Evaluation and Critique

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's (SAIC) Credit/No Credit grading system differs from the traditional letter or number grade system used by many colleges and universities. Your student will receive either CR (credit) or NCR (no credit) as a grade for each course. Much of the student evaluation in studio courses is conducted through classroom critique sessions. At the first- and second-year level, your student is taught how to present and talk about his/her own work and how to critique other students’ work. In determining a grade, faculty members take into consideration a student’s talent, growth throughout the semester, new skills learned, participation in class activities and discussions, and dedication to the class. This evaluation system allows the instructor to convey whether or not a student has demonstrated an understanding and application of artistic concepts addressed in a given course. In assessing student work in the academic areas, most Liberal Arts and Art History, Theory, and Criticism faculty use the traditional university models for evaluation (quizzes, exams, final projects, and papers). Your student is expected to perform at the same high standards in lecture-based course work as in the studio.