center for excellence in teaching and learning...

Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning: Undergraduate Instructional Improvement Program Grants

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Grant Year 2005

Program / Department Description Psychology Instructor and Student Support for Psychology 1 East Asian Languages & Cultures

Incorporating Technology for a Proficiency-Oriented Japanese Curriculum

Chemical Engineering & Materials Science

Improve Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Laboratories -- Phase 3

Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior

Quantitative Foundations of Neurobiology: an Online Course for Undergraduates

Evolution & Ecology Computer Models in Ecology for undergraduates: an Online Course Classics Web-based Introduction to Academic Spanish Writing for Heritage or/and Second Language students at the University of

California, Davis Evolution & Ecology Developing Assessment Methods for Conceptual Learning in Introductory Biology History History Department Slides Women & Gender Studies Women and Islamic Discourses. Upper-division, General Education Course in Women's Studies. Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

EME 107B: A New Course for Interactive Learning through Experimentation & Measurement

Evolution & Ecology Students as model builders in EVE 100: Introduction to Evolution Land, Air & Water Resources Real-time Environmental Monitoring for Class Instruction Theatre & Dance Shakespeare on Film German & Russian Online resource/moodle web page for Russian 101A,B,C Evolution & Ecology Development of interactive learning resources for large-enrollment classes in evolutionary biology Mathematics Transitional Linear Algebra. On-line Course Materials for MAT67 Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior

EXB 104L: Complete Technical and Safety Update, with Lab Manual Revision

Geology Bringing the ocean to the classroom: Experiential learning modules for GEL/ESP 150C and GEL 182 Music Establishing an Indonesian Gamelan Ensemble Course at UC Davis Mathematics The Calculus Page Problems List Comparative Literature Web/Visual media support for all courses using such support (COM 164A: The Middle Ages; COM 5: Fairy Tales, Fables, and

Parables; HUM 1 Dante; ENL 171: The Bible as Literature; Medieval Studies). Religious Studies Religious Studies 10 Animal Science Radio Frequency Identification System for Animals Chemistry Development of Computational Laboratory Experiments for CHE 130B: PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY


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Native American Studies The Indigenous Languages of California French & Italian Intermediate to Third-Year French Articulation Political Science Making Poverty Personal Plant Sciences On-Line Plant Identification Quizzes to Enhance Student Learning in Plant Biology 102, "California Floristics" Design Program Online Database of Arboretum Plant Collection

Grant Year 2006

Human & Community Development

A Closer Look at Psychological Assessment

Art Studio Teaching Islamic Art in the Digital Age Anthropology Fossil Cast Teaching Set Religious Studies RST 3E: Fundamentalism Animal Science Teaching Animal Genetics with a dairy cattle breeding computer simulation program Classics Proposal to digitize our existing Manual for the First Year Spanish Program at UC Davis Classics Development of a Resource Bank of Materials for Teaching Culture in Spanish 21 and 22 (Second-Year Spanish) Plant Sciences Developing a Capstone Experience in Ecological Restoration Chicana/o Studies Quantitative Methods: Chicano/Latino Health Research Sociology Improving Experiential Learning in Social Statistics Soc 46B and Soc 106 Evolution & Ecology TA Training Manual for BIS 2B Design Program Landscape Architecture Program Retreat for Academic Planning Incorporating Outcome-based Assessment Language Learning Center Digital Language Lab Systems

(Olson 57 and 18A) African American & African Studies

New Course Proposal: The History of African American Comedy

Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology

Biology and Conservation of Wild Birds: Engaging students through discovery learning and an interactive website

Evolution & Ecology Interactive Life-Based Lessons for Teaching Introductory Ecology Land, Air & Water Resources Fusing environmental science and the performing arts East Asian Languages & Cultures

Developing an Online Chinese Placement Test

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Development of Autotutorial Surveying Material for ECI 10

Comparative Literature Pedagogy Support for Comparative Literature 5, 6, and 7 as web and digital handbooks


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Grant Year 2007 Animal Science General Education Proposal: Summer 2007 Implementation Study and Prospectus English General Education Proposal: Summer 2007 Implementation Study and Prospectus French & Italian General Education Proposal: Summer 2007 Implementation Study and Prospectus Art Studio Cataloging/organizing digital visual course material for Art History 163a (Early Chinese Art) and 163b (Chinese Painting) Land, Air & Water Resources Linking World Ecosystems, Geography, and Human Well-Being Plant Biology TA Training Manual for BIS 2C English Implementing the new lower division sequence, Literatures in English I, II, III Chemistry Construction and Application of an Online Wiki-text to Augment Introductory Chemistry Education and Ultimately Supplant

Conventional Paper-Based Textbooks Physics Determining the role of TA teaching behaviors on learning outcomes in a large enrollment physics course Land, Air & Water Resources Fabrication of Weather Demonstrations Classics Golden Age Spanish Drama and Performance Psychology Instructor and Student Support for Psychology 1 (Round 2) Classics Development of a New Course Entitled "Images of Immigration in Spain;" Revision of a Course Entitled "Spanish Culture: Texts and

Contexts" Plant Sciences Digitizing Slides of Vegetation for Three Upper Division Courses American Studies Life in the Big U: Consensus, Conflict, and Community at UCD Land, Air & Water Resources Development and Integration of a Molecular Biology Module for SSC111 Soil Microbiology American Studies The "Audio Essay," Music, and American Culture: Developing New Literacies in Theory and Practice American Studies The Art and Instruction of the "Audio Essay" Human & Community Development

Establishing an Experiential, Inquiry-based Undergraduate Food Systems Course that Comprehensively Assesses Student-acquired Knowledge and Competencies

Geology Lessons From the Fossil Record: Revision of the Laboratory Exercises for GEL 107L (Earth History: Paleobiology Laboratory) Food Science & Technology Eating at the Boundaries of the Sciences and Humanities: Developing a Cross-College Course on Food in American Culture


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Grant Year 2008

Program / Department Description Physics Determining the Role of TA Teaching Behaviors on Learning Outcomes in Large Enrollment Physics Course -- Part II Microbiology Investigation of Wiki technology for assessment of open-ended scientific questions in a large class Evolution & Ecology Analysis of factors influencing student performance in Introductory Biology Plant Sciences Completion of Slide Digitizing for Several Plant Ecology Courses Design Program Online Arboretum Plant Collection Maps Political Science EXPANDING AND UPDATING THE SIMULATION OF U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISION MAKING USING

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Plant Sciences Developing Experiential Learning Activities and Assessments of Students' Interests, Understanding, and Acquired

Competencies for a New Introductory Course in Sustainable Agriculture. Women & Gender Studies Revision of Curriculum and Requirements Plant Sciences Enhancement of student learning and oral communication

skills in Biosciences 2C Lab 6 Land, Air & Water Resources Improving Visual Literacy through the Fusion of Art and Science Classics Teaching Manual for Spanish Hybrid series (SPA2V, SPA3V) Biomedical Engineering Developing Students’ Technical Writing Skills through A

Paired Curriculum in BME 173 Cell and Tissue Engineering and UWP 102E Writing in Engineering

Nutrition Revision of Nutrition 111AV: From Authorware to PowerPoint/Smartsite Human & Community Development Promoting Reflection and Integration through Videotaped Interactions Theatre & Dance ‘A Radical Overhaul of DRA10: Introduction to Acting, incorporating General Education criteria and transformative,

embodied learning.’ Art Studio Preparation, Organization and Digitization of course visual materials and aids for AHI 163D, Visual Arts of Early

Modern China

Plant Biology Improving and updating the BIS 2C Teaching Assistant Guide and Boackground Materials. Chemistry Constructing a dynamic Question Database for Chemistry

Curriculum Standardization and Development Plant Sciences Interactive Web-Based Study of Plant Morphology Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology Biology and Conservation of wild birds: developing critical thinking skills in avian conservation. English Smart Immersion Platform


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Grant Year 2009

Program / Department Description University Writing Program Electronic Portfolio Assessment for Lower-Division Writing Instruction Animal Science Instructional Improvement of a Large Science Course (ANG 107) Physics Improving the Physics 7 Lecture -- Increasing Student Engagement Lower Division Physics Lecture Demonstration

Revitalization Environmental Science & Policy Developing a senior capstone series in the proposed Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems undergraduate major

that uses multidisciplinary projects to engage students in experiential, inquiry-based learning in alignment with the major’s competency-based learning goals.

