Arts Colleges Research Articles

Art College Teachers’ Status and Experiences of STEAM Education at a University in China

Art College Teachers’ Status and Experiences of STEAM Education at a University in China

Creating an Exhibition Space to Attract Students in the University Library of Ukraine in Times of Crisis

Crisis times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the martial law in Ukraine have actualized the creation of various exhibitions in academic libraries to reach and attract users. In particular, to overcome social isolation, anxiety, and emotional and mental exhaustion. This study discusses the authors’ practical experience of building a partnership between the academic library and the Graphic Design Department of the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts (Ukraine). The cooperation aims to create a physical and online exhibition space to reach and attract students to the library. The study provides examples of the joint creation of a library thematic exhibition space with students and teachers for interaction and moral support, formation of common values, self-realization, and motivation, as well as examples of using the exhibition space to hold exhibitions of students’ artwork as part of the library’s engagement program in times of crisis. The examples confirm that the university library, in times of crisis during martial law, positions its exhibition space as a place that unites the university community, inspires, promotes cultural development, supports successful initiatives, and presents the achievements of university students and teachers. The results of this article complement previous research on library exhibitions as a means of reaching, engaging, highlighting collections, and educating students. It also informs practitioners about the Ukrainian experience of creating an exhibition space to attract students to the academic library in times of crisis. This article may be helpful to library practitioners looking for ideas and experience organizing exhibitions in academic libraries.

The updated design of university libraries in the digital era

AbstractWith the rise of the digital era, digital reading and learning have become widespread. University libraries, as core locations for study and communication, face challenges in fully meeting the demands of modern teaching and learning. This paper takes the library at the Changqing campus of Shandong University of Arts as a case study to explore the environmental space design of constructed libraries in the digital era. By reviewing relevant concepts and theoretical frameworks, analyzing the existing environment, and researching intervention design methods, the paper discusses the positive role of adapting to the digital future in renovating established library spaces.

Formation and Development of Stage Ballroom Dance in Ukraine from the Mid-90s of the Twentieth Century to the Early 20s of the Twenty-First Century

The purpose of the article is to analyse the formation, tendencies and peculiarities of the development of stage ballroom dance in Ukraine from the mid-90s of the twentieth century to the early 20s of the twenty-first century. The research methodology is based on the principles of objectivity, historicism, and systematicity. To achieve the goal, the following methods were used: systematisation – to understand the combination of events in stage ballroom choreography; synthesis – to analyse the specifics of the processes of development of stage ballroom choreography in Ukraine; included observation – to review individual choreographic works, stage performances and their preliminary comprehension. Scientific novelty. For the first time, an art historical analysis of the formation and development of stage ballroom choreography in Ukraine was conducted, the specifics of the existence of ballroom choreography in the stage space were highlighted through the prism of the activities of theatres, show ballets and ballroom dance groups that have been operating since the 90s of the twentieth century. Conclusions. It is important to note that one of the most powerful areas of national choreographic art is stage ballroom choreography. Ukraine is a leader among other countries in the world in popularising ballroom dancing through theatrical and stage practice. In other countries of the world, the competition and sports direction are developing more actively, and foreign show ballets are synthesised forms of classical and modern dance with some elements of ballroom dance. Instead, Ukrainian dancers, including students and graduates of the Department of Choreographic Arts of the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts (specialising in ballroom choreography), create a large number of choreographic productions, concerts, show programmes, musicals, ballets based on the vocabulary of ballroom choreography, which, unfortunately, remain the property of the local dance community. In our opinion, it is the lack of promotion of this art form, as well as the absence of systematic state support for this industry, that makes it impossible to convey to a wide range of viewers the high potential of ballroom choreography as a spectacular stage and dramatic art form.

The Impact of Teachers' Classroom Behavior Management Strategies on Learning Behavior among Chinese Art Students

Previous studies have examined teachers' classroom behavior management strategies (TCBMS) and students' learning behavior (SLB) from a static perspective, particularly outside the realm of art education. This mixed-methods study aimed to comprehensively explore the detailed correlation between each dimension and the dynamic elements of TCBMS and SLB variables. Eighty-seven teachers and 453 students from Chinese art universities completed an online survey on TCBMS and SLB. Additionally, in-depth interviews with five art teachers were conducted to examine the dynamic aspects of learning behavior. Quantitative data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to explain the impact of TCBMS on SLB. The research findings reveal that all aspects of TCBMS positively contribute to SLB. Three components of TCBMS were particularly dominant in improving SLB: feedback, the student-teacher relationship, and the use of traditional writing on the whiteboard. Teachers' feedback emerged as the most effective method for encouraging students' attention in art classroom learning. The study also examined how teachers provided input to their art students and the subsequent impact on their learning.

