The potential benefits of taking introduction to art for non-art major college students

This research was conducted to discern the potential benefits for non-art majors taking a general art course based on the perspectives of both discipline-based art education (DBAE) and visual culture and art education (VCAE). The research also attempted to ascertain the impact of DBAE and VCAE on the students. DBAE considers art an indispensable part of general education and supports a broad educational mission that promotes building minds and cultivating problem solving, VCAE stresses "meaning making" and active learning. This study demonstrated how the goals or objectives of art education promoted by both DBAE and VCAE are beneficial and crucial for the development of college students. A survey questionnaire was used to obtain qualitative data related to students' learning outcomes. The researcher first identified the themes prominent in both DBAE and VCAE and then translated those themes into survey items. This study was conducted on the campuses of one college and one university in the southern district of Taiwan. Both are technology schools and award bachelor degrees. After data were cleaned, there were 189 valid questionnaires. In addition, textbooks frequently used by art educators to teach Introduction to Art were analyzed. This research concluded that student participants have benefited from most of the learning outcomes. Based on their answers to the closed-ended questions, students benefited equally from DBAE and VCAE themes. But in responses to the open-ended questions, participants acknowledged more benefits from DBAE outcomes than from VCAE outcomes.