Chicana/o Studies Chicana/o Poetry and Virtual Culture Mathematics Animal Science ANS 124 Induced Lactation Project Enhancements Physics A Thermal Infrared Camera for Physics and Astronomy Demos Religious Studies Implementing and Evaluating Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) in the Religious Studies Program Plant Sciences An Electronic Course Reader and Lab Manual for California Floristics English English 10 Series Improvement Textiles & Clothing Material Preparation for a New Course on Biopolymers and Bioproducts Plant Sciences Interactive Web-based Study of Plant Morphology and Evolution Theatre & Dance Household Technology History Project: Digitized Access to and Student-Focused Strategies for Discussion of Household

Technology Books 1475-1914 Physics UC Davis Observatory Telescope Upgrade History Creating a Gateway Course in "The History of the Jewish People from Biblical Times to the Present"


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Grant Year 2010

Program / Department Description History History 188: America in the 60s Comparative Literature Pedagogy Support for Comparative Literature 1-4 and Web-based handbooks for COM1-4 Physics Using Analysis of Student-Initiated Questions in a Collaborative Learning Environment to Provide a Rational Basis for

Course Improvement. Entomology Video playlist for 'How to Write an A+ Term Paper: The 4-week Plan' Plant Sciences An Electronic Course Reader and Lab Manual for California Floristics Chemistry Investigating the Effectiveness of an Outcomes Based/Incrementally Developed Curriculum for Intro Chemistry and

General Chemistry (WLD 41C and CHE 2A) (2010-008) Classics Classics + Biology: Technical Vocabulary for Science Students Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering MAE--ABET IDEAL Training Nutrition Visualizing Science: Incorporating Embryo Images into the Classroom Chicana/o Studies Documenting the Chicano Movement in the Sacramento Region Theatre & Dance A Transformative Acting Program to Serve UC Davis Electrical & Computer Engineering Renewable Energy and Green Engineering Laboratory Projects for ENG 6: Engineering Problem Solving Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology Field Methods in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology: Creating an On-line Learning Guide and Web Manual for

Off-campus Education Molecular & Cellular Biology Genetic and Cell Biology Laboratory Course Development: Conveying the Excitement of Research Science University Writing Program New Protocols and Materials for Helping Faculty Across the Campus Improve Writing Instruction in Undergraduate

Courses Design Program Revision of Design Program Foundation Courses for Undergraduate and Graduate Success Chicana/o Studies Latin@ Digital Testimonios: Stories of Surviving and Thriving at UC Davis Geology Consolidation, Update and Enhancing Accessibility of the Structural Geology Laboratory Coursework Anthropology Acquisition of Olivella Bead Casts and Stereomicroscopes for use in Archaeology Courses with Labs


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Grant Year 2011

Program / Department Description Religious Studies Reading War/Fighting War Women & Gender Studies Encompassing Gender: Major Curriculum Re-Structuring to Implement Feminist Transnational and Cross-Disciplinary

Learning outcomes and Assessment University Writing Program Assisting ESL Students in UWP 1 Through Supplemental Online Grammar Instruction Physics Using Analysis of Student-Initiated Questions in a Collaborative Learning Environment to Provide a Rational Basis for

Course Improvement Chemistry Evaluation of the Student Learning Outcome Procedures in Chemistry Art Studio Tricks of the Trade Geology Geology 107 Laboratory

UIIP Mini-Grant Completion Report

New Protocols and Materials for Helping Faculty Across the Campus Improve Writing Instruction in Undergraduate Courses

Rebekka Andersen and Sarah Perrault University Writing Program

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Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3

WAC Website Goals ....................................................................................................................... 3

Goal 1: The website should reflect local faculty needs and interests ......................................... 3

Goal 2: The website should showcase local work ...................................................................... 3

Goal 3: The website should be easy to navigate and use ............................................................ 4

Summary of Stage 1: WAC Website Redesign Project .................................................................. 4

What we did for goal 1................................................................................................................ 4



Plan for Stage 2: WAC Website Redesign Project ......................................................................... 5

Appendix A: Survey Results ........................................................................................................... 5

Who responded ........................................................................................................................... 6

Department .................................................................................................................................. 6

#................................................................................................................................................... 6

Class information ........................................................................................................................ 8

Faculty Use of Writing................................................................................................................ 9

Resources .................................................................................................................................. 10

Appendix B: List of Stage 1 Interviewees .................................................................................... 12

Appendix C: Excerpts from State 1 Interviews ............................................................................ 13

Appendix D: Sample Comments about Teaching Practices ......................................................... 14

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Introduction

In spring 2011, we (Rebekka Andersen and Sarah Perrault) applied for a UIIP grant to support

our effort to improve the University Writing Program’s “Writing Across the Curriculum” (WAC)

team website. The WAC website redesign is happening in two stages:

1. Preparation, which included identifying useful sources, collecting materials, learning about

faculty needs and interests, and developing a prototype for the new web site.

2. Implementation, which will involve obtaining funding, conducting usability tests and revising

the prototype, and implementing the new design.

The first stage, for which the UIIP grant was instrumental, has been completed. The grant

supported the hiring of a GSR, Tara Porter, to carry out the majority of the work of Stage 1; it

also supported the creation of a survey that was distributed to faculty across campus (the grant

paid for six $50 gift cards that were offered as incentives for completing the survey). We

received 316 responses to the survey.

This report explains our goals, gives an overview of what we accomplished in Stage 1, and

explains how we will use the materials from this stage as we move into the implementation

stage.

WAC Website Goals

We have three goals for the WAC web site:

1. It should reflect local faculty needs and interests.

2. It should showcase local work.

3. It should be easy to navigate.

Goal 1: The website should reflect local faculty needs and interests

WAC is both universal (as universal as writing in academic settings) and local. The latter means

that WAC resources, while drawing on general principles that hold true across different

universities, need also to be tailored to the needs of the local community. For example, our

student body at UCD is far more diverse and multilingual than that at George Mason University

and many other WAC-focused campuses, and our site needs to respond to this fact.

Goal 2: The website should showcase local work

WAC is not about writing specialists telling faculty in other areas how to do their jobs, but about

fostering writing use in all areas to help improve student learning of that discipline’s content

(Writing To Learn, or WTL) and their ability to write in discipline-specific ways (Learning To

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Write, or LTW). As experts in rhetoric, composition, ESL, and other writing-studies areas, we do

have specific expertise to bring to bear, but we also recognize that the best people to teach

writing (whether WTL or LTW) in specific areas are the faculty in those areas. The WAC

website will showcase the many rich and diverse ways that faculty across campus are integrating

writing and writing instruction into their courses.

Goal 3: The website should be easy to navigate and use

A website’s resources are only useful if faculty can easily locate the resources they need and

successfully use those resources to resources to achieve their goals. The WAC website, therefore,

must be designed based on principles of usability and an information architecture and

classification scheme that aligns with the expectations, experiences, and background knowledge

of those who will use the website.

Summary of Stage 1: WAC Website Redesign Project

To meet goals 1 and 2 (the focus of stage 1), we interviewed and collected materials from faculty

in eleven departments, from HArCS to the Veterinary school, and we did a survey of faculty to

find out what they already do with writing and what kinds of resources they want to have or

already have and find useful.

What we did for goal 1

Given the importance of local context in WAC work, we used our interviews and our survey to

find out about UC Davis faculty concerns and interests.

In general, we found that faculty members’ top concerns are Time (69%) and responding to

student writing (57%). The next most urgent concerns are:

Creating effective assignments (21%)

Establishing Student Learning Outcomes for writing (19%)

Teaching and facilitating effective peer review (17%)

To address these concerns, the WAC website will highlight time-saving strategies for teaching

with writing and responding to student writing. We will showcase time-saving strategies that

faculty representing different disciplines across campus have been using with great success, and

we will post resources that faculty can use to create a tailored time-saving approach that helps

them meet their individual goals for teaching and responding to student writing. We will also

post resources that help faculty create effective assignments and establish student learning

outcomes for writing.

Further, the WAC website will showcase successful peer review practices that faculty across

campus are using. The showcase is intended to “show” other faculty different ways that they

might approach peer review.

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Given the importance of using local expertise, we conducted faculty interviews, collecting

materials and the necessary contextual information to present those materials on the website in

useful ways.

In addition, we used the survey to identify other faculty we can interview later, based on what

they said about their writing assignments. The response in this area exceeded our expectations, as

134 respondents mentioned specific things they do with writing in their teaching, and of those,

97 provided a name so we can contact them.


The prototype site design has been driven by what we learned about what faculty want (local

needs and interests) and what they know and will share. With the support of the GSR that the

UIIP grant funded, Tara Porter designed the prototype.

Plan for Stage 2: WAC Website Redesign Project

In 2012-2013, we plan to get approval of the prototype from the WAC director and UWP

program committee, apply for a technology grant to implement it, and then take the necessary

steps to see this project through to completion. If funding permits, this stage will include

usability testing of the site with UC Davis faculty.

In addition, we plan to do more interviews and collect more faculty resources to showcase on the

web. Information from the Stage 1 survey will be invaluable for this step, as it has helped us

identify 97 faculty members who are potentially willing to share ideas and materials.

Appendix A: Survey Results

We distributed the survey via the Academic Senate and Academic Federation listservs with the

following email:

In an effort to better serve faculty through our Writing Across the Curriculum Program,

we are writing to ask if you will take a few minutes to fill out this short online survey

about how you use writing in your classes: [link]

The survey should take no more than 2-3 minutes, and if you include your name you will

be entered to win one of six $50 gift certificates to Bistro 33 in Davis. Your responses

will be kept strictly confidential even if you do choose to provide your name.

We appreciate your help as we work on making our workshops and our online resources

as helpful as possible for faculty in all areas. Please feel free to contact Sarah or Rebekka

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if you have any questions about the survey, or if you want more information about the

workshop program in general.

