Queensborough Community College
DEPARTMENT:
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Speech Communication & Theatre Arts
June 2013
YEAR: 2012-2013
A. DEPARTMENT SERVICES/ACTIVITIES REPORT IN 2012-13
1.
Department-sponsored services (fall and spring semesters combined)
Area of Service
Speech Placement Testing
Number Served
2000
Faculty chaperoned and coached students for participation in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre
January 26th to Feb. 3rd, 2013
20
Departmental Production: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” 11/7 – 11/10 (run shortened by hurricane)
597
Departmental Production: “Almost Maine”, 12/7-12/13
420
Departmental Production: “Our Town”, 3/1-3/9
587
Departmental Production: “Marisol”, 5/3-5/9
283
3 day workshop on “Acting Shakespeare’s Text”, 9/5- 9/6
30
Chaperoned students to Second Stage production of “Water by The Spoonful” w/ talkback 12/9
Chaperoned students to Second Stage production of “The Last Five Years” w/ talkback 3/8
TDF Pre-show Acting Workshop for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, March 15, 2013
Chaperoned students to “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”– TDF show March 20, 2013
TDF Post-show Acting Workshop for “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”, March 22, 2013
TDF Pre-show Acting workshop for musical “Once”, April 5th, 2013
“Once” – TDF show chaperone, April 11, 2013
23
23
27
27
27
27
27
TDF Post-show Acting workshop for Once, April 19th, 2013
27
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
Hosted Movement Workshop for Drama Society with guest artist Oisîn Monaghan, May 15th, 2013
13
Service learning with Otisville Federal Prison (Spring 2013)
45
Department run Technical Areas for Theatrical productions includes Scene Shop, Costuming, Lighting and Sound
50
Conducted patient simulation scenarios in cross-disciplinary CETL Grant with the Nursing Department
to increase communication skills in non-native speakers
30
Conducted mental health patient simulation scenarios in cross-disciplinary CETL Grant with the Nursing
Department to create a laboratory setting for nursing students to practice therapeutic care using theatre
students as patients
15
Area of service (for example): a department-run learning laboratory (not laboratories for which students register as part of their courses), the reference desk or reserve area of the
Library, department tutoring program, etc. (Note: Do not report courses or laboratories for which students register.)
2.
Department-sponsored faculty/staff development activities
Type of Activity and Topic
Accent reduction classes for QCC faculty taught by departmental faculty
KCACTF Response Training for Faculty from CUNY colleges led by QCC faculty and faculty from
Sienna College
Faculty served as Adjudicators for National Irene Ryan Acting Competition, Fitchburg, MA, January
27th, 2012
Date
Fall
11/10
Number Attending
8
7
1/27,
2012
150
Note: Faculty and staff development activities (grants, presentations, exhibitions, performances, publications, instructional improvement activities, laboratory development,
curriculum development, etc.)
B. COURSE CHANGES IN 2012-13
New, revised, or
deleted
New
Course
number
SP
Course title
Semester approved
Comments
Revised
SP211
Public Speaking
Fall 2012
Revised
SP471
American Film History I
Spring 2013
Course hours reduced to 3 hours and
enrollment cap set at 22. Course approved
for Pathways Flexible Core IIB.
Course revised to 3hrs/1 recitation hour and
approved for Pathways Flexible Core IIC
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Queensborough Community College
Revised
SP472
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
American Film History II
Spring 2013
June 2013
Course revised to 3hrs/1 recitation hour and
approved for Pathways Flexible Core IIC
C. PROGRAM CHANGES IN 2012-13
Program
Program change*
A.S. in Visual and
Performing Arts
Revision of General Education
requirements so as to conform with
PATHWAYS.
Effective Date
(Semester and year)
Fall 2013
Comments
Revisions made so as to ease
transition into Pathways General
Education requirements.
*Key: (a)=initiated, (b)=closed, (c)=renamed, (d)=modified
D. DEPARTMENT CHANGES IN 2012-13
Type (see menu
below)
Description of Change
Reason for Change
Date/Semester
Evaluation of Change*
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
Facilities/Space
Creation of Costume
Shop and dressing
rooms at Shadowbox
theatre
Cited in last programmatic
review by external
reviewers.
Fall 2012
Students were able to build
costumes for our spring
productions and add costume
crafts to their learning in
courses TH131, TH231,
TH132, TH 232.
Renovation of Dept.
Offices. Faculty offices
upgrades with new
electrical outlets
properly located for
computers, new faculty
desks, 2 new conference
rooms created, outer
office updated, room for
copiers and mailboxes
created, a proper office
of chair person created.
