Planning Across the Curriculum for Technology

PACT Planning Across the Curriculum for Technology DRAFT REPORT FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT December 31, 2001 INTRODUCTION

Planning Across the Curriculum for Technology (PACT) is an alliance and collaborative effort between various departments on campus and Information Technology Services (ITS). Currently the participating departments include Fine Arts, Applied Mathematics, Communication, and Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences. The objectives for departmental information technology (IT) strategic planning are to:

 Produce a “jumping off point” for academic departments to integrate IT into their research and teaching activity over a period of three to five years;  Allow ITS to better respond to and support the academic activities of the campus; and  Allow academic departments to be more active in shaping their IT environment.  Commit resources to implement priorities identified during the process.

PACT developed a process to initiate a continuing dialogue between faculty and IT staff about IT needs at the academic department level. Additionally, it identifies departmental needs as a “bottom up” complement to campus-wide strategic planning efforts including: developing investment and financing strategies; creating the opportunity for individual faculty members, academic departments, school/college and central service providers to agree about “who is responsible for what?”; and reengineering the support model to reflect the various responsibilities.

Over the Fall 2001 semester participating departments engaged in discussions to:

 Identify technology goals for students (Answer the question: What IT abilities, skills, tools, knowledge and competencies do students need to have to complete their degrees and be ready for their first jobs after graduation?); and  Identify the research objectives and the information technology requirements including, training and other human and physical infrastructure needed to support research.

The clarification of these learning and research objectives and technology goals will help determine the IT investments to be made by each department and identify potential funding sources.

There are five milestones in the project. First, background data are provided to key participants with the objective of developing a common understanding between ITS and the department. These background data will be used to inform departmental discussions to identify learning objectives and IT skills required by students as well as technology needs to support research objectives. The third step is to specify the IT investments— hardware, software, technical support, etc—that should be made over the next three to five years to most effectively meet the departments objectives. The participants will prioritize the alternatives, determine alternative financing plans, and agree on who is responsible for implementing the various parts of the strategic plan.

2 The key step in developing sound strategic goals is identifying the technology learning objectives for students in each of the departments. The technology learning objectives for the Department of Fine Arts are listed next on page 3. The remaining part of the report provides background, process, findings and possible investments for meeting the learning objectives.

3 Fine Arts Department Technology Learning Objectives for Students

1. To be able to use technology for written, verbal, and asynchronous communication a. To be able to communicate through the Internet b. To be able to use networking skills to participate in on-line communities c. To be able to use technology to enhance presentation skills d. To be able to use word processing and page layout applications. e. To know the acronyms used in information technology

2. To be able to do research on computers a. To be able to look up databases, and to be aware of on-line resources available in a research library. b. To be able to use database and web applications for art historical research, collections management, and archival management.

3. To be visually literate a. To be able to provide critical judgment of digital images and the Internet b. To know the history and theory of digital arts c. To understand aesthetics and design of technology in the visual arts

4. To be able to use digital media as form of expression a. To be able to create a web page b. To be able to use tools required in virtual space including: 1. Recording, scanning and digitizing still and moving images 2. Managing images 3. Publishing images to both the Web and hardcopy c. To be able to use the basic tools of digital photography d. To be able to use the tools and process for 3-D animation e. To be able to use basic programming skills (digital arts only)

5. To be able to work collaboratively, both in a lab and virtually a. To be able to work productively with others b. To be able to work with a group in solving problems directly related to the group project c. To be able to value the work of others d. To be able to argue one’s case in a team environment e. To be able to participate in a group vision of a what a collaborative project ought to be or look like

6. To be able to develop career strategies a. To know how to go public with your work b. To be able to create an Internet portfolio c. To be able to write grants and apply for grants on-line

5 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Mission Statement

The Department of Fine Arts is committed to the creative production and historical study of the visual arts. It is an innovative, cross-disciplinary, and student-centered program characterized by excellence in art history, ceramics, drawing and painting, photography & digital media, printmaking, and sculpture.

These areas of study are bound together by theoretical and critical investigations of visual culture as they intersect with other programs at CU-Boulder and beyond. The faculty focus on intensive research and creative work through critical discourse and self- reflection. This attitude informs the undergraduate and graduate learning experience through mentorship and formal classroom teaching. The department offers small classes that encourage a free expression of ideas and emphasize individualized interactions between students and faculty. In addition, the professional arts orientation offers graduate students opportunities to develop teaching skills at the university level. The CU Fine Arts Galleries and Visiting Artist Program complement the department by making the work of regional, national, and international artists and critics available to CU students, faculty, staff, and the larger community. They illuminate and activate important public dialogue about visual culture and directly benefit the cultural diversification of our program.

