GENERAL EDUCATION ASSESSMENT AND REVIEW FORM
EXPRESSIVE ARTS 5/1 5
Please attach/ submit additional documents as needed to fully complete each section of the form.
I. COURSE INFORMATION
Department: School of Theatre & Dance
Course Number: U THTR 113A
Course Title: Introduction to Voice Acting
Type of Request:
Rationale:
New
One-time Only
Renew*
Change
Remove
Introduction to Voice Acting, an online course designed for students who are unable to be present on campus for a
traditional acting class but still have an interest the art, has been recognized as a Group IV course since 2010. The criteria
and goals of the course have remained consistent throughout that time.
*If course has not changed since the last review and is taught by the same tenure-track faculty member, you may skip sections III-V.
JUSTIFICATION FOR COURSE LEVEL
Normally, general education courses will not carry pre-requisites, will carry at least 3 credits, and will be numbered at the 100-200
level. If the course has more than one pre-requisite, carries fewer than three credits, or is upper division (numbered at the 300 level
or above), provide rationale for exception(s).
N/A
II. ENDORSEMENT / APPROVALS
* Instructor: John Kenneth DeBoer
Phone / Email:
Signature ______________________________________
Program Chair: Michael Monsos
Signature ______________________________________
Date_________________
Dean: Dr. Stephen Kalm
Signature ______________________________________
Date_________________
Date_________________
x2018 / john.deboer@umontana.edu
*Form must be completed by the instructor who will be teaching the course. If the instructor of the course changes before the next
review, the new instructor must be provided with a copy of the form prior to teaching the course.
III. DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE
General Education courses must be introductory and foundational within the offering department or within the General Education
Group. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course content to students’ future lives: See
Preamble
IV. CRITERIA
BRIEFLY EXPLAIN HOW THIS COURSE MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR THE GROUP.
1.
Courses guide students, whether in individual or group settings, to acquire foundational skills to engage in the creative process
and/or in interpretive performance.
2.
Through direct experience (for example, attendance and involvement with live performance, exhibitions, workshops, and
readings), they will engage in critical assessment of their own work and the work of others.
V. STUDENT LEARNING GOALS
BRIEFLY EXPLAIN HOW THIS COURSE WILL MEET THE APPLICABLE LEARNING GOALS.
1.
Express themselves in the making of an original work or creative performance.
2.
Understand the genres and/or forms that have shaped the medium.
3.
Critique the quality of their own work and that of others.
VI. ASSESSMENT
A. HOW ARE THE LEARNING GOALS ABOVE MEASURED? Describe the measurement(s) used, such as a rubric or specific test
questions that directly measure the General Education learning goals. Please attach or provide a web link to the rubric, test
questions, or other measurements used.
1. General Performance Assessment
This rubric is adapted to the assignment and the medium of performance across all general-education acting courses:
• Volume and Diction: Could we hear you? Could we understand you?
• Blocking and Staging: Were you present, comfortable, and grounded? Was the imaginary world in which you were
playing clear?
• Focus and Attention: Did you have a clear focal point? A clear partner to whom you were speaking? Were you listening?
Did you have alternative focal points when such contact was not tactically possible or necessary?
• Task and Supertask: Were the stakes of your objective and need to act clear to the audience?
• Tactics and Action: Did you play the textual tactics as well as sub-textual actions necessary to achieve such stakes and
conviction? Were your choices dynamic and fluid in response to the "in the moment" feedback you received from your
partner?
• Emotional Risk and Investment: Were you "in the moment" to the point that you were feeling an emotional response to
the material? Was this investment evident to the audience?
2. Writing Assignment
After watching the assigned production, think critically about the work of three of the actors. Research their names in order
to make a distinction between the textual actions of the character and the tactical choices made by the actor. Evaluate all
three performances in a five-paragraph essay. Reflect on the use of inner conflict and objectives as well as the outer
manifestations of tactics and emotion used to create the perception of reality on stage. Your arguments regarding the
overall quality of the acting and each individual actor's work should address:
• Effective Characterization
Does the actor make me believe they are actually going through what the character is going through?
What actions played by the actor aided in this characterization?
Which were textual contributions of the author and which appeared to sub-textual choices made by the actor?
• Consistency/Concentration
How did the actor surprise me?
How was the actor vulnerable in the moment?
How did the actor handle moments when the focus was not on them?
• Relationship with Acting Partner Actor’s Technique
Does the actor possess a well-honed “instrument,” that served the role?
How did the actor's speech, blocking, gestures and positioning contribute to the story?
What was particularly effective or not effective? Was anything muddy or unclear? Describe it.
One final note. When possible, your evaluation should be written (or at least roughed out) within 24 hours of viewing the
production, so your initial impressions remain strong.
3. Research Assignment
• Step One: Find a clip from a movie or television show that is a good example of a beat change and tactical shift. It must
involve only live actors on camera: no CGI, motion capture, or special effects other than practical make-up. This clip can
be from a free streaming service such as Youtube or you may post videos from Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Crackle
as long as you give me the title, episode, and time-stamp information for the beat. I don't have access to other services.
• Step Two: Identify and describe the beat change. Describe both the shift present in the text and the subtextual tactical
shift performed by the actor. Distinguish between the character as written and the actor's contribution in performance.
Always refer to the actor by name when critiquing their contribution. Compose a complete paragraph (about 150-200
words) with a strong topic sentence (5 points) and five to seven supporting content sentences.
• Step Three: Include an MLA citation of the video clip. Be sure to notate when you accessed the video.
A General Education Assessment Report will be due on a four-year rotating cycle. You will be notified in advance of the due date.
This will serve to fulfill the University’s accreditation requirements to assess general education and will provide an opportunity to
connect with your colleagues across campus and share teaching strategies. Items VI.B- D will be helpful in compiling the report.
VII. SYLLABUS AND SUBMISSION
Please submit syllabus in a separate file with the completed and signed form to the Faculty Senate Office, UH 221. The learning goals
for the Expressive Arts Group must be included on the syllabus. An electronic copy of the original signed form is acceptable.