Evaluation Method of Teaching Effect of Environmental Art and Design in Universities Based on Multi-Source Data Fusion Technology

The evaluation of teaching reform satisfaction is crucial for improving teaching quality. In the evaluation of satisfaction with teaching reforms in environmental art and design, issues such as the low reliability of evaluation indicator data can lead to unsatisfactory results. To address this, this paper proposes a new method for evaluating satisfaction with teaching reforms in environmental art and design based on multi-source data integration. By establishing principles for constructing a multi-source indicator system for evaluating satisfaction with teaching reforms in environmental art and design, a four-level multi-source indicator system was determined. This system mainly includes one first-level indicator, four second-level satisfaction evaluation indicators, and several third- and fourth-level evaluation indicators. The construction of the multi-source indicator system for evaluating satisfaction with teaching reforms in environmental art and design was completed. Using a four-part graph model and entropy weight calculation, the importance of the evaluation indicators for satisfaction with teaching reforms in environmental art and design was classified. The expert scoring method was introduced to correct the multi-source indicator data for evaluating satisfaction with teaching reforms in environmental art and design. Based on standardized indicator data, a penalty rule was added to the loss function of the multiple linear regression model to remove data noise, achieving pre-processing of the multi-source indicators for evaluating satisfaction with teaching reforms in environmental art and design. After completing the above process, first collect multi-source data from questionnaire surveys, student feedback, etc., and preprocess and map it to a unified ontology class. Subsequently, data features are extracted through non-negative matrix factorization, and the similarity between object types is calculated. Finally, based on the importance, redundancy, and interaction of data sources, an integrated quality model is designed to effectively integrate multiple sources of data, construct a satisfaction evaluation model, and output the score of satisfaction evaluation. The experimental results show that the proposed method has the highest satisfaction index, reaching about 0.99, indicating a high degree of recognition for the reform; when the amount of integrated data changes, the proposed method maintains the best integratison reliability. Even with an increase in data volume, its reliability only slightly decreases and stabilizes at a high level; meanwhile, the average absolute error of the proposed method is the lowest, consistently below 2.5%, indicating a high level of stability and accuracy in its evaluation results. The above results confirm that the proposed method can effectively evaluate the satisfaction of environmental art design teaching reform and improve teaching quality.

Empirical Study on Attitude towards Making Decision to Select Mathematics for First-Degree Program

Recently debatable arguments have existed regarding the perceived lack of numerical skills among the graduates from the Humanities and Social Sciences. In response to this concern, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculties of Art in national universities in Sri Lanka have taken measures to more opportunities to undergraduates to bolster their numerical proficiency. This is achieved through the incorporation of mathematics course units for their degree programs along with the main subject streams. The study focuses on factors that affect the undergraduates’ attitudes towards making the decision to select the subject mathematics for their first-degree program. A sample survey was carried out using structured questionnaire and stratified random sampling technique was utilized to select a sample size of 352 from the undergraduates belongs to Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The binary logistic regression model is utilized, and the study revealed that self efficacy, mathematical anxiety, and interest in mathematics are significantly affected students’ attitudes on counting mathematics course units for their degree program. The student who has self-efficacy is 1.03 times more likely to select mathematics course unit at the first academic year than other students. A unit increase of mathematics anxiety with all other factors remaining constant, the odds of a student selecting the mathematics course decreased by 11.2%. When one-unit increases in the interest in mathematics of students the odds of selecting mathematics course unit is 1.06 times more likely to than other peers. These insights suggest that educational institutes, particularly those in the humanities and social sciences, should prioritize enhancing students ‘numerical skills. This can be achieved by providing valuable consideration aimed at refining their curriculum and support mechanism, increasing awareness programmes about the importance of studying mathematics course units within their degree programmes and conducting programmes to reduce mathematics anxiety while fostering an increased interest in mathematics.

