After the first run of Arts in NYC in January-February 2013, I emailed the professors and asked them for feedback on the course. The following feedback was given:

1. Add a photography week. The students are very interested in photography.

Result = DONE

2. Too many writing assignments resulted in not enough depth in their writing. Five synthesis essays and five Art on My Mind Journals resulted to many half-cooked writings. Reduce the number, please!

Result = DONE. In 2014 there were four Synthesis Essays and four Art on My Mind journals suggested.

3. The weeks that worked best were week 1 and week 2 because they had readings and lessons that gave the students a very specific vocabulary with which to talk about visual art. Can we build those sorts of readings into the other weeks so that students can walk away with a vocabulary for various art forms?

Result = DONE. Readings were found and vetted for the Dance week, the Photography week, the Music week, and the Theatre week that introduced basic terminology for those art forms.

The feedback received by those who teach the course matters and their suggestions made the course for 2014 stronger. I worked on the revisions of the course throughout the Spring semester of 2013 so that it would be ready to run for Spring II (our summer school term).