Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
I. BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Program Description:
The goals of the Cabrillo College Dance Department are:
• To provide a foundation in dance for transfer to four year institutions.
• To offer students a comprehensive introduction to the art of dance as creative
expression, communication, critical thinking, and personal fulfillment.
• To support the needs of a socio-economically diverse student population by
offering college level dance classes that respond to the cultures, learning styles,
and abilities of current and future Cabrillo students.
• To create an entry point into higher education for students who excel in active
learning but may have challenges in other academic arenas.
• To teach students how the discipline of dance acts as part of a liberal arts
education and can support all academic endeavors.
• To train the dance artists who form the core of the Santa Cruz dance performance
and education community and to serve as a focal point for regional dance.
The continuing vision of the Cabrillo Dance Program is to support the two entwined
strands that have been woven into its curricula since its inception; the rigorous
intellectual discipline of performance and choreographic training combined with an
emphasis on somatic creativity and kinesthetic awareness. These two educational goals
have served as foundations for generations of Cabrillo dancers as they have transferred to
four-year institutions and pursued careers in dance and the related fields. The project of
this document is to suggest ways of approaching our goals and vision in tough economic
times.
As the college faces diminished economic prospects it is helpful to note that Santa Cruz
County has a rich artistic climate that has been fostered in part by the continuing efforts
of the Cabrillo Dance Program and the dance community it derives strength from and
serves. While most of our students move away, some Cabrillo Dance students stay in
Santa Cruz and become contributing members of our vibrant performing arts community,
founding and performing with groups like Tandy Beal & Co., Esperanza del Valle, Flex
Dance Company, Mir & A Company, Cid Pearlman/Performance Projects, Cabrillo
Stage, and at the 418 Project. They also form the core teaching and administrative staffs
at local dance studios like Motion Pacific, Santa Cruz Dance Company, Dance Center,
and local elementary schools.
Students at Cabrillo today and in the future will have radically different cultural and
economic situations, with vastly different levels of preparation for college level dance
and lecture coursework. The Dance Program has responded to meet these needs, and will
continue to evolve in order to serve future students, by providing humanities and
multicultural transfer lecture courses as a service to all Cabrillo students, adjusting
introductory studio dance courses to include content in areas that responds to changing
trends in California’s entertainment industry, and by continuing to reach out to students
who have not had equal access to arts training in their K-12 education.
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 1 of 15 By providing culturally responsive classes, the Dance Program attracts students to a
college education, who might be turned away from academic studies at the high school
level. Many students who enter Cabrillo through our program’s classes are drawn to
transfer options in other degree programs and some are nurtured towards the artistic
richness of a life in dance. All students are provided with the opportunity to learn how
dancing can add depth to their academic experience. A full course of study leading to an
A.A. degree in Dance includes pre-professional training in dance techniques,
performance, choreography, world dance, a lecture survey in dance studies, and somatic
education.
The core philosophy of the Cabrillo College Dance Department is that to move is human
and that dance is a fundamental part of the liberal arts curriculum. The Dance Program
offers:
• A highly respected program that has achieved a reputation for excellence,
fostering and supporting the growth of dance artists who have gone on to work
regionally, nationally and internationally as performing artists, choreographers
and as dance and movement educators.
• Transfer to CSU, UC and private four-year institutions, and an A.A. degree in
Dance
• A comprehensive range of courses in dance as a performing art, personal
expression, and an entry to dance related careers.
• A vital physical component of students’ total education plan that completes the
college experience by creating a place for active and kinesthetic learners to
achieve and succeed in the academic setting.
Dance regularly offers twenty-four courses, out of a possible thirty listed in the catalog,
and has been innovative in adapting to current trends in dance in academia, and the
professional dance industry, by adding and updating thirteen new courses or renaming
and retooling older curriculum: DA12 Survey of World Dance Traditions, DA50
Beginning Contemporary Modern Dance, DA57 Dance Repertory, DA62 Dance
Conditioning/Pilates, DA69 African Dance, DA72 World Dance Techniques, DA82
Body/Mind Balance: Movement Awareness, DA84 Dance for Musical Theater, DA85
Salsa Dance, DA86 Ballroom Dance, DA87 Dances of Mexico: Baile Folklorico, DA89
Dance for Mixed Abilities, DA90 Integrated Dance: Dance for all Bodies and Abilities
and DA92 Cabrillo Dance Company.
Given the major changes at the state and college level the Dance Department is reviewing
the program and course offerings to streamline transfer to university programs. This will
involve course modifications and revisions of curriculum to enhance the core of the
program while continuing to offer courses that reach out to Cabrillo’s diverse student
population.
Relationships:
Cabrillo Dance has deep roots in the Santa Cruz arts and education communities. Over
the next five years we foresee that there will be a need to build upon both of these
networks to meet the needs of our students. Cabrillo Dance faculty serve on the advisory
boards of local dance presenting organizations, direct independent dance companies and
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 2 of 15 volunteer their expertise for community arts development projects. Our faculty regularly
choreograph for Theatre Department productions and many Cabrillo Stage performers
receive their dance training in our department. The Dance Program also sends classes of
students out to lead workshops and perform in elementary, middle, and high schools to
make important arts curricula available where state budget cuts have all but eliminated it.
At the other end of the educational arc, Cabrillo Dance faculty have met with Professor
Edward Warburton, from the Theatre Arts Department at UCSC to develop stronger
connections and articulation strategies between Cabrillo Dance and UCSC. Professor
Warburton would like to send his students to us to enhance their technique and we would
like to encourage more of our students to transfer into the dance emphasis of the UCSC
Theater Arts program and their new Dance Minor. Cabrillo Dance is also discussing
possible collaborations with both UCSC and the presenting organization Santa Cruz
Dance to bring dance artists from the Bay Area to teach summer dance classes and
workshops to strengthen connections between the Santa Cruz and San Francisco dance
communities. Together we are looking into community service granting opportunities
that could be shared between Cabrillo and UCSC to extend our reach into local
elementary schools and worked actively to support the Dance Minor for UCSC.
Many Cabrillo Dance students come to us more or less versed in a culturally specific
dance forms like Salsa or Breakdance, but lack the breadth of composition and technical
skills to fully communicate their danced ideas. To address these needs the Dance
Program sponsored CabrilloArts workshops by choreographers in these forms – Ana
Maria Alvarez of Contra Tiempo and Hip Hop impresario Sabela Grimes. Now that
Cabrillo is in a different funding situation we are working on collaborations in the
community to achieve the same goals. When Santa Cruz Dance moves into its new studio
theater, Cabrillo Dance faculty and Santa Cruz Dance board members David King and
Cid Pearlman will direct max10/Santa Cruz, a quarterly dance and performance showcase
with a feedback component designed to enhance the intellectual rigor of dancemaking in
our region.
As part of its broader recruitment strategy, Cabrillo Dance offers mixed technique and
composition classes in culturally specific dance forms at the Watsonville Center that
fulfill a fine arts requirement for Watsonville High School. Dance faculty have made
presentations to high school counselors about the Cabrillo Dance Program, and Dance
majors are encouraged to take classes from other departments as part of the A.A. in
Dance. Library skills and research techniques are introduced in DA10 Dance
Appreciation.
Articulation and Interdepartmental Collaboration:
Students transferring to UC and CSU campuses are often required to audition into the
Dance major after they are accepted into the institution. While the Cabrillo Dance
Program provides transfer level courses, not all of our dance courses are accepted by all
UC and CSU dance programs. Cabrillo articulates twenty courses with the CSU and
twelve with UC campuses, has worked with UC Santa Cruz on articulating courses
specifically for a dance minor, and continues to develop relationships with faculty and
programs at UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, and CSU East Bay. Dance
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 3 of 15 programs are often more competitive than the institutions that support them, so while all
of our courses are not articulated course to course across the board, many are accepted
course by course as departments review student’s portfolios, after they are accepted into
the major. Cabrillo Dance has a reputation for transferring well prepared students to
public and private Dance degree programs and the breadth of course offerings contributes
to this.
Cabrillo Dance shares instructors with the Kinesiology, Early Childhood Education, the
Academy for College Excellence (ACE), and has provided one of the core courses in
ACE since its inception, DA82 Body/Mind Balance: Movement Awareness. In addition,
four members of the Dance faculty have been trained to teach the ACE DMCP110
Foundation Course and the DMCP111 Team Self Management course. Dance faculty
also choreograph for Theatre Arts Department productions and teach to the student body
we share with Adaptive P.E. in our DA89 Dance for Mixed Abilities, DA90 Integrated
Dance: Dance for all Bodies and Abilities courses.
For the past seven years the Dance Department has organized and subsidized student
participation in the American College Dance Festival. Students return from this premier
college dance conference energized, enthused and eager to act as leaders in dance at
Cabrillo. Their response to exposure to the broader academic dance community acts as a
lightning rod that galvanizes the whole Department.