Thriving futures

This Special Issue of the journal Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education (ADCHE) revisits the purpose and potential of art and design from an Australian perspective. It draws on the November 2023 Australian Council of University Art & Design Schools (ACUADS) 43rd conference, co-convened by Thao Nguyen, School of Art, RMIT University and myself. This national forum sought to consider the following: (1) how can creative education and research embrace our unique Australian perspective and integrate First Nations knowledge to cultivate a ‘thriving future’? (2) What is the potential of creative research and pedagogy in responding to the climate crisis and other urgent societal concerns? (3) How has the global pandemic disrupted and catalysed innovation in creative art education, including the rapid uptake of digital media by traditionally haptic disciplines? What are the key technological agendas for art and design schools? Drawing on our unique perspective, with particular acknowledgement of First Nations knowledge and ways of being, our colonial history and Asia–Pacific context, this edition considers how creative education and research can contribute not only to economies but also to the array of pressing social, environmental and cultural issues necessary to enable thriving futures.

Problems of Translating Informal Greeting Expressions Used in Iraqi Arabic into English

Greeting expressions represent an important part of conversation and are considered a fundamental element in the Arabic culture. Arabic language has more various and colorful greeting expressions with a culture-specific nature than other languages. However, dealing with the translation of such expressions, especially the Iraqi Arabic informal ones, poses a significant problem for translators, complicating the task of translating these expressions accurately and appropriately. Therefore, this study aims to identify the problems translators face when translating informal Iraqi Arabic greetings into English. To achieve this aim, a total of (4) informal greeting expressions collected from the Iraqi Arabic community were used as a sample of the study. These expressions were distributed to (5) MA candidates, from the Department of Translation, College of Arts, University of Tikrit, representing the subjects of the study to translate them into English. As for the data analysis, the study employed Vinay and Darbelnet's (1995) direct and oblique strategies of translation. The results showed that the study subjects face numerous problems in translating greeting expressions, mainly due to the lack of understanding the cultural contexts in which these expressions are used, in addition to the difficulty of finding a one-word equivalent to the informal greeting expressions under study.

The Effect of Activities-Based Teaching in The English Context on EFL University Students

This study presents a pragmatic approach focusing on the meaning of speech and knowledge regarding the undergraduate students' understanding and utilization of speech act ‘request’ within the Department of English Language at the College of Arts. Quantitative approach has been employed to analyze request strategies by using an open-ended questionnaire comprising sixteen diverse scenarios to gather data on various request speech acts. The study investigates the effectiveness of instructional interventions in developing students' proficiency in this speech act. The findings from the pre-tests revealed that students exhibited comparable performance across all three strategies: direct requests, conventionally indirect requests, and non-conventionally indirect requests have been assessed in terms of both awareness and production levels. Despite the initial similarity in performance among learners, substantial improvements have been observed after the instructional phase. Specifically, individuals within the experimental group demonstrated notable enhancements in their awareness and production of requests, coupled with a decreased reliance on direct request strategies. These findings underscore the potential for pragmatics instruction rich in input to enhance learners' identification and utilization of suitable pragmatic elements within diverse social contexts. Overall, the study highlights the importance of pragmatic education in foreign language learning, suggesting its efficacy in fostering learners' pragmatic competence.

Problems of Translating English Compound-Complex Sentences into Arabic

The study focuses on problems encountered by translation students when translating English compound-complex sentences into Arabic. It explores their structure, their components, and the appropriate way of translating them with the preservation of the same structure and meaning into the TL. The study hypothesizes: 1) compound-complex sentences can be found in English and Arabic. 2) Such structures are problematic for students when translating them into Arabic. 3) Vinay& Darbelnet’s translational model is applicable in translating compound - complex sentences. The study presents a comprehensive theoretical explanation on compound-complex sentences in both English and Arabic. Then, (3) English compound-complex sentences have been selected from different English grammar books and handed over to (20) undergraduate 4th stage students at the Department of Translation_ College of Arts_ University of Mosul, to handle the task of translating these sentences into Arabic. Their translations were analyzed syntactically and semantically by adopting Vinay& Darbelnet’s translational model(1958/1995) as well as Catford’s classification of translation-shifts (1965); in order to detect the difficulties and problems encountered in translating the sentences; thus, it’s a qualitative study. The study concludes that:1) compound-complex sentences are found in English and Arabic, 2) such sentences are problematic for students when translating them into Arabic either by the difficulty of identifying their parts, making unnecessary shifts, or adopting inappropriate strategy during the translational process that affect their translation accuracy, syntactically and semantically. 3) Vinay& Darbelent’s translational model is applicable to translating compound-complex sentences by adopting literal translation procedure within direct translation strategy. Based on that, the study is classified as a descriptive one.

