FINAL REPORT – 12/3/11

SHORELINECOMMUNITY COLLEGE

DRAMA, CINEMA, PERFORMANCE ARTS + DIGITAL FILMMAKING

PROGRAM REVIEW

Fall 2011

Prepared by Karen Demetre, Consultant

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PURPOSE...... 3

METHODOLOGY……………………………...4

CONSULTANT REPORT

Findings on Program Review Elements

Assessment ……………………………………..5

Program Information……………………………8

Student Data Trends…………………………… 11

Curriculum………………………………………. 28 Faculty……………………………………………. 32

Resources……………………………………….. 34

Schedule of Classes…………………………… 36

Partnerships…………………………………….. 38

Support Services………………………………. 39

Revenue Potential……………………………… 41

The Virtual College…………………………….. 41

Competition………..……………………………. 42

Program Access………………………………... 45

Labor Market Opportunities………….………. 46

Analysis of Findings

Institutional Issues…………………………...... 48

Program Strengths……………………………… 49 Recommendations…………………………...... 51

APPENDIX

Faculty Response..……………………………… 54

Student Survey Results…………………...... 64

Advisory Committee Survey Results………… 73

Additional Program Data……………………….. 76

PURPOSE

The purpose of the program review process at ShorelineCommunity College is continuous quality improvement. This process is scheduled on a five year cycle across all instructional areas at the college.

This process serves to meet standards established by the State Board for Community and Technical College Education and the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Relevant accreditation standards are listed below:

4.A Assessment

4.A.1The institution engages in ongoing systematic collection and analysis of

meaningful, assessable, and verifiable data – quantitative and/or qualitative, as appropriate to its indicators of achievement – as the basis for evaluating the accomplishment of its core theme objectives.

4.A.2The institution engages in an effective system of evaluation of its

programs and services, wherever offered and however delivered, to evaluate achievement of clearly-identified program goals or intended outcomes. Facultyhas a primary role in the evaluation of educational programs and services.

4.A.3The institution documents, through an effective, regular, and comprehensive system of assessment of student achievement, that students who complete its educational courses, programs, and degrees, wherever offered and however delivered, achieve identified course, program, and degree learning outcomes. Faculty (members) withteaching responsibilities are responsible for evaluating student achievement of clearly-identified learning outcomes.

4.A.4The institution evaluates holistically the alignment, correlation, and integration of programs and services with respect to accomplishment of core theme objectives.

METHODOLOGY

First Committee Meeting

(orientation including full-time faculty, division dean, workforce dean, institutional researcher, and consultant)

Qualitative Information Collected

  • College website, planning guides, brochures
  • Schedule of Classes
  • Class Waitlists and Clustering
  • Faculty Input (written assignment)
  • Student Surveys (49current students: 2/3 in their first year

and 1/3 in the program two to four years)

  • Advisory Committee Roster + Meeting Minutes
  • Advisory Committee Surveys (2of 11 members)
  • Faculty Group Interview
  • Division Dean Interview

Quantitative Information Collected

  • Faculty teaching loads (full-time and part-time)
  • Division budget figures
  • Annualized FTES, Headcount, and % of Enrollment

(by program and by certificate + degree)

  • Student demographics (age, gender, ethnicity, academic +

economic disadvantage)

  • Completion of degrees and certificates
  • Student grade distributions
  • State and college comparative data on S:F ratios
  • State employment data on former students

Preliminary Report (presented to faculty/dean for feedback and

revision by consultant)

Final Committee Meeting

(discussion of consultant’s report + program review process)

Completion + Distribution of Final Program Review Report

CONSULTANT REPORT

Drama, Cinema, Performance Arts + Digital Filmmaking Program - Fall 2011

ELEMENTS REVIEWED, FINDINGS, + ANALYSIS

  1. ASSESSMENT (FAC. REPORT Pg54)

TOOLS TO ASSESS PROGRAM OUTCOMES

1.1Program outcomes have been established for the AAAS/AAS-T degree and are clearly stated in the program website, planning guides, and college catalog. Published program outcomes mention collaboration and professional behavior in the workplace, which are important for continued employment. It is suggested that wording about written and verbal communication skillsbe included to provide a more explicit reference to general education outcomes. Also, outcomes could mention self-promotion and entrepreneurial skills needed to work freelance. Many courses emphasize these skills; and faculty is receptive to formalizing that expectation in the list of program outcomes.

1.2Faculty indicates it is a challenge is to provide students with enough studio access to meet the outcome for managing lighting and equipment in that setting; however, classroom instruction helps prepare them for those experiences.

1.3As regards the certificates, oneoutcomefor Writing/Directing is to “Write a successful short script.” More descriptive language could clarify what is meant by “successful”. For the Acting certificateone outcome is to “Work with actors, writers and directors of varying skill levels and working styles.” This could be strengthened by revising it to say “Work effectively.”

1.4Advisory committee feedback shows lack of familiarity with published program outcomes, which is due in part to changing membership. Since program outcomes provide the foundation for curriculum development and assessment of student learning, it is beneficial to periodically review these with the committeeto deepen their understanding of the program and the language of learning outcomes. It would also be worthwhile to encourage more committee evaluation of student work.

