The Computer Animation Program will offer training and education in Computer Animation techniques, with a foundation in artistic skills and development of aesthetic awareness.
Objective
Fine Art Foundations
Students will learn basic skills in drawing and design, and have an awareness of comtemporary art.
Indicator
BFA Review
BFA review portfolios will be required of all students pursuing the BFA before they enroll in upper level Art courses.
The BFA Portfolio Review will be held at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters and include a selection of coursework from Art 130 and 131 (WASH) Art 163 (Drawing) Art 164 (Life Drawing 1) Art 262 (Foundations in Digital Art)
Students who do not pass the BFA Review will become BA majors in Studio Art. Students who choose the BA at the outset of their art studies are not required to take the BFA Review, but the Review provides an assessment of work done in the Foundation courses that the BA students are required to take.
All BFA Candidates participate in BFA Review after completion of Sophomore level art foundation courses to assess their retention and integration of skills learned. Students bring work from these classes to the review and are assessed by a panel of faculty.
Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to make sophisticated compositions using the elements of line, shape, color, form, texture, value and scale and the principles of balance, movement, symmetry, organization, and figure-ground relationships. Students will be evaluated on their ability to keep a sketchbook and to creatively solve problems by exhibiting works that are unique examples of harmonious design. Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to convey concepts through the use of the elements of design.
Criterion
Passing The BFA Review
The BFA review will be held once a semester. A panel of at least 5 Art faculty will review each portfolio. Using a scale of 1-10 to evaluate the student work. It is expected that at least 80% of the students will receive a score of 7 or higher. The Faculty will use a rubric developed by the BFA review committee. It is expected that at least 80% of students pursuing the BFA in Computer Animation will pass the review.
Finding
Improvement From Previous Year
28% of all BFA students failed the BFA review in 2009-2010. The previous year, 42% failed. The number of students participating in the BFA review increased from 48 in 08-09 to 93 in 09-10. Improvements in student Portfolios were seen in the work done in WASH, and the weak areas overall tended to be in Drawing, particularly Figure Drawing. Faculty found that the drawings presented in the BFA review tended to be weak in terms of composition, content, and uniqueness of technique and style.
Action
Add A Drawing Course And Evaluate Course Content
The Art Department will add a drawing course to the foundation program. A second semester of drawing, 'Drawing 2' will be required before students take Life Drawing 1. Drawing 2 will emphasize conceptual aspects of drawing, the ability to convey a concept, and thematic development. Portfolios from all of the figure drawing classes will be evaluated by faculty over the summer. The content of the second semester of figure drawing, Life Drawing 2, will be developed to emphasize content and personal expression.
Objective
2D Animation And Basic Principles
Students will learn the Principles of Animation and acquire the skills to create 2D Animation.
Indicator
2D Animation Portfolio
Students in ART 231 and ART 331 will demonstrate knowledge of the basic principles of animation and the ability to complete 2D animations. At the completion of ART 331 the student should be able to animate 2 dimensional drawings in a way that suggests believable motion of objects governed by the laws of physics; demonstrate an understanding of the Principles of Animation described in the attached document; animate graphics and text to effectively communicate the content and purpose works made for video or film. The portfolio of work done in art 331 will be submitted as a final project in this course and will be used to asses these skills and abilities. Faculty will score the work on a scale of 1-100.
Criterion
2D Animation Skills
The Portfolio of 2D animation will be evaluated by Computer Animation faculty. The faculty will use a rubric developed and adopted by the committee. Using a scale of 0-100% to determine successful completion of the essay, it is expected that at least 80% of the students receive a score of 75% or higher using a scale of 0-100%.
Finding
Improvements Needed
Only 60% of the students scored above 75% in the portfolio evaluations. The findings indicate that the students are successful in creating believable motion and demonstrating the principles of animation and that the weakness is primarily in group work and story development.
Action
Refine Assignments
In order to improve the quality of the narrative aspect of the student projects, the importance of story will be emphasized in lectures and as part of the pre-visualization of projects. The story aspect of the projects will have more stringent guidelines so that students have more direction in the story development. It is believed that the assessment of the group projects will vary from year to year depending on the dynamics of individuals working together in the classroom. This will be reexamined in the next assessment to determine if changes need to be made.
Objective
3D Computer Animation
Students will become skilled in 3D Computer animation software.
Indicator
3D Animation Portfolio
Students will be required to take ART375 and ART376. A portfolio of 3D animations will be required in ART 376. The portfolio will demonstrate • the ability to model complex objects in a 3D program; • the ability to effectively rig and animate a character; • the ability to create believable and aesthetic textures and surfaces; • the ability tocreate animations that are effectively lit and rendered; • an understanding of the Principles of Animation described in the attached document. This portfolio will be graded by faculty on a scale of 1-100.
Criterion
3D Skills
The Portfolio of 3D animation will be evaluated by Computer Animation faculty. The faculty will use a rubric developed and adopted by the committee. Using a scale of 0-100% to determine successful completion of the essay, it is expected that at least 80% of the students receive a score of 75% or higher using a scale of 0-100%.
Finding
Expectations Met But Class Size Small
100% of the students scored above 75% in the faculty evaluation of portfolios. Only 6 students were evaluated because Art 376 had a small enrollment in the spring semester when the evaluation was done. The ability to effectively rig and animate a character was not demonstrated by two of the students since this was not taught in this course.
