Program: Theatre (BA)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Tue Oct 13, 2009 - 1:48:07 pm
1) List your program's student learning outcomes (SLOs).
1. Students can recognize and distinguish between various styles and forms of
World Theatre (i.e., Asian, Western, Pacific, Youth Theatre).
2. Students can create and demonstrate informed and personal artistic choices in
coursework and productions (i.e, design, directing, acting).
3. Students can effectively communicate creative ideas and critical judgments
through appropriate means (oral, written, practical).
4. Students can demonstrate ethical and self-disciplined behaviors appropriate to
the field of theatre.
2) Where are your program's SLOs published?
Department Website URL: http://www.hawaii.edu/theatre/departmental/assessment/SLOs.pdf
Student Handbook. URL, if available online: Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online: UHM Catalog. Page Number: Course Syllabi. URL, if available online: Other: Other: 3) Upload your program's current curriculum map(s) as a PDF.
- File (03/16/2020)
4) What percentage of courses have the course SLOs explicitly stated on the course syllabus, department website, or other publicly available document? (Check one)
0% 1-50%
51-80% 81-99% 100%5) State the SLO(s) that was Assessed, Targeted, or Studied
All:
1. Students can recognize and distinguish between various styles and forms of
World Theatre (i.e., Asian, Western, Pacific, Youth Theatre).
2. Students can create and demonstrate informed and personal artistic choices in
coursework and productions (i.e, design, directing, acting).
3. Students can effectively communicate creative ideas and critical judgments
through appropriate means (oral, written, practical).
4. Students can demonstrate ethical and self-disciplined behaviors appropriate to
the field of theatre.
6) State the Assessment Question(s) and/or Goal(s) of Assessment Activity
How well exit materials (final interviews, essays, portfolio) demonstrate that the students have achieved the desired outcomes.
7) State the Type(s) of Evidence Gathered
To assess the outcome or answer the assessment question, what evidence was collected?
- Exit Interviews
- Reflection Papers
- Resumes
- Portfolios
- Entrance/Exit Checklists
Note: We developed new guidelines for B.A. Portfolios, effective Spring 2009. Students are now required to focus their reflection papers on the four B.A. SLOs, and to organize their portfolio to reflect their achievement of these SLOs.
8) State How the Evidence was Interpreted, Evaluated, or Analyzed
A new B.A. Exit Rubric was developed, and used for the first time with Spring 09 graduates. This Rubric asks faculty to rank each student’s demonstrated SLO, with the exit interview, essay, and portfolio as evidence. Assessment Chair Lurana O’Malley collated the data.
Entrance/Exit checklist data will not be crunched on a semesterly basis, as the sample is small. Last data set was from the 2002-2007. The entrance/exit checklists are also currently under revision.
2008-2009 exit interview notes and Exit Rubric data were in early Fall 2009 distributed to faculty for discussion within area specialties (e.g., theatre history, acting, design, etc.)
9) State How Many Pieces of Evidence Were Collected
All students graduating within a given semester were included.
Fall 2008 graduates: 3 (exit interviews, portfolios, essays, resumes)
Spring 2009 graduates: 7 (exit interviews, portfolios, essays, resumes plus Exit Rubrics)
10) Summarize the Actual Results
The Exit Rubrics provide a result that is more easily summarized than the interviews, portfolios, etc. See question #13 for discussion of changes prompted by materials from those more qualitative sources of information.
Exit Rubric Spring 2009 (7 Students)
Percentage represents percentage of total times a faculty member rated a student’s learning outcome at that level (4 is highest, 1 is lowest).
| SLO# | 4 (Highest) | 3 | 2 | 1 (Lowest) | TOTAL TIMES THIS OUTCOME RANKED |
| 1 | 13 (46%) | 13 (46%) | 2 (7%) | 28 | |
| 2 | 9 (29%) | 23 (79%) | 31 | ||
| 3 | 12 (38%) | 18 (58%) | 1 (3%) | 31 | |
| 4 | 21 (65%) | 11 (34%) | 32 |
11) Briefly Describe the Distribution and Discussion of Results
Many faculty were able to attend exit interviews; all faculty received notes from the Fall 08 and Spring 09 Exit Interviews, for review. For Spring 09, the faculty also received a summary of the rubric ranking. We plan to wait for two more semesters of the rubric ranking before a formal discussion of findings, as the sample is small.
12) Describe Conclusions and Discoveries
The exit materials support our development of BFA degrees in both Acting and Theatre Design, as well as pointing to the need for numerous other changes detailed in #13.
13) Use of Results/Program Modifications: State How the Program Used the Results --or-- Explain Planned Use of Results
Changes discussed below are specific to the various areas within the B.A. curriculum.
Design:
We are pursuing a BFA in Design & Production. We are requesting a modification that THEA 345 replace THEA 343 as one of the choices, along with THEA 353 & 356 to fulfill a design class requirement for undergraduate majors. Introduction to Computer-Aided Design for the Theatre has been made a 400 level class, THEA 448. Also, further modifications to the current THEA 240 lab hour requirement is in discussion.
Recent changes in response to last year's assessment: Course modification for THEA 343 and THEA 640 now include “sound design and support” in the description. Creation of THEA 345, to function as a beginning lighting design class and prerequisite to THEA 445. THEA 240 now includes 4 pre-scheduled, formal lab sequences, for which students would sign up for one, instead of having students put in lab hours at their discretion-- currently under discussion for further modification.
Acting:
Because the acting sequence is able to be taken out of order and some classes skipped, it is still difficult to assess students sequentially (i.e. are they using skills from other classes). However, from comments made, it is clear that analysis of texts is important in acting classes. Acting faculty have already implemented some kind of prompt book in most performance classes and we will continue and expand this kind of analysis.
Also acknowledged in the exit interviews was the approachability of the faculty. Acting faculty will continue to maintain our willingness to assist students above and beyond any normal expectation.
Acting faculty is working to make policies for certain assignments much more explicit (i.e. MFA final reflection papers; exit interview papers).
THEA 322 (Method Acting) was offered this year after a hiatus--we will seek to offer this class much more often as it is a foundation for advanced undergraduate and well as beginning graduate actors. It is also our opinion that a more-thorough grounding in THEA 322 would assist our graduates in their preparation. We will also try to offer THEA 321(Auditions & Monologues) as often as possible as students recognize that the skills learned in that class are necessary for the professional world.
We are in the planning stages for implementing a BFA degree in performance. We also anticipate a much more collaborative effort between Western and Asian acting styles and how each style can affect the other in our curriculum. We also anticipate a closer collaboration with the Dance Unit and how those classes can be integrated into an acting curriculum.
History/Theory:
Response to the World Theatre sequence has been very positive, with special note that varied methods of teaching (such as interactive and/or performed plays or personalities) are very successful in helping students learn. Students occasionally remark on the lack of intro-level theory courses at the undergraduate level, so we may consider offering something of this type.
14) Reflect on the Assessment Process
We plan to modify the current B.A. entrance/exit checklists with revisions to the questions, this is in process. We are considering moving them to surveymonkey.com. Perhaps also make the Exit Rubrics electronic to save paper and make them easier to tally.
15) Other Important Information
Some examples of recent web-based Theatre B.A. portfolios:
http://brettfolio.wordpress.com/
http://www.freewebs.com/darnnabanks/