1.5Program faculty is skilled at assessing student learning in theirdisciplineand employs a variety of methods to accomplish this. When the digital filmmaking program outcomes were revised a few years ago faculty embedded appropriate program outcomes into learning outcomes for different classes. Authentic assessment of students’ abilities and job-related performance occurs throughout the curriculum(e.g. projects, production assignments, performances). Many excellent opportunities are provided for students to apply knowledge and learn through experiential and “real life” experiences.

1.6A formal system does not exist for tracking aggregate dataforindicators or

measurements thatdemonstrate achievement of overall program outcomes. Monitoring of student learning over time typically occurs within individual courses by instructors who evaluate projects, performances and other samples of student work. Assessment of student learning on a program-wide basis over timeis general and uses periodic feedback from current students and advisory committee members. Faculty has conducted cross-class assessment of the outcome on “Working effectively in groups to create video projects.” They have also made progress by utilizing self-evaluationand supervisor-evaluation of the mandatory internship for the AAAS-T degree which enables more diligent tracking of results for program outcome #7 (“knowledge of professional set behavior, collaboration techniques, and ethics”) and program outcome #8 (“familiarity with various filmmaking industry opportunities in the Puget Sound region and beyond.”).

1.7Self-perception alone does not equate with authentic assessment of learning, but a favorable finding is the large percentage of survey respondents who give high ratings for how well their individual learning needs were met (84%) and how well they were prepared for employment (80%). This indicates that most current students are satisfied with their education in the program and believe itprovides adequate preparation for working in the field.

1.8Student data from the institutional researcher is another tool to assess program outcomes (such as patterns of course completion and grades earned).

The college has started using “Dashboards” for analysis of departmental data on an annual basis; however, data is difficult to gather for this program due to the integration of coursework across disciplines. Theprogram is fairly new as a prof-tech option; and it was previously under the Communications discipline as an academic program until it changed it to Performance Arts/Digital Filmmaking with the Film discipline prefix.

1.9Another strategy is to select samples of student work across the program and annually document student performancelevelson these. Data collection could be structured to address some of the following questions:

  • What projects or student work samples best represent program learning outcomes? (i.e. selected assignments, projects, presentations, exams?)
  • How well are students performing on these work samples? (the percent of students who meet or exceed minimum standards, or the percent of students who achieve essential competencies)
  • What are faculty expectations for overall student achievement in the program; and how well are these being met over time? (Example: XX% of students meet minimum standards for XXXX assignment, which is X% above/below our program outcome goal)

Faculty has just started to require students to create resumes and show reels of their work before exiting the program. These are excellent examples of student achievement in the program; and maintaining aggregate records on the quality of these over time could give valuable insights on attainment of program outcomes.

1.10Graduate follow-up consists of occasional conversations with former students

that contactfaculty to keep them informed. Graduatesexpress high regard for the faculty and program; and faculty is satisfied with abilities of students who complete the program. However, faculty indicates more feedback from former students wouldbetter validate these perceptions. This is difficult to achieve with limited time and resources. The program has an active Face Book page, but participation is small. Resources or staff support are needed to conduct focused graduate follow-up activities and systematically compile results. There is interest in utilizing an email list serve for surveying and communicating with current and former students, which might be accomplished by employing a work study student to develop it and summarize results. Although this continues to be a goal, it is difficult to achieve due to competing priorities. The Collegeinitiated a general survey to graduates from programs across the college, but the survey cannot distinguish Film students from any others. Thus, specific survey responses from film program graduates were not available for review. In the future, it would be advisable for the college survey of former students to identify their areas of study in order to provide feedback that is useful for program review.

1.11State data on employment of former students (completers + early leavers)

showsvariable rates of employment. Around 60% of former students are employed one year after leaving the college, which reflects the economic downturn. Faculty describes numerous types of positions for graduates and positive anecdotal evidence; however, there is no systematic data collection from follow-up with former students.

TOOLS TO ASSESS GENERAL EDUCATION OUTCOMES

1.12Master course outlines identify general education outcomes addressed by

courses; however, specific guidelines/criteria or performance levels(rubrics) for assessing achievement of general education outcomes have not been defined by the college. Since many courses and assignments or projects include multiple learning outcomes it is sometimes difficult to isolate and collect assessment data on individual general education outcomes. Although it is assumed that passing grades provide evidence of achieving general education outcomes, this area of assessment could be further refined as shown in the following chart:

General Education Outcomes

Learning Outcome / Assessment Measure / Data Collected / Evaluation of Data / Actions Taken
List here the measures the program uses to assess progress toward the outcome (grades or quality of selected projects/ portfolios, stud orgrad. surveys, placement data, re-tention statistics, etc.) / List here the specific data collected / Describe here what the data mean. / Describe the actions taken, based on the evaluation of the data
Quantitative Reasoning
Communication
Multicultural Understanding
Information Literacy
Gen. Intellectual
Abilities
Global Awareness

1.13Many courses in the program require writing projects or assignments, oral

presentations, group discussion, group work, problem-solving, and role play. These experiences provide samples of student performance that faculty can use to assess development of students’ writing and verbal communication skills. Assessing general education outcomes is relevant because they are very important for success in the workplace.