Action
Change Prerequisites
In order to increase the number of students in ART 376, it will be offered once a year rather than twice.
Students should learn character rigging before they learn some of the techniques in ART 376. Character rigging is taught in ART 433.
ART 376 and 433 will be reversed in the curriculum sequence, Character animation will be taught first and ART 376 Advanced 3D Computer Animation will be changed to a 400 level course.
Objective
History Of Animation
Students will learn the History of Animation.
Indicator
Research Paper In History Of Animation
ART 473 History of Animation was offered as a writing enhanced class in the Summer 2007 and will be offered in subsequent summer sessions. This course is required for Computer Animation BFA students. Students in the course are tested on factual knowledge and write a research paper on a topic in Animation history. Students are graded on their ability to identify styles, trends and techniques in animation from 1900-the present. Students will be able to recognize the time period associated with these styles and their cultural significance. Students will be given multiple choice and short answer examinations that will be graded on a scale of 1-100. Students will write a research paper on a specific topic in the History of Animation. In this paper, the student will describe in detail the work of a particular animator or studio, give a history of this, and describe the relationship of the work to the culture to which it belongs. The papers will be graded on a scale of 1-100.
The papers should • be based on research about a historical trend, style, or concept in animation • describe influences that affected the production of animation • describe ways in which the trend, style, or concept influenced other animation • describe at least two specific examples of animation in terms of style and content • compare and contrast these examples with animation outside of the paper's topic
Criterion
History Of Animation
The research papers will be evaluated by a committee of Art History and/or Animation faculty. The faculty will use a rubric developed and adopted by the committee. Using a scale of 0-100% to determine successful completion of the essay, it is expected that at least 80% of the students will score 75% or higher.
Finding
Exceeded Expectations
96% of the students in ART 473 scored above 75 on the research papers. The class was taught in Summer 2009 and had an enrollment of 26.
Action
Remove Writing Requirement And Increase Availability Of Course
The History of Animation has been offered in the summers only due to faculty availability. As the animation program has grown, the size of the course has grown. Also, the need for upper level, writing-enhanced art history courses has led students seeking the BFA in other disciplines to enroll in the class. Some animation students have not been able to enroll in the course in summer either because they are not able to enroll in summer classes, or the class has filled. ART 473W will be offered in Summer 2010 and Spring 2011. Because it is writing enhanced, the number of students will be limited to 25 in the summer, and reduced to a maximum of 20 in the spring. With the addition of the writing enhanced element of the WASH program, students will be able to meet the requirement for discipline specific writing enhanced hours without this course. The curriculum committee has decided that the History of Animation should be changed to a 300 level course, and that the writing enhanced designation should be eliminated. This will reduce the grading workload on the faculty and allow for larger class sizes. The students will then be evaluated through short answer/multiple choice exams and a new rubric for assessment will be developed.
Objective
Portfolio
At the completion of the program, students will have a portfolio that will enable to them to compete for jobs in the animation and gaming industries.
Indicator
Senior Portfolio
Students in ART 490 will work on a thesis project consisting of an animated work that demonstrates skill and talent in a specific area of expertise. The students will create a Demo Reel (Portfolio) consisting of the thesis project and clips of work that demonstrate expertise in other areas of animation. These clips will be drawn from work done in previous courses in the Computer Animation Program. The demo reel will be evaluated by Computer Animation Faculty and by Professionals in the Animation and Gaming Industry. Professionals in the Gaming and Animation Industry will evaluate the Demo Reel when the students apply for jobs. The Faculty will evaluate the Demo Reel by rating each of the following on a scale of 1-5: 2D Animation- Is the student able to animate 2 dimensional drawings in a way that suggests believable motion of objects governed by the laws of physics? Does the work demonstrate an understanding of the Principles of Animation described in the attached document? Can the student animate graphics and text to effectively communicate the content and purpose of the works? 3D Computer Animation- Is the student capable of modeling complex objects in a 3D program? Can the student effectively rig and animate a character? Does the work indicate that the student creates believable and aesthetic textures and surfaces? Are the animations effectively lit and rendered? Does the work demonstrate an understanding of the Principles of Animation described in the attached document?
Criterion
Portfolio
Students will have a professional quality portfolio that will include 2D Animation, 3D Models and environments, with textured surfaces, and character animation with an emphasis on one area of specialization. Two computer animation faculty will develop and adopt a rubric to evaluate the portfolios. It is expected that at least 90% of the students receive at least 30 points on a 1-40 point evaluation of their portfolio by two Computer Animation Faculty. It is expected that at least 75% of the students who submit a portfolio to an industry professional or studio are granted a job interview.
Finding
Expectations Met By Small Class
100% of the graduating seniors who were enrolled in the Portfolio class exceeded expectations in the faculty evaluation. 5 students received the BFA in Computer Animation in the spring semester and were enrolled in ART 490.
Action
Offer ART 490 Once A Year In Spring Semesters
Art 490, animation portfolio will be offered once a year in the spring semester. In spring 2011, it expected to be a full class. Students graduating in the fall semester 2010 will have to take the course as independent study, but subsequently it will be required that students take it in the spring to benefit from a contact with peers and regular studio time.