Abstract

This study is a descriptive survey of two Quebec Universities multimedia art education courses. It attempts to answer a three-fold question about what has, what is, and what should be done to prepare pre-service art teachers to incorporate multimedia in their practice. Data collection was accomplished using the following qualitative methods: interviews, questionnaire, and observation. Drawing on the literature and the interviews, a relationship between the new technologies and postmodern theories is established. A description of two undergraduate art education courses with multimedia content is presented, using points of view gathered from interviews with teachers, class observation, and a questionnaire administered to students. I noted that as the school term progressed, there was a positive change in attitudes towards technology. Teaching approaches appear to promote cooperation and collaboration between students. Based on the results of the interviews and the questionnaire, teachers and students agree that teachers could be better prepared to deal with new technologies. Such preparation would include more hours of hands-on experience with the tools.