EVIDENCE OF ACTION BASED ON ASSESSMENT FINDINGS

1.14Faculty continually evaluates student learning in their classes and seeks input

fromstudents and advisory committee members. Examples of action based on assessment findings include modified instructional strategies such as: (1) adding peer evaluations (oral and written) to provide more rigorous grading; (2) incorporating group evaluations of production projects to emphasize teamwork/collaboration; and (3) shifting from assignments to actual film production projects to provide problem-based learning.

2. PROGRAM INFORMATION (FAC. REPORT Pg55)

ACCURACY

2.1Academic planning guides on the website are generally accurate and complete; although there are delays in updating course names on planning guides due to workload issues for the Workforce Education Office secretary.

2.2The website and planning guides provide helpful information about approximate quarterly costs including tuition, books, and various fees.

2.3Last year faculty suggested revisions for the annual class schedule on the college website; and now they need to recheck accuracy to ensure appropriate changes have been implemented. Courses offered on a periodic (as needed) basis have not been included in the annual class schedule due to enrollment management constraints. The need to run full classes may sometimes result in last minute cancellations if a cluster is not workable.

RELEVANCY

2.4 The program webpage has an attractive layout with an appealing video that features student testimonials and faculty interviews. Various degree options are explained along with information on transfer to CentralWashingtonUniversity’s Film & Video Studies Program. The college is developing plans to enhance the college website and give faculty more inputto improve the program website.

2.5 The program brochure does not include program outcomesto inform

studentsofintended learning for these educational pathways. It is advisable to include program outcomesin the program brochures/flyerswhen possible.

2.6 Surveyed students provided a range of responses about helpfulness of

program information (website and printed materials). Around two-thirds(64%) of respondents rated it as good or excellent; however, 30% rated it fairto poor,which indicates the need for improvement. This may relate to the difficulty some students encountered navigating the college website. They state that some pertinent information is lacking and format is confusing (not intuitivefor users). The A-Z Indexhas three listings for program options (Cinema, Drama, and Film) which provide pathways to reach program specific information. Three years ago a professional design team was hired to create a new website for the Film/Drama program which was simple and easy to navigate. The Public Information Office would not allow it to become operational because it did not look like the college site. Since the coding and information are still available, faculty hope it can be utilized in the future.

2.7 Program information on the website and brochure describes job opportunities.

Greater emphasis could be placed on the fact that positions have become more competitive, but opportunities do exist for graduates with strong skillsand active job search efforts. Entrepreneurial skills are needed to work freelance.

2.8 Planning guides for the AAAS/AAS-Tdegree and two certificateslist required

courses and electives plus information on prerequisites. Course sequencing can be variable and students usually gain access to courses they need; however, academic planning might be better supported if markers were attached to courses only offered once per year (i.e. 5 of 8 Film courses and 5 of 13 Drama courses). A consistent symbol (#, *, etc.)could be used to identify these courses on the planning guides.

CURRENCY

2.9 Program information and curriculum on the websiteis generally current.

2.10Planning guides have been updated in the last year, although updating for

course titles has been delayed due to secretary workload issues (stated in section 2.1). These documents include helpful reminders about course prerequisites and other information that supports academic planning.

2.11The program brochure is appealing, but needs updated information on

certificatesas well as degree and transfer options. Also, a reference source cited for employment and salary information is valuable, but content is becoming dated (2008). Faculty created a new brochure including information that lines up with the new degree option (a faculty member has the disc with these files) along with a website plan which was not permitted to be activated. Printing of new brochures was delayed because there were so many old ones that it seemed wasteful, but subsequently the old brochure was sent to the printer without asking faculty about changes. This communication breakdown between departments wastes limited resources; and constraints imposed on the design and content for all printed material hampers proper marketing of the program.

2.12Faculty struggles to maintain accuracy of program informational materials

(i.e.degree planning sheets, brochure, etc.).The one full-time faculty member also teaches in the transfer area (Drama) and has limited time to do all the extra paperwork and coordination functions for the prof--tech program.

CONGRUENCE

2.13Consistent headings and information about the AAAS Degree areevident

in the program website and printed planning guides (i.e. quarterly costs, program description, etc.). Courses are categorized as general education requirements or foundational requirements, which clearly indicates that accreditation standards have been fulfilled.

2.14Content is generally consistent for thewebsite, program brochure, and planning

guides; however, the naming conventions are inconsistent. These sources refer to the program as Performance Arts and Digital Filmmaking, butthe program is actually integrated with the Drama/Cinema academic transfer program and the professional-technical option is often referred to as the Film /Video program. On the college inventory from the state, it is called Digital Film Production, Acting for Stage and Camera and Writing and Directing for the Camera (formal names of the degree and two certificates, respectively). One instructor mentioned that Media Arts is a newer term which should be considered for the program (with the possibility of including VCT). It is suggested that the program recommend a current title to be implemented consistently, if needed.

2.15At the time of this writing the printed brochuredid not show current certificates.

That problemwill be rectified when anupdated brochure is available.