Other Outreach and Professional Publication:
The department has built ties to local dance communities by creating courses that connect
students with experts in cultural dance forms and somatic modalities. Professional
choreographers are invited from Santa Cruz County and the Bay Area dance communities
to set works on, and mentor, students in the Cabrillo Winter and Spring Dance Concerts.
DA82 Body/Mind Balance: Movement Awareness and DA72 World Dance Techniques
feature guest lectures.
The Dance Department and several faculty are members of the National Dance Educators
Association and the California Dance Educators Association, and also include two
Fulbright alumnae. Dance faculty regularly engage in academic publication in their field
including performing in and choreographing professional work in local, state, national,
international venues.
COSTS
The Dance Department’s load and FTES to FTEF ratios went up and down widely during
the survey period, particularly in the fall semesters. This may be related to the
replacement of the second full time contract position with a permanent contract in
2006/2007 and Regina DeCosse’s sabbatical in 2007/2008. During this survey the
Department added many sections of classes and extended the program into Scotts Valley,
and then began cutting units as part of budget reforms and stopped teaching at the Scotts
Valley campus.
INCOME
2004/05
1.31%
2005/06
1.35%
2006/07
1.60%
2007/08
1.52%
2008/09
1.50%
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 4 of 15 COST
1.39%
1.51%
1.57%
1.64%
1.71%
During the last program planning cycle, 1999-2004 the Dance Program, on average,
generated .2% more than it cost. This cycle shows a change to a fluctuating rate that
ranges from generating to .03% more than base budget expenditures to costing .21%. It is
interesting to note that the first year the Dance Department had two permanent fulltime
contract faculty was the year that showed income generation. The following year Regina
DeCosse was on sabbatical. The small fluctuations in costs and income in the program
indicate that there may be efficiencies to be gained by close examination of scheduling
and programming.
Comparative
Load
In the Fall semester of 2010 individual sections of dance classes began to be listed in the
schedule as split times of lecture and laboratory courses, with multiple class lengths and
start and end times that often conflict with the campus wide scheduling matrix. We are
concerned about student confusion and drops in enrollment correlating with these
changes. Although these new listings bring the Dance Department into compliance with
Community College Chancellors office guidelines, this listing system is complicated and
creates a great barrier to student enrollment and success. We have begun to compare our
procedures with other community colleges to see if there is another way for us to more
effectively fulfill the Chancellors office mandate and rationalize our schedule.
Student Success and Retention
The Dance Department is quite proud of improving student success in the spring
semesters of the survey period by 17.6% points while the college improved 1.1% points.
Fall semester success improved by 11.8% points during a period when the college rate
declined. We believe that some of this change can be attributed to stabilizing our faculty
but other factors, such as the boom in media attention on dance, may also be at play.
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 5 of 15 Student Success
Over the past five years the Dance Department has improved our retention rate by 12.1%
points in the Fall semester and 15% points in the Spring. Since the last Instructional Plan
the Department has moved from five years of trailing the college to meeting or exceeding
college rates of retention. Again this correlates with stabilizing two full time faculty and
improving opportunities to guide students.
Student Retention
During the last five years the department has:
• Stabilized full time faculty by replacing the second permanent position after five
years of temporary replacements
• Clarified Student Learner Outcomes
• Reached out to students geographically – adding courses on satellite campuses to
enable them to complete courses more easily
• Added sections of high enrollment courses at times and in locations that respond
to student needs
• Increased performance opportunities in varieties of technique classes
• Sponsored regular student attendance at the American College Dance Festival
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 6 of 15 Enrollments and Dance Majors
During the period under review course enrollment increased from 738 to 1,051 in fall and
697 to 1,008 in spring. As indicated in the chart below, in the same period the
Department has shown a related growth in Dance majors and FTES. These improvements
indicate that our program is able to attract candidates to the field of dance from the larger
group of students who take classes in the program.
Dance is a small department but has a high ratio of declared majors to FTES. Dance
shows a range of 63.7 to 90.4 FTES but it is attracting and serving between 61 and 118
dance majors.
Dance and Cabrillo Core Competencies
All thirty courses in the Dance Program address all of the Cabrillo College Core Four
Competencies and all courses include them in curriculum listings. Although all of the
core competencies are addressed in all dance courses, Global Awareness and awareness
of artistic variety is most immediately associated with the field. Dance also requires highlevel communication skills and critical thinking. Because it is performed on the body
with physical and social risks students must take professional and personal responsibility
for their danced actions. Students make critical choices relating to the history of aesthetic
movements each time they position an arm or leg in every dance class, and get immediate
feedback from their bodies, their instructors and peers about the quality of their choices.
Dance Program and Student Learner Outcomes
All of the courses offered by the Dance Department include SLO’s and full time and
adjunct faculty have been working with the wheel of assessment since 2005. Although
there have been gaps in the assessment cycle connected to a sabbatical by one fulltime
faculty and a leave of absence by the other, the dance department is working through
assessment and analysis of all of the program’s SLO’s. We have had only moderate
success encouraging part time faculty participation in the process but are working to
solidify full time faculty leadership and communication of the wheel of assessment. We
have currently assessed SLO’s of thirteen courses.
The wording of SLO’s in dance curriculum varies widely because the Department offers
lecture hall, studio, production/repertory and technique classes from a variety of cultures
and aesthetic styles.
Sample course objectives include ability to:
• Perform an increased range of dance/movement vocabulary
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 7 of 15 •
Recognize, understand, and appreciate the aesthetic elements in a variety of styles
in the art of dance
• Compare and contrast historical and cultural development of dance styles and
how dance reflects the society that produces it
• Recognize and analyze the development of group consciousness and social
sensitivity through the performance of African social dance/ritual
Sample SLO’s include:
• Perform, with an increasing degree of proficiency, more complex ballet barre and
center combinations with consistent control of alignment, phrasing and musicality
• Perform, with an increasing degree of proficiency, complex Hip Hop warm-ups
and movement combinations, while demonstrating consistent control, ability to
memorize, musicality, alignment, and aesthetic valuing
• Investigate and evaluate trends in dances in their historical and cultural context in
the 20th century
• Create and choreograph a performance and demonstrate principles of dance
production
The Dance Department began acting on results of the SLO’s and Core Competency self
study process as early as 2005. Since this cycle of assessment began the Department has:
• Increased attendance at the American College Dance Festival so students and
faculty can stay in touch with national standards of performance in academic
dance
• Deepened an already existing collaborative conversation on teaching methods and
results
• Installed full length mirrors so students can self assess the aesthetic choices they
communicate with their bodies as they rehearse and perform dances
• Broadened the video archives of dance materials in the Swenson Library
• Hosted a broad variety of master classes with internationally recognized teachers
and performers.
Assessment of SLO’s and Core Competencies have revealed that students need:
• Access to more time in dance studios to compose and rehearse homework
assignments
• Access to increased time on the main stage to practice communication skills with
large audiences and backstage dance management/organizational skills
• Access to an informal performance space that allows in class peer review and
critique
• Increased interaction with, and guidance from, instructors outside of class
• Larger studios less cluttered with instructional equipment
• Clearer class progressions
• Instruction Aides for courses designed for students with mixed disabilities
The vision of Cabrillo Dance is to provide students with a rigorous academic
environment to develop their kinesthetic awareness and somatic creativity, and to provide
them with a guided laboratory to experiment with choreographic composition and
performance. We accomplish the first of these entwined strands by offering dance
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 8 of 15 technique and improvisation classes in the dance studio with direct lecture and critique by
instructors. We are very successful in this area and the way our students transfer and
move out in the world shows us that we are proceeding correctly. Our dance concerts are
fantastically popular in the community and some of those dancers go on to work in
companies as choreographers and performers. Despite our success at creating
opportunities for students in these areas, the second strand, composition and performance
is more of a challenge.
The Cabrillo Dance Department has an ongoing responsibility to find classroom and
rehearsal space to meet students’ needs. Since becoming a part of the VAPA Division,
the Dance Department has been working actively with the Division Dean, the Division
Coordinator and Theater Management to find time and space for students to take
technique classes and to complete their homework for composition classes. The new
VAPA Dean was able to identify six hours a week for our students to rehearse in room
4111 the acting studio in Spring of 2011 and the Dance Department allocated funds from
the Winter Dance Concert to provide a weekend faculty supervisor for five hours a week
of rehearsal time on Sundays. Theater Management has also been very responsive in
allowing composition and performance classes to use the Crocker stage, when it is not
rented to outside users or in use by the Theatre Department, the Music Department or
Cabrillo Stage. Dance instructors address the issue of student guidance and office
adjacency by scheduling office hours in the Art History lecture hall when it is not in use
and meeting with students by appointment in arranged spaces closer to the studio.
Results of Student Surveys
One hundred-two students were surveyed by the Planning and Research Office. Students
consistently praised the quality of instruction and the excellence of the Dance faculty. In
the write in portions of the surveys students reference the expertise of their instructors,
caring learning environments, the ability of instructors to reframe material for differing
skill levels and learning styles, the musicality of classes – specifically live music, and the
personal growth and confidence they take from dance into the rest of their lives.