Who responded

We got responses from 316 people in the following 75 areas:

Department #

Medicine (Various specialties) 25

Plant Biology/Plant Sciences 15

Psychology 15

English 10

Veterinary Medicine (various specialties) 10

Physics 9

Animal science 8

History 8

Human & Community Development; Human Development; & Human Ecology 8

Molecular and Cellular Biology 8

Sociology 8

UWP 8

Land, Air and Water Resources 7

Law 7

Math 7

Education 6

Evolution & Ecology 6

Geology 6

Nutrition 6

Civil & Environmental Eng 5

Design 5

Entomology (including 1 person in Entomology & Nematology) 5

Microbiology 5

Political Science 5

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Psychiatry 5

Viticulture & Enology 5

Anthropology 4

Chemistry 4

Environmental Science and Policy 4

French and Italian 4

Medical Microbiology 4

Music 4

Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior 4

Theater & Dance 4

Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology 4

Agriculture & Resource Economics 3

Classics 3

Communication 3

Computer Science 3

Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 3

No answer 3

Philosophy 3

American Studies 2

Art and Art History 2

Biomedical Engineering 2

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science 2

Comparative Literature 2

East Asian Languages and Cultures 2

Electrical & Computer Engineering 2

Landscape Architecture 2

Linguistics 2

Management 2

Neurology 2

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Physical Education and Exercise Biology 2

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences 2

Spanish 2

Applied Science 1

Arboretum 1

Asian American Studies 1

Biological and Agricultural Engineering 1

Biology 1

Bodega Marine Laboratory 1

Chicano/Chicana Studies 1

Cinema & TCS 1

Economics 1

Environmental Design 1

Food Science & Tech 1

German/Russian 1

Humanities 1

ICA Athletics 1

Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering 1

Native American Studies 1

Population Health Reproduction 1

Primate Center 1

Women & Gender Studies 1

Class information

What size classes do respondents teach?

The survey offered six choices, of which participants could choose all that apply.

Large enrollment (50+ students), meets WE 85 27%

Large enrollment (50+ students), does not meet WE 77 25%

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Large enrollment (50+ students), don't know if it meets WE 54 17%

Small class (<50 students), meets WE 89 28%

Small class (<50 students), does not meet WE 70 22%

Small class (<50 students), don't know if it meets WE 81 26%

The most interesting result for us here is how many people don’t know if their courses meet the

Writing Experience GE requirement. This suggests that some education and outreach specifically

about what does and does not count, and why the WE requirement matters, should be a WAC

priority.

Who grades/comments on student writing?

TA 159 52%

Reader 49 16%

I do 250 83%

Other 24 8%

This result was interesting because it shows that a large majority all faculty who responded do at

least some of their own grading.

Breaking these figures down, we found that 42 report relying exclusively on TAs or readers to

comment on and grade student writing, 130 report doing some commenting and grading while

TAs and/or readers do some, and 122 report doing all their own commenting and grading.

Faculty Use of Writing

Q: Do you incorporate writing assignments into your courses?

Yes 263 83%

No 38 12%

I want to, but don't 17 5%

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These results are encouraging, as they indicate that UC Davis faculty are, by and large, already

incorporating writing assignments into their classes.

Regarding the 12% who say they don’t, and who do not appear to be interested in doing so, it

would be interesting to do more research to find out what is behind the lack of interest.

Q: What challenges do you face in incorporating writing assignments in your classes?

Time 213 69%

Responding to student writing 177 57%

Other 78 25%

Creating effective assignments 64 21%

Establishing Student Learning Outcomes for writing 58 19%

Teaching and facilitating effective peer review 53 17%

Encouraging students to transfer learning from other classes to mine 38 12%

Using ungraded writing to foster student learning 38 12%

Not enough room in my syllabus 37 12%

I don't feel that it is as necessary as other tasks 17 5%

These findings are at the heart of our decision to feature time-saving and response strategies on

the web site, as these are by far the largest concerns faculty have about using writing in their

classes.

Resources

We asked two questions about resources on using writing in teaching.

Who or what sources have been useful to you in learning how best to incorporate writing in

your teaching?

Colleagues in my department 107 46%

Articles 76 33%

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Other 63 27%

Colleagues in other departments 60 26%

CETL (Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) 45 19%

Workshops 43 18%

WAC Faculty 25 11%

The fact that Workshops and WAC Faculty are listed as useful by the fewest people suggests that

either we are not reaching many people on campus, or that we are reaching them but not in a way

they find useful. The results on the next question suggest the problem is lack of contact and

familiarity with the WAC team.

If you have used the resources of the Writing Across the Curriculum Program, how useful

were they?

1 Not Useful 2 1%

2 0 0%

3 7 2%

4 11 3%

5 Very Useful 17 5%

Only 37 respondents answered the second question in the resources section. Of those 37, 28

found the resources Useful or Very Useful.

While this suggests the sources work well for some faculty, the low response to this, and the low

number of respondents listing UWP faculty and workshops as useful resources, together suggest

two things:

1. WAC has a lot of room for improvement, in outreach, implementation, or both.

2. Faculty turn to each other for advice. While not surprising, this response supports our

conviction that the WAC website should showcase local expertise from across the curriculum.

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Did you find that the WAC resources helped decrease the amount of time you dedicated to

responding to student writing?

1 - Definite No 1 0%

2 6 2%

3 14 4%

4 7 2%

5 - Definite Yes 8 3%

We regret that this question’s wording implies that less time is necessarily better; we were trying,

based on previous research, to ask if the WAC resources helped faculty respond both effectively

and efficiently. The fact that only 36 people answered this question may reflect this confusion, or

simply faculty’s lack of familiarity with WAC resources.

Appendix B: List of Stage 1 Interviewees

Interviewees came from eleven departments.

College of Agriculture &

Environmental Sciences

John Yoder, Plant Sciences

Tom Famula, Animal Science

College of Engineering Jim Shackleford, Chemical Engineering

Ken Giles, Biological and Agricultural Engineering

College of Letters and Science Emily Albu, Classics

Sam Nichols, Music

Stephanie Mudge, Sociology

Annaliese Franz, Chemistry

David Wittman, Physics

College of Biological Sciences Susan Keen, Evolution and Ecology

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School of Veterinary Medicine Sophia Papageorgiou, Veterinary Epidemiology

Appendix C: Excerpts from State 1 Interviews

These notes and excerpts from our interviews with faculty show the kinds of advice and

experience they offer.

Annaliese Franz (Chemistry) has two assignments, one on a current news item and one

video project. For the news item, she describes two benefits. First, students “go out and find

those useful examples that I can teach the next year.” And second, the assignment “forces the

professors to also show their students how things are applied.” The video project makes sure

students have and can communicate “foundational information.” To encourage student writing,

Annaliese shows good work and also shares testimonials from previous students about how

useful the assignment was.

Emily Albu (Classics) talks about student engagement and the value of having students do

writing journals. She has found that students choosing their own topics helps with engagement,

and she has them use writing as a way to think through problems. Emily also reports that journal

writing helps students write, even/especially ESL, because it’s about ideas, not “dangling

modifiers” and so on.

John Yoder (Plant Sciences) uses Calibrated Peer Review (CPR). John uses Calibrated Peer

Review (CPR) in both graduate and undergraduate courses. He reports: “The quality was really

high and the quality of the reviews was really high. The trick is you are going to have to spend a

lot of time with the peer review process. You are going to have to go over what you're looking

for.” He has noticed that writing in his course improved significantly once he started using CPR.

Sam Nichols (Music) uses an assignment to connect students to the music industry. Sam say

his interview assignment, which helps connect students to the industry, gets them thinking past

their grade in the course and helps them think about applications of the course to possible future

careers. In his words, “it starts to blur the distinction between what they are doing in their class

and the work they might do when they graduate” and makes the writing “potentially meaningful

to them beyond their GPA.”

Sophia Papageorgiou (Veterinary Epidemiology) scaffolds writing assignments. Sophia uses

staged/scaffolded assignments because they are better for students, and also easier on her

because this approach frontloads the response work. She also tells students a lot about the

importance of writing because they “moan and groan” about having to do it.

Stephanie Mudge (Sociology) uses writing because it gets students to understand the

complex concepts in the discipline. She says, “a lot of the trouble with theory is that they are

talking about things that students have a grasp of, but they are just using a different vocabulary

and they are thinking about the world in a different way.”

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Tom Famula (Animal Science) has advice on using TAs well in large classes. Tom is realistic

about what can be done in a first-year, first-quarter class: “We expect them to be able to learn

something and get started in science, realizing that they are just getting started, and that their

writing skills are going to improve over the four years, ideally, and we’re just beginning that

journey.”

Appendix D: Sample Comments about Teaching Practices

Just under half (134) of the respondents mentioned specific things they do. Of those, 97 provided

a name, and 35 agreed to be quoted publicly. These 97 faculty members are a rich source of

potential information that we might showcase on the web site in the future.

The examples below demonstrate the variety of practices faculty mentioned, and also the range

of disciplines. (These examples are only from faculty who agreed to be quoted.)

Real world genres

Barry Wilson, Animal Science: “practical real-life assignments such as reviewing

articles, writing proposals, analyzing scientific matters.

Miguel Mendez, Law: “I have my criminal law students write jury instructions on

difficult legal concepts.”

Short assignments

Antonella Bassi, French and Italian: “I use short-response weekly assignments (two per

week), called ‘reflections’ (on the assigned class readings) that I then use as class

openers; i.e., I start each class by reflecting on the students' reflections. I ask them

questions, I expand on their comments, I answer (more extensively) questions they may

have posed in their reflections. So far, students seem to like it.”

Howard Day, Geology: “I focus on writing coherent paragraphs and sentence structure. I

typically have a 250 word paragraph required in each of about 6 problem sets per

quarter.”

Elisabeth Middleton, Native American Studies: “Weekly journals seemed to be a useful

assignment, in terms of encouraging reflection. I try to get students to summarize, reflect,

and then integrate the piece with other reading.”

John Hall, Sociology: “In an introductory level course, they write three short, 5pp max,

essays, receiving feedback on each paper before starting the next. Thus, they get 3

experiences of framing a topic and developing a discussion, while getting feedback each

time.”

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In-class exercises

Rick Karban, Entomology: “I set aside class time for writing pose a prompt and have

students write uncritically for several minutes. Then I have them review what they have

written, circle those parts that they want to keep and write a second draft.”

