1. Dr. Geri Cochran Director, Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning

2.  It’s all about what is important to you ◦ Identifying what is important, the values that guide what you are doing. ◦ Using those values as a basis for evaluating what you are doing ◦ Taking what you have learned from that evaluation to improve what you are doing in order to better achieve your values

3. Program assessment is a form of evaluation by which participants in a program judge its effectiveness in achieving their values and use what they have learned to improve the program’s effectiveness in achieving those values.

4. Premise Assessment is linked directly to value Propositions 1. What we assess indicates what we value 2. What we value should guide what we assess

5. A form of evaluation in which the values of the participants’ in a program are made explicit expectations for what should “come out” of their actions and those actions are evaluated according to the extent to which the actions achieve the expected outcomes.

6. Improving Programs Program Outcomes Program Criteria Program Values

7.  Focusing on the value of education shifts our attention from inputs to outcomes  What “comes out” of an educational experience must be directly or indirectly observable to be assessed.  Program assessment belongs to the program; the purpose of outcomes assessment is to improve programs by encouraging evidence-based decision-making by people in the program

8.  Professional Readiness The student will acquire a working knowledge of the profession and expectations of the industry, including but not limited to audition technique and etiquette, casting director and agent relationships, professional protocol in rehearsal and performance situations, maintaining positive professional relationships, and advancing a career in an ethical and creative manner.

9.  Professional Collaboration The student will acquire and demonstrate necessary collaborative skills to work effectively on a professional level in studio and performance projects with directors, fellow actors, stage managers, designers, technicians and all parties who participate in the process of bringing a production to realization.

10.  Technical Skills The student will demonstrate kinesthetic awareness by demonstrating dance skills and stage combat skills. The student will show increased flexibility in speaking voice using a variety of accents and dialects and by performing in heightened and classical language. The student will demonstrate the ability to integrate acting techniques and appropriate musical styles in studio and performance projects.

11.  Critical Analysis The student will demonstrate the ability to transform into character by being able to analyze a script and demonstrate that ability with craft terms.

12.  What evidence should be gathered for assessing outcomes?  What are the sources of the evidence for the outcomes?  How often is the evidence to be collected?

13.  Relatively direct (SACS preferred) ◦ Writing assignments ◦ Oral presentations ◦ Design projects ◦ Artistic compositions ◦ Essay exams  Relatively indirect ◦ Surveys ◦ Internship reports ◦ Employer Surveys

14.  Evidence should be meaningful information that is appropriate for assessing a particular outcome.  Evidence should be manageable: reasonable to attain and evaluate (time, effort, availability)

15.  List of Outcomes  Evidence to be collected  Source of evidence  Frequency of collection of evidence

16. OutcomesEvidenceSourceFrequency The student will demonstrate kinesthetic awareness by demonstrating dance skills and stage combat skills. Production evaluations, videos, jury reports Students, faculty, professional in the field Semester & Annually The student will acquire a working knowledge of the profession Selection of work in portfolio, sample of performances, etc StudentsAnnually

17.  Is the evidence specific enough in describing the form of the evidence and venue for collection?  Does the plan rely mainly on direct evidence?  Is the evidence meaningful for the particular outcome?  Is the evidence manageable (reasonable to collect and evaluate) ?

18. Improving Programs Program Outcomes Program Criteria Program Values

19.  Goal: To use the evidence as a basis for judging the extent to which the program is meeting the members’ values for the program.

20.  Goal: To apply what has been learned in evaluating the program toward identifying actions to address areas of concern

21.  As a result of your assessment, what changes if any, have you implemented to address areas of concern (in the program or in the assessment of the program)?

22.  What outcomes are you planning to assess for the next reporting cycle?

23.  How can I help? Geri Cochran