Departmental Assessment Update - Arts and Humanities Report

Department: Theatre
Program: BA
Level: Undergraduate

1. List in detail your undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for each degree/certificate offered.

Broad knowledge of the practice, theory, history and production of Asian, Western and Pacific theatre
Stylistically versatile performance skills
Awareness of personal artistic direction
Rigorous work ethic and self-discipline
Knowledge of the craft and artistry of theatre direction and design
Familiarity with skills of stagecraft
Improved written and verbal communication skills
Improved critical thinking skills
i. improved creativity

2. Where are these SLOs published (e.g., department web page)?

The SLOs are be published on the departmental webpage at http://www.hawaii.edu/theatre/departmental/assessment/SLOs.pdf

3. Explain how your SLOs map onto your curriculum, i.e., how does your curriculum produce the specific SLOs in your students?

Broad knowledge of the practice, theory, history and production of Asian, Western and Pacific theatre. B.A. students gain this knowledge through a four-course sequence in World Theatre, covering theatre history, dramatic literature and theatre theory from ancient times to the present; required courses in the theatrical history of a specific Asian theatre region and in one Asian theatrical form provide a more in-depth awareness.
Stylistically versatile performance skills. In classes in both Western and Asian acting techniques, students learn a variety of vocal, movement, and character techniques. Focused voice or movement classes provide a deeper awareness of the actor’s artistic instruments.
Awareness of personal artistic direction. Students take advanced Practica courses, to deepen their experience in an area of particular interest. Final portfolios and self-evaluation essays help students to reflect on their own growth, and to identify areas of particular ability and interest.
Rigorous work ethic and self-discipline. The four practica in Theatre Management, Costume, Stagecraft, and Acting expose students to the principle areas of stage experience, and require their commitment and discipline.
Knowledge of the craft and artistry of theatre directing and design. Courses in theatre direction and design help students to learn the responsibilities of these theatre positions while encouraging students’ individual creative expression in artistic projects.
Familiarity with skills of stagecraft. In the stagecraft course as well as in the stagecraft practicum, students have hands-on experience to complement class lectures.
Improved written and verbal communication skills. The majority of courses offer experience in written and verbal expression, to articulate students’ own creative goals and to assess the artistry of others.
Improved critical thinking skills. Across the Theatre curriculum, students are asked to employ the skills of both script and production analysis.
Improved creativity. Across the Theatre curriculum, students learn to explore their own creative process.
Although SLOs are carefully built into the curriculum, many students also frequently go beyond degree requirements, and thereby enhance their SLOs. For instance, very many B.A. majors voluntarily audition for roles in plays beyond the required one, or apply to direct Late Night theatre, or design shows for our Lab Theatre and our Mainstage. Exit interviews with majors who have taken advantage of these opportunities show enormous growth and dedication to the field.

4. What specific methodologies were used to collect data? In developing your response, consider the following questions:

Beginning with the initial departmental advising, every B.A. major is carefully guided through the following assessment sequence.
A. Explanation of Assessment Events and Devices
1. Undergraduate Advising. Advising with the Undergraduate Advisor begins when the student declares a major, or before.
2. Choosing a Mentor. As soon as possible, students are encouraged to choose a faculty mentor. At an initial meeting, students evaluate their own level of skill and knowledge through the Entry Checklist.
3. Mentoring Continues. Majors and mentors meet at least once each semester. Mentors add comments to the Overall Performance and Evaluation Form, and ask students to evaluate their own progress in course and production work.
4. Resume/Portfolio Creation. In their final semester, students compile a resume of their theatre experience, and submit a portfolio of degree-related work. Portfolios can include photos, reviews, photos of designs, scholarly papers, or audio/video presentation.
5. Exit Checklist. Students evaluate their progress since starting the major by completing the Exit checklist with their mentor.
6. Written Self-Evaluation. Students create a two page self-assessment/reflection paper highlighting their most significant experiences in their major.
7. Exit Interview. Students meet with a group of faculty to discuss their experiences and suggestions for improvement. This interview is an extension of their self-evaluation, and also serves as a program review.
8. Production Evaluations. Since Spring 2002, the department has asked students involved in any Mainstage or Lab production to fill out Production Evaluation Forms. Productions are an intensely concentrated learning environment, and the evaluations provide feedback on all aspects of the process.