Using models

Richard Coss, Psychology: “I provide many examples of published articles to provide

style and formatting. I provide a custom writing guide and articles on how to write

scientific articles.”

New media

Donald R. Strong, Evolution and Ecology: “Students… do a blog of 2000 words plus

graphical and tabular material. Finally, all students must comment on two other students'

blogs.”

James Housefield, Design: “Blogging: short essays with moderate freedom for student

response to specific questions; other students from the class are required to comment in

the "comments" section. Comments and blogs are graded for completion and quality.”

Peer Review

Sean Burgess, Molecular and Cellular Biology: “Students do a round of peer evaluation

before I grade the assignments. I use a rubric to assign points: 4 points each for

significance, thoroughness, accuracy, writing and impact.”

Research

Dan Potter, Plant Sciences: “My favorite assignment has been one I have given to a

couple of freshman seminars on plant diversity. Each student is asked to try an edible

plant product he or she has never tried before and then write about the experience,

incorporating both the story of what happened leading up to, during and after the

experience as well as research (with citations) about the plant's botany and cultural

history. In general, the papers have been engaging, entertaining, informative, and

creative. Sometimes students have first written the paper with the two components as

separate sections but when asked to revise, they have come up with some very effective

ways to integrate them.”

Rubrics and Grading

Kerry Enright, Education: “Checklists of general patterns that allow me to give feedback

on ‘typical’ patterns efficiently, with a follow-up presentation in class of what that looks

like in actual papers. Annotating feedback on exemplary assignments as models for

students, so that I can refer to the exemplary assignments in my feedback on their own

work. (helps to develop metalanguage, anchor feedback in shared examples across the

classroom, etc.)”

- 16 -

Staging Assignments

Diana Cassady, Public Health Sciences: “I assign a draft paper, grade and comment on it,

and then offer students the opportunity to revise and resubmit. Also, the paper is due in

parts, allowing them to focus on a short section, and then at the end of the quarter submit

a complete paper.”

Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning & Office of Academic Assessment

Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies University of California, Davis

University Instructional Improvement Program (UIIP) Impact Statement

I. Please provide your name, project title, and the year(s) of the grant:

James R. Carey, Professor, Department of Entomology, UCD “How to write an A+ term paper” 2011 Dr. Sarah Perrault, Assistant Professor, University Writing Program, was co-producer on this project. Ms. Shruti Dave, graduate student in Human and Community Development was technical assistant.

II. How was your UIIP funding used? (e.g., curriculum change? new resources?)

Other than a few hundred dollars for the video screen capture software and a webcam, the funding was mostly used as a stipend for a graduate student to assist in production of the video playlist.

III. What student learning objectives did you hope to achieve? What specific improvements did you expect to see in your students’ learning?

The broad objective of the project was to provide a roadmap for students concerned with preparing a research term paper where the general approach was based on strategies used by faculty and experienced research scholars. Thus the video playlist was not simply about teaching grammar, outlining, structuring, editing and proofing, per se, but rather included best practices in word processing, researching, ethical writing, types of literature and organization. It also included stages of manuscript (term paper) preparation using a mocked up term paper (model) from a book chapter I had authored.

IV. How well these objectives were met (or not met)? What were the most important gains? Were there any surprises?

This project exceeded our expectations, not because we included any technical aspects of writing that were new, but because of (1) overall scope—our approach including everything from word processing, plagiarism, and plan-of-attack to literature research, revising, and finalizing; (2) succinctness and modularity—in less than 45 total minutes of viewing of 13 short videos students have an overview of everything they need to know to research and write a top term paper; (3) zoom in/zoom out—out approach emphasized the need for students to consider the fine details of grammar, spelling, and editing all in the context of the paper writ large; and (4) model paper—just as all scholars write papers or manuscripts that are to be organized and formatted according to the journal or book publisher to which they will send their masterpiece, we believe that students also should have a model. Thus a large part of the video playlist included preparation of this model paper, the end product of which served as an example of how their papers should look and read.

GAINS: The biggest gain was simply having this playlist available for students to access throughout each of the quarters (or summer session) that I taught. This was unlike previous years when I would use 20-30 minutes to discuss term paper writing. The only way to truly measure the impact of this video playlist would be, for example, to compare writing quality in

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side-by-side sections, one with access to the playlist and the other without. There is no way we could run this type of study. However, it is inconceivable to me that students would not have learned from these videos. Student comments reflected this as did the overall higher quality of term papers. The model was extremely useful to students.

SURPRISE: (1) One of the biggest surprises was how challenging it was for all of us to characterize the process that seasoned writers use in preparing manuscripts. We went through a stage where the early videos included mostly bullet points and were completely uninspiring. Only when we wrestled with the deeper processes involved with preparing a major manuscript or book did our approach begin to take shape; and (2) Although this should not have been a surprise, I discovered that no matter how much effort is invested in developing new methods for teaching writing (i.e. our playlist) and no matter how much an instructor emphasizes the need to start early on the paper including the use of quizzes and deadlines for interim steps, many students still wait until the last minute to begin researching and writing their papers. The best video playlists on writing in the world cannot solve this problem. Thus I would still end up with papers that looked like they were written the night before. A huge disappointment always, but particularly so after having invested so heavily in producing what we considered to be a high quality writing playlist.

V. How did you measure these gains formally or informally? Did you seek CETL (or TRC) assistance in implementing the project or in measuring the impact? If not, in retrospect, would assistance have been helpful?

We surveyed students in one of my large classes in 2011 and also surveyed students in a smaller class at the University of Virginia that a close colleague taught in which she provided access to the writing playlist posted at Shield’s Library (see survey results at end of this report).

VI. What next steps do you plan to undertake to follow up on what was achieved? (If you already have taken steps, please describe.)

Co-producer Sarah Perrault and I have a rough draft of a paper we are eventually hoping to publish on our project. We are also in discussion with ATS Director David Levin about seeking funds to produce a series of writing playlists using a general theme “Write Like a Professor” and then with subtitles such as Engineering, Chemistry, Poetry, Legal Briefs, Medical Reports, and so forth. We believe that our approach to writing is original and could be generalized across a wide disciplinary swath and also used in secondary education.

VII. Please provide any other comments you’d like to include.

Both Sarah Perrault and I consider the outcome of this small grant as successful well beyond the monetary value of the award. The award legitimized the instructional concept of creating a playlist on term paper writing and, as importantly, brought me together with people in the University Writing Program in general and Assistant Professor Sarah Perrault in particular. Thus far over 800 students (i.e. 600 at UC Davis in 2 large and 1 small class; 200 at University of Virginia in 1 large and 1 small class) have had these videos as assigned viewing (i.e. included quizzes). We have no count on the number of students at UCD and beyond have viewed the videos on the UCD Library website.

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APPENDICES

4

VIDEO PLAYLIST

How to Write a Research Term Paper*

by

James Carey1, Sarah Perrault

2, Shruti Dave

3 and Brenda Rinard

2

University of California, Davis

VIDEO DESCRIPTION TIME (min:sec)

1 Introduction 2:27

PART I: PREPARATION

2 Word processing 4:09

3 Ethical writing 1:53

4 Citations 2:30

5 Picking a topic 2:41

6 Types of sources 4:08

7 Researching 5:37

8 Plan of attack 4:19

PART II: WRITING

9 Stage I: Launching 1:30

10 Stage II: Thoughts on paper 3:50

11 Stage III: Growth and development 3:44

12 Stage IV: Complete working draft 3:04

13 Stage V: Finalizing 3:29

14 Finished term paper (pdf) --

TOTAL 43:35

____________________________________ 1 Department of Entomology

2 University Writing Program

3 Department of Human and Community Development, respectively

* Supported by a grant from the UC Davis Undergraduate Instructional Improvement program

(2010-11).

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Link to posting at Shield’s Library website:

http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/instruc/research/videos/

http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/instruc/research/videos/

Results of student survey in HDE 117 (Longevity).

What was most helpful (UC Davis students in HDE 117, Fall, 2011 )

Please rate how helpful you found the writing video playlist overall:

Total Percent Unhelpful 7 6% Somewhat Helpful 30 27% Helpful 51 45% Extremely Helpful 25 22%

Most- 2,6,7 least-4,5

Researching was helpful, word processing

(already know)

Picking a topic

The whole series

I liked the “research” topic- perhaps elaborate

more on that section

It was helpful in making the outline of my paper

with headings and subheadings, citations were

helpful!

Research was helpful

Types of sources

They all were important parts of the writing

process

Research

Word processing-least helpful, most ppl know

how to do this. Researching-most helpful.

The slides were blurry when I tried to view on

my own

It helped to prepare and how to begin my search

and to choose a topic to choose.

Wasn’t too helpful, organization of how paper is

supposed to look helped.

I suck at papers so it was extremely helpful!

Word processing and getting started b/c I lacked

some knowledge to this.

I am glad it had pictures to see exactly what you

were referring to.

Layed out how to prepare and straight forward,

just a lot of information to take it at once

Personally, I cannot write without pressure, so

the most helpful part was about the articles

Utilizing journals-7: researching

Brain storming

Most helpful: researching, least helpful: plan of

attack

Word processing

Most helpful-the research portion

Word processing , correct formatting is always

good to know

Already knew a lot-but good to review

The formatting and types of sources were the

most helpful

The walk through of research methods and the

video that gave tips about the “skeleton” of the

paper before writing

Citations and plan of attack

2 was least helpful b/c I know how to use word /4

citations was most helpful

Citations sources

Most helpful was the research part to help me get

on my topic and find help

Least is format b/c APA is a given for all

research paper or should be.