• 98% of students surveyed would recommend the Dance Department to other
students
• 82.2% of students surveyed plan to take more dance classes at Cabrillo
• 22.8% of the students surveyed have career plans in dance
Approximately one third of the students surveyed also wrote about the need for
improvements to Dance Department teaching facilities. Students want access to rehearsal
studios to complete out of class assignments in and improvements to their classroom.
• 33% of students surveyed said that facilities needed some or major improvement
• 31% of students surveyed said that instructional equipment needed some or major
improvement
From the surveys we can infer that word of mouth is the strongest inducement to take
classes from the Cabrillo Dance Department.
• 20.8% of students come to Cabrillo Dance because of departmental reputation
• 22.9% of students come to Cabrillo Dance because of friends recommendations
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 9 of 15 •
55.2% come to Cabrillo dance because of other reasons
Results of External Data Research
Dance, as part of the performance and entertainment industries, will continue to be a
growing part of the California economy. The California Employment Development
Department projects that Arts, Media Occupations, Design, Entertainment, and Sports,
will grow by 16.8 percent between 2006-2016. The same source projects a 20.6% growth
in jobs for dancers. Median wages for dancers nationally, depending on the venue, are
between $13.11 and $17.83. Successful choreographers may earn between thirty-six and
fifty-six thousand dollars per year.
Dance training also prepares students for careers in the dance related fields of physical
therapy, occupational therapy, and somatic education (Feldenkrais, Pilates, Rolfing,
Massage, etc.) Dancers also find jobs directing, choreographing, teaching in and
peripheral to the K-12 school system, and in arts administration. Cabrillo alumni teach
internationally, chair college dance programs, direct and perform in dance companies,
and own and direct their own dance studios. We are very proud of our students’
accomplishments.
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 10 of 15 II. PROGRAM DIRECTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
While the Dance Department articulated its vision for the next six years in the first one
and a half pages of this report, that vision also has a tangible component, outlined in the
following recommendations.
The SLO process and student surveys have highlighted the need to continue upgrading
facilities. Some of the issues with the current studio (mirrors, barres, storage, etc.) have
been or are being addressed by the Dance Department, but architectural challenges are
beyond the scope of a single department. We are proposing short term and longer term
recommendations and requesting that the College Planning Council note both, and
forward each to the Facilities Planning and Development office for review and cost
analysis as time and budgets allow. Including consideration of the Dance Program in
plans for the renovation of the 200 building is the first recommendation, and the longer
term solution, but could result in considerable cost savings to the college by allowing
increased FTES from larger class sizes.
The current dance studio, room 1117, is booked to capacity and the program is impacted
on the Aptos campus. The program teaches classes inWatsonville, and has taught in
Scotts Valley in more expansive times, but satellite campus facilities do not fully serve
the program needs. The current classroom feels over-crowded and dangerous as soon as
students begin moving expansively and the Dance Program cannot provide rehearsal
space for students. Student success and safety are compromised by the size and shape of
the single studio and lack of access to lab space to complete assignments.
RECOMMENDATION #1: NEW FACILITIES
a. REPLACE EXISTING DANCE STUDIO – with two larger and more adequately shaped and
equipped studios
The Dance Department recommends that the college replace current facilities by
renovating existing buildings, or building to create two dance studios:
• First studio – approximately 5400 square feet, 60’ x 90’, to replicate the
size and shape of the Crocker Theater stage
• Second studio – approximately 4200 square feet and square in shape
To remain current with industry and academic practices studios need:
• sprung floors
• wiring for simple stage lighting and sound playback
• sound and video playback systems, sound proofing, piano, and percussion
instruments
• mirrors, ballet barres and curtains
• storage facilities for supplies, musical and instructional equipment, and
costumes
• nearby changing facilities, lockers, showers, restroom, drinking fountain
and warm-up area.
(The 200 building has many of these features listed above.)
b. CREATE
OFFICE SPACE ADJACENT TO STUDIOS:
We recommend that the college
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 11 of 15 allocate or create offices to house contract and adjunct dance faculty adjacent to dance
classrooms to provide students easy access to mentoring and guidance in addition to
providing for supervision of additional student rehearsal hours.
RECOMMENDATION #2: RENOVATE EXISTING FACILITIES
TEMPORARILY
a. THE CURRENT STUDIO, ROOM 1117: needs sound proofing, needs smart classroom
upgrades, needs a sprung floor, has issues with mold in its ventilation system, cannot be
heated and cooled to meet classroom needs, has inadequate ventilation to exhaust the
perspiration of classes of active students, needs improved lighting, and needs storage for
rehearsal costumes and instructional supplies. These concerns could be addressed
piecemeal as funds become available but a full survey may lead to a more efficient
renovation plan.
b. CREATE OFFICE SPACE ADJACENT TO STUDIO: We recommend that the college
allocate or create offices to house contract and adjunct dance faculty adjacent to dance
classrooms to provide students easy access to mentoring and guidance in addition to
providing more adequate supervision of student rehearsals.
RECOMMENDATION #3: MAINTAIN OR AUGMENT OPERATIONAL
BUDGETS FOR DANCE DEPARTMENT INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS
For many years the Dance Department funded most of its expenses from proceeds from
the end of semester student concerts; until 2002 a musical accompanist fund was the
Dance Program’s only general fund account. While this was not the most dependable way
of funding a program it did give the department the ability to be flexible and adaptable.
The dependability of the this funding source increased with increasing enrollments in
dance classes (and correlating increases in concert attendance) since the Dance
Department’s move to the VAPA Division and the creation in 2007 of a budget line that
partially offsets the expense of technical crews. This, and a two dollar increase in ticket
prices, has made the concerts self-sustaining without bake sales, and allowed the Dance
Program to backfill instructional supplies and disability claim required demonstrators’
expenses. The Dance Program’s skills in adapting will be called on in the near future as
budget circumstanes change again – for example next fall the Dance Program will absorb
a two dollar per ticket fee, mandated by changes to Cabrillo Box Office procedures.
The Dance Department has and will continue to self-fund. Between Fall 2004 and Spring
2009 the Department spent $67,843 from its ancillary accounts on instructional programs
– backfilling accompanist funds, purchasing instructional supplies and equipment, hiring
independent contractors to work as production crews for performances, paying for
demonstrators for injured instructors and departmental initiatives such as student
attendance at dance conferences and scholarship funding. In the same period the college
spent $53,572 from general fund accounts on the Dance Program needs. We are a good
investment.
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 12 of 15 a. AUGMENT SPRING/FALL PRODUCTION BUDGETS TO FULLY FUND CREW COSTS:
$5,400
In 2007 the college began partially funding the Department’s end of term performances
with $2,900/semster. This has gone a long way to improve the experience of students in
the Dance Program as a whole. After 2010/2011 budget cuts this will be $2,300.
However, crew costs alone for each concert are almost $5,000. Together the concerts cost
approximately $14,000-$15,000 a year to produce. Concert revenues rise and fall
depending on enrollment trends and are not dependable to make up the difference
between ticket sales and production costs. If the college funds crew wages the Dance
Department can calibrate the remaining level of production for the concerts to the level of
income derived from them.
b. AUGMENT INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPLIES BUDGET: $800.00
Current instructional supplies budget $434. The department exhausts this budget by
November of each year. The department annually spends $1,000-1,400.
c. AUGMENT DANCE ACCOMPANIST BUDGET TO COVER COURSE NEEDS AT MARKET
RATES: $7,000-9,000
College level dance classes that include live musical accompaniment teach critical
thinking, personal expressivity and musicality in a way that separates them from high
school and private studio classes with recorded music. Current class offerings exhausted
this budget in the fall semester. Cabrillo currently pays $18/hr but the market rate is
$19/hr.
d. CREATE DEMONSTRATOR BUDGET: COST NOT AVAILABLE
The College has an American Disabilities Act mandate to provide demonstrators to
accommodate faculty with documented disabilities to continue to perform their jobs. The
cost of providing these demonstrators was backfilled in 2010 with $2,212 from the Dance
Accompanist Budget. This is in turn was backfilled from the Dance Program’s ancillary
accounts.
e. CREATE WEEKEND CLEANING BUDGET: $3,500
Maintenance & Operations now charges VAPA and Cabrillo Dance overtime for cleaning
classrooms and theater spaces that are used on weekends as part of classes. Between
October 2010 and January 2011 these charges were $1,484.12. Neither Dance, nor the
VAPA Division has a budget line for these charges.
RECOMMENDATION #4: INCREASE FACULTY AND STAFF TO MEET
PROGRAM NEEDS
a. ADD ONE 100% CONTRACT FACULTY POSITION: $70,395-76,801
A third faculty position would allow the program to fulfill the opportunities created by
the departments’ move to VAPA. Diminishing reliance on adjunct faculty will enhance
the stability and continuity of the program and allow it to take larger roles in college
governance and county arts communities. With three contract faculty, one would
spearhead administering the program, one would develop and extend the performing
program and the third would expand articulation with transfer institutions, high schools
and the community. Rationale for funding this contract position:
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 13 of 15 Increased enrollment: 70.7 FTES in Fall 2004 to 90.4 FTES in Fall 2009 up 19.7
FTES
Increased number of Dance Majors: 61 in Fall 2004, 100 in Fall 2009 – up 39 majors
Number of courses taught by adjuncts: Fall 2010/Spring 2011, 74 % of dance sections
were taught by adjuncts.