Enhancing Student Performance through Fuzzy MCDM: Evaluating Family Concern, Study Environment, and other Key Factors

Abstract: In this study, the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was utilized to evaluate factors affecting student wellbeing and performance. The criteria assessed included C1 - Family Concern, C2 - Environment of Study, C3 - Resources, C4 - Time Management, and C5 - Lecturer Concern. A survey was administered to students at United College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, to gather numerical data. Pairwise comparison matrices were created based on the survey responses to assess the relative importance of each criterion. The FAHP analysis revealed that Family Concern (C1) has the greatest impact on student outcomes, highlighting the crucial role of family support in student success and well-being. The findings suggest that educators and parents should prioritize addressing family-related issues and consider implementing additional supportive measures, such as yoga and sports activities, to further improve student performance and overall wellbeing

Factors Affecting College Choice of African American Male Undergraduates at Two Private Liberal Arts Colleges in the South

This article examined the factors influencing the college choice of African American male undergraduate students at two private liberal arts colleges in the South. Utilizing Hossler and Gallagher's (1987) College Choice Model as the theoretical framework, the study explored these students' experiences, perceptions, and attitudes toward the college selection process. The research investigated explicitly how predisposition, search, and choice factors impact the decision-making process for African American males at these institutions. Employing a qualitative methodology, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 20 participants. The findings revealed that family and community influences, financial considerations, campus environment, and diversity significantly shape college choice. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the factors affecting college choice for African American males at private liberal arts colleges in the South. Additionally, it offers insights that could inform the development of policies and practices to enhance access, diversity, and educational equity within higher education.

Exploration of Integrating South African Heritage into Art and Design Courses in Universities

With the country s attention to the cultural industry enabling rural revitalization, the inheritance and protection of intangible cultural heritage (hereinafter referred to as intangible cultural heritage ) has become an important subject of art and design professional education in colleges and universities. How to integrate the South African heritage into the teaching of art and design courses in universities aims to cultivate high-quality art and design talents with regional cultural characteristics through innovative education mode, and help the construction of Hainan Free trade Port and rural revitalization. The rich connotation and educational value of the South African heritage, the specific practice of universities in the integration of intangible cultural heritage into teaching, including curriculum setting, teaching mode, scientific research projects and social services.

Shaping innovative change through concentrated, distributed, or hybrid leadership? Organizational resilience in women’s liberal arts colleges

ABSTRACT Decades of research suggest that women’s liberal arts colleges (WLACs) are models of excellence in supporting gender equity in higher education and society generally. But as WLACs face competition from coeducational counterparts for women students, their specialized mission compounds strong external threats to their sustainability. Consequently, these institutions may deploy different leadership approaches through which they synergize social interdependencies across the campus to innovate and thrive. To examine the connection of leadership to innovation at WLACs, we apply concentrated, distributed, and hybrid leadership theories to illuminate multi-campus case-studies of the engagement of administrative and faculty groups in academic changes taking place. Our empirical themes supported flexible perspectives on communication and decision-making: one case-site featured hybrid leadership to coordinate formal (administrative) and informal (faculty and staff) leaders in large-scale efforts, while the other case-site reflected distributed leadership via bottom-up, faculty-driven initiatives in discrete siloes of expertise on campus. Moreover, the study’s findings suggested that cultural and material resources mediated who distributed leadership, how leadership was distributed, and what was distributed, differentiating campuses’ respective social processes and outcomes of change. We discuss implications for theory, practice, and research that collectively emphasize WLACs’ mission-driven social activity, which animates their resilience and public purposes.

The Spirit of Craftsman is Integrated into the Teaching and Research of Art College Students in the New Era

With the advent of the new era, the social demand for art talents is increasingly diversified and high-end, and the craftsman spirit, as a symbol of the ultimate pursuit of skills and adherence to quality, is particularly important for the cultivation of art college students. This paper aims to discuss how to integrate the craftsman spirit into the teaching and research of art college students in the new era, so as to improve their professional quality, innovation ability and professional ethics, and cultivate more excellent artistic talents with the craftsman spirit for the society.