Most; plan of attack broad overview, least:

word processingredundant

The videos provided information we already

knew and learned from high school. We know

how to use word processing and we have written

many other papers to know all the information on

the videos.

I think the part about primary and secondary

resources was good because we can find out

where to look for sources.

Most helpful: plan of attack, good way to set up,

Least: ethics, heard it many times before.

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Video 6 was the most helpful because I didn’t

know there were primary and secondary sources.

No video was the least helpful.

The part on fonts wasn’t very helpful-we know

that.

Picking a topic, types of sources

Planning the paper. I really appreciated hearing

the time frame PhD’s use to write papers. And

the journal databases!

Explaining the different sources

Types of sources (most helpful), least helpful

Types of sources

Least helpful was researching because I already

know how to do all of that. Most was citations

because I always get confused.

How to approach writing and research was very

helpful and specific

The citation section was very helpful b/c it gave a

guide on how to structure this section. Types of

resources were helpful b/c I didn’t know how to

use the database or which databases to use.

4-citations and 2-word processing were the most

helpful! I referenced them throughout my entire

paper.

Where to look for topics/sources and how

Helps us organize but too much info

Where to research online

It’s very helpful being shown a way to plan our

time and what all we should be doing

Most helpful researching b/c it provided me

w/useful search engines

The beginning videos-that’s always the hardest to

do.

Types of sources was helpful. The citations didn’t

match up (in terms of how to write them) with the

ones in the sample research paper. Those could

be more clear.

Types of sources and researching b/c helped to

pick places for sources

Plan of attack gave a good overview, have to

use word taught this awhile ago and already

know how to use it

Helped to guide me in what to write and how to

get it started

Picking a topic, researching

They were window to clarifying the assignments

I really did not find the videos helpful I would

much rather have a handout for the paper

They were really helpful since most of the stuff

we already knew.

All of them were equally helpful

Types of sources and preparation

Citations was the most helpful because this is

such a detail specific topic, plan of attack the

least because I think we all have our own systems

Plan of attack, gave me a layout that was way to

follow or modify

I found citations types of sources and picking a

topic helpful because I actually used them for my

paper

All the videos in the preparation

Most helpful resources-primary and secondary

articles, concept of scheduling time to write

timeline

Good organization hard to remember individual

videos though

It assured me in what steps. I was taking was

right/wrong

All. I used all videos as a guide in writing my

term paper. The videos are really helpful and

very detailed.

Most helpful, plan of attack and researching

Knowing what exactly was primary resources

was helpful

Researching was most helpful video

Most helpful short and to the point

Citations most helpful

Was not realistic to pursue a week plan for the

these papers given the daily and weekly workload

or the class including reading quizzes and mini-

essays

Sources/citations/researching

It was a good reminded/refresher but didn’t teach

anything new

The outline for the essay

Give a general guideline on how to approach it.

Most helpful looking for resources/sources.

When writing the term paper-formatting really

helped. Ethical writing vieo repetitive, plan of

attack not realistic to our schedules.

Word processing-common case

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Citation

Identifying type and sources primary and

secondary

All

Things I already know

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Feedback on the UC Davis writing videos (Carey, Perrault, Dave) from students at

the University of Virginia who were enrolled in an advanced biology of aging

seminar class (2011).

Student #1

Word Processing video- this was very helpful and I really enjoyed the step by step hints for a neat, consistent,

coherent paper format. I did not know about the "show formatting" mode and that was very helpful

Citations- this video was helpful but also was not very detailed and I had to pause it on certain screens to really

learn about how to cite sources- I wish there were a separate document to refer to also, because I mainly

relied on separate citation/formatting websites to help me.

Sources- this video was informative but I was not sure how it was really relevant to the actual writing process for

a research paper.

Researching- this was helpful but wasn't totally applicable to UVA's virgo but was interesting to hear about

Google Scholar and how wikipedia can be useful if the references are used.

Plan of Attack- this video was not the most helpful because I was familiar with the process and have made it my

own in college, but it would certainly be for someone who has not had much experience writing on a

college level.

Launching- this was helpful for a basic set up, but it was hard to read the individual headings because it is a small

screen shot.

Complete working draft- I liked this video to help me finalize the paper and cut out unnecessary content.

Student #2

In terms of the Carey videos, I thought that they were very well-organized. I liked that he was able to

break down each part of the research process. I think one of the best facets of the videos was simply giving ideas

for finding information. I was surprised that he had recommended Wikipedia but I agree that it would be a great

resource since it is a way to find articles on a certain topic. I did not have any particular criticisms of the videos. I

think that their lengths were just right. They should not be too long because it becomes easy to get lost in them so

I would not recommend extending the length for any of them.

I came up with one more comment about Carey's videos while re-watching them. The way the references

in the video are set up and then in the sample term paper are slightly different and I was not sure which format

was better to use. But overall I found them very helpful!

Student #3

Finding Articles Using the Web of Science: At the beginning of the video, I would recommend giving a

general thing explaining how to access the database if you are not a student at UC Davis. I think this will be good

for the video, especially if these videos are to reach a wider audience outside of UC Davis. Secondly, I would

recommend someone explaining how to do a more in-depth search if you are looking for something rather specific

in Web of Science. This would include an explanation of how to use the array of extra features on the left side of

the screen.

Finding Articles: As mentioned above, I would like to a small bit on how to make a more advanced search.

I think that it might be worthwhile to combine this type of information into a single 'advanced search' video.

The VPN: This is a good video, but should this video one day be intended to reach a larger undergraduate

audience, then a video detailing a general 'how to access databases away from campus' video might be helpful.

Pub Med: This video does a good job of giving an explanation of how to obtain a more detailed search. I

would suggest something similar to this to remedy the issues that I spoke about in the video reviews given above.

Literature Review: This is a great video. In addition, I would be interested in seeing an example or an

explanation as to how review articles should be cited and referenced as in-text citations.

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Student #4

Great description of why writing is important and I especially liked the method of finding good

sources. These videos would be great for writing any paper or thesis. Would be nice if it were more interactive or

had more examples of what is correct versus incorrect. Some of the images are unclear and zooming in gives a

fuzzy image.

Student #5

Here is the feedback on Carey's videos that you asked for: I thought the one about how to set up your

paper and the one about how to site your sources were by FAR the most helpful!! While the other videos were

great, it was stuff that I learned to do a long time ago and therefore didn't hold my attention because it was

repetitive.. I think it's safe to say that majority of college students are fully aware of how to work their computers

and internet. Overall, I'd rule the video messages as beneficial.

Student #6

I finally had a chance to go through all of Jim Carey's videos. They were very helpful and thorough. He

goes into detail about things that I would not have even thought about. The animations were helpful and found

that they made it easier to follow along. However, some of the animations with the images of the actual paper

were very small making it difficult to read the text. There were a few other places where the text was very hard to

read because it was so small. I couldn't find a full screen option, which may have just been my computer, but if

there isn't I think that could be helpful. That would really be my only suggestion because the content itself was

very helpful.

Student #7

I listened to the movies, there was some good stuff in it. I liked the section on how to pick a topic and

wouldn't mind there being more on this because this is one of the more difficult parts of writing a paper. Other

parts of the presentation will be good to reference later when trying to professionalize the paper.

Professor Carey may have gone a little bit too far with some of the organizational points. I agree that

organization and scheduling are important; however, everyone needs to develop their own system. In short, at

times it felt a bit patronizing.

Student #8

I liked all the videos. I would make the video bigger, full-screen if possible with higher resolution

(perhaps a low and hi-res version of each video), so that quotes and examples are easier to see. Otherwise they are

well-structured and insightful - fantastic.

Student #9

The videos were neat! Definitely helpful to listen to, especially the one on choosing a topic- I think I may

be too excited and not have kept my topic in line with the course criteria!

On the video of "types of sources" there was a little typo- in the beginning he listed and defined primary,

secondary and grey literature and then later in his slides wrote gray not grey, that is nit-picky but I just happened

to notice it.

In the "researching" video I found it helpful to know what each research engine specifically did and how

to use them better- sometimes it is overwhelming to begin researching and then to narrow it down.

In the "choosing a topic" video he selects "lifespan concept" (time stamp 2:08) as his topic to use in his

further videos, he then goes on to just call this "lifespan" (time stamp 2:18), which makes me wonder what

"lifespan concept" means as opposed to "lifespan." I also personally think that "lifespan" is a really broad topic,

and he says that this is a narrow enough topic. In the later videos he specifically says his topic is "human

lifespan"(for example in "researching" at 2:56) so it may be better to have "human lifespan" in this video for

continuity and to be an appropriately narrow topic? But I am not sure...

As I write my paper, I will certainly watch more videos and let you know if I have any other comments!

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Student #10

I have listened to the intro and part one videos. I like that they are concise but still informative. I think

this will help me have a much more organized approach to research/writing. The only thing I could think of to

improve this series would be to add a version of the "Word Processing" video for mac users.

Student #11 (This was an Honor’s student in my lab who was writing an undergraduate thesis)

I just watched all the videos and here's my feedback!

I was surprised how short each of these videos were. I was expecting mini-lectures with more detailed

strategies on how to write a professional research paper, but this series still offered some nice, practical advice on

how to approach this task. I can definitely see it being really useful and encouraging to someone who hasn't had

much experience in writing research papers.

Stage I - This video basically emphasized a paper should be started with some sense of organization and direction,

which is always important. Otherwise, it was pretty short, content-wise.

