i. institutional support and commitment to continuous improvement

School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Master of Architecture
Master of Architecture with emphasis in Interior Architecture
projective apparatus for identifying and providing opportunities for students and faculty in the
department, linking the “day to day” to the “year to year.” It is the practice of the AIADO to allow
for a carefully monitored but flexible application of the departmental mission; consequently,
departmental procedures balance the requirement to deliver vital objective educational content with
an openness to new idea trends, teaching methods, material investigation, and project deliverables.
An extremely useful tool in the planning and assessment process for curricular, faculty placement,
and learning culture issues is SAIC course evaluation process.
Since March 2007 in particular, changes in the content of the required Architectural History classes
for the MArch program were proposed in the student evaluations, and quickly brought to the
department’s and Dean’s attention. This resulted in the revision of the titles and content of courses,
and the augmentation of the 2007 full-time search for new Design and Architectural History faculty
members, which yielded two design historians hires. In 2007, architectural design historian Kai Wood
Mah was hired, and in 2008 SAIC made two additional appointments in support of the Architecture
programs: design historians Michael Golec and Christine Atha.
In Spring 2007, student evaluations recommended a more effective integration of SAIC’s
professional structural engineering teaching partners. SAIC is committed at the highest
administrative level to forming effective partnerships with Chicago’s engineering community. The
Master of Science in Historic Preservation degree program relies on this kind of expert partnership.
In the MArch program, professional structural engineers who are not full-time faculty are teaching
basic statistics and structural design. To better integrate and clarify this instruction, as well as to
address the March 2007 Visiting Team’s report, a new form of class was designed: the “integrated
technical practice” class. This kind of class now brings together generalist “integrating” architects
and experts with engineering expertise into the same class to guarantee the understanding and
integration of the technical material.
In 2009, course evaluations and student interviews revealed a desire in the first year cohort to
receive more training in the development of representational skill, digital tool use, contemporary
software, and CN controlled fabrication—particularly as this skill accrual can be applied to current
studio projects. This led to the creation of a greater number of technical electives including AIADO
2915 Spatial Computer Imaging: Vectorwork (Rhino/Grasshopper) in Spring 2010 and AIADO 2915
Spatial Computer Imaging: Revit and AIADO 2915 Spatial Computer Imaging: AutoCAD in Fall
2010. Greater emphasis in these topic areas has appeared in the required pre-program summer
intensive classes and the integrated technical practice classes as well. Also, two graduate Teaching
Assistantships for six hours per week were added, providing tech-savvy, one-on-one peer tutoring
for students in 2009–10 and 2010–11.
2) Additional planning procedures/initiatives
A useful tool in the planning and assessment process for both curricular and learning culture issues is a
reliable schedule of meetings and information collection and dissemination procedures, including:
o The three program directors (Undergraduate Architecture/Interior Architecture;
Graduate Architecture/Interior Architecture; and Undergraduate and Graduate Designed
Objects) attend SAIC Department Heads meetings, organized by the Deans Office and
attended by over 50 faculty and key staff. This meeting is the opportunity for the AIADO
department to receive and deliver information relevant to departmental planning within
the larger institution. Reports on issues germane to the AIADO department are delivered
to faculty in departmental meetings.
o Three regular faculty meetings per term, where all AIADO faculty, full- and part-time,
meet to discuss AIADO planning issues that affect general departmental administration.
o One to three special session faculty meetings per term, where full-time faculty
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