First year Visual and Performing Arts unit: FFA 192 Theory Workshop A: digital reflective journal
Developed by Karen Hall, Lycia Trouton, Deb Malor and Moira Cordiner
Synopsis of the task and its context
This task, which is ongoing throughout the semester, is the first one in this introductory unit and is weighted 40%. It is a digital reflective journal that complements
the other tasks (formal essay and tutorial presentations) and supports students’ overall development of their creative practice in the first year of the Bachelor of
Contemporary Arts. While it is termed ‘reflective’, it is expected that initial entries in the journal may be highly subjective. During the semester, students are
encouraged to gradually ‘move’ to making more objective observations about their responses to theoretical content, and be able to identify aspects that they consider
inform their creative practice in the making units. Students are given examples of the type of entries that are expected. They are also given the following guidelines
for entries. Entries are to:
 be made regularly (this can be monitored by tutors because the journal is digital)
 be neither a scrapbook, nor a deeply personal and private ‘confessional’
 focus on what students have learned and its relationship to future action
 comprise a total of 2,500 words so that:
 it comprises continuous text (approximately 60%) and other word equivalent entries(approximately 15%), e.g. speculations, mindmaps, concept maps,
annotations, diagrams, questions based on readings and tutorials
 it is informally written (in contrast to formal essays)
 the ratio of words to supporting material is 3:1 (75%:25%) for the whole journal
 include acceptable and manageable supporting material, such as scanned pictures, sound files, media, video (25% of the journal)
The standards described in the criteria sheet are at an introductory level because most students will be unfamiliar with this type of journal and its purpose.
Match between learning outcomes and criteria
Learning outcomes (original)
Task-specific criteria
On completion of this unit, you should be able to:
To complete this task, you are to:
1. Locate some main issues confronting artists and performers in contemporary times
and relate these to historical and contextual themes (such as regionalism,
nationalism, globalism and indigeneity).
1. Demonstrate knowledge of theory content
2. Reflect upon the influence that historical/theoretical perspectives have on your
emerging artistic / performance practice.
3. Reflect on:
 your responses to the content
 relevance of the content to your creative practice
not assessed in this task
3. Demonstrate skill in public speaking about conceptual concerns.
4. Ascertain how to go about researching in the library and on e-databases, and be
able to construct a scholarly essay with academically referenced sources.
2. Identify relationships between content elements
not assessed in this task
Task 1: Reflective journal v3
criteria
Demonstrate
knowledge of
theory content
in context
Weighting 40%
HD
DN
CR
PP
Throughout your journal you:
Throughout your journal you:
In your journal, you:
In your journal, you:
 consistently demonstrated
thorough knowledge of
content
 demonstrated knowledge
of content with some
areas explored thoroughly
 demonstrated knowledge
of content
 demonstrated basic
knowledge of content
 demonstrated
fragmentary knowledge
of content
 acknowledged all sources
 sustained an explicit
engagement with the unit
content by:
 sustained a mostly explicit
engagement with the unit
content by:
 acknowledged most sources
 sustained an engagement
with the unit content by:
 making regular entries
Identify
relationships
between
content aspects
Reflect on:
 your
responses to
the content
 relevance of
the content to
your creative
practice
NN
Throughout your journal you:
 adding supporting
 adding supporting
material and
material and explaining
convincingly explaining
its relevance
its relevance
 identified and described:
 identified and described:
 a wide range of
 a range of relationships
relationships from
including obvious and
obvious to subtle,
some subtle ones,
between different
between different
aspects of unit content
aspects of unit content
 how this content informs contemporary visual and
performance art
 insightfully reflected on
your responses to the
content by:
 thoroughly reflected on
your responses to the
content by:
 adding supporting
material and partially
explaining its relevance
 identified and described:
 the obvious
relationships between
different aspects of unit
content
 engaged with the unit
content by:
 occasionally added given
material from the unit
content
 making mostly regular
entries
 adding some relevant
supporting material
 identified and described:
 some obvious
relationships between
different aspects of unit
content
 identified some obvious
relationships between
different aspects of unit
content
 how this content relates to contemporary visual and
performance art
 reflected on your
responses to the content
by:
 describing and analyzing
your responses them in
detail
 describing and analyzing
your responses them in
some detail
 describing and
analyzing your
responses
 convincingly justifying
with evidence how and
why how you arrived at
these responses
 convincingly, for the
most part, justifying with
evidence how and why
how you arrived at these
responses
 justifying with some
evidence how and why
how you arrived at
these responses
 occasionally revisiting
them and commenting
specifically on any
changes in your
responses and
suggesting future
explorations
 occasionally revisiting
them and commenting
generally on any
changes in your
responses
 partially reflected on your
responses to the content
by:
 stated your responses to
the content by:
 describing these
responses and how and
why you arrived at them
 expressing opinions
that were simply either
positive or negative
Task 1: Reflective journal v3
criteria
Comment:
HD
Weighting 40%
DN
CR
PP
NN
Throughout your journal you:
Throughout your journal you:
Throughout your journal you:
In your journal, you:
 insightfully and thoroughly
reflected on the relevance
of the content to your
creative practice by:
 thoroughly reflected on the
relevance of the content to
your creative practice by:
 reflected on the relevance
of the content to your
creative practice by:
 partially reflected on the
relevance of the content to
your creative practice by:
 identifying aspects that
you consider inform your
practice and
perceptively explaining
why with examples
 identifying aspects that
you consider inform your
practice and explaining
why with examples
 identifying aspects that
you consider relate your
practice and explaining
why with examples
 identifying aspects that
you consider relate your
practice and stating why
with examples
In your journal, you: