Learning Gap

Ideally, learners will arrive at college with a solid understanding of color theory from high school, but that is not always the case due to the disparities in art coursework accessibility in K-12 public education. This course will address the learning gap that exists for high school students and first-year art and design students by providing them with a more equitable level of background knowledge of color theory concepts and applications. Pre-college programs are effective in closing K-12 achievement gaps (Mintz, 2022) and allowing students to explore academic interests while building skills in those interest areas (Johns Hopkins University). An online format would be ideal for this course since learners could complete it during the summer session prior to applying for college in the spring or prior to arriving on campus for the fall semester. In addition to student needs, program faculty will also inform the course design as content will be built upon during subsequent coursework.

Target Audience + Learner Profile

The audience for this course will be pre-college and first-year college students, specifically those interested in pursuing a fine art and/or design-related major. This course will fill any learning gaps prior to students beginning the more complex foundation art and design courses required for their program. Learners will be high school students and/or young adults, typically between the ages of 16-18, who have some experience using color in the context of artmaking but require a more thorough understanding of the key concepts mentioned above. It is likely that most students taking this course will be Caucasian and female-identifying based on the most recent demographics specific to art majors (Townsend, 2017), however, college enrollment statistics continue to reflect an increasingly diverse postsecondary student population so cultural competency practices should be factored into course design in order to best meet the needs of diverse language learners, learners of color, international students, and first-generation college students.

References

Johns Hopkins University. (n.d.). Are pre-college programs worth it? Summer at Hopkins blog. https://summer.jhu.edu/hopkins-experience/blue-jay-bulletin/blog-library/are-pre-college-programs-worth-it/

Mintz, S. (2022, December 30). How colleges can help close k-12 achievement gaps. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/how-colleges-can-help-close-k-12-achievement-gaps

Townsend, R. (2017, October 5). Taking note: How about those undergraduate art majors? National Endowment for the Arts. https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2017/taking-note-how-about-those-undergraduate-arts-majors

Type of Course

This course will be an informational, asynchronous course on the basics of color theory. My intent for this course is to provide learners with a concise overview of key color theory topics and applications, including vocabulary, color relationships, and color mixing.

Methodology

This course was developed using the Understanding by Design (or Backward Design) learning model. I chose this model because it is a simple, streamlined process that prioritizes student learning and understanding through an intentional consideration of how activities and assessments align with the learning objectives (Bowen, 2017). Additionally, while working with such a broad topic as color theory, Understanding by Design is a useful approach for determining the concepts that are necessary for an enduring understanding versus those that are important to know or worth familiarity. UbD also provides the flexibility to incorporate a wide range of activity and assessment strategies, which is a necessary component to keep in mind when working with arts-based content areas.

Course Learning Objective

Upon completing this course, students will be able to intentionally apply foundational color theory concepts to create an original work of art or design.

Module Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. Describe the properties of color (hue, value, and saturation/intensity),

2. Differentiate between additive and subtractive color models,

3. Demonstrate accurate color mixing,

4. Experiment with color interactions, and

5. Create an original artwork or digital design using color.

Assessment Strategies

Formative Assessment

MLO #1: Describe the properties of color (hue, value, and saturation/intensity)

MLO #2: Differentiate between additive and subtractive color models

Students will engage in a discussion board activity. Prompts will be provided to guide the discussion and encourage students to describe the properties of color, reflect on their prior knowledge of these concepts, and brainstorm potential applications within the scope of their personal art practice.

This assessment will allow the instructor to informally evaluate student learning and encourage students to expand on their understanding of the concepts through peer guidance and instructor feedback.

Formative Assessment

MLO #3: Demonstrate accurate color mixing

MLO #4: Experiment with color interactions

Students will complete a weekly project in Modules 1 and 2 that will serve as a "practice" phase for applying their learning and experimenting with the presented concepts before demonstrating mastery during the summative assessment.

Summative Assessment

CLO #5: Create an original artwork or digital design using color

Students will create an original artwork or digital design (such as an infographic or other visual artifact) using color as the main element. A rubric will be utilized to determine if students have appropriately met the learning objectives.

