| | Methods
of Assessment and Criteria for Success |
| Intended Program Outcomes |
Direct Measures |
Indirect
Measures |
1. COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Graduates
will demonstrate proficiency in oral, written, and traditional graphic
communication skills when explaining issues in the field of architecture and
demonstrate the ability to speak and write effectively on subject matter
contained in the curriculum. Graduates will demonstrate proficiency in
digital communication skills. (BARCH Level Only) |
Competency Coursework:
4th Year Comprehensive Project and 5th Year Capstone Project:
Every graduating 4th and 5th year student will demonstrate proficiency in oral, written, and graphic communication through their comprehensive studio project. The project will be evaluated using the SOA Studio Rubric by a jury of at least three faculty members. |
4th Year Portfolio:
80% of a faculty jury, using the SOA Portfolio Rubric,
will conclude that each graduating student’s graphic and written
communication skills meet or exceed the professional standards for an
entry-level position.
5th and 6th Year Student Surveys: 80% of graduating students
responding to a survey that includes questions like: “How well did the
program help to develop your communication skills?” and “How well did the
program help to develop your digital communication skills?” will evaluate the
program’s ability to prepare students’ communication skills as above average
or higher. |
2. CRITICAL THINKING:
Graduates will exhibit critical thinking skills in the selection of different building
material assemblies and primary structural systems appropriate for an
architectural design and demonstrate the ability to make a comprehensive
analysis and evaluation of a building, building complex, or urban space.
Graduates will also exhibit critical thinking skills throughout the schematic
and design development phases of design projects. (BARCH Level Only) |
Competency Coursework:
4th Year Comprehensive Project and 5th Year
Capstone Project:
Every graduating 4th and 5th year student will be evaluated on the critical thinking components of their comprehensive studio project. The project components will be evaluated and graded using the SOA Studio Rubric by three or more faculty. |
4th Year Portfolio:
80% of a faculty jury, using the SOA Portfolio
Rubric, will conclude that each graduating student’s critical thinking skills
meet or exceed the professional standards for an entry-level position.
5th and 6th Year Student Surveys: 80% of graduating students responding to a survey that
includes questions like: “How well did the program help to develop your
ability to exhibit critical thinking skills throughout the design process?”
will evaluate the program’s ability to prepare students’ critical thinking
skills as above average or higher. |
3. PROFESSIONAL AND CAREER SUCCESS:
Graduates
will demonstrate the ability to work both individually and collaboratively in
the examination of architectural topics, the ability to cooperate with other
students when working as members of a design team and in other settings, and
the ability to employ basic methods of data collection and analysis to inform
the programming and design process. (BARCH Level Only) Graduates will also
demonstrate the ability to formulate ethical responses to clients’ needs.
(BARCH Level Only) |
Competency Coursework:
4th Year Comprehensive Project and 5th Year Capstone
Project:
Every graduating 4th and 5th year student will be evaluated by a jury of three or more faculty using the SOA Studio Rubric, and will be judged able to function successfully in an entry-level position within the profession. |
4th Year Portfolio:
80% of a faculty jury using the SOA Portfolio Rubric, will conclude that each graduating student’s potential for career and professional success meets or exceeds the professional standards for an entry-level position. 5th and 6th Year Student Surveys: 80% of graduating students responding to a survey that includes questions like: “How well did the
program help to develop your potential for career and professional success?” and
“How well did the program prepare you to formulate ethical responses to
client’s needs?” will evaluate the program’s ability to prepare students’ for
success and ethical behavior as above average or higher. |
4. CONTENT - HISTORY AND THEORY:
Graduates will demonstrate the ability to examine architectural history and
theory, an understanding of the Western architectural canons and traditions
in architecture and urban design, an awareness of the parallel and divergent
canons and traditions of architecture and urban design in the non-Western
world, and the ability to integrate historical and theoretical concepts into
their architectural solutions. (BARCH Level Only) |
Competency Coursework:
4th Year Comprehensive Project and 5th Year Capstone Project:
Every graduating 4th and 5th year student will be evaluated by a minimum of two faculty on the history and theory components of their comprehensive studio project. The project components will be evaluated and graded using the SOA Studio Rubric by a professional jury (including faculty members, employers, and/or other professionals) |
4th Year Portfolio:
80% of a Professional Jury (including
faculty members, employers, and/or other professionals), using the SOA Portfolio
Rubric, will conclude that each graduating 4th year student’s ability to
examine history and theory meets or exceeds the expected standards for a
graduating 4th year student.5th and 6th Year Student Surveys: 80% of graduating
students responding to a survey that includes questions like: “How well did
the program help to develop your ability to examine history and theory?” will
evaluate the program’s ability to prepare students to examine and integrate
history and theory as above average or higher. |
5. CONTENT - BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES:
Graduates will demonstrate the ability to examine architectural building
technologies, an understanding of the basic principles that inform the design
