It is important that remaining Dance BA students continue to be academically and artistically supported as they move toward completion of the Dance BA degree which has been eliminated as a Dance degree program at SHSU for any student admitted as of Fall 2009 and after.
The dance faculty has been dissatisfied with the content of the BA in Dance. It is not substantially different from the BFA, lacking its own "special" classes, simply having fewer requirements and creatinga two caste system in which those perceived as less talented are restricted in options to expand study of dance. Lacking the faculty lines to develop a BA that is strong and distinctive, the dance faculty has resolved to eliminate the program but to continue to support those students who do not qualify or do not chose to change to the BFA program and who must complete their Dance BA program under the specifications given in the university catalog for the year in which they were admitted.
Objective
Dance BA Students Will Demonstrate Proficiency In Dance Technique
Dance BA students will be expected to demonstrate proficiency in both Modern Dance and Ballet Technique by completion of their Dance major program
Indicator
Technique Placement Screening Assessment
Like all dance majors, the BA students will be required to undergo Technique class placement screening each semester in order to be 'placed' in the appropriate level technique class in that semester.
The assessment is conducted by a jury of Modern or Ballet faculty, as appropriate. The faculty adjudicators use the Technique Placement Rubric (both attached) for either Ballet or Modern and rate students on a scale of 1-4 on 10 standards and then render judgement about the placement of the student which are translated into the three levels: -Ready for the subsequent technique class level -Not Ready and required to repeat the level last completed -In Need of Remediation and required to take a level lower than the one last completed.
The assessments of Junior and Senior level Dance BA Students who underwent technique class plcement screening for either or both Ballet or Modern Technique in FY10 were identified grouped and summarized for the evaluation of ther Technical competence in dance.
Criterion
90% Of BA Jrs / Srs Promoted To Intermediate Ballet Or Modern
90% of the Jr.s and Sr.s assessed for this program evaluation will be judged technically competent to be placed in Intermediate level technique classes for Modern or Ballet.
Finding
Criterion Met
PLEASE SUPPLY SUMMARY DATA In 2009-2010 12 of the 13 Jr.s and Sr.s in the Dance BA program were judged sufficiently competent in dance technique to be placed in intermediate level ballet or modern technique classes in 2009-2010. The sole senior still placed in beginning level technique is a transfer student, just beginning the sequence of dance courses; she was advised on admission that earning the degree would require additional coursework and time based on assessment of her skills at the admission audition.
For the enhancement of future Jr/Sr technique assessment, the following baseline information is offered about freshman level BA students: - All 12 Freshmen were enrolled in beginning level technue in the fall; -5 were promoted to intermediate in the spring, -the other 7 were retained in the beginning level. In all there were 36 students with Dance BA majors ( 1st or 2nd major) enrolled in Fall 09 and 29 of these were again enrolled in S10.
Action
Develop Senior Comprehensive Assessment
As of Spring 2010, all newly admitted undergraduate students in the dance program will pursue the BFA curriculum, hence the future focus of the department will shift towards sustaining and improving the quality of that program while continuing to nurture and hold the remaining BA students to the same standards that were expected of them when they were first admitted. In addition to assessing the learning and demonstrated competence of these dance students in the critical area of dance technique, Dance faculty feel that it is necessary to be able to assess how effectively they are facilitating learning in other areas of dance. To that end, the faculty will convene to draw up a Bachelor's level "comprehensive" exam to assess knowledge of Dance BA Seniors in areas of composition, terminology, kineseology, Laban Movement Analysis, dance history, and world dance culture. The faculty may use the Texas Excet test as a point of departure for this comprehensive exam and will construct an instrument that reflects the curriculum focus of the program, in a form that can be assessed effectively by the dance faculty.