Stage II - I liked how this video suggested the use of color (red text) and highlighting to denote which parts of the

preliminary draft need revising or fleshing out. I usually just note the changes I need to do in my draft

without bother to change font color, but I can see how this would help make it more obvious which parts

need revising and specifically how they should be revised. The advice on searching the literature and

writing summaries of important papers found during the literature search was a good thing to emphasize.

Stage III - It's really nice that these videos give an example of what the paper should look like at each stage. It

makes me feel a little better about doing the paper in drafts, rather than trying to write up the entire thing,

and then going back and revising the paper once I've completely fleshed it out. Also, the quotes that each

video gives at the end of each lecture are quite interesting to read, though to me, it seems like a somewhat

abrupt way to end each video.

Stage IV - Main point of this video: Draft and revise, repeatedly, until the paper is done. Sounds about right.

Stage V - Again, seeing an example of the progression of a paper as it's being taken through the stages (then

seeing its final form) is very nice, and even encouraging, in a way.

Overall, I feel this series is a great overview guide to writing a paper. It would have been nice to see

more specific advice (i.e. more information about how to best present data and figures in the paper, how to

specifically write each section of the paper, etc., more like the information that is presented in the books you gave

me on how to write research papers), but I feel these videos were meant to cover the fundamentals in a practical

way, which it does very well.

Thanks for sending these videos to me!

Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning & Office of Academic Assessment Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies University of California, Davis

University Instructional Improvement Program (UIIP)

Impact Statement (Please answer the following questions about the instructional improvements that resulted from your UIIP grant.) I. Please provide your name, project title, and the year(s) of the grant:

JoAnne Engebrecht, Genetic and Cell Biology laboratory course development: Conveying the excitement of research science, 2011-12

II. How was your UIIP funding used? (e.g., curriculum change? new

resources?)

Funds supported a research assistant winter quarter 2012 that helped develop and trouble shoot new laboratory exercises. Supplies for the new laboratory exercises were also purchased with the funds.

III. What student learning objectives did you hope to achieve? What specific improvements did you expect to see in your students’ learning?

Student learning objectives:

1) Reinforce genetic concepts through laboratory exploration using a number of common model organisms 2) Introduce students to molecular techniques 3) Science communication Student’s learning: Better understanding of genetic concepts introduced in didactic courses and being able to convey that in a written assignment.

IV. How well these objectives were met (or not met)? What were the most

important gains? Were there any surprises?

We were able to completely rework the genetics lab course curriculum with new experiments and approaches as well as including a significant writing component. I ran the first installment this fall. Although there were twice as many students, I feel that it was very successful in achieving its goals. Unfortunately, we have not gotten there yet with the Cell biology lab curriculum, although we are still working towards that goal.



I was waiting to see what the course evaluations looked like but I probably need help in measuring the impact.

VI. What next steps do you plan to undertake to follow up on what was achieved? (If you already have taken steps, please describe.)

Concentrate on the cell biology curriculum. Get help with assessment.

VII. Please provide any other comments you’d like to include.

I am incredibly frustrated that the new budget model makes lab classes like these undervalued and difficult to get faculty to agree to teach. This quarter I taught 45 students in this class and spent 9 hours of class/lab time with them each week and worked very hard to ensure the new curriculum was successful. This was in direct response to budget cuts as we use to teach 24 at a time. However, 3 hours of lab time only counts towards 1 student credit hour. Additionally, the students wrote a 10 page report that I personally read and provided them with very specific comments. I then had them rewrite the report and I assessed their improvements. With the “performance based” budget, I better serve my department by teaching a 300 person class where there will be no personal interaction with the students and no writing component. I fear these lab courses will go away.

Report on uses of UIIP funding 2011

Submitted by Brenda Deen Schildgen

January 7, 2013

Rationale

The UIIP grant was used to upgrade the teaching materials for the Comparative Literature

1-4 series, a set of courses that satisfy both the University Writing requirement and a

general education requirement. The materials had not been upgraded for at least three

years. Since graduate students teach these courses, it is absolutely essential to ensure that

they are up-to-date, useful, and user-friendly (since they are online resources). Essential

to the training of our graduate student TAs, the grant facilitated the review of the support

materials (which include both pedagogical instructions and secondary materials on the

literary works required in the courses), a revision of them, and finally provided

objectives and assessment tools for all of our gateway courses (Comp. Lit. 1-4). These

up-to-date materials, including rationales for the courses, expanded course descriptions

for all of them, sample syllabi, essay topics, discussion topics, classroom exercises,

teaching techniques, an update of the vastly improved WEB site support, visual and other

technological support, bibliographies, etc. were uploaded onto our Comparative

Literature pedagogical resources web site.

The funding supported a faculty supervisor (Professor Noha Radwan, TA supervisor),

and two advanced graduate students in Comparative Literature, Natalie Strobach and

Christina Schiesari who re-designed the syllabi of COM 1-4, collected resources for

future instructors, and stated the objectives of the courses.

The objectives for student learning you hoped to achieve:

Our expectation was to state the objectives and facilitate achieving them by providing

appropriate materials.

Improve the performance of TA's for COM 1-4.

The group charged with the task set learning outcomes for each of the four courses, wrote

several model syllabi for each one and compiled a list of useful resources that would be

helpful for instructors.

How well these objectives were met (or not met)? most important

gains? surprises?

The model syllabi created more similarity between the different sections of each course,

and this made it easier and more efficient for the TA supervisor to plan such events as the

lectures on the major works including Faust and the Homeric epics during the first

quarter after the grant, or later on the Marx, Nietzsche and Freud during this coming

winter. Having these objectives and the tools to achieve them made it easier for new TA's

to design their individual syllabi and facilitated communication among themselves and

between them and the TA supervisor.

How you measured these gains formally or informally

The TA supervisor beginning in 2012, Noha Radwan has been able to follow the TAs

teaching COM 1-4 and evaluate the improvement. The evaluations occurred through class

visits and student evaluations of the TAs.

What next steps might be to follow up on what was achieved

One element that has emerged is that there needs to be further communication between

veteran TA's and new ones. More pooling of resources and passing on of acquired skills

can facilitate achieving the objectives of the courses.

Any other comments you’d like to include

The grant made it possible for these resources to be used beyond just one year because

the syllabi and resources are available through the department resources website to

present and future TA's.


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Bella Merlin, PhD Professor of Acting, Theatre and Dance Department ‘A Transformative Acting Program to Serve UC Davis’ : Summer 2011


The UIIP grant was used for curriculum development, which entailed:

crafting a document for fellow faculty, assessing the learning aims and outcomes

of the Acting strand and its relevance to UC Davis campus as a whole (i.e.

transferable, work-place related skills as well as vocational preparation for the

entertainment industry);

morphing a current lower division course – DRA 21b: Fundamentals of Acting -

into an Intermediate; Gateway course, „The Actor‟s Toolkit‟, so that courses

didn't leap straight from beginners to advanced with no intermediate

consideration.

realigning the current Acting courses (comprising 121a: Tragedy; 121b: Comedy;

122a: Realism and 122b: Non-Realism) into a broader, more relevant set of 6

courses (listed below);

sharing all the documents with Rosemary Capps at CETL, who provided me with

excellent feedback on course creation. She went into great detail on the aims,

outcomes, evaluation strategies and general ethos, and enabled me to craft clear

and focused documents;

circulating the documents to fellow faculty on our return to campus in September

2011, and discussing with them the intentions of the Acting courses within the

whole departmental program;

inputting all the course approval documents on ICMS and submitting them;

working with fellow faculty (Dr Jon Rossini in particular) in the streamlining of

the overall Dramatic Arts degree program;

beginning the drafting of a new Undergraduate Theatre and Dance Handbook.

New courses

The 6 new Advanced Acting courses are essentially divided into 2 sets of 3 courses. The

first set of three (121 a/b/c) comprises predominantly technique and technically-driven

classes, providing students with very specific tools. The second set of three (122 a/b/c) is


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somewhat more performance driven, building on techniques acquired in the first set, but

by no means demanding that students must take the 121 series before the 122 series.

The 6 courses are:

121a: Scene Study and Script Analysis. In the four years of my being at UCD, I have

come to realize just how difficult it is for students to read a script for all its clues, forensic

details, and historical contexts. This course will enable a far more penetrative analysis of

texts than currently exists.

121b: Rehearsal Practices and Processes: The rationale for this course is three-fold.

(1): often young actors expect to be told what to do by directors in the rehearsal room,

and yet all creative artists should be encouraged towards „activity‟, not passivity. (2) with

a radical reduction in faculty required over the next few years (and with myself now the

only member of faculty dedicated to the teaching of acting), this course enables our

Granada Artists-in-Residence to teach this course and expose students very overtly to

different working methods; (c) my own specialist research into acting is focused on a

rehearsal practice known as Active Analysis; therefore, this course enables the direct

investigation of faculty research through undergraduate interaction.

121c: Character and Style. This allows for non-realistic genres, historical perspectives,

the comparison of comic and dramatic styles to be far more directly taught and with

greater integration than the previous Tragedy/Comedy/Realism/Non-realism. Again,

visiting artists could teach this course in conjunction with whichever production they

were mounting.

122a: Devising and Collaboration. Here the focus is very much on the creation of

original material, which might then be submitted for the student performance festival,

The Edge, which is held each Spring. Since we no longer have a dedicated Playwriting

faculty, this course can take up some of the slack there.

122b: Shakespeare and his Contemporaries. Actors – and especially our student cohort

– are always hungry for Shakespeare and classical works. It makes perfect sense for a

Department of Theatre and Dance to have a discrete practice-based course on

Shakespeare and his contemporaries. This is also where my own professional acting

practice is currently focused.

