Eileen White
Associate Professor, Speech Communication & Theatre Arts
ewhite@qcc.cuny.edu
SP 471 Assessment– Fall 2014
Course Name & Sections: SP 471 PNET American Film History I and SP 471
(G4) American Film History I
# of Students Total: 60 (25 in PNET and 35 in regular section)
Learning Outcomes
 Students will be able to analyze, interpret and draw conclusions from
various films in technical and historical context through the
examination of the technical and stylistic components used in the
construct of a feature film
 Students will identify specific styles and genres in American Film and
relate them to an historical movement.
 Students will demonstrate familiarity with notable films, directors,
screenwriters, cinematographers and other contributors.
 Students will demonstrate critical thinking through the written
expression of historical facts and filmic concepts in order to derive
meaning in films.
Students will be able to
 Evaluate and integrate various sources and approaches to filmic art.
 Demonstrate and discuss various technical and artistic innovations
through written analysis and proper use of filmic descriptive
terminology.
 Identify and describe stylistic and genre elements in American film.
 Identify and describe historical and cultural context of various films.
 Use correct spelling, grammar, rules of composition and references.
4. General Education Outcomes
 To recognize historical processes in the formation of ideas, cultural
movements, political institutions, economic trends, and social
structures
 To differentiate and make informed decisions about issues based on
value systems (ethical, philosophical, religious, cultural, and political)
 To make informed judgments of the humanities and the arts as
aesthetic and intellectual experiences
Observable elements in assessing these outcomes are:
 Students will be able to perform and write analytical evaluations of
stylistic and historical contexts of cinema using filmic terminology
o Conduct formal analysis of the historically significant visual
and technical elements in film
o Proper use of filmic terminology
o Describe and analyze various styles, economic, technical
innovations, genres and movements in the history of film.
o Demonstrate familiarity with major films and their makers.
o Describe the historical and cultural contexts of films
5. Assignments: Weekly quizzes (multiple choice, short answer, matching,
essay) and required supplementary online viewings (PNET only)
6. Measurements: Score Progression from quizzes (weekly, total of twelve),
midterm exam (10/16/14 and 10/27/14). Questions include:











Describe “Vertical Integration” and how the major studios benefited
from it during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Define and discuss montage as it is illustrated in Eisenstein’s
Battleship Potemkin and it’s influence on filmmaking
Outline how the Studio System worked. What were the pros and cons
of the system?
Discuss the history of the Hays Code and its implications on
filmmaking.
Discuss the influence of German Expressionism. Use examples from
class or other films you have seen that show an Expressionist
influence.
How did “Method Acting” change film?
In the 1960s &1970s, politics and current events played a large role in
filmmaking. How did this affect the kinds of films that were made? Do
you see a return to politicized or “message” cinema in today’s
marketplace?
Define and discuss the effects of any one technical innovation in
filmmaking. Examples include computer generated imagery,
widescreen, digital video, non-linear editing, digital distribution, the
Internet, color, sound, 3-D.
Discuss the influence and innovation of D. W. Griffith and his films.
Discuss the return of Vertical Integration in today’s media climate and
is this a good thing for the consumer?
Why did the subject matter in many films become darker and more
pessimistic in the late 1940's?
The two sections of SP 471 have been assessed in Fall 2014 using the
following:



Weekly quizzes (total 10). The PNET section does their quiz online
after selected video supplements and the regular section does theirs at
the start of class.
Midterm exam with multiple choice, matching and essay questions on
10/16/14 (regular section) and 10/27/14 (PNET) – all students must
define Vertical Integration and discus its application to the film
business.
Final Exam with multiple choice, matching and essay questions on
12/18/14 (Regular) and 12/22/14 (PNET)
Essays are grading according to this rubric:
Good
-Shows a clear
understanding of the
theme or problem
-Addresses all aspects
of the task
-Richly supported with
relevant facts,
examples, and details
-Clearly and logically
organized
-Introduces and
summarizes theme or
problem without
restating the prompt
Fair
-Shows a limited
understanding of the
theme or problem
-Does not address all
aspects of the task
-Supported with few
facts, examples, and
details
-Poorly organized
-May not introduce and
summarize theme or
problem
Poor
-Shows a minimal
understanding of the
problem or issue
-Does not address all
aspects of the
question
-Minimally supported
with facts, examples,
and details
-Lacks organization
-Lacks introduction
and summary of theme
or problem
The response is clearly
organized
2
1
0
The response is
accurate and complete
Sufficient information
is presented to
support the response
The response shows
an understanding of
the question
The response meets
the assigned criteria
2
1
0
2
1
0
2
1
0
2
1
0
Results of Assessment:
1. Quiz and Exam Data
SP 471 M4
29 Students
(0 WU)
Quizzes
(11 total)
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
Midterm
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
Final
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
1
2
6
6
14
14
6
4
1
4
10
11
3
3
2
3%
7%
21%
21%
48%
SP 471 PNET
22 Students
(2 WU)
Quizzes
(10 total)
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
4
6
6
2
4
18%
27.5%
27.5%
9%
18%
48%
21%
14%
4%
13%
Midterm
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
3
11
6
1
1
14%
50%
27%
4.5%
4.5%
35%
38%
10%
10%
7%
Final
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
7
6
7
1
1
32%
27%
32%
4.5%
4.5%
Final Grade Distribution (Aside from tests and quizzes, this factors in
attendance and participation as well as an extra credit assignment):
SP 471 M4
29 Students
(0 WU)
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
12
11
3
1
2
41%
38%
10%
4%
7%
SP 471 PNET
22 Students
(2 WU)
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
7
8
5
1
1
32%
36%
23%
4.5%
4.5%
2. Results:
Key Questions:
All students must be able to describe and explain the effects of Vertical and
Horizontal Integration in the film industry in essay form. A key concept in the
age of entertainment monopolies, this practice has been present in some
form or another as long as there has been an entertainment industry. In either
essay form or in the matching/multiple choice questions, students must
demonstrate knowledge and/or describe the implications of the Studio System,
the Hays Code, Method Acting, the role of current events on filmmaking,
technical specifications and innovations and the artistic movements in film
through history as well as show familiarity with key players in the history of
film such as but not limited to Thomas Edison, Thomas Ince, Will Hays,
Joseph Breen, D.W. Griffith, Sergei Eisentstein, Lev Kuleshov, Alice GuyBlache and films, directors and performers examined in class.
Quizzes: The regular section of SP 471 (M4) of 29 students completed 11
quizzes. The questions were mixed, consisting of matching, multiple choice
and short essay. The lowest score is dropped in grading but for assessment
purposes, I averaged all scores. In this section, these quizzes are given in the
first 10 minutes of class as a review as well as a device to insure promptness.
Then quizzes are unavailable after this time and cannot be made up, which I
believe partially accounts for the high fail rate especially as 83% students
passed the midterm and final exams with a score of 70. The percentage of
the PNET students on these exams was 91% at 70 or above. The PNET
section, who completed 10 quizzes, began the semester with similar multiple
choice/matching quizzes online but I moved on to more complex essay
questions as the semester progressed to better reflect the content of the
additional screenings these students must complete as well as to minimize
students looking up answers as these quizzes are all online. In the PNET
section, I took out of the assessment the two students with WU grades as well
as two audits. The quiz scores were consistently higher than the regular
section. Quiz scores in this section also seem to correlate more closely to
grades on higher stakes exams than they do in the regular section. Anecdotal
evidence from previous sections (I have been teaching at least one section of
this class for 8 years) indicates that weekly quizzes do translate to better
grades in the long run.
Midterm and Final Exams:
This is the first time I have employed a rubric to grade the essay questions on
the midterm and final exams. Each essay is worth 10 points on the tests.
There are three essays on the midterm and two on the final with an extra
credit short essay worth 5 points. The quality of the essays improved
dramatically when the expectations were made clear by disseminating the
rubric with the test. I found that it was easier for me to grade also as I had the
means to score the essays that was clear to everyone. I also felt that I was
more able to pick out and fairly assess those answers that did and did not
address the questions with enough specifics. For assessment purposes, I
gave very similar tests to both classes. Some variation occurs as the films in
each class are different but the basic questions I have described above are
present in both tests. Quiz performance was not so much of an indicator of
test performance in the regular section. The PNET section was much more
evenly distributed and predictable throughout the semester although they
seemed to “run out of steam” at the end of the semester whereas the regular
section really picked up any slack at the end, doing extremely well on the
midterm and the final.
Future Plans:
In informal discussions with students in both sections, I found that they had
issues with the content of the textbook as it relates to class. Most did not feel
that the text added to class and they were often confused as to why it was
necessary. This has made me re-think the design of the course to align it
closer with text contents both in quizzes and tests as well as lecture content.
The difficulty lies in the class being a survey course and the texts tend to play
to this by including an indigestible amount of information. In trying to steer the
class towards movements and concepts as opposed to names and dates, I
am using the text more as a supplement as opposed to a primary source. As
demonstrated with the essay rubric, students perform better when
expectations are clear and using a more manageable text aligned with class
content will help this immensely. Another approach I would like to take in this
direction is making my PowerPoint presentations align closer with the text and
not put so much information on the individual slides. Many students feel that
the text is unnecessary as the have “read the PowerPoint.” While researching
strategies to teach a unit on PowerPoint in another class, I found that one of
the cardinal rules of PowerPoint presentations is that they should not make
sense without the lecture and/or text. I am hoping this will facilitate more notetaking and personal responsibility in mastering class content. In taking
questions from the presentations for tests, I think the content becomes
watered down so critical thinking about events and concepts falls by the
wayside. This is less true in the PNET section as the lecture portion of the
class is briefer and there are more supplementary materials that students
have to think critically about, particularly as the quizzes are more complex.
They also did better on the essay portion of the exams as they had more
practice with their weekly quizzes. I think that this closer relationship with
lectures and text content as well as a more thorough weekly quiz may make
expectations clearer to the students and improve mastery of the material.