At San Jose State University, students in art history classes do much more than attend lectures and memorize dates. Using the Art and Civilization disk developed on HyperCard by Professor Kathleen Cohen of the Department of Art and Design at SJSU, the students interact directly with Macintosh computers to access descriptions of art and images on a videodisc. Working at their own pace in labs, students can access information not only by name, but also style, period, and artist.
In the Art History Survey class, students study independently in labs using audiotapes and images on the Art and Civilization disk. There is an introductory lecture from Cohen about the lab equipment, then review lectures periodically throughout the semester. They also meet weekly with graduate students for discussion sessions.
In her Medieval Art History class, Cohen sometimes uses the videodisc in place of slides. Video disc images are shown on a TV monitor while the information about them is projected from the computer onto a large screen through an LCD projector.
As part of the Art History and Multimedia seminar given by Cohen, students create an art history module using HyperCard stacks on the computer. Each semester a different project is assigned. One semester students created sequences exploring anything except art using the Art and Civilization disk. Topics ranged from Indian gods to roles of women in the Middle Ages.
Students study on their own in labs and receive individual presentation assignments. For the presentations, students use the basic information on the card then use the software to create their own sequences from the disk. Students select images in automatic sequence and then do presentations, talking about the image while displaying it on the large monitors.
“The most fun we had was when the students created their own HyperCard stacks by scanning in images. Covering a number of topics in mythology, each chose a scene and developed it across three cultures,” says Cohen.
In the future, the Department of Art and Design will use QuickTime in the graduate classes as part of a test for creating a student information system for the department advising system. The department is also interested in networking and in using multiple platforms to teach students to translate between platforms. Another goal, of course, is to have individual computers for each student in class, and additional labs.
Professor Kathleen Cohen, who is also the associate director of Computers in Art, Design, Research, and Education, can be reached at the Department of Art and Design, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA 95192; (408) 924-4359; Internet: cohenka@sjsuvmi.bitnet.