Faculty offices had not
been updated for
Decades.
Summer 2012
Departmental workspace
greatly improved. Still a few
items left to complete.
Refit multimedia lab
Spring ‘13
Update hardware &
software to reflect current
technological requirements
including new computers.
N/A
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Queensborough Community College
Equipment
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
Purchase of Drill Press,
Band Saw and 2- 12”
compound Miter saws for
the scene shop.
Expand shops capabilities in
building scenery for student
productions.
Fall 2012
Students learning improved as
they used this equipment in
TH131, TH231, TH132, TH 232.
Professional gravity Iron
for Costume shop.
Part of fitting of the new
costume shop.
Fall 2012
Students were able to build
costumes for our spring
productions and add costume
crafts to their learning in
courses TH131, TH231, TH132,
TH 232.
Purchased and installed
27" iMacs, w/ the
increased screen real
estate and 7200RPM
drives, replacement of
projector and printer, lab.
installation of AVID
software and independent
server.
Part of Muli-Media Lab refit.
Spring 2013
N/A
Switch to different editing
software to reflect required
skill set and market
demands
*Please note that, if change has been too recent to evaluate, you may indicate NA.
MENU
Type of change
Personnel or organizational change
Facilities/space
Equipment
Other
Description
New hires, retirees, resignations, promotions, department name changes, etc.
Renovations or development of office space or new facilities (i.e., computer laboratories)
Acquisition of new or disposition of old equipment
Other changes affecting the department not included above and including interactions with other departments
E. DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT IN 2012-13
1.
Departmental procedures for conducting assessment
The fundamental elements of standard 14 (assessment of student learning) of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education include:
clearly articulated statements of expected student learning outcomes…at all levels (institution, degree/program, course) and for all
programs that aim to foster student learning and development; a documented, organized, and sustained assessment process to evaluate and
improve student learning; evidence that student learning assessment information is shared and discussed with appropriate constituents and
is used to improve teaching and learning.
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
Describe below the department’s ongoing procedures for assessing student learning and using assessment results to improve
teaching and learning. In your description, please explain how the department fulfills each of the Middle States
fundamental elements above.
The Department of Speech Communications and Theatre Arts has two faculty committees dedicated to the assessment of
departmental offerings: a speech assessment committee and a theatre assessment committee. The speech assessment
committee conducts regular assessment of the SP211 (Public Speaking) course and the theatre committee conducts both course
assessment as well as participates in the Program Assessment of the Visual and Performing Arts A.S. degree. These
assessments also address General Education Objectives, programmatic objectives for the Theatre Concentration and course
objectives. All of the pertinent SLOs are listed in course syllabi. The results of this assessment are shared both with the Office
of Academic Affairs and reviewed at the end of each semester by the faculty of the department. At that time,
recommendations from the committees are discussed, voted upon and implemented in the semester following. In 2013,
members of the Speech Assessment Committee participated in an in-service institute on assessment. Theatre faculty will
follow suit in the Fall of 2013.
As a result of Assessment in 2012-2013:
In cooperation with staff from Academic Advisement, a new screening system will be used to screen all incoming students
during summer advisement. Full screening of incoming students was suspended in previous years, with advisors referring
students for testing. As a result of faculty input and assessment, full screening was reinstated.
Two new test instruments were developed for the SP211 course to assess student achievement in Listening and Speaking. The
Listening instrument was used in the Spring of 2013 and both the Listening and Speaking instruments will be used in Fall of
2013.
The Theatre Faculty meetings resulted in the establishment of a vision statement for the degree and a set of goal for the coming
academic year.
2a.
Departmental participation in self-study/program review during 2012-2013, if applicable
Program(s) reviewed: (GIVE FULL TITLE, i.e., A.A.S. in Digital Art and Design)
External Agency or Reviewers: (GIVE NAME OF AGENCY OR NAME OF REVIEWER[S])
Date of site visit
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
Major conclusions of self-study
Major conclusions of external reviewers
Resulting action plan
2b.
Program review follow-up
Action item from program review
3.
Timeline for completion
Accomplishments during current year
Course assessment
Courses
assessed
Relevant QCC
Educational Objectives
Relevant Curricular
Objectives (cite both
curriculum and objectives)
Evaluation of Assessment Results
Action plan
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Queensborough Community College
SP211
Communicate effectively
through reading, writing,
listening and speaking
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
To develop students as
more effective listeners and
evaluators of
communication, in order to
make them, in turn, more
capable learners and
intelligent decision-makers.
