAA SLOs, there are three areas of content/skills recommended by AAAE that we chose to embed across the program & curriculum rather than create discrete SLOs or program goals relating to them. (See Handout 2) –Global/international environment –Technology management and training –Communication Skills WRITING!!!!!!! We also embedded oral communication skills across curriculum

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Curriculum Revision –The original 2003 curriculum included: 24 one-credit modules (each one delivered during a weekend each month for two years) –Covering leadership, finance, law, marketing, sustainability, governance, ethics, strategic planning, aesthetics, programming, history and philosophy 2 three-credit courses on field practicum 2 three-credit courses on thesis research

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Curriculum Revision –The revised 2012 curriculum included: NEW--8 three-credit courses (delivered across three weekends over the course of two years) –Principles and Practices; Leadership, Management and Org Structure; Marketing; Finances; Sustainability; Legal Issues; Community Engagement; Arts Advocacy NO CHANGE--2 three-credit courses on field practicum NO CHANGE--2 three-credit courses on thesis research

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Faculty members developed content for all eight new courses. –Assignments –Rubrics for evaluating assignments Developing rubrics TAKES TIME and TAKES WORK Perpetual cycle of assignment development—rubric development—assignment implementation— evaluation of results—revision of all the above. Benfits are produced for students, faculty, and college/university.

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Example of rubric that went through long process of creation, revision, application, revision, etc. –Instructions and rubric for the Process Portfolio as a direct assessment of Writing Evaluation of data –See handouts 10—process portfolio instructions 14—first draft of process portfolio rubric 15—second draft of process portfolio rubric 11—final draft of process portfolio rubric 9/20/2015

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Some examples of specific assignments (DIRECT ASSESSMENTS) across the curriculum to show vertical alignment of SLOs and program goals –Three questions about readings (and rubric) (Handouts 3 & 4) Use of technology Analysis of data writing –Class participation (and rubric) (Handout 5) Leadership ethics

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration An example of a specific assignment (AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENTS) to show vertical alignment of SLOs and program goals. --ARTA 600: Principles and Practices of Arts Administration—Strategic Planning Outline assignment and rubric (Handouts 8 and 9) Writing Oral Communication Skills for Leadership Strategic Planning

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Some examples of specific assignments (cont.) –Practitioner Interview assignment (and rubric) in ARTA 685 as a direct assessment of Writing Analysis of data –(See handouts 12 and 13) –Next slide summarizes revisions to thesis process. Handouts 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 provide details for your review outside this presentation.

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Revision to the thesis process –Assessment of the program (consultant visit) generated the awareness that the completion rate was unsatisfactory. –Faculty members revised the four courses in field practicum and thesis research to move students towards successful thesis writing Create a seamless progression of writing skills and research assignments—interview>research topic>proposal>thesis Enhance the substance of the thesis proposal process Complete a first draft by the end of the second year of study Rubrics created to evaluate all the above.

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Some indirect assessment instruments to gather programmatic level data –Pre-, mid-, and end-of-study student surveys to collect data on student achievement (Handouts 22, 23 and 24) Prompts expanded and aligned to SLOs and program goals –Student evaluations of courses (handout 25) –Observations of faculty teaching (handout 26) –Faculty self-reflections on teaching (handout 27)

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Strategic assessment instruments –Annual assessment plan (handout 28) Including goals changes implemented as a result of assessment data

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration Strategic assessment instruments (CONT.) Cycle of review of all assessment instruments (HANDOUT 29) –Avoids pitfall of using assessment data to fix the assessment instrument –Integrate new trends in the field in an orderly, systematic manner

Overhaul of a Graduate Program in Arts Administration THE END