Program Description

The Department of Fine Arts offers five degrees. Art History courses provide students with training leading to the B.A. and/or M.A. degrees; Studio courses provide students with training leading to the B.A., B.F.A., and/or M.F.A. degrees. The number of fine arts majors has increased dramatically. Fall 2001 enrollment for undergraduate majors was 775 compared to 528 in 1996—a 32 percent increase. (note: still tracking down grad enrollments) There are 34 faculty members.

The Department of Fine Arts Internship Program enables upper level undergraduate majors to work with institutions, programs, businesses, and individuals in the arts. Students may receive up to 6 hours of academic credit while considering the links between their undergraduate fine arts major and a future career in the arts.

The Visiting Artist Program has been a vital component of the Department of Fine Arts since 1972. Each academic year, 10-12 artists of major national and/or international status spend one week in residence on the CU campus. During their stay, artists present a public lecture, conduct a departmental seminar, and provide individual critiques with students and majors in the Department of Arts.

The Visiting Scholars Program was initiated in 1993 and is directed by the Division of Art History. Each academic year, 3-5 highly regarded art historians and critics participate in the Department's Visiting Scholar Seminar, presenting a public lecture on

4 their research and scholarly work, and working closely with graduate and undergraduate students in art history. The Department of Fine Arts has a variety of support services, including the Department of Fine Arts Slide Library (a collection of approximately 300,000 slides), the Exhibitions Program of the CU Fine Art Galleries, the Colorado Collection (an art collection of approximately 5,000 pieces), and the Metal and Wood Shops. These support services are staffed with full and part-time personnel.

Strategic Planning Goals

Fine Arts developed a set of 13 strategic goals in 1997 that are revised and ratified every two years. These are the strategic goals relevant to the PACT project:

Goal 1 Develop plans to improve the Department’s facilities. Goal 2 Secure necessary and essential technical support for the department and its academic programs Goal 5: Provide an excellent academic program for undergraduates Goal 6: Provide a quality educational experience for graduate students with available financial constraints and studio resources Goal 7: Recruit and retain an excellent pool of faculty, including underrepresented categories Goal 8: Encourage faculty research and creative work Goal 9: Serve as a link with the state of Colorado Goal 10: Develop and implement strategies for expressing to Colorado residents and potential students the genuine quality and value of undergraduate and graduate education in the department. Goal 11: Enhance relations between the department and its external support and advisory board(s).

ITS Support

MSG maintains two open student computing labs in the Fine Arts building, N274 and N275. These labs follow the guidelines for open lab management (http://www.colorado.edu/its/docs/labs/policy.procedures.html). The department purchases specialty software (currently includes goLive, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Flash). The labs are contiguous rooms with Mac G4 computers, 19 and 14 per room respectively. Additionally the department has paid for installation of screen and projector in one of the rooms that is partially reserved as an instructional facility.

Several of the fine arts computer intensive courses are conducted in the TAM facilities.

Centrally scheduled classrooms and lecture halls includes film, slide and overhead projectors and maintenance, data projector installation, maintenance and support, and audio system and infrastructure and support. There is a charge for services and equipment that are not a part of scheduled classes. Equipment in the Sibelle Wolle building include: FA N185: data projector, VCR speakers upgraded in 1998; FA N141

5 (lecture hall): data projector, CD/cassette player, VCR, 2 overhead projector, 2 slide projector, 2 16 mm film projector, 3 wireless mics systems, mixer/amp, loudspeakers. The data projectors and mic systems were purchased in 1997, the CD/cassette player 1999, and the rest of the equipment purchased 1994. The room is in need of full renovation.

Media production services provide videotaping of the Visiting Artist Lecture series that includes recording a studio interview, producing a ½ hour program from the interview, and supplying video duplications of the interviews. MPS also provides audio production for faculty and students, and graphics support including making slides.

Distributed Academic Technology Coordinator for the Humanities, Mark Werner, has been a resource to individual faculty members with researching hardware and software alternatives, solving broad range of problems from database conversion to printer repairs, and software training for example how to set up and maintain a web page.

Fine Arts uses the video, media engineering, and other services available to all academic departments on campus (see Appendix A for ITS Services).

ITS would like to be informed and be involved in the design of multimedia and instructional facilities in a new building.