Difficulty in finding qualified adjunct dance instructors for specific courses: DA
58Hip Hop and Street Dance I, DA 85 Salsa Dance, DA87 Dances of Mexico: Baile
Folklorico, DA86 Ballroom Dance.
Administrative needs of the program: Recruitment and articulation, student advising,
committee representation, community outreach, curriculum development.
Developing and maintaining campus collaboration and relationships
b. ADD ONE 50 % CLASSIFIED SUPPORT POSITION: PROGRAM SPECIALIST 1,
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: $15,390
With access to the new VAPA Complex, the dance department will be able to accumulate
and reuse scenery and costumes. This will save the department costs over the long run
and allow the department to mount more fully realized productions. Teaching faculty do
not have the time required to maintain these kinds of instructional aids nor do they have
the technical expertise required to direct more complex shows. Most visual and
performing arts programs maintain staff to support all their productions. At present dance
has neither the budget to hire a per production technical director nor ongoing staff to fill
this need. This position would be shared with the Theatre and Music departments.
RECOMMENDATION #5: CURRICULUM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
CREATE NEW CLASSES TO RESPOND THE CHANGING MARKET TRENDS:
• Arranged hours video viewing lab
• Live performance repertory viewing and college visitation field trip class
• Dance Design in collaboration with Theatre Arts - including design for dance
in it’s technical production classes and production timelines
• Dance for the Camera in collaboration with Digital Media
RECOMMENDATION #6: OUTREACH
The dance department believes that it can raise visibility on campus and in the
community by:
• Schedule regular meetings to familiarize counselors educational and employment
opportunities in dance
• Updating and maintaining department web site
• Creating a Dance Department social networking site
• Developing and maintaining email and social network lists to support marketing
• Strengthening collaborative projects with other VAPA programs
• Developing work based learning programs in dance
• Creating and funding dance scholarships with the Cabrillo College Foundation
III. CURRICULUM, REQUISITE, AND MODEL PROGRAM
REVIEW
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 14 of 15 Changes made as a result of Curriculum Review
Course Outline and Pre/Corequisite Review Process
Catalogue Model Program
Catalogue Pages
IV. ATTACHMENTS
1. Title V, Dance
2. Cabrillo Governing Board minutes excerpts
3. Maintenance & Operations cost estimates
Dance Department Instructional Planning Report 2010
Page 15 of 15 June 13, 2011
Dance Program Planning
Goals and Recommendations
1.
Description:
Facilities: a. REPLACE EXISTING DANCE STUDIO – with two larger and
more appropriately shaped and equipped studios:
2.
RENOVATE EXISTING FACILITIES TEMPORARILY
3.
RECOMMENDATION #3: MAINTAIN OR AUGMENT OPERATIONAL
BUDGETS FOR DANCE DEPARTMENT INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS
RECOMMENDATION #4: INCREASE FACULTY AND STAFF TO MEET
PROGRAM NEEDS
4.
5.
CURRICULUM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
6.
OUTREACH
Cost
Not available
Not available
$16,700
$92,191
No costs until TUs are allocated
$1,500 when sections are added
$0
.
.
Cabrillo College
6/13/2011 4:16 PM
Transfer and Basic Skills
Departmental Assessment Analysis Form
Note: Individual Assessment Form precedes this form.
Use the form below to summarize the results of the department meeting in
which you discussed the core competency assessment process or the
assessment of course SLOs. Append this form to your Instructional Plan and
incorporate the results into the narrative of your plan.
Department
VAPA/ Dance
Meeting Date
9/10/10
FULLTIME
2
Number of Faculty/Staff
participating in dialogue
ADJUNCT
6
Number of Faculty/Staff sharing
Assessment Results
2
6
Total number of faculty/staff in
department
2
12
Core Competency or Course
SLOs measured
Core Competancy #1. Communication
Assessment Tools
(Give examples of major
assignments your faculty/staff
used to measure the
competency or course SLOs)
DA 57 Dance Repertory: Final Project – School Tour.
Students performed a dance that they choreographed
collaboratively with guidance and structure from the
class instructor. They also co-taught classes in
improvisation to elementary, middle and high school
students.
DA 65 Write a 3-5 page paper on a particular area of
interest in the Jazz idiom including a bibliography
page citing a minimum of 3 sources.
DA 66 Choreography: Create original dances using
choreographic principles and perform them.
DA 66 Choreography: Final Dance Study -Students
select one of the studies done during the semester to
revise. Prior to final exam, they present the most recent
version for peer critique in small groups. They give and
receive feedback using the positive critique process they
Revised 7/20/07
have practiced throughout the semester.
DA 67 Dance Production: Lead or participate in the
Cabrillo dance concert. These performances for about
1,000 audience members are the culmination of the
semester of choreographing and rehearsing.
DA 78 Ballet II: Performance Final - Learn, practice in
groups and perform a complex dance combination
containing intermediate ballet terminology and steps.
DA 64 Intermediate Modern Dance: Perform a
movement phrase and critique. Partner with another
student up to perform a phrase for each other and critique
the performances. Perform the phrase again, taking into
account the critiques. Discuss the value as a whole.
Assessment Results
(Summarize the overall results
of your department
What student needs and issues
were revealed?
DA 67 Students have limited time working in the
theater to get used to the stage space, practice setting
and striking props and making quick costume
changes. This can lead to tension and frayed tempers.
A major component of learning to communicate
choreographic ideas to audiences is performing for
audiences. Three day runs are fine but longer runs
teach allow students to access more complex ideas.
Differences in learning styles require a variety of
approaches.
DA 57 students lacked public speaking and teaching
experience. While many of the students in this class
were sophisticated movers, they were often shy about
speaking before the classroom students.
In DA 65, when given a choice between choreography
and written assignments, students with more
developed verbal skills often chose a written paper.
Students need structure to communicate constructive
criticism to their peers.
Stating goals and objectives clearly from the
beginning of the semester supports student success.
Revised 7/20/07
Some students would benefit from a slower pace and
less complex material. Others need more challenge.
Creating clearer progressions between classes and
perhaps more class levels could help to accommodate
all student needs by diminishing the spread of levels
within one class.
Students need more access to studio space so they can
further develop their choreographic voices – how they
communicate as artists, as well as rehearse for
performances. This is hampered by:
• space limitations
• lack of office space that overlooks studio
space, required to keep faculty line of sight
A larger, uncluttered studio with adequate storage
and a more resilient floor surface would facilitate
greater safety, ease of performance and
communication.
Existing Ballet barres are too high for shorter or less
flexible students, so barre stretches are not safe or
practical for many students.
Were there any areas where
student performance was
outstanding?
DA 57 The students’ commitment to this final project
was outstanding. They collaborated well and brought
joy and enthusiasm to each classroom we visited.
They made good connections with the classroom
students – using both verbal and physical language
skills to encourage creativity in children and
adolescents from a variety of backgrounds.
DA 64 Redoing the movement phrase after the
critiques was valuable. Students’ performance levels
increased significantly.
DA 65 When students who have written papers
present them orally in class, it allows the whole class
to learn what has been researched.
DA 66 Many students were exploring interesting
thematic ideas and some were very successful.
DA 66 Students acted as a team, invested in their
colleagues’ successes. Those who were giving critique
took turns speaking and used key vocabulary from
Revised 7/20/07
the semester’s lectures and readings. Those who were
receiving critiques, listened well and integrated their
colleagues’ suggestions in their final studies.
DA 67 Students have addressed issues of physicalized
aspects of the pressures of social conformity,
romantic love, agit-prop politics, and disability and
dance.
DA 78 Certain students excelled at both explaining
and demonstrating the material in a way that others
could understand and follow. Overall, the class
communicated effectively with each other in a
supportive and non-judgmental manner.
Any areas where it can be
improved?
Overall it was agreed that:
• Students’ aesthetic and practical use of the
space was limited by performing in a dance
studio that is too small and cluttered.
• Students were under-prepared for some
assignments, due to lack of rehearsal space
• Instructors need to be able to screen videos
and power point presentations in a
professional manner, followed by discussion
and analysis, so that students can further
develop their language skills, both physical
and verbal.
It is often valuable to partner students to work on a
specific task. This offers them insight into what they
are doing in class. Faculty could increase use of this
methodology if they are not already using it much.
DA 67 Students come to Cabrillo with varying levels
of choreographic experience, aesthetic training, and
dance technique. Blending these varieties of
backgrounds into harmonious choreographies is a
challenge for student and professional
choreographers.
DA 78 Some students would benefit from a slower
pace and less complex material. Others need more
challenge. Creating a third level of ballet would help
to accommodate all student needs by diminishing the
spread of levels within one class.
Revised 7/20/07
o
Next Step in the Classroom
to Improve Student Learning
o
How might student performance
be improved?
Check all the items faculty/staff
felt would help them address
the needs and issues that were
revealed by the assessment.
When filling out this form
on a computer, please
indicate selections by
deleting unselected items.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
State goals or objectives of assignment/activity
more explicitly
Revise the amount of writing/oral/visual/clinical
or similar work – More studio time in practice
rooms with mirrors. Requires facilities
improvement
Revise activities leading up to and/or supporting
assignment/activities – more time in the theater.
Increase in-class discussions and activities
Increase student collaboration and/or peer review
Provide more frequent or more comprehensive
feedback on student progress
Increase guidance for students as they work on
assignments
As an instructor, increase your interaction with
students outside of class
Other (please describe)
•
Create more opportunities for students to
divide up into competency-based groups, in
order to bridge some of the skill gaps.
•
Next Step in the Department
to Improve Student Learning
o
Check all that the department
felt would help them improve
student learning.
o
When filling out this form
on a computer, please
indicate selections by
deleting unselected items.
o
o
o
o
o
o
Important classroom needs have to do with
facilities. See below.
Offer/encourage attendance at seminars,
workshops or discussion groups about teaching
methods (this would include funding for faculty to
attend outside workshops, since the primary needs
are style specific)
Consult teaching and learning experts about
teaching methods
Encourage faculty to share activities that foster
competency
Write collaborative grants to fund departmental
projects to improve teaching
Provide articles/books on teaching about
competency
Create bibliography of resource material
Have binder available for rubrics and results
Analyze course curriculum, so that the
department can build a progression of skills as
students advance through courses
o Other (please describe)
Facilities were the primary concern, although the
Revised 7/20/07
items above were mentioned by faculty.
Priorities to Improve Student
Learning
(List the top 3-6 things
faculty/staff felt would most
improve student learning)
•
Include requests for adequate rehearsal time
and space in program planning.
•
Provide rehearsal space for students’
homework assignments. This would vastly
improve their success. A larger studio or
theater space would make it possible for the
student choreographer to orient their dance
spatially and for the audience to see the dance
clearly.
•
If 1117 were a smart classroom it would make
showing choreography online a possibility.
Currently there is no such option and this a
vital educational need.
•
Continue to provide live accompaniment for
dance technique classes that currently have it
and eventually extend it to provide live music
for classes with an emphasis on creative work.
•
More office space is needed to facilitate more
interaction with students. Currently offices are
on the other side of the campus from the dance
studio.
•
Storage space off the studio floor is needed in
order to keep the dance space clear, while also
keeping instructional materials close to hand.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Larger studio
Additional studio
Sprung floor
Ability for students to do their dance
homework and rehearsals in a properly
equipped studio (currently they have no studio
access for homework)
More time in theater
Smart classroom
Two-level portable ballet barres
Storage space
5.
6.
7.
8.
Revised 7/20/07
Implementation
(List the departmental plans to
implement these priorities)
Timeline for Implementation
(Make a timeline for
implementation of your top
priorities)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Larger studio
Additional studio
Sprung floor
Ability for students to do their dance
homework and rehearsals in a properly
equipped studio (currently they have no studio
access for homework)
5. More time in theater
6. Smart classroom
7. Two-level portable ballet barres – an adjunct
faculty member has applied for a Faculty
Grant to pay for these. (Application 10/29/10)
8. Storage space
All items except #5 & #7 continue to be Program Plan
Recommendations and depend on CIP approval
Item #5 Spring 2011 students will rehearse on
Crocker Theater Stage during February. In March
there are insufficient classrooms to support in class
and out of class student workloads.
Item #7 prioritized for SIE, Foundation, or grant or
ancillary funding.
Revised 7/20/07
Transfer and Basic Skills
Departmental Assessment Analysis Form
Note: Individual Assessment Form precedes this form.
Use the form below to summarize the results of the department meeting in
which you discussed the core competency assessment process or the
assessment of course SLOs. Append this form to your Instructional Plan and
incorporate the results into the narrative of your plan.
Department
VAPA/Dance
Meeting Date
9/10/10
FULLTIME
ADJUNCT
Number of Faculty/Staff
participating in dialogue
1
4
Number of Faculty/Staff sharing
Assessment Results
1
4
2
12
Total number of faculty/staff in
department
Core Competency or Course
SLOs measured
Core Competency #2 Critical Thinking
Assessment Tools
(Give examples of major
assignments your faculty/staff
used to measure the
competency or course SLOs)
DA 62 Keep a personal workout and perform it for the
class.
DA 62 Dance Conditioning/Pilates Keep a journal of
basic, intermediate and advanced movements and create
a 30 minute mat workout and a 7 day plan for eating
healthier.
DA 65 Jazz Dance How does dance communicate?
Review a live dance performance, using the format
provided.
DA67 Dance Production Choreograph a two to seven
minute dance for the concert stage. Before moving to the
final performance students receive critique from peers,
faculty and professionals. Students must address this
critique in order to move forward.
Revised 7/20/07
DA 68 Advanced Dance Technique and Performance
Skills Observe three performances of a dance phrase
performed in class and give verbal feedback that will
improve the dancer’s performance.
Assessment Results
(Summarize the overall results
of your department
What student needs and issues
were revealed?
DA 67 student choreographers sometimes rehearse
two dances in the same studio with competing musical
and communications projects confusing their creative
and leadership processes. Alternatively they rehearse
in parking lots and hallways.
Depending on their backgrounds and learning styles,
students need different kinds of explanations and
demonstrations in order to understand the material
and improve their performance.
Working together in pairs is very effective as a
learning tool for both the student dancer whose
performance was being evaluated and also for the one
who was doing the evaluation.
Performing for other students enhances learning and
builds a sense of community.
Live musical accompaniment is vitally necessary for
students to develop advanced performance skills. This
includes learning to make adjustments in tempo,
rhythm and quality, as well as to work both with and
against the rhythm.
Were there any areas where
student performance was
outstanding?
One student with Attention Deficit Disorder was able
to create a moving dance for five fellow students that
challenged traditional gender roles. Another used a
videotape of a Cabrillo solo to gain entry to Cornish
College of the Arts.
DA 68 Some students were exceptionally able to
analyze how fundamental elements of dance: space,
time, force, motion, motivation and musicality could
be used effectively to heighten their peer’s
performance. This helped them to identify areas for
potential improvement.
Most DA 62 students were able to understand and
organize the Pilates choreography well in order to
create and perform an effective workout. They
Revised 7/20/07
noticed their core muscles strengthening from doing
the correct breathing techniques used in Pilates.
Any areas where it can be
improved?
Unison movement is always a challenge for Cabrillo
choreographers. Dances are composed and rehearsed
in a short time span in less than ideal studio
conditions.
A larger, uncluttered studio with adequate storage
and a more resilient floor surface would facilitate
greater safety, ease of performance and
communication. It can be challenging for students to
have enough space and to hear one another when they
are so close together. The hardness of the floor
restricts some movement choices.
Many dancers make “first dance,” naïve aesthetic
decisions in their work because they suffer from a
paucity of excellent chorographic models.
Increased outside resources, such as DVDs, videos
and books for examples would have been useful for
the Pilates students. A smart classroom would also
have helped, so the instructor could quickly show
additional examples.
Next Step in the Classroom
to Improve Student Learning
How might student performance
be improved?
Check all the items faculty/staff
felt would help them address
the needs and issues that were
revealed by the assessment.
When filling out this form
on a computer, please
indicate selections by
deleting unselected items.
o
o
o
Increase in-class discussions and activities (2)
Increase interaction with students outside of class
Other (please describe)
Primary classroom needs have to do with facilities as
described below.
DA 67 Consider co-requisites to increase the aesthetic
range of students. (2)
Students need to better understand choreographic
principles and to broaden their understanding of dance
forms. Including some composition in technique classes
that don’t currently include it would be of help.
Next Step in the Department
to Improve Student Learning
o Encourage faculty to share activities that foster
competency
Check all that the department
felt would help them improve
o Analyze course curriculum to determine that
Revised 7/20/07
student learning.
When filling out this form
on a computer, please
indicate selections by
deleting unselected items.
competency skills are taught, so that the
department can build a progression of skills as
students advance through courses. (3)
o Other: Provide a larger studio with a more
resilient floor and adequate storage space.
Students need an uncluttered, safer environment
in which to work and enough space to move fullout and hear each other when they are practicing
and communicating in diads or small groups. (2)
o Continue to provide live musical accompaniment
o Provide funds to support faculty to attend
professional development courses in the dance field.
Most Dance faculty are adjuncts who continue to
attend such courses and workshops at their own,
sometimes considerable, expense.
Priorities to Improve Student
Learning
(List the top 3-6 things
faculty/staff felt would most
improve student learning)
1. Provide a larger studio with a more resilient
floor and adequate storage space.
2. Continue to provide live musical
accompaniment
3. Analyze course curriculum to determine that
competency skills are taught, so that the
department can build a progression of skills as
students advance through courses.
