UCA Home | P & A Home | Assessment Index | Plan Library Index

Academic Assessment Program

Speech, Theatre, & Mass. Comm.

University of Central Arkansas

1a. A student will present, to the entire speech faculty, a portfolio of documents, videotapes, and research to display appropriate progress toward achieving the program objectives and those of the student. An annual review of the portfolio will be conducted by the advisor; the second year and final review will be conducted by the entire speech faculty. Ninety (90) percent of the students will achieve a rating of satisfactory or higher on a rating scale of excellent, satisfactory, satisfactory with reservations, and unsatisfactory.

1b. A student will receive an overall grade average of "C" or better in all required courses to demonstrate a sufficient level of competency. The faculty advisor will assess the grades at the end of each semester.

2a. Records in the student portfolio will document participation in at least two credit hours of speech/public relations activities.

2b. Records in the student's portfolio will include documentation of activities performed.

4a. The student will include in the portfolio a document detailing how his/her speech communication degree will be applicable for his/her professional plans.

4b. Eighty (80) percent of the respondents to a survey of program graduates one year after graduation will rate their training at UCA as four or higher on a scale of one to five with five being the most positive.

1a. A student will present, to the entire speech faculty, a portfolio of documents, videotapes, and research to display appropriate progress toward achieving the program objectives and those of the student. An annual review of the portfolio will lie conducted by the advisor; the second year and final review will be conducted by the entire speech faculty. Ninety percent of the students will achieve a rating of satisfactory or higher on a rating scale of excellent, satisfactory, satisfactory with reservations, and unsatisfactory.

1b. A student will receive a minimum grade of a C in all required courses to demonstrate a sufficient level of competency. The faculty advisor will assess the grades at the end of each semester.

2a. Records in the student portfolio will document participation in at least four credit hours of speech communication activities, one of which must be forensics.

2b. Included in the student's portfolio will be outlines of speeches and judge's critiques as well as other documentation of activities which display appropriate progress toward achieving the program objectives and those of the student.

3a. Students will complete a formal, senior-level project which identifies and solves a real world problem: this will be done through a structured problem solving procedure which will utilize the concepts learned at UCA (research, time management, writing, interviewing, communicating, etc.). The project will be evaluated by at least two of the speech faculty on quality of critical thinking, problem-solving ability, thoroughness of research, use of time management, and writing, interviewing, and communication skills.

3b. Ninety-five percent of majors who carry out the senior project as part of the capstone course (Advanced Small-Group Problem-Solving) will earn a grade of C or better. Ninety-five percent of those who carry out the project independently will receive a grade of "satisfactory" or higher on a rating scale of excellent, satisfactory, satisfactory with reservations, and unsatisfactory.

4a. The student will include in the portfolio a document detailing how his/her speech communication degree will be applicable for his/her profession.

4b. Eighty percent of the respondents to a survey of program graduates one year after graduation will rate their training at UCA as a 7 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being most positive.

Rooted in the liberal arts tradition, the Theatre Program seeks to be an outstanding liberal arts program, noted for excellence in the classroom and on stage, that provides our students with the knowledge and skills upon which they build careers and become productive citizens. We believe that theatre students are successful when they grasp the theoretical, historical, and practical elements of the theatre as well as understand the historical, cultural, and social traditions of civilizations which created and continue to sustain theatre as an art form.

1a. A student will present to the entire faculty a portfolio of documents, videotapes, drawings, research, etc., to display appropriate progress toward achieving the objectives of the program and the student. An annual review of the portfolio will be conducted by the advisor. Second year and final review will be conducted by the entire theatre faculty. Ninety percent of the students will achieve a rating of satisfactory or higher on a rating scale of excellent, satisfactory, satisfactory with reservations, and unsatisfactory.

1b. The student will complete all required courses for the major with a grade of C or better.

2a. Records in the student's portfolio will document participation in at least four co-curricular productions as either cast or production crew member.

2b. The student will complete four semester hours of Theatre Production and Performance (each requiring sixty hours of practical experience) with a grade of B or better.

All baccalaureate Mass Communication graduates will be required to prepare a professional résumé and portfolio, supervised and reviewed by their major adviser, during their last semester at the University. Copies of these materials will be collected for ongoing and comparative evaluation by program faculty.

Students performing mass communication internships and their employment supervisors will complete evaluations at the end of the internships, which will measure the level of communication skills required and demonstrated, the breadth and depth of the experience and the value of the experience for the employer and the intern. The data will be collected, evaluated, and distributed on a periodic basis.

1. Students completing the baccalaureate degree will be able to express information coherently, completely and concisely in written form.

• Students will understand the predominant contemporary theories of mass communication.
• Students will have effective written and oral communication skills, including the writing and editing of articles for publication
• Students will be familiar with basic publishing technology, including the use of electronic hardware and software.

1a. Students will have received at least a C in Introduction to Mass Communication.

1b. Students will have received at least a C in Oral Communication, Composition I and Composition II, Beginning Reporting, Advanced Reporting, and News Editing I.

1c. All graduates will have had work published in either the Echo or the Scroll, 30% will have successfully completed internships, and 15% will have had work accepted by commercial, governmental or non-profit publications off the campus.

1d. Each graduate will have completed four hours of Print Media Application and have participated in the production of the newspaper or yearbook.

1e. Half or more of graduates will have completed Publication Design with a grade of C or better.

2a. Each student will complete Media Law & Ethics with a grade of C or better.

2b. Each student will be a member of a professional society or have attended a professional conference.

2c. Each student will complete a portfolio review by his or her major adviser at the end of junior year and again after the first semester of the senior year. This portfolio will include a diverse selection of writing, editing, photography, or page design skills. The items included in the portfolios will be reviewed by the entire journalism faculty for evaluation and critique. The evaluation will consider the quality and comprehensiveness of researching, writing and editing, photography and publication production skills, and the student's ability to communicate a clear message through a particular medium. Student portfolios will receive a rating of unsatisfactory or satisfactory or excellent. At least 90% of the students will receive a rating of satisfactory or higher in the first semester of their senior year.

1a. Students will present a professional resume and portfolio to their major advisor. Copies of these materials will be collected for ongoing and comparative evaluation by program faculty. The portfolio should include a diverse selection of writing and editing including print, video, and audio forms of communication. Evaluation of the portfolio will consider technical expertise, aesthetics of the contents, and the student's ability to communicate a clear message with originality and creativity. Portfolios will be rated on a scale of excellent, satisfactory, satisfactory with reservations, and unsatisfactory. Ninety percent of the students will achieve a rating of satisfactory or higher.

1b. Students will complete all required courses for the major with a grade of C or better.

4a. Eighty percent of all students will join a professional society or have attended a professional conference or workshop.

4b. Seventy percent of the respondents to a survey of program graduates one year after graduation will rate their training at UCA as 7 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most positive.

1a. The student will complete the project, submit a paper, and conduct a public seminar that explicates the process and product of the project. After review of the written document and the public seminar, the departmental committee will assign a grade based upon the quality of the work and the student's success at fulfilling the objectives identified in the project proposal.

1b. Ninety percent of students completing the project will receive a grade of "B" or better.