122c: Special Topics in Acting. The breadth of this course enables any member of

faculty to propose an idea – Social Theatre, World Theatre, Musical Theatre, the Ancient

Greeks, Theatre of the Absurd – and focus on that for a quarter. This course could also be

taught by Granada Artists-in-Residence, adapting to whichever specialism they bring, e.g.

literary adaptation, radio drama, queer theatre, etc.

Other curricula developments


3

Also during the year, I worked with Professor Sarah Pia Anderson (CaTS) to create a

cross-listed course, Acting for Camera (DRA/CATS 174). We have a unique

opportunity here at UCD for the live arts and the recorded arts to work together far more

closely than is currently the case at UCLA or USC. The increasing success of the Davis

Film Festival is partly driven by the cross-fertilization between the two

programs/departments, and the opportunities for acting students to see themselves in

films presented at the Varsity, a professional picture house. This course will be road-

tested in Spring 2013.

Furthermore, I have worked with Dr Lynette Hunter and our adjunct Voice lecturer, Lisa

Anne Porter, to create two courses for the Global Study program: DRA 011:

Introduction to Presentation Skills and DRA 111: Advanced Presentation Skills. We

trial-ran the first of these in Spring 2012, with some good results.

III. What student learning objectives did you hope to achieve? What specific

improvements did you expect to see in your students’ learning? The Acting curriculum has three fundamental learning objectives:

To encourage the development of acting skills in student-actors; (Personal skills)

To encourage the growth of student-actors who can adapt these skills to a range of

roles, directors and media; (Artistic collaboration)

To develop individuals who can contribute socially, culturally, aesthetically, and

interpersonally to the ongoing evolution of the Humanities, as independent

creators and collaborative artists. (The bigger picture of the Humanities)

This final bullet point is geared towards students regarding acting as something more

than an individual‟s path towards personal fame. It is, rather, a means through which

collaborators can tell stories, raise issues and provoke thoughts in their audiences that

contribute to their culture‟s history. Faculty may address this mission by encouraging

students to read, perform, discuss and create scripts and performance pieces that

encompass a range of social, cultural, aesthetic and interpersonal issues, scenarios and

encounters. It is not expected that students gain mastery here: it may be that, as a faculty,

we address issues of a) the Novice, b) the Apprentice and c) the Master, in the students‟

work, determining what we may appropriately expect from freshman/juniors/seniors. As

a faculty, we could then consider how we assess whether we have achieved our goals,

and how we evaluate that assessment.

Each of the 9 courses (21a & 120 & 121a,b,c & 122a.b,c & 174) has a specific set of

learning objectives, covering the following areas:

1. Memory/Knowledge;

2. Comprehension/Interpretation;

3. Application/Dramatisation;

4. Analysis/Research;

5. Synthesis/Transformation/Creation;

6. Evaluation/Appraisal.


4

IV. How well these objectives were met (or not met)? What were the most

important gains? Were there any surprises? Here I am at my most frustrated. Having spent the summer of 2011 drafting the course

documents and receiving expert guidance from CETL, I was all ready to submit the new

courses to ICMS immediately after the first faculty meeting in Fall 2011. However, I was

initially somewhat delayed by colleagues who were hoping to submit the whole Dramatic

Arts program overhaul at the same time. I was a member of the College of Letters and

Sciences Course Approval Committee in order to ensure that I was submitting the courses

correctly. I had them on the system by November 2011; they went through the college

approval system in the winter, I believe. By the time of submitting my report to CETL in

July 2012, the courses were still stuck at the COCI level. I had every intention of teaching

them in this 2012-13 academic year, and yet I found myself in a holding pattern which

seemed to be unending. This was frustrating for me, the students and for recruitment

purposes. With the pressure on us to recruit more undergraduates, it was highly

debilitating to be unable to promote new and exciting changes.

Fellow faculty were pressed for time and had their own commitments elsewhere, so the

new Undergraduate Handbook was likewise stalled. I did all that I can to urge faculty to

make this a priority, and spent a good deal of time on the draft Handbook in the Winter

and Spring 2012. However, this draft is still (December 2012) sitting with faculty. It was

embarrassing to me that I went into my 5th

year here, giving a UG Welcome presentation,

with a Handbook that has not been updated since 2007 and is chronically out of date.

However, the results of constant pleadings from myself and the departmental MSO are

that all but one course has now been approved and can be taught from here on in. (120 is

still stuck with COCI.)

One of the ways of dealing with the above „frustrations‟ (as opposed to „outcomes‟) is

that I have created a new performance opportunity for our undergrads, who were

suffering hugely from the cut to our Granada Artist in Residence program. I shall be

using one of the newly approved courses in the first of what I have called “SOS: Shows

on a Shoestring”. This forthcoming Winter 2013, I will be staging Richard III with my

undergraduates in our wonderful Shakespearean Wyatt Theatre. We will use only items

of costume and set from stock (hence the „shoestring‟), and will apply historical acting

practices from the 17th

century to 21st classroom and performance practices, including

limited lighting.


Sadly, we have yet to fully implement the changes, due to the unwieldy university

mechanism for approving new courses. The only change that I‟ve been able to implement


5

is the excitement that I‟m able to spread among the UGs at the prospect of more

comprehensive courses. I did indeed seek help from Rosemary Capps at CETL, who was

wonderful. She looked over my draft documents and came up with some very useful

suggestions, as well as sharpening my thinking about pedagogy and expectations.

VI. What next steps do you plan to undertake to follow up on what was

achieved? (If you already have taken steps, please describe.) Just having the courses approved will enable the next steps, not least with SOS:

Shakespeare on a Shoestring with the UGs this forthcoming Winter 2013. (The dates for

performance are Friday March 15 and Saturday March 16 at 7.30pm: do come!)

VII. Please provide any other comments you’d like to include. The financial and moral support received from Vice Provost Pat Turner and the CETL for

this overhaul of a very vibrant and vital discipline –Acting – has given me great

encouragement during this time. I sincerely hope the new Handbook is issued over the

next academic year, pending approval of the whole program‟s streamlining, and fellow

faculty finding the opportunity to make the Handbook and the recruitment of majors a

priority. I once again thank you for your terrific support.


1



Bella Merlin, PhD Professor of Acting, Theatre and Dance Department ‘Overhaul of DRA010: An Introduction to Acting’ : Summer 2009


Background On my arrival at UC Davis Theatre and Dance Department in September 2008, I was assigned the role of Instructor of Record to a course entitled DRA010: Introduction to Acting. This course is taught every quarter in 6 sections by MFA Actors as Teaching Assistants to 20 non-acting majors in each class, predominantly (though far from exclusively) Freshmen. In other words, over one academic year, 360 students pass through this highly practical laboratory class involving hands-on implementation of fundamental acting skills. The course was unwieldy, often with each of the 6 TAs evolving extremely different curriculum, rendering parity across all the sections hard to track. Added to which, I was concerned that some of the MFA Actors arrived on campus with limited teaching experience, and were instantly thrown into a classroom with 20 novice, acting students. I wanted to create both a curriculum and a set of guidelines that were easy to follow and would provide inexperienced teachers with a supportive resource. While I spent time constructing a detailed document to kick off the process, a more comprehensive Handbook seemed necesssary, to include – amongst other things – articles on teaching. Since – in addition to classroom visits – I also conduct two-weekly meetings with the TAs, I believed this time could be spent furthering ongoing teaching practice as much as checking up on house-keeping and immediate classroom issues. Such a Handbook could provide the springboard for valuable discussion of teaching ethics. Use of the awarded Grant During Fall 2009, a second year MFA Actor, Amy Cole, was recruited to take on the task of compiling a Handbook under my guidance. While I provided most of the material surrounding the main part of the document, I presented Amy with a pile of books on teaching, and suggested that she select a dozen articles or chapters that she deemed most useful for TAs teaching DRA010. Amy proved to be an extremely committed researcher,


2

and in January 2010, the First Edition of the DRA010 T.A. Handbook (sponsored by then then TRC) was available to the TAs. The contents are as follows:

1. Introduction of Methodology, including: (a) an outline of the Course Ethos (based on process, rather than result); (b) General Education components (Literacy with Words and Images, and

the implicit inclusion of Civic and Cultural Literacy); (c) Transferable Skills (skills directly transferable to the work place,

including communication, organization, interpersonal skills, problem solving, etc);

(d) Cultural Diversity and Issues of Disability (following the UC Davis Principles of Community, as well as bearing in mind that not all disabilities are immediately visible or recognizable);

2. Departmental Guidelines, including:

(a) General tasks and Responsibilities (providing syllabi, etc); (b) Expectations (alerting the TAs to the responsibilities and workload); (c) Registering and Evaluations (including the importance of student

evaluations); (d) Team-teaching (with current economic issues, most TAs now co-

teach); (e) Adding and Dropping (the impact of building an ensemble in the early

classes); (f) Absences (constructing a sensitive policy); (g) Safety (bearing in mind the theatre spaces have different issues); (h) Final Exams (i) Production Vouchers

3. Course Details, including:

(a) Course structure (as developed by myself as an internationally renowned actor-trainer);

(b) Course objectives (discipline-based skills & generic skills); (c) Grading policy (d) Assessments and weighting (e) Issues of plagiarism (how to spot it and what to do about it) (f) Setting up a SmartSite

4. Class Structure and Teaching, including:

(a) Guidelines for teaching your course (as developed by myself as Instructor of Record, but leaving room for the individual shaping of class content by a particular TA)

(b) Class plans (Learning Objectives / Activities / Evaluations)


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(c) Class schedule (guidelines for how to structure a class to include warm-up, discussion of reading, practical activities, discussion and feedback to activities, and closing)

(d) Reading assignments (and how to integrate them into the practical work);

(e) Extra credit (only in consultation with the Instructor of Record) (f) Substitutions and Make-up Assignments (only in consultation with the

IoR)

5. Samples and Examples, including: (a) Sample syllabus (b) Sample calendar (c) Class content examples (showing how to ally a Learning Objective

with an Activity with an Evaluation of that Activity) (d) 2 Examples of Lesson Plans, created by two TAs, Amy Louise Cole

and Avila Reese who were team-teaching during Fall 2009)

6. Responses and Assessment, including: (a) The ‘Effective and Efficient Commenting on Student Essays’

document created by the UC Davis Writing Program (b) Overview of Assessments & Criteria (a chart created by myself as

Instructor of Record, showing how each assignment focused on an acting tool, a GE requirement, and a transferable skill)

7. Warm-ups, Games, Exercises, Journal Prompts for General Discussion, Suggested

Books, and Addition Resources (This chapter is an ongoing resource, also maintained electronically through Smartsite where TAs contribute exercises and games which they have found to be useful in teaching DRA010.)