Department Support

Several of the areas in the department have equipment that is available for the specialized needs of their students. This equipment is purchased through course fees for fine arts classes, and to a lesser extent the faculty purchase program or grants to faculty.

Digital audio lab—primarily for use by digital media majors, one Mac and one PC with various audio software, mixing boards, headphones, microphone, midi keyboard, etc Video lab—lab and classroom, 4 workstations with iMacs and iMovie software, 3 workstations with PC, video camera and monitor with Premier 5.1 software, 5 digital 8 video cameras available for loan Photo lab—for photography majors, Color output including a printer, ability to make slides, ability to make CDs and a scanner. 3 digital cameras available for loan, Printmaking—one G3, one Cube and an Epson 3000 printer, Also a HP 11x17 printer “Output” lab—specialized printers (note: equipment not calibrated with open lab) Sculpture—one workstation equipped with 3-D software Visual Resource Center (VRC)—slide projectors, TV/VCR, CD player, data projector and power book available for checkout

Additionally, each of the areas is committed to developing digital resources and has greater demand for equipment that what is currently available.

6 IDENTIFICATION OF TECHNOLOGY GOALS

The primary vehicle used to identify information technology learning goals is a series of focus groups and interviews. Focus groups and/or interviews are conducted to get the perspective of undergraduate majors, graduates, recent alumni and faculty.

Each of the constituent groups meets separately. Undergraduate students provide valuable perspective on how well the department is meeting its stated mission, goals and objectives; and what additional IT training or skills would be of interest. Graduate students offer insight both as students and instructors. Alumni contribute information on what skills and competencies have been most useful after graduating. Faculty groups critically evaluate and synthesize the input of students and add the perspective of those who will actually integrate the IT skills into the curriculum of the department.

Prior to the initiation of the focus groups, background information is provided to participants to help them to think about what is possible. Background information includes:

 An overview of campus-wide IT services and a summary of new initiatives that indicate where the campus is investing in technology infrastructure during the next 3-5 years (Appendix A and B)  A summary of IT learning programs at related departments at peer institutions (Appendix E)  Relevant articles on technology, teaching and learning; and  A look at industry trends, where applicable (alumni can be good resource for this).

Focus group discussion questions for students and faculty include:  Describe the current uses of information technology in your department. What hardware, software and facilities are most important for completing course-related assignments in your major?  What are the information technology-related learning objectives for the department? What should they be in the future?  What IT abilities, skills, tools, knowledge and competencies do you need to have by the time you graduate?  What are your ideas on how to accomplish these objectives?  Do you have any comments on teaching with technology?  Do you have any suggestions to improve the curriculum (what is missing)?  Where do you think technology in your discipline is headed?

These questions are representative of the starting points for focus group discussions. It is important to develop ad hoc follow up questions during the focus groups that generate a free-flowing discussion and that encourage the expression of different points of view.

7 Identification of IT Learning Objectives

The results of the focus groups are summarized in a written report (Appendix D). The report identifies common themes that emerged from the focus group discussions. A faculty committee designated by the department, and including a distributed academic technology coordinator used it to assess where they want the department to go in the future. An iterative process between the faculty committee and ITS was used to both clarify and focus the learning objectives.

Comparison to peer institutions

The PACT project researched fine arts programs at 10 peer institutions (Appendix E). Technology courses are present at all of the universities researched. The idea of interdisciplinary art and technology concentrations is gaining popularity among universities. Ohio State University offers an Art and Technology degree and an M.A. Concentration in Electronic Technologies for the Art Historian. Pennsylvania State has recently offered a Digital Arts and Information Science and Technology Minor.

The programs with the most funding are those that have collaborative alliances with computer science. The arts department develops the content and computer science develops the applications. An excellent example is Ohio State University that has received funding from NSF for research on computer animation since 1963.

Programs that have made the most advances in digital archive of images are those that have multi-department and library collaboration. The digitization of visual resources collections is a current issue at every university with which contact was made. If the collection is not already in the process of being digitized, plans are currently underway to do so. It seems to be universally accepted that this process of digitization is unavoidable, and that it is an issue that will have to be addressed sooner or later.

The most apparent difference between the department at CU and other universities is the lack of facilities at CU. Most other universities have digital media labs, centers, and computer labs that are exclusively used by their art students with emphasis on art technology and software. Additionally, there is space to display digital media pieces. The ATLAS building may provide some of these resources.