of environmental systems, including acoustics, lighting and climate
modification systems, and energy use, and the ability to assess, select, and
integrate structural systems, environmental systems, life-safety systems,
building envelope systems, and building service systems into building design
and the ability to integrate building technologies into their architectural
solutions. (BARCH Level Only) |
Competency Coursework:
4th Year Comprehensive Project and 5th Year Capstone Project:
Every graduating 4th year student will be judged capable of utilizing appropriate architectural building technologies, and will demonstrate use of the basic principles that inform the design of environmental systems on the building technology components of the comprehensive studio project. The project components will be evaluated and graded using the SOA Studio Rubric by a professional jury (including faculty members, employers, and/or other professionals). |
4th Year Portfolio:
80% of a Professional Jury (including faculty members,
employers, and other professionals), using the SOA Portfolio Rubric, will
conclude that each graduating student’s design skills and understanding meets
or exceeds the professional standards for an entry-level position.5th and 6th Year Student Surveys:
80% of graduating students responding to a survey that includes questions like: “How well did
the program help to develop your ability to examine and integrate architectural
building technologies?” will evaluate the program’s ability to prepare
students to examine and integrate architectural building technologies as
above average or higher. |
6. CONTENT - DESIGN STUDIO INFORMATION:
Graduates will demonstrate the ability to examine
architectural design studio information, to apply basic organizational,
spatial, structural, and constructional principles to the conception and
development of interior and exterior spaces, building elements, and
components, and to provide a coherent rationale for the programmatic and
formal precedents employed in the conceptualization and development of
architecture and urban design projects. (BARCH Level Only) |
Competency Coursework:
4th Year Comprehensive
Project and 5th Year Capstone Project:
Every graduating 4th year student will
be evaluated on the design skills and understanding components of their comprehensive studio project. Project components will be evaluated and graded using the SOA Studio Rubric by a professional jury (including faculty members, employers, and/or other professionals). |
4th Year Portfolio:
80% of a Professional Jury (including faculty members,
employers, and other professionals), using the SOA Portfolio Rubric, will
conclude that each graduating student’s design skills and understanding meets
or exceeds the professional standards for an entry-level position. 5th and 6th Year Student Surveys:
80% of graduating students responding to a survey that includes
questions like: “How well did the program help to develop your design
skills?” will evaluate the program’s ability to prepare students’ design
skills and understanding as above average or higher. |
7. DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES:
Graduates will demonstrate the ability to examine
culturally diverse architectural traditions and perspectives in their
architectural studies, an awareness of the relationships between human
behavior and the physical environment, an awareness of the diversity of
needs, values, behavioral norms, and social and spatial patterns that
characterize different culture, and the ability to integrate culturally
diverse architectural traditions and perspectives in their architectural
studies. (BARCH Level Only) |
Competency Coursework:
Every graduating student will be evaluated on their ability to integrate culturally
diverse architectural traditions and perspectives into their architectural
studies. 5th Year Capstone Project:
Every graduating 5th year student will receive a “Pass” (or higher) evaluation on the diversity and cultural perspective components of the capstone studio project. Project components will be evaluated and graded using the SOA Studio Rubric by a professional jury (including faculty members, employers, and/or other
professionals). |
4th Year Portfolio:
80% of a Professional Jury (including
faculty members, employers, and/or other professionals), using the SOA Portfolio
Rubric, will conclude that each graduating student’s graphic and written
communication skills meet or exceed the professional standards for an
entry-level position. 5th and 6th Year Student Surveys:
80% of graduating students
responding to a survey that includes questions like: “How well did the
program help you to examine culturally diverse architectural traditions and
perspectives?” and “How well did the program help you to integrate culturally
diverse architectural traditions and perspectives into your design
solutions?” will evaluate the program’s ability to prepare students’ ability
to integrate diversity and culture into design as above average or higher. |
8. COLLABORATION:
Graduates will demonstrate the ability to collaborate with their peers and work together in productive team relationships in their architectural studies. |
Competency Coursework:
Every graduating student will have successfully participated in one or more team projects. Their ability to successfully organize a self-directed work group and to negotiate decisions by con census will be evaluated by a project jury that includes two or more faculty members. |
4th Year Portfolio:
80% of a Professional Jury (including
faculty members, employers, and other professionals), using the SOA Portfolio
Rubric, will conclude that each graduating student has participated in a group project in which they have demonstrated collaboration skills that meet or exceed the professional standards for an entry-level position. 5th and 6th Year Student Surveys:
80% of graduating students
responding to a survey that includes questions like: “How well did the
program help you to develop effective collaborations with other students?” will confirm that the program has prepared them for collaborative work. |