On ability to recognize parts of speech,
we believe faculty should give more
emphasis to the concept of topic
identification, main ideas identification
and citing sources. With regards to
citing sources faculty should organize
for their classes more than one trip to
the library and create target exercises
to identify citation in speeches and to
incorporate citation while delivering
speeches following the MLA citation
style for oral citations. With regards to
topic and main ideas identification
together with the ability to extract
content from spoken language
(listening and comprehension) we
believe that faculty should assign more
in class activities asking students to
summarize, analyze and report on
content from spoken language.
June 2013
Given the following
outcomes, this
committee will revisit the
speech selection and will
reword the questions in a
more specific way to
perfect the assessment
tool for next semester.
However, as speeches were both
substandard, the skill of recognizing
parts of the speech at or above 80 %
level from the first to the second
assessment might be too advanced for
students and it might require longer
than a semester to see a substantial
improvement, especially with regards
to comprehension.
4.
Results of certification exams, employer and alumni surveys, student surveys, advisory board recommendations
(if applicable, please use the table below)
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Queensborough Community College
Data Source
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Results
June 2013
Action plan
Certification exams
Employer/alumni surveys, including
graduation and placement survey
Student surveys (current students)
Advisory Board recommendations
5.
Other assessment activity
F. DEPARTMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
1.
Goals/objectives for 2012-2013
(Please indicate [Yes or No] if the objectives were part of the College’s Strategic Plan for 2011-2012.)
Departmental goals/objectives 2011/2012
Strategic
Plan Y/N
Y
Evaluation of achievement
Resulting action plan
Successful.
None
Complete Installation of the Costume Shop.
Y
Completed.
None
Initiate Review for eventual certification of
National Association of Schools of Theatre
Y
Ongoing
A consultative visit has
been scheduled for fall
of 2013.
Successfully submit course for inclusion in
PATHWAYS
Y
All course submitted and approved.
Faculty will continue to
participate in the CLASP
to advance Speech
requirements within
Pathways.
Successfully integrate new Speech Test into
CUNY FIRST.
NA
System is up and running. Faculty
and staff trained on its usage.
All incoming students
will be screened for
speech placement during
Hire Theatrical Specialist with expertise in
direction.
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
advisement of incoming
students.
Develop new articulation agreements with
public and private 4 year colleges.
Y
Ongoing
Continue work with
Director of Articulation
Agreements.
Upgrade Media Learning Lab with New
Computers
Y
Completed and new Avid editing
system installed.
Train and certify faculty
and staff in AVID
editing.
Hire Theatre Specialist in Design
Y
Currently filled by Sub. Asst.
Professor
Create PVN and conduct
Search.
2.
Goals/objectives for 2013-2014
(Explain how these goals/objectives align with the College’s goals and Strategic Plan for 2013-2014)
Departmental goals/objectives 2013-2014
Completion of Programmatic Self Study
For Speech and Theatre Courses: Review of Assessment
results and a series of recommendations or changes
developed.
Mission/Strategic
Plan
Y
Y
Planned method of evaluation
A published Programmatic Self-Study will
be shared college wide. External review by
NAST scheduled for fall ‘14
Review by Office of Assessment and
departmental faculty.
Implementation of full Speech Screening for all incoming
students.
For Theatre Program:
A full and completer review scheduled for all Theatre
Syllabi.
Faculty review scheduled at close of each
semester.
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
A jury system at the end of semester for all majors to be
implemented in the fall of 2013.
June 2013
NAST consultative visit in fall of ’13 and
full NAST review in fall of’14.
A rubric for grading acting exercises will be developed
through the collaboration of all theatre faculty.
A student Handbook will be written by Theatre Faculty and
made available to all students in Fall of 2013.
A beginning of semester meeting with all majors will be
scheduled at the start of each semester.
All Theatre majors will be assigned a faculty
advisor/mentor who follows them throughout their
academic career at Queensborough.
A compilation of emails for majors will be organized and
students will receive regular “blasts” from the dept. keeping
them abreast of departmental activities.
Scripts for the following year’s season will be determined
at the end of the fall semester rather than in spring to allow
for interdepartmental teaching and better planning in lesson
plans for theatre courses.
Theatre faculty will participate in the assessment institute.
Theatre courses will be grouped by SLO’s (programmatic
and Gen. Ed) and assessed accordingly.
An experimental course in Costume Construction will be
offered in Spring 2014.
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