This assessment follows the standards of authentic assessment in that:

1. It is connected to real-world learning

2. Requires higher-order thinking ("Create" from Bloom's Taxonomy), and

3. Skills can be applied in multiple ways.

Instructional Strategies / Learning Activities

Direct Instruction

CLO #1: Describe the properties of color (hue, value, and saturation/intensity)

CLO #2: Differentiate between additive and subtractive color models

Students will review a variety of multimedia materials (including articles, videos, and infographics) outlining the key elements of color theory. Students will then engage in a discussion activity to recall their prior knowledge and reflect on connections to the presented concepts. Discussion boards are student-centered activities that can provide a deeper understanding of the subject matter and improve critical thinking skills (Onyema et al., 2019).

Interactive Instruction

CLO #3: Demonstrate accurate color mixing

CLO #4: Experiment with color interactions

In addition to the discussion board activities listed above, students will also engage in a variety of interactive anh ands-on activities, such as a word cloud and color mixing activity using their chosen materials, to demonstrate their learning through practice.

Individual Study

CLO #5: Create an original artwork or digital design using color

Students will also complete independent research, reflect on their own art practice, and synthesize the information and concepts from the course to create an original artwork or digital design using color as the main element. This final instructional activity will be rooted in Project-Based Learning principles (Buck Institute for Education, 2018) as students will be presented with a problem and will use an art medium of their choice to investigate the role of color through authentic creation, reflection, and revision.

Course Sequence

After the Design phase was completed, I began to develop the course in Canvas LMS and curated/created the necessary instructional materials. I first established the course sequence, or outline, using the objectives, assessments, and activities established in the Design phase. Students must complete each module/activity before gaining access to the next. This course sequence will be effective when covering the topic of color theory since it will begin with concrete, foundational knowledge that will be built upon at the start of each module before concluding with more open-ended and personal applications of the presented concepts.

Module 1: Introduction to Color Theory

Properties of Color + Vocabulary

Additive + Subtractive Color Models

The Color Wheel + Color Schemes

Module 2: Color Schemes + Interactions

Principles of Color Mixing

Color Interactions (Joseph Albers)

Module 3: Color + Concept

Color Harmonies

Color in Contemporary Art

Creating a Personal Color Palette

Module Sequence

Each module was structured using an adapted version of Gagne’s 9 Events and included the following components:

1. Module Overview & Objectives

2. Prior Knowledge Recall Activity

3. Content (1-3 pages)

4. Discussion Activity

5. Practice Activity/Assessment

6. Further Reading/Supplemental Resources

This framework helped to effectively establish a consistent structure for the course content from week to week and also provided the flexibility to experiment with different ways of having students interact with the course content.

Content Curation, Creation, and Accessibility

Color Theory is a dynamic topic, and I wanted to ensure that I utilized the best practices of Universal Design for Learning and Mayer’’s Principles of Multimedia Learning to ensure that all content: 1) was accessible, 2) supported cognitive load theory, and 3) provided multiple means of representation. Additionally, I wanted to adhere to US Fair Use and Copyright law, so I utilized OER (Open Educational Resources) and created my own instructional materials when necessary, including: images, diagrams, and videos to supplement text and articles. All course content meets ADA, WCAG, and Section 504/508 accessibility requirements. For example, all images in Canvas LMS include alt-text and/or written descriptions, all videos include closed captions, and all learning activities (such as the H5P word cloud in Module 1) are compatible with accessibility technologies such as screenreaders and keyboard navigation.

Upon completion of the Development phase, I conducted a brief quality assurance evaluation of the course using the Quality Matters 7th Edition Rubric. Once I was confident the course was ready to launch, I published the course in Canvas LMS and my peers in the UMGC Capstone course completed a walkthrough of the finished course.

At the conclusion of the Implementation phase, my peers provided feedback through the course survey I developed using Google Forms. The survey can be accessed here: Course Survey (link)

For the course survey, I utilized Kirkpatrick Levels 1 and 2 by gathering feedback focused on the effectiveness, relevance, and presentation of the course content. I also received feedback from my peers in the UMGC Capstone course discussion board and was able to make a few adjustments to certain elements of the course that had been overlooked or needed minor improvements.