4. Provide funds to support faculty to attend
professional development courses in the dance
field. Most Dance faculty are adjuncts who
continue to attend such courses and
workshops at their own, sometimes
considerable, expense.
5. Encourage faculty to share activities that
foster competency
Implementation
(List the departmental plans to
implement these priorities)
Revised 7/20/07
1. Request funding in Program Plans
2. Funding dependent – request full funding for
all accompanist dependent classes in Program
Plans
3. Make course sequencing an agenda item in
Flex meeting curricular review meetings
4. Seek grant funding
5. Create online syllabi file for faculty to share
teaching strategies
Timeline for Implementation
(Make a timeline for
implementation of your top
priorities)
Revised 7/20/07
1 & 2 – Annual Program Plan Update
3. Spring 2011 Flex
4. Independent granting proposals will be supported
by the Dance Department
5. Gather syllabi Spring 2011, collate and post Fall
2011
Transfer and Basic Skills
Departmental Assessment Analysis Form
Note: Individual Assessment Form precedes this form.
Use the form below to summarize the results of the department meeting in
which you discussed the core competency assessment process or the
assessment of course SLOs. Append this form to your Instructional Plan and
incorporate the results into the narrative of your plan.
Department
VAPA – DANCE
Meeting Date
9-25-05
Number of Faculty/Staff in
Attendance
4
Number of Faculty/Staff sharing
Assessment Results
5
Core Competency or Course
SLOs measured
Core Competency #3 GLOBAL AWARENESS
Assessment Tools
(Give examples of major
assignments your faculty/staff
used to measure the
competency or course SLOs)
Regina DeCosse – using artist’s media to assess change
in awareness and self-reflexivity: body tracing
Sharon Took Zozaya – rubric based task inventory for
choreography and performance assignment
Barbara England – Vocabulary test of French
terminology relevant to Ballet
Assessment Results
(Summarize the overall results
of your department
Students achieved at or above satisfactory levels
What student needs and issues
were revealed?
Students noted lack of access to studio facilities in
which to complete homework assignments.
Were there any areas where
student performance was
outstanding?
Varied curriculum makes question three not
applicable
Any areas where it can be
improved?
Self directed study outside of class time would improve
quality of choreographic work.
Next Step in the Classroom
to Improve Student Learning
(check all the items faculty/staff
felt would help them address
the needs and issues that were
revealed by the assessment.
How might student performance
be improved?
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Next Step in the Department
to Improve Student Learning
(check all that the department
felt would help them improve
student learning)
State goals or objectives of assignment/activity more
explicitly
Revise content of assignment/activities
Revise the amount of writing/oral/visual/clinical/
add rehearsal/working time
Revise activities leading up to and/or supporting
assignment/activities
Increase in-class discussions and activities
Increase student collaboration and/or peer review
outside of class time – provide for laboratory
space/time
Provide more frequent or more comprehensive
feedback on student progress
Increase guidance for students as they work on
assignments
Use methods of questioning that encourage the
competency you measured
State criteria for grading more explicitly
As an instructor, increase your interaction with
students outside of class
Ask a colleague to critique assignments/activities
Collect more data
Nothing; assessment indicates no improvement
necessary
Other (please describe) Add videos of exemplary
professional and student work to ILC at Watsonville
Learning Center
o Offer/encourage attendance at seminars,
workshops or discussion groups about teaching
methods – American College Dance Fest. Etc…
o Consult teaching and learning experts about
teaching methods Continue professional
development as engaged in by dept.
o Encourage faculty to share activities that foster
competency
o Write collaborative grants to fund departmental
projects to improve teaching
o Purchase articles/books on teaching about
competency
o Visit classrooms to provide feedback (mentoring)
o Create bibliography of resource material
o Have binder available for rubrics and results
o Analyze course curriculum,, so that the
department can build a progression of skills as
o
o
o
o
Priorities to Improve Student
Learning
(List the top 3-6 things
faculty/staff felt would most
improve student learning)
students advance through courses - completed
Nothing; assessments indicate no improvements
necessary
Other (please describe)
Create a community dance resource website based
on VAPA Division site to enhance student
awareness of dance beyond academia
Consider requiring students enrolled in
composition, repertory or production classes to
enroll concurrently in a technique class
1. Increase student access to laboratory
time/space by adding a second dance studio
2. Replace second full time faculty on a
permanent basis – four years of turnover is
taking a toll on departmental continuity
3. Create a production budget for repertory
classes to relieve pressure on Dance Club
account – thereby allowing subsidization of
student and faculty participation in academic
conferences – ACDF etc…
4. Move faculty offices to be adjacent to primary
classroom/studio space to enhance student
access to faculty.
5. Adjust accompanist/composer budget to allow
students to consult with dance specific musician
Implementation
(List the departmental plans to
implement these priorities)
1. Studio space has been a top priority on Five
Year Program Plans and Program Plan
Updates since 2000. It will be included in the
next Five Year Plan being written currently.
2. Fulltime Permanent Faculty replacement is and
has been a Divisional priority on an ongoing
basis
3. Budget requests have been included in program
plans and continue to be a priority
4. Facilities requests are part of the Program Plan
and may be addressed as the Division moves
into new facilities. As yet the Division has not
been able to secure a site for Program offices.
5. Budget requests will be included in Program
Plan
Timeline for Implementation
(Make a timeline for
implementation of your top
priorities)
1. Ground has been broken on new VAPA
facilities – move in for the rest of Division will
be Winter 2007 – Dance is not provided for in
the new facilities. The dance program is
pursuing alternative space in existing or
modifiable structures.
2. Fulltime Dance Faculty is the #1 priority for
the VAPA Division for the upcoming year.
3. Program Plan submit date 12-15-05
4. Ditto
5. Ditto
Transfer and Basic Skills
Departmental Assessment Analysis Form
Note: Individual Assessment Form precedes this form.
Use the form below to summarize the results of the department meeting in
which you discussed the core competency assessment process or the
assessment of course SLOs. Append this form to your Instructional Plan and
incorporate the results into the narrative of your plan.
Department
VAPA Dance Program
Meeting Date
3-22-05
Number of Faculty/Staff in
Attendance
6
Number of Faculty/Staff sharing
Assessment Results
8
Core Competency or Course
SLOs measured
Core Competency #4 Personal Responsibility and
Professional Development
Assessment Tools
(Give examples of major
assignments your faculty/staff
used to measure the
competency or course SLOs)
1. Research paper on dance company
2. Observation of students
3. Writing about dance to promote understanding
of dance
4. Outline given to students to view concert
performance
5. Final exam of Ballet and Jazz vocabulary
Assessment Results
(Summarize the overall results
of your department
Students appreciated the SLO program and having
the opportunity to give input on Learner Outcomes.
Students appreciated clarification of syllabi and
assignments and knowing what exactly was needed to
achieve success.
Students appreciated being led through an articulated
process of expressing their understanding of dance
performance.
What student needs and issues
were revealed?
Were there any areas where
student performance was
outstanding?
Any areas where it can be
improved?
Students noted lack of informal performance space.
1
Next Step in the Classroom
to Improve Student Learning
(check all the items faculty/staff
felt would help them address
the needs and issues that were
revealed by the assessment.
How might student performance
be improved?
Next Step in the Department
to Improve Student Learning
(check all that the department
felt would help them improve
student learning)
X State goals or objectives of assignment/activity
more explicitly – review syllabi at mid term
o Revise content of assignment/activities
o Revise the amount of writing/oral/visual/clinical or
similar work
X Revise activities leading up to and/or supporting
assignment/activities – student access to professional
and student performances on videotape
X Increase in-class discussions and activities
X Increase student collaboration and/or peer review
– full length mirrors allow for self directed learning in
classroom. Access to studio space would allow for
outside of class rehearsal/homework.
X Provide more frequent or more comprehensive
feedback on student progress. Arrange for showings of
student projects at midterm. Provide access to faculty by
moving offices closer to primary classroom/studio.
X Increase guidance for students as they work on
assignments – create dedicated studio time and space to
critique student’s work in small groups
X Use methods of questioning that encourage the
competency you measured
X State criteria for grading more explicitly
o As an instructor, increase your interaction with
students outside of class
o Ask a colleague to critique assignments/activities
o Collect more data
o Nothing; assessment indicates no improvement
necessary
o Other (please describe)
X Offer/encourage attendance at seminars,
workshops or discussion groups about teaching
methods – American College Dance Festival and local
community dance events and opportunities should be
shared more extensively with students.
X Consult teaching and learning experts about
teaching methods – Systematize sharing of the ongoing
professional development that the faculty already
participates in i.e. dance classes, concerts, somatic
trainings…
X Encourage faculty to share activities that foster
competency – see above
X Write collaborative grants to fund departmental
projects to improve teaching
2
X Purchase articles/books on teaching about
competency
X Visit classrooms to provide feedback (mentoring)
X Create bibliography of resource material
X Have binder available for rubrics and results –
Share best practices syllabi with new and returning
faculty
X Analyze course curriculum, so that the department
can build a progression of skills as students advance
through courses
o Nothing; assessments indicate no improvements
necessary
o Other (please describe)
Priorities to Improve Student
Learning
(List the top 3-6 things
faculty/staff felt would most
improve student learning)
1. Faculty offices by the dance studio with
centralized department information location
for better communication and cohesiveness.