B. Faculty processing of data
Numbers 6-8 above are all used by the faculty to evaluate our program. Every semester, the theatre faculty meets to discuss the findings at the previous semester’s Exit Interviews, although we may change this to be only once a year, in Fall as we do not have many Fall graduates. At the meeting, the faculty reflects on how best to make any changes needed in our program. By the end of Spring 2007, we were able to compile quantitative statistics using the Entry and Exit Checklists. The data was compiled from a group of 11 students. Lurana O’Malley totaled the mean and average scores for each question upon entrance and then exit. The results will be shared with faculty for discussion in Fall 2007.

5. How were the assessment data/results used to inform decisions concerning the curriculum and administration of the program?

Feedback: No beginning-level movement course.
Response: THEA 220 Voice and Speech for the Actor was changed officially to THEA 220 Beginning Voice and Movement. This change will allow us to offer the students a combined approach to voice and movement that 221 and further performance courses can build upon.

CHANGES TO REQUIRED COURSES FOR B.A.
Feedback: Kyogen coursework should be split into separate movement and voice classes
Response: Kyogen courses were split it into movement (428) and voice (420).

Feedback: Need more Hawaiian material in the World Theatre course.
Response: Starting in Fall 2006, we engaged Hawaiian lecturer Tammy Baker to give one lecture on Hawaiian performance per semester in the four-course World Theatre sequence (THEA 311-412).

Feedback: Appreciation for AV and visual materials in World Theatre sequence (THEA 311-412)
Response: Several teachers in this course have made an effort to include more images on handouts, and to create new Powerpoint lectures containing text and images, in addition to the previous use of video and slides.

CHANGES TO ELECTIVE COURSES FOR B.A.
Feedback: Need to have more practical audition skills
Response: THEA 321 Auditions and Monologues. Content of this course was used to
give basic acting workshops while working on audition monologues and cold readings, including simple dance sequences and songs. By the end of the class students had and presented audition packages of two, 1 minute contrasting comic/dramatic, contemporary/classical pieces and 16-32 bars of a musical theatre song.

Feedback: The need for more specific vocal skills, and for students to be able to pursue own interests
Response: THEA 420 Intermediate Voice: Professor Mitri taught Lessac technique for "playing sounds" as well as the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), leading
into dialect work. Students researched and taught a dialect to the class as a project. Also, students' final performances were tailor-made for their particular interests/skills.

Feedback: Clearer grading methods in performance classes.
Response: THEA 492C Shakespeare in Performance and THEA 435 Movement for Actors used videotape of “before and after” performances, requiring students to make self-assessments of progress in skill mastery and technique.

Feedback: Need broader variety of movement techniques.
Response: THEA 435 Movement for Actors: introduction of simple unarmed stage combat, simple contact improvisation with weight-bearing and weight-sharing, and introducing Laban elements as self-awareness and characterization (the Laban will become part of the new THEA 220 class).

Feedback: Need more undergraduate special topics courses.
Response: THEA 492 (Alpha) Topics in Drama and Theatre" was modified to become a special topics course

Feedback: Focus THEA 418 (Advanced Playwriting) more on the creative process
Response: Veered away from an 'academic' course on play analysis, more towards a
creative course in original play-building.

6. Has the program developed learning outcomes? Please indicate yes or no.

No.

7. Has the program published learning outcomes? Please indicate yes or no.

n/a

8. If so, please indicate how the program has published learning outcomes.

n/a

9. What evidence is used to determine achievement of student learning outcomes?

In addition to the quantitative dats provided by the exit/entrance checklists as seen above, we specifically ask students about the B.A. SLOs in their exit interviews. We are also going to ask students to comment on the SLOs in their reflection essays.

10. Who interprets the evidence?

see 4B

11. What is the process of interpreting the evidence?

sse 4B

12. Indicate the date of last program review.

2000