Research on the Reform and Innovation of Foreign Language Teaching in Art Schools

In the era of globalization, foreign language ability has become increasingly important for artistic talents. The traditional foreign language teaching model has been unable to meet the current social demand for artistic talents’ cross-cultural communication ability. Therefore, art colleges should speed up the reform and innovation of foreign language teaching. This paper first analyzes the existing problems in the current foreign language teaching in art colleges, including single teaching content, outdated teaching methods, lack of practical teaching, and insufficient teachers. Then, the paper puts forward some targeted reform strategies, including improving the teaching content to ensure comprehensive development. including innovative teaching methods to build efficient classrooms, exerting importance on practical teaching and enhancing practical ability, as well as strengthening the teaching staff and improving the teaching level. The purpose of this paper is to provide an effective reference for foreign language teachers in art colleges, effectively improve the cross-cultural communication ability of art talents, and cultivate art talents suitable for the development of the new era.

No room! Of course there’s room

This article is an adaptation of a workshop provocation given at the University of the Arts London (UAL) Education Conference in July 2023, which I set up as an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ ‘Mad Hatter’s’ table. I dressed the table on theme and equipped it with props, as a set to share with fellow educators a focus group project I had undertaken with students on overcrowding in their college art studios. I held up the lack of room in the studios as a social justice issue for exploration, first, as the inflation of numbers and knock-on impact of overcrowding of studios felt by students was acknowledged as result of over-recruitment to the course during and post pandemic; and second, exploring the question of whether minority students are most impacted; including those who are less confident to claim space due to factors such as accessibility, language barriers, financial issues and lack of peer support within the course. By putting workshop participants in the position of taking a seat at a fictional table space, loaded with caricature, I sought to provoke a creative dialogue around positionality and our relationship to shared space, while contemplating anonymised transcripts of the focus group dialogue that had taken place with students around a different table earlier in the academic year. The workshop gave reference to the ideas of Nirmal Puwar regarding positionality and the negotiation of space; and to Mikhail Bakhtin when considering student utterances in the focus group dialogue.

Tracer Study of the Bachelor of Arts Graduates of the University of Cebu-Main Campus from 2019-2024

This study determined the factors influencing job placement among graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Cebu-Main Campus between 2019 and 2024, serving as a basis for proposed curriculum enhancements. The study used descriptive research design methods with the adopted-modified questionnaire, with frequency counts and percentages applied to analyze the results. Findings reveal that graduates, particularly those from the Psychology, Political Science, and English programs, are highly employable, whether through direct applications or referrals. Key factors influencing job choices include career challenges, salary, and benefits. The study also highlights a notable gender disparity, with most female graduates and a steady increase in graduates during the study period, peaking in 2024. Although the employment rate is high, most graduates occupy rank-and-file positions, with fewer advancing to managerial roles. Also, many graduates eventually shift to fields unrelated to their studies, indicating a potential mismatch between education and career progression. Graduates identify communication, human relations, problem-solving, and critical thinking as essential skills in their professional roles. These insights suggest the need for curriculum adjustments to align education with long-term career success better.

Unveiling the Apathy: Understanding the Causes of Student Disengagement in Student Governance

This study delved into the causes of student disengagement in any form of student-based governance of the University of Cebu College of Arts and Sciences Department's Student Body Organization (CAS-SBO) during the academic year 2023-2024. A descriptive phenomenological research design was employed, exploring participants' experiences in student governance, how these experiences influence their lack of total disengagement and the strategies that could revitalize their engagement and active participation in the said area. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with twelve students selected via linear snowball sampling, focusing on those with prior governance experience who did not participate in recent CAS-SBO activities. Thematic content analysis revealed nine emergent themes: (1) Lack of Connection, Inequality in Representation, and Faculty Intervention as essential experiences in student governance; (2) Student Unfamiliarity, Feeling Unrepresented, and Unmet Expectations as reasons for disengagement; and (3) Inclusive Activities, Addressing Electoral Disparity, and Empowered Leadership as potential strategies to increase engagement. Based on these findings, the study recommends regular CAS-SBO general assemblies, teambuilding exercises, leadership seminars, and the election of representatives for each degree program to foster more vital student involvement and improve representation. The study also suggests future research topics, including electoral system reforms and former CAS-SBO presidents' experiences.