2. Having full length mirrors would allow all of
the students in the classroom equal access to
self reflexive learning.
3. More videos to show students
4. Small informal theater or performance space
with line of sight to offices
5. Create more opportunities for students to
experience high level dance through guest
artist/speaker fees. Funding for ACDF and
guest speakers for master classes.
6. Design and implement course material that
would be more discussion oriented
7. Better custodial services for cleanliness of the
dance studio
3
Implementation
(List the departmental plans to
implement these priorities)
Timeline for Implementation
(Make a timeline for
implementation of your top
priorities)
1. This was part of the facilities request in 2000
and will be in 2005 five year Program Plan.
2. Mirrors have been requested as part of
instructional equipment request
3. Money to purchase videos has been requested
as part of instructional equipment request
4. This is part of our request for additional
facilities
5. Part of our request for additional budgets
6. Individual instructors are implementing this
7. This is an ongoing problem; the studio is in use
without a break from 8:00 AM until 9:00 PM
or later every regular day of instruction.
Coordinating and budgeting maintenance of
the program’s sole facility is an ongoing issue.
1. All facilities related issues were included 2000
program plan and will be included in this
year’s program plan update as a request for
additional facilities.
2. Mirrors have been requested as a high priority
instructional equipment budget item.
3. Enhancing the dance videos continues to be an
instructional equipment priority.
4. Guest speaker budget request will included in
2005 program plan
5. Custodial issues have been forwarded to
maintenance and operations.
4
Transfer and Basic Skills
Departmental Assessment Analysis Form
Note: Individual Assessment Form precedes this form.
Use the form below to summarize the results of the department meeting in
which you discussed the core competency assessment process or the
assessment of course SLOs. Append this form to your Instructional Plan and
incorporate the results into the narrative of your plan.
Department
Dance/VAPA
Meeting Date
9/10/10
FULLTIME
2
ADJUNCT
6
Number of Faculty/Staff sharing
Assessment Results
2
6
Total number of faculty/staff in
department
2
12
Number of Faculty/Staff
participating in dialogue
Course SLOs measured
DA 57 Dance Repertory
Demonstrate principles of dance production while
creating a performance led by faculty or guest artist.
DA 61 Introduction to Dance/Moving to Live Music
Perform with an increasing degree of proficiency, simple
dance movements demonstrating increasing control of
skills pertaining to memorization, physical safety, body
awareness, alignment, and aesthetic valuing.
DA 64 Intermediate Modern Dance Performing with
an increasing degree of proficiency, complex
combinations of warm up and dance movements
demonstrating consistent control, ability to memorize,
musicality, alignment and aesthetic valuing.
DA 65 Jazz Dance Perform, with an increasing degree
of proficiency, the skills and techniques of jazz dance.
DA 66 Choreography Create original dances using
choreographic principles and perform them.
Revised 10/28/10
DA 67 Dance Production Create and choreograph a
performance and demonstrate principles of dance
production.
DA69 African Dance Perform with an increasing degree
of proficiency techniques and vocabulary of African
Dance.
DA74 Creative Movement Apply concepts of creativity
in dance to solve movement problems.
DA 76 Ballet I Perform with an increasing degree of
proficiency, ballet barre combinations, and recognize
some ballet vocabulary.
DA 78 Ballet II Perform with an increasing degree of
proficiency, more complex ballet barre and center
combinations with consistent control of alignment,
phrasing and musicality.
Assessment Tools
(Give examples of major
assignments your faculty/staff
used to measure the
competency or course SLOs)
DA 90 Integrated Dance: Dance for All Bodies and
Abilities Perform, with an increasing degree of
proficiency, movement skills and techniques developed
for integrated dance.
DA 57 Dance Repertory Participate in the rehearsal and
development of a new dance work. Students learn some
choreography that is created specifically for them, and
some choreography from a video recording.
DA 61 Introduction to Dance/Moving to Live Music
Learn and perform a simple dance combination
containing movement that encourages proper alignment,
body awareness and aesthetics. Observe and reflect on
other students’ performance.
DA 64 Intermediate Modern Dance Perform a
movement phrase. Partner with another student to
critique each other’s phrases. Perform the phrase again,
taking into account the critiques. Discuss the value of the
assignment as a whole.
DA 65 Jazz Dance Learn and perform a short Jazz dance
piece containing sequences and phrases taught during the
semester.
DA 66 Choreography Mid-term assignment to
choreograph 1-2 minutes of a dance, perform it, receive
critique from students and faculty, rework the dance and
Revised 10/28/10
perform it again.
DA 67 Dance Production Lead and/or participate as a
dancer in a rehearsal for a dance production.
DA 69 African Dance
• Learn and perform a traditional Dagbamba dance
• View video of the dance performed by students at
the University of Ghana
• Perform the dance again assimilating the fruits of
student observations
DA 74 Creative Movement Final Project:
Creative Movement and Dance Improvisation. Choose
one:
1) In groups of 2 or three, create a movement
experience or improvisational score to share with
the whole class.
2) With one or two people, create a New Movement
Game and share it with the class.
3) Create your own ‘dance” to perform for the class,
your dance may be a structured improvisational
score, or just a developed movement theme or
idea.
DA 76 Ballet I Perform barre exercises with minimal
explanation or cuing. (week 8)
DA 78 Ballet II Learn and perform a complex dance
combination containing intermediate ballet terminology
and steps.
Assessment Results
(Summarize the overall results
of your department
What student needs and issues
were revealed?
DA 90 Integrated Dance: Dance for All Bodies and
Abilities Final Project –Learn, rehearse and perform a
group dance with the class.
Most students achieved success with the assignments
and assessments, even in classes with widely varied
skill levels. However, the standards of success were
often affected by limited facilities.
Students came to classes with diverse levels technical,
stylistic, and aesthetic training but were willing and able
to work together towards common goals.
More advanced students are able to learn and retain
material with greater efficiency. Beginning dancers
need classroom assignments broken into smaller
Revised 10/28/10
increments, explained in more detail and with more
repetition. They are often still concentrating on
learning how to remember the movements and are not
yet able to find expressive qualities.
In classes with a wide range of experience and skill
levels, more advanced students demonstrate the ability
to learn and retain material with greater efficiency. The
beginning dancers need classroom assignments broken
into smaller increments and explained in more detail.
One solution is to provide the material in both a more
simplified form for those with less skill and a more
challenging form for the more advanced students.
However, this can create a hierarchy within the class.
Some students were not prepared for the rigors of
college level dancing.
DA 69 students discussed previously unexamined
cultural shaming around dance, public speaking, and
singing and were able to move past it. It is helpful to be
aware that students may be dealing with this type of
internal resistance and to create a classroom
environment that supports them to move past it.
Students’ creative use of space was not supported by
working in a dance studio that is too small. Either a
stage or larger space would have facilitated greater
spatial awareness and resulted in improved design.
Students had limited access to the dance studio, the
‘canvas’ where they sketch and draw out ideas, so they
often worked out their ideas and practiced in small
living spaces. This showed in the cramped use of space,
the unidirectional facings of the dancers, and the single
point perspective of the choreographic material. They
need access to a studio or stage with sufficient space to
meet industry standards.
Additionally, students were sometimes less prepared
than they should have been, because they did not have
adequate rehearsal space.
If 1117 were a smart classroom it would make showing
choreography on line a possibility. This is a vital
educational tool that is missing.
Revised 10/28/10
More office space is needed to facilitate more
interaction with students. Currently full time faculty
offices are on the other side of the campus from the
dance studio and the adjunct office is shared by 14
dance faculty, plus additional HAWK faculty.
DA 57 and possibly DA 67 should require a beginning
dance class or equivalent experience as co-requisite or
prerequisite. Currently Dance 61 is a recommended
prerequisite for several classes, but not for 57 & 67.
DA 67 objectives and content in Curricunet listing
need to be rewritten to more accurately reflect the
current emphasis of the course on choreography,
rehearsal and performance aspects of producing the
concerts, rather than technical and publicity elements.
Students choreographing for the concerts should have
taken a choreography course, be taking one as a corequisite, or have equivalent preparation.
Students’ performance can be improved by skill
building in basic dance techniques and exposure to
more and varied dance performances.
Students with varied learning styles benefited from
verbal and written descriptions in addition to
kinesthetic demonstration.
Many students had not previously learned a formal
reflection process and need practice using one.
Live musical accompaniment is vital to allow for
adjustments in tempo, rhythm and quality at all levels of
experience. It is also necessary in order for students to
develop phrasing and artistry.
DA 90 disabled and able-bodied students were crowded
during creative work, due to the size of the studio.
Students with wheel chairs and other assistive devices
required more space in order for everyone to have equal
access to moving freely and safely.