Findings

Video is becoming digital, narrative is becoming digital, images are becoming digital…. its all coming together. Digital technology has created an enormous impact in fine arts, and it is a critical skill set for emerging artists to possess. The CU faculty and students are keenly interested in effectively meeting this challenge. This will be accomplished through balancing technical and conceptual skills. It is important not to teach IT skills as the same thing as graphic design, but in the context of a fine arts curriculum. The department must be able to distinguish itself from skills course available through continuing education, community colleges or technical colleges.

8 Fine Arts views digital technologies as a new media and not a replacement for any of the traditional media. Therefore, technology skills are an addition to any existing areas of study. In the past, Photoshop, Quark or other computer applications were taught in-house and the employer took the responsibility for training. Now, the expectation from employers is that employees will bring these skills—and new ones—to the job. The shakeout in the tech industry has hurt the market demand for web designers and many students are coming back to school. These dynamics emphasize that skill set of graduates must be far broader than proficiency in technology. Also, the curriculum should not be built with the intent of accommodating the high tech industry.

There is a broad range of understanding and proficiency in the technology skills of fine arts students. Digital media students are using advanced techniques in Macromedia and Adobe, and there is strong interest in other software for video, animation, sound and 3-D. These students have very specific concerns and requests for hardware and software. Additionally, they would like to see more collaborative efforts that engage students with different backgrounds and encourages synergy between left and right brains, technology, and creativity. Most students in advanced digital arts classes are self-taught in developing IT skills, however self-teaching can create gaps in what is known. The writing group has much less interest in technology. Although they do acknowledge that it is important to have basic skills, it is difficult to maintain the skills unless they keep using them.

There needs to be a strategy for teaching how to teach IT and with technology. Today’s students demand an on-line supplement to courses. Furthermore, the faculty should be cognizant of different learning styles. The department wants to create a structure for educating and engaging the faculty who are illiterate regarding technology

Priorities For Accomplishing Learning Objectives

After reviewing the focus group summaries, input from ITS, and faculty discussions the department identified classes, workshops, course content, visiting artists/scholars programs, outreach, environmental design and interdepartmental collaboration as potential possibilities for implementing technology learning objectives. From this list, the following were determined to be the priorities.

 Integrate IT literacy and fluency skills into courses. Adding digital arts to the foundations course (1010), and developing the upper division writing class (3007) as a digital skills class are a good place to begin. Fine Arts is in the process of identifying courses that use IT now and targeting additional courses for basic and advanced technology learning skills. Appendix F is a matrix the department is using to help identify courses. In addition, Norlin library has resources to help departments integrate information skills into classes.  Add workshops to supplement IT skills needed for courses.  Expand internships for students to include learning digital skills.  Develop a digital research and projects studio

9 POTENTIAL AREAS OF INVESTMENT

The following areas of investment are the most critical to effectively fulfill the priorities for accomplishing learning objectives.

Develop and teach workshops for students and faculty

Hire a graduate assistant with both IT skills and fine arts background to develop and teach student workshops in Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Quark, etc. as a supplement to courses that use these applications.

Faculty must also attain a certain level of expertise to effectively integrate IT skills and competencies into the curriculum. The graduate assistant hired to conduct workshops could also provide training to faculty.

If successful, IT workshops tailored to a specific discipline could be extended across campus using the Graduate Teacher Program as a resource for training and support to the workshop instructors.

Digital archive of multimedia resources

Anticipate greater need for digital media support. There is a demand for digital archiving and access to the slide library in the Visual Resources Center (VRC) as well as a databank of sound, images, and video that can be incorporated into class projects. Fine Arts has committed fiscal resources to convert the VRC slide library to digital format. The project has four components: a database, a lecture interface (store images for courses), and a web interface to do on-line search for images. To ensure full benefit of the digital library, additional resources may be needed to scan or license images, equip classrooms, and ensure student access to digital images. ITS plans on implementing this project by Spring 2002 for use Fall 2002.

More broadly, the campus must consider how it archives and provides access to multimedia collections. Currently there is limited distribution because access is restricted to a physical area. Digitized images create both opportunity and demand for wider access. Issues include copyright, fair use and authorization to different collections both on campus and across institutions.

Computing instructional facility

As Fine Arts integrates technology into the curriculum, it will need to consider how many courses require a teaching facility equipped with workstations for each student. At some point, the computing lab will not be adequate to meet demands for instruction and may not comply with restrictions imposed by funding from student fees. Currently digital media classes use the facilities available through TAM. These facilities should be adequate through the 2002-2003 academic year. Digital media in Fine Arts anticipates

10 needing their own instructional facility—preferably housed in the fine arts building— after AY2002-2003 due to program growth and the sophistication of class projects.

