Authentic Assessment in Art History

A Case for Video Podcasts

Abstract

In this essay, I make a case for why art history instructors, particularly those who teach in a BFA program, should consider replacing traditional research papers with video podcast projects in their upper-division art history courses. While research papers remain useful for art history majors who are more likely to continue in writing-based fields, for BFA students, video podcasts can serve as a highly effective form of authentic assessment by teaching art historical meta-skills in a creative, applied modality that better integrates with a BFA curriculum. Podcasts, I show, reframe art historical research as a narrative form of public scholarship, which encourages students to focus on the relationship between subjective framing and objective facts that lies at the heart of historical writing. By adding a visual component, video podcasts allow students to connect this relationship to their developing skills in visual communication. As with any digital writing project, however, to make podcast assignments effective, instructors must build a substantial pedagogical framework to support student success. Here, I provide a detailed outline of the podcast assignment I developed for two upper-division art history courses, geared primarily to BFA majors and GE students. This includes in-class project workshops, video production guides, and a staged assignment process in which students receive feedback throughout the development of their project. I conclude with reflections on public accessibility and future areas of improvement.