Were there any areas where
Revised 10/28/10
There are discrepancies within the Curricunet listings for
DA 57 and DA 76. Scope of course descriptions and
SLOs don’t agree. These need to be corrected.
student performance was
outstanding?
Dancing in the 200 building “old Theater” allowed
students to find, understand and use stage space
effectively as part of their creative expression in
several classes. This also had a huge positive impact
on the quality of students’ performance level,
understanding of dance as a performing art, and
overall quality of experience.
The choreographer in the DA 67 assignment
recognized and constructively modified a possibly
injurious movement that her training had prepared her
for, but which was beyond the skill level of some of
her fellow students. This kind of intuitive leadership
skill is to be commended.
In DA 69 when students examined and discussed their
experience of dance prior to acculturation they were able
to recall, embody, and demonstrate a sense of joy and
emotional safety in their movement.
In DA 90 students with and without disabilities have
learned to work together in surprisingly focused and
innovative ways, in some cases leading to professional
performances off campus. A dancer with highly limiting
cerebral palsy learned to use the Simpson Board to
choreograph for able-bodied students.
More advanced students have repeatedly demonstrated
leadership by assisting less advanced students with
creative work and learning technical material. This has
created an inclusive sense of learning community and
has also provided a way for more the advanced students
to analyze and consolidate their knowledge.
Any areas where it can be
improved?
Consistently provide a stage and/or larger classroom for
dance. The size of the current dance studio is not
adequate for viewing performances. The audience is
too close to the performers to be able to see the
choreography.
Student’s learning curves would be improved if they
felt a sense of physical safety that matched the
emotional safety created in the classroom environment.
Students expressed concerns about dancing vigorously
on a very hard floor. They need an uncluttered, safe
environment in which to work and enough space to
move full out and hear each
Revised 10/28/10
other when they are practicing and communicating in
small groups.
The studio floor needs to be clean.
Students need a place to change and store their
belongings.
Additionally, many students have been choreographing
for our concerts in 1117, a very shallow room, while
they are designing dances for a very deep proscenium
stage. They simply haven’t been able to see how to
design dances that move other than back and forth.
Having a Smart Classroom would allow us to show
examples of choreography and performance on video, as
well as power points, whenever appropriate to support
teaching objectives. A video lab would give access to
students to view assigned videos outside of class time
and a way to track their work.
Students need more access to the studio to prepare
homework assignments and to practice.
Consultation with music composers for dance might
allow choices in music that go beyond the top 40…
Existing Ballet barres are too high for shorter or less
flexible students, so barre stretches were not safe or
practical for many students.
It would be helpful to have a more advanced section of
Ballet II or a Ballet II & III class.
DA 90 Integrated Dance students would benefit from
having a dedicated Instructional Assistant, as many
disabled students require more personal attention than
can be otherwise provided. Live music that adapts in the
moment to students’ dynamic, tempo, rhythm and
textural needs would also be very supportive of their
learning. (These comments also apply to DA 89 Dance
for Mixed Abilities.)
There are discrepancies within the Curricunet listings for
DA 57 and DA 76. Scope of course descriptions and
SLOs don’t agree. These need to be corrected.
DA 57 and 67, students would learn more about
Revised 10/28/10
production elements if they had the support of a
Technical Director, and Scene and Costume Designers.
This would also help to relieve students’ and faculty
stress during productions, as well as increase the overall
quality of performances. Students currently have almost
no input in these areas. Since most of our students take
one or both of these classes at some point during while
studying at Cabrillo, providing students with access to
this kind of education and support would have far
reaching impact.
This ties in with the need for a production budget that
truly reflects the costs. The Dance Department is
currently charged for all theater staff and front of house
staff, except Theatre Managers. Our budget barely pays
for the Lighting Designer/ Engineer, Stage managers,
Sound Engineer and Stage Crew. Also, in Spring 2010
the Theater Manager suggested that the complexity of
the new light board may require a programmer in
addition to the Lighting Designer/Engineer. This would
have additional budgetary implications.
Next Step in the Classroom
to Improve Student Learning
How might student performance
be improved?
Check all the items faculty/staff
felt would help them address the
needs and issues that were
revealed by the assessment.
When filling out this form
on a computer, please
indicate selections by
deleting unselected items.
Revised 10/28/10
DA 90 Integrated Dance: Dance for All Bodies and
Abilities includes disabled students, many of whom
need special attention in order to get the most out of
class. A paid and trained Instructional Assistant would
be very valuable to support learning, in addition to the
volunteers who are not as trained or always available.
(This also applies to DA 89 Dance for Mixed
Abilities.)
o State goals or objectives of assignment/activity more
explicitly
o Revise content of assignment/activities (2)
o Revise the amount of writing/oral/visual/clinical or
similar work
o Revise activities leading up to and/or supporting
assignment/activities (4)
o Increase in-class discussions and activities (2)
o Increase student collaboration and/or peer review (7)
Provide more frequent or more comprehensive
feedback on student progress (4)
o Increase guidance for students as they work on
assignments (2)
o Use methods of questioning that encourage the
competency you measured
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
State criteria for grading more explicitly
As an instructor, increase your interaction with
students outside of class (2)
Ask a colleague to critique assignments/activities
Collect more data
Nothing; assessment indicates no improvement
necessary
Other (please describe)
The primary classroom needs have to do with
facilities. See below.
Continue to hope the college will allow dance to use
the 200 building theater for class rehearsals.
Next Step in the Department
to Improve Student Learning
Check all that the department
felt would help them improve
student learning.
When filling out this form
on a computer, please
indicate selections by
deleting unselected items.
Encourage students to practice at home by setting
small, achievable goals they need to meet
o Offer/encourage attendance at seminars,
workshops or discussion groups about teaching
methods (4)
o Consult teaching and learning experts about
teaching methods
o Encourage faculty to share activities that foster
competency (5)
o Write collaborative grants to fund departmental
projects to improve teaching (2)
o Purchase articles/books on teaching about
competency
o Visit classrooms to provide feedback (mentoring)
o Create bibliography of resource material (2)
o Have binder available for rubrics and results
o Analyze course curriculum, so that the
department can build a progression of skills as
students advance through courses (6)
o Nothing; assessments indicate no improvements
necessary
o Other (please describe)
Continue to seek and eventually provide adequate
instructional facilities:
o A larger studio and/or theater for instruction and
in class rehearsals that has a more resilient floor
and adequate storage space.
o A second studio.
o Find a way to provide student access to studio for
preparation of homework and rehearsals.
o Relocate offices adjacent to dance studio.
o Provide changing facilities and storage close to
Revised 10/28/10
the dance studio.
o Upgrade the Dance Studio to become a Smart
Classroom.
o Purchase two-level, lighter weight portable
barres
Continue to provide live accompaniment and
eventually extend it to Improvisation, Choreography
Integrated Dance and Dance for Mixed Abilities.
Provide a paid Instructional Assistant for DA 90 &
DA 89.
Priorities to Improve Student
Learning
(List the top 3-6 things
faculty/staff felt would most
improve student learning)
Continue to seek and eventually provide adequate
instructional facilities:
o Provide a larger studio and/or theater for
instruction and in-class rehearsals that has a more
resilient floor and adequate storage space.
o Provide a second studio.
o Find a way to provide student access to studio for
preparation of homework and rehearsals.
o Relocate offices adjacent to dance studio.
o Upgrade the Dance Studio to become a Smart
Classroom.
o Purchase two-level, lighter weight portable
barres.
Continue to provide live accompaniment and expand it
to include other classes that need it.
Provide a paid Instructional Assistant for DA 89 &
DA 90.
Analyze course curriculum, so that the department can
build a progression of skills as students advance
through courses.
Encourage faculty to share activities that foster
competency.
Update Curricunet listings for DA 57, 67, and 76.
Revised 10/28/10
Implementation
(List the departmental plans to
implement these priorities)
Timeline for Implementation
(Make a timeline for
implementation of your top
priorities)
Implementation of the top Dance priorities depends on
funding from the College. Dance will continue to send
recommendations based on assessment of SLO to the
CIP.
Course analysis, curriculum, and progression
assessment discussions are ongoing parts of the SLO
and Core Competency assessment progression.
Continue to seek and eventually provide adequate
instructional facilities:
o A larger studio and/or theater for instruction and inclass rehearsals that has a more resilient floor and
adequate storage space.
o A second studio.
o Search for a way to provide student access to studio
for preparation of homework and rehearsals – the
Department is analyzing scheduling changes for FA
2011 to meet this need
o Relocate faculty offices adjacent to dance studio.
o Upgrade the Dance Studio to become a Smart
Classroom.
o Purchase two-level, lighter weight portable barres –
OCT 29, 2010, adjunct faculty member to apply for
Faculty Grant for this – the Department will find
funding for this project Fall
2010.
Continue to provide and expand live accompaniment
– ongoing.
Analyze course curriculum, so that the department can
build a progression of skills as students advance
through courses.
Encourage faculty to share activities that foster
competency.
Revised 10/28/10