Introduction
The goal for this document is to articulate, in detail, the expectations and requirements for the BFA Theatre Education Degree. As you prepare to enter the field of theatre and/or education, the expectations set forth here, will prepare you to be successful in the program as well as your future career.
The document has undergone major revisions in 2024-2025. Returning/continuing students, may choose to work under the previous requirements (2022-2023 revisions) or may shift to the new requirements. You must articulate your choice prior to the Artifact Inventory (due 11/13/24).
3 Focus Areas:
Theatre Education students must document their work in 3 areas critical to their professional success:
- Pedagogy
- The method and practice of teaching.
- Leadership and service as related to teaching.
- Scholarship and research as related to teaching. Specifically: Knowledge of pedagogical theories and practices
- Artistry
- Creative skill or ability; the practice of making art.
- Leadership and service as related to artistry.
- Scholarship and creative research as related to artistry.
- Professionalism
- Professional behavior (communication, participation, collaboration, and reflection) in pedagogy, artistry, leadership, service, scholarship and research.
- Following guidelines set out in USU Student Conduct and the Department of Theatre Arts Student Handbook.
*Additional student academics – enrollment, GPA, etc. – will be considered*
Annual Review
Each spring, students in the BFA Theatre Education program will participate in an annual review. The annual review will comprise of the following:
- Self-assessment letter
- Artistic or teaching resume
- Academic Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Website portfolio
- GPA (see “Academic and Disciplinary Probation” below)
The faculty will notify students in writing of the result of their annual review as soon as possible, usually one month after the end of the semester in which the review takes place.
Benchmarks
Students must meet progressively rigorous benchmarks each year, as detailed below. This schedule applies to students who enter the program as first-year university students (i.e. directly from high school). Transfer students may be required to meet benchmarks on a revised timetable.
| Year | Minimum Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | Pass in all areas |
| Year 2 | Pass in all areas and demonstrate some emerging practice in the effective category. |
| Year 3 | Effective in at least one area, pass in other two areas |
| Year 4 (+) | Effective in all areas |
Self-Assessment Letter
The purpose of reflective self-assessment letters is to engage students in critical reflection on their developing practice as theatre arts educators. The letters also serve as an introduction and guide to the rest of students' portfolios. In their self-assessment letters, students should highlight their work, which demonstrates what benchmark they have achieved including growth from previous reviews. Letters should include:
- A 200 word (minimum) reflection on pedagogy
- A 200 word (minimum) reflection on artistry
- A 200 word (minimum) reflection on professionalism
- A 100 word (minimum) reflection on academics (GPA, areas of growth, etc.)
- A 100 word (minimum) articulation of goals and hopes for the next academic year
Students should assess their performance in each area by indicating which benchmark they believe they have achieved based on the criteria described in the rubric. Students must make specific references to the criteria in the rubric to justify their ratings. For example, “I achieved ‘satisfactory’ in artistry because XYZ.” No other criteria, such as students' own perceptions what constitutes high-quality work, may be applied. Students should support all claims with direct evidence from the artifacts.
Resume
Students will develop and maintain an artistic and/or teaching resume throughout their time in the program. A resume is a formal, concise document that demonstrates an individual’s education, experience, skills, and qualifications for a specific position. Resumes are typically used for non-academic positions. Resumes are typically 1-2 pages. Students will submit an updated resume to be considered with their annual review.
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Students will develop and maintain an academic CV. A CV presents a full history of an individual’s academic credentials, education, experience, and more. This document is more detailed than a resume and may include research, grants, in additional the materials listed on a resume. CVs are typically used for academic positions. CVs can be any length. Students will submit an updated CV to be considered with their annual review.
Portfolio
Students will develop and maintain a website portfolio that highlights their progress in the areas of pedagogy, artistry, and professionalism.
Students should collect and retain evidence of their accomplishments in each area continuously throughout their enrollment in order to ensure they have a variety of artifacts to include in their portfolios. Evidence may include the following:
- Pedagogy
- Formal assessments of teaching, such as Clinical Experience Mentor Teacher Evaluations, Professional Review Evaluations, and/or Student Evaluations of Teaching.
- Completed session designs that demonstrate students' ability to articulate clear, relevant learning objectives; appropriate, effective assessment methods; and comprehensive, engaging learning plans.
- Video, photo, or other multimedia documentation that clearly demonstrates the quality of session facilitation and other teaching activities.
- Letters of support from students and/or students' parents/guardians; supervisors; and/or peers.
- Research products including journal articles, conference paper/poster sessions, and other public presentations related to teaching.
- Or other appropriate materials.
- Artistry
- Reviews of productions or other artistic projects by faculty, media and/or peers, as appropriate.
- Video, photo, or other multimedia documentation that clearly demonstrates the quality of a particular aspect of a creative project.
- Other documentation appropriate to the specific artist performed (i.e. a promptbook for stage managers, program notes for a dramaturg, script analysis for actors/directors).
- Research products including journal articles, conference paper/poster sessions, and other public presentations related to artistry.
- Or other appropriate materials.
- Professionalism
- Professional and peer evaluations from pedagogical and/or artistic opportunities.
- Thank you notes about your contributions to teaching, artistry, research, and more.
- While documentation of leadership and service may be included in the pedagogy and artistry, students should include this section to document accomplishments not addressed elsewhere, or to elaborate on earlier examples.
- Or other appropriate materials.
All students may include artifacts in their portfolio dating to the time they enrolled as regular undergraduate students at an institution of higher education (including but not limited to USU, not including time as a concurrent enrollment student while in high school). First and second year students may include artifacts from high school; however, they must replace these artifacts with more contemporary artifacts beginning in their third year.
Assessment Rubric
The Assessment Rubric provides general frameworks the faculty will consider when assessing students' progress in each area (pedagogy, artistry, professionalism as well as the components of the annual review).
The rubric offers only a starting point, however. Every student is unique and possesses different extant skills, aptitudes, and experiences. Given students' diverse backgrounds and short-term and long-term professional goals, faculty work with students on individual bases to determine the most appropriate criteria for assessing each their performance. While the rubric provides a general sense of the goals students should strive to achieve, faculty will use their discretion when assessing student achievement.
Academic and Disciplinary Probation
(Per the USU Department of Theatre Arts Handbook)
Students must maintain an overall GPA of 2.75. No theatre course below a B- grade will be accepted as meeting graduation requirements. Theatre Ed certification students are required to have a GPA of 3.0. No theatre course below a B grade will be accepted as meeting graduation requirements.
Probation
Academic Probation is implemented by the Theatre Department based on cumulative grade point average. Any student who fails to maintain a 2.75 (B-) cumulative grade point average is on academic probation. While on probation a student may not participate in Department productions, must not have a semester GPA below 2.75 and all Theatre courses must have a minimum of a ‘B’ grade. Academic disciplinary action will be taken by the Department head. These actions may include letter of warning, registration holds, more meetings with the Academic Advisor, dismissal from the Program, or other actions as deemed appropriate for the circumstances.
Disciplinary Probation is implemented by the Theatre Department when, upon the recommendation of the faculty, a student is deemed negligent in meeting the requirements of the Theatre Department as outlined in this handbook, or when their behavior is disruptive to the learning environment. Notification of probation will ordinarily be made at the end of a semester so that a student will be able to correct any deficiencies by the end of the following semester. Failure to address the conditions of the probation will result in immediate dismissal from the Theatre Department Programs.