Again, this is reflective of the increasing demand for computing instructional facilities across campus.

Technical support of department-operated labs (digital media, video, photography, printmaking, output)

Fine Arts needs to evaluate the most effective distribution of centralized IT support resources to meet the majority of teaching and research demands, and decentralized IT resources to meet unique needs in different subject areas. Currently, no in-house technical support is available to maintain and coordinate department run labs. Additionally, there is a desire for a seamless operation between the open computer lab and the output lab.

Considerations include: what type and level of technical expertise is required; is this a resource that can be shared with (similar) departments: what role does ITS play in training; and what access to campus technical resources is needed?

11 FINANCIAL ESTIMATES

These are estimates and subject to revision.

Annual costs Initial investment Low range High range Low range High range

WORKSHOPS FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY

Department graduate assistant stipend $8,000 - $15,000 Graduate assistant tuition waiver 1,164 - 8,312 Laptop Computer 1,000 - 1,000 3,000 - 3,000 $10,164 $24,312 $3,000 $3,000

DIGITAL ARCHIVE OF MULTIMEDIA RESOURCES

Application programming $10,200 - $13,260 Hardware (R&R includes scanner) 1,667 2,833 10,700 13,910 Server (currently sharing with architecture) 1,733 1,733 5,200 Conversion of images* 7,500 - 12,500 Annual maintenance 2,500 - 4,500 $5,900 $9,066 $28,400 $44,870

*Scanning or licensing of digital images ranges from $.75 - $1.25 per image, assume 10,000 images initially

COMPUTING INSTRUCTIONAL FACILITY

Technical Support (.45 FTE) $18,500 $18,500 Academic media support System Hardware--20 units @ $2,500 per unit - 16,667 - 50,000 Server 833 833 2,500 - 2,500 Software--20 units @ ?? unit - - - 15,000 Networking 6,500 - 6,500 Projector, screen, etc 1,500 2,975 15,000 - 17,848 Installation 8,800 $20,833 $38,975 $24,000 $100,648

TECHNICAL SUPPORT OF DEPARTMENT RUN LABS

IT Professional I, 1.0 FTE $40,596 $40,596 Benefits $10,149 $10,149 Training* Desktop computer $833 $833 $2,500 2,500 $51,578 $51,578 $2,500 $2,500

FUNDING ALTERNATIVES

The department is pursuing a grant from the CCHE Program in Excellence, gifts from potential donors—as an alternative to the new fine arts building which is being delayed, and possibly an NSF grant. Additionally, it is evaluating staffing priorities with its existing salary budget. The course fee committee—the members are students—are evaluating the funding needs identified by PACT with other funding requests from the department.

ITS is evaluating the areas of investments identified in each of the departments participating in PACT and aggregating the campus-wide issues that need to be considered in the broader IT strategic planning initiative for 2002. This may impact how resources are allocated for the infrastructure to better meet the needs of academic departments.

12 RESPONSIBILTIES

ITS should consider developing a set of principles to define responsibilities between ITS and academic departments. Responsibilities include who is providing the funding, what is the implementation timeline, and who is responsible for maintaining the investments once the initial investment has been made.

An initial step would be expanded use of Service Level Agreements and for ITS maintained labs and instructional facilities.

Issues that the Service Level Agreement (SLA) could address include:  Defining functionality for the lab  Identifying the departmental contact and hours of availability  What services are maintained by the department and what can be contracted with ITS  Time required to communicate changes to the loadset  Fees for services that are not identified in the SLA  Statement acknowledging that curricular/pedagogical decisions are the purview of the department  Hours of operation and use of the facility  Limits and contact for scheduling the facility

CONCLUSION

The PACT process opens the discussion between departments and ITS on how to best meet future IT needs. It will require significant time, effort and collaboration to achieve these goals.

Participants

Fine Arts—Mark Amerika, Frances Charteris, Diane Conlin, Deborah Haynes, Ken Iwamasa, Jim Johnson, Elaine Paul, Jeanne Quinn, George Rivera, Garrison Roots, Mia Semingson, Clinton Cline Students—Deborah’s writing class, Mark Amerika’s classes, Christopher DiCicco, Dan Donaldson, Betsy Dollar, Kathleen Fitzcallaghan, Jessie Friedman, Josh Peters Alumni--Bob Koons, Dinah Zeiger, Maria Patricia Baker, David Schaal, Patricia Baker ITS—Dave Bodnar, Richard Borkowski, Michelle Clifford, Stephanie Duncan, Barbara McFall, Mark Werner