Peer Review

Art Appreciation Open Educational Resource

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Feb 28, 2021 by Teacher Education

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

The Art Appreciation course explores the world’s visual arts, focusing on the development of visual awareness, assessment, and appreciation by examining a variety of styles from various periods and cultures while emphasizing the development of a common visual language. The materials are meant to foster a broader understanding of the role of visual art in human culture and experience from the prehistoric through the contemporary. This is an Open Educational Resource (OER), an openly licensed educational material designed to replace a traditional textbook. The course materials consist of 24 lessons each with a presentation, reading list, and/or sample assignment. For ease of adapting, materials are available as PDFs and Microsoft PowerPoint or Word documents.

Type of Material:

Hybrid or Blended Course

Recommended Uses:

in-class (online), homework, independent study, self-paced

It is a course "in a box." A teacher can adopt all of the content or use bits and pieces to supplement a text. Each unit has text, slides, recommended reading and an exploration exercise.

Technical Requirements:

Internet access and browser to view course online.

Zip files in PowerPoint to view lesson presentations and ZIP files in Word to view reading and sketchbook assignments

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The goal of this OER course is to foster a broader understanding of the role of visual art in human culture and experience from the prehistoric through the contemporary.

A course that can be taken by a student, or adapted for use by a teacher.

It provides an engaging and visual introduction to art appreciation.

Target Student Population:

College General Ed, College Lower Division

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

None.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: This art appreciation OER is an openly licensed educational material designed to replace a traditional textbook. After an organized introduction to the course set-up and expectations and an opening lesson on art appreciation, the elements and principles of art are addressed. This is followed by 22 more lessons that move through periods of art from prehistory to the global art world. Each of the 24 lessons is a well-organized pdf rich with content that includes the lesson presentation with annotations, many images, hyperlinks, a hyper-linked reading list, and a sketchbook assignment. The content and approach for this OER is current and appropriate.
Concerns:: Limited only by the fact that it is made up of individual files rather than an interactive website. However, as downloadable files, it is easier for a teacher to adapt.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

This art appreciation OER explores the world’s visual arts, focusing on the development of visual awareness, assessment, and appreciation by examining a variety of styles from various periods and cultures while emphasizing the development of a common visual language. Due to thoughtful and thorough organization, this OER increases the potential for student learning. Through the use of visual presentations, readings, and engaging sketchbook assignments for each lesson, conceptual understanding of art and appreciating art is clearly promoted.

The content is clear, uses multiple modes of media and engagement. It is very easy to adapt.

Concerns:

None.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The course is organized and provides clear and accurate instructions for use right at the beginning of each lesson. Each of the 24 lessons is an individual pdf and organized in a consistent manner with the others--providing an annotated visual presentation, a reading list, and a sketchbook assignment. Copyright information, Educational Fair Use, and Adopting, Adapting, or Expanding the Resource information, and supporting links are provided for each lesson.

For a teacher it is very easy to use, grab and go, or grab and edit.

Concerns:

None.

Other Issues and Comments:: This is an EXCEPTIONAL OER offering.
Creative Commons: