Seeing Across Disciplines: An Experiment in Visual Literacy across Higher Education
Heidi Appel
University of Toledo, USA
Michael Deetsch
Toledo Museum of Art, USA
Abstract
Visual literacy touches all academic disciplines, yet integrating it into higher education across curricula is challenging, particularly because visual literacy is traditionally associated with specific disciplines such as art, education, and communications. We describe an interdisciplinary faculty-led effort to bring visual literacy into the entire curriculum at the University of Toledo in collaboration with the Toledo Museum of Art. Given the value of ACRL visual literacy student learning outcomes to students of all majors and the complexities of introducing new courses, we chose a flexible model of curriculum modules that faculty could adapt as needed. We supplemented curriculum modules with the visual literacy exercises developed by the TMA. We used multiple venues to make faculty aware of these resources, including presentations at faculty meetings, workshops, and open houses. The history, design, promotion, and success of this effort are discussed.
Keywords: visual literacy, higher education, institutional partnerships,