8. Reading for New and Returning Teachers.

This chapter comprises a series of articles and chapters on teaching in general and teaching Acting in particular. These were all selected by Amy Louise Cole, as a TA in her second year of teaching DRA010. It seemed far more pertinent for this selection to come from her than from me. The content is:

(a) ‘Good teaching: The Top Ten Requirements’ by Richard Leblanc, York University Ontario

(b) ‘The Heart of a Teacher: Identity and Integrity in Teaching’ by Parker J. Palmer in The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection and Renewal

(c) ‘Learning: A Natural Human Process’ by Phil Race and Sally Brown, in The Lecturer’s Toolkit

(d) ‘Understanding Student Learning’ by Heather Fry, Steve Ketteridge and Stephanie Marshall in A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Enhancing Academic Practice


4

(e) ‘Touchstones for Creating Safe Spaces’ by Parker J. Palmer in The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection and Renewal

(f) ‘Encouraging Student Motivation’ by Heather Fry, Steve Ketteridge and Stephanie Marshall in A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Enhancing Academic Practice

(g) ‘Visual Thinking’ by James L. Adams in Conceptual Blockbusting: A Guide to Better Ideas

(h) ‘Leading Discussions’ by Leslie Madsen, Teaching Resources Centre, UC Davis

(i) ‘Zen in the Art of Actor Training’ by Robert Benedetti in Master Teachers of Theatre: Observations on Teaching Theatre by Nine American Masters

(j) ‘Extracts on Warm-ups’ from Stephen Wangh’s An Acrobat of the Heart (k) ‘Towards a Multicultural Theatre Course’ by Robin Murray and Meg

Swanson Finally, there are hard copies of proformas for marking including:

(a) Checklist for Grading Critique Papers (Ideas / Organization / Supporting Material / Style / Mechanics)

(b) Checklist for Grading Extended Open Scenes (Knowledge of Text / Stage craft / Basic acting skills / Interpretation skills / Ensemble interaction / Risk taking)

(c) Checklist for Grading Journals (Ideas / Style / Mechanics) Pro formas for curricula and syllabi are sent out electronically. However, each TA is required to purchase a hard copy of the TA Handbook (currently $25). TA Retreat To accompany the evolution of the TA Handbook and enhance TA development, I also held a day-long DRA010 TA Retreat on Friday November 6 2009. I invited Andy Jones, who also contributed a session: Session 1: The Identity of the Teacher Which included the discussion of the way in which what we say and how it is interpreted are often at odds with each other. Therefore, what we think we are teaching our students and how they receive that knowledge does not necessarily have a direct correlation. Session 2: The ‘Transformative teaching’ model Which included analysis of how the fundamental model underpinning UC Davis teaching ethos lies at the very heart of actor-training. Our students learn through meaning schemes (e.g. Brecht’s Lehrstücke, Shakespeare’s world view, Stanislavsky toolkit, etc). They create new meaning schemes by filtering what we’ve taught them holistically through their bodies, imaginations, intellects and emotional landscapes. They transform those meaning schemes through the very process of taking on a character through their bodies, imaginations, intellects and emotional landscapes. They then change one’s world view and transform both their perspective (by seeing the world through Hamlet’s eyes or


5

Clytemnestra’s eyes, etc) as well as transforming our world view as audiences, by sharing those stories with us. Session 3: Learning outcomes: their value in structuring courses Which included the value of Bloom’s taxonomy and making very active and verb-led our teaching practices Session 4: How’s it going? Which included them sharing their experiences to date of the new curriculum for DRA010 (developed over summer 2009 thanks to my receipt of a Chancellor’s Fellow Award for Undergraduate Instructional Improvement Program. Session 5: Pooling resources Which included each TA teaching their peer group an exercise. The peer group then reflected back both on the usefulness of the exercise and the TA’s clarity in explaining the exercise in the first place. This raised issues of course content and course delivery. Session 6: G.E. Requirements Which included my expanding why I had evolved DRA010 over the summer in the way in which I had to allow for clear incorporate of Visual and Oral Literacy, and implicit inclusion of Cultural and Civic Literacy. Session 7: Journals Which included the invaluable contribution of Dr Andy Jones from the then TRC advising on how best to grade and assess reflective journals, balancing the freedom students need in order to express their process fluently, while also upholding standards of literacy, mechanics, etc. This was the most excellent contribution, which led to my inviting Andy to repeat his presentation for the full faculty at our quarterly Faculty Retreat in Winter 2010. The day was a great success, and all the participants made great contributions to the discussions and the sharing of teaching practice. The unanimous consensus was that this should be an annual event. (Sadly, this has not been possible due to my workload trebling in the last three years, with loss of faculty and budget cuts.)

III. How well these objectives were met (or not met)? What were the most important gains? Were there any surprises?

In terms of the TA Handbook for which the Grant was given, there was been good feedback in the first year, and I have continued to use it as a learning resource in subsequent years. All students have agreed that the articles are extremely useful, and we have certainly evolved some in-depth discussion of teaching practice.

IV.

1

Acting Curriculum Overhaul, August 2011

Department of Theatre and Dance, University of California, Davis

Dr Bella Merlin, Professor of Acting

ETHOS

The discipline and craft of Acting at UC Davis holistically combines the training of the actor’s

body, imagination, voice, emotional repertoire, spirit and intellect. While introducing students to

the core curriculum of actor training for the profession, it constantly places itself within the

context of a broader, science-orientated campus. It therefore seeks to highlight the transferable

and transformative skills inherent in actor-training, to be of benefit to as broad a student base as

possible.

The Acting curriculum has three fundamental learning aims:

To encourage the development of acting skills in student-actors; (Personal skills)

To encourage the growth of student-actors who can adapt these skills to a range of roles,

directors and media; (Artistic collaboration)

To develop individuals who can contribute socially, culturally, aesthetically, and

interpersonally to the ongoing evolution of the Humanities, as independent creators and

collaborative artists. (The bigger picture of the Humanities)

This final bullet point is geared towards students regarding acting as something more than an

individual’s path towards personal fame. It is, rather, a means through which collaborators can

tell stories, raise issues and provoke thoughts in their audiences that contribute to their culture’s

history. Faculty may address this mission by encouraging students to read, perform, discuss and

create scripts and performance pieces that encompass a range of social, cultural, aesthetic and

interpersonal issues, scenarios and encounters. It is not expected that students gain mastery here:

it may be that, as a faculty, we address issues of a) the Novice, b) the Apprentice and c) the

Master, in the students’ work, determining what we may appropriately expect from

freshman/juniors/seniors. As a faculty, we could then consider how we assess whether we have

achieved our goals, and how we evaluate that assessment.

STRUCTURE

There are three tiers to the Acting curriculum:

Lower Division: DRA 021a: Fundamentals of Acting

(This course already exists on the books)

Intermediate (requisite: 21a): DRA120: Gateway: The Actor’s Toolkit

(This is a proposed new course, adapting the former DRA21b into an intermediate course)

Upper Division (requisite 120): The DRA121 Advanced Acting series which addresses

some generic issues of acting practice and processes

2

121a: Scene Study and Script Analysis

121b: Rehearsal Processes and Practices

121c: Character and Style

AND the DRA122 Advanced Acting series which takes a deeper look into specialized

areas of acting:

122a: Devising and Collaboration

122b: Shakespeare and his Contemporaries

122c: Special Topics in Acting (which may include World Theatre, Social

Theatre, Physical Theatre, Musical Theatre, etc.)

(These 6 new courses are proposed adaptation to the old DRA 121a & b and DRA 122a

& b.)

In addition, 1 x 135: Voice and 1 x 143: Movement is offered every year, as well as courses in

various physical disciplines (e.g. Ballet and Chinese Traditional Culture) throughout the

academic year, all of which students are encouraged to take.

In this proposal, MaryBeth Cavanaugh and Lisa Porter would also teach the Spring Acting

courses (121c: Character and Style – Lisa; 122c: Special Topics in Acting – MaryBeth). In this

way, their current teaching load of 2 courses per year is maintained, and an ongoing nucleus of

acting teachers is maintained to continue evolution of the curriculum and pedagogy. (This has

yet to be discussed with them pedagogically and scheduling-wise.)

OVERVIEW

A series of projects and performances intersperses the Acting curriculum in general. These

projects and performances are self-contained. At the same time, a student working their way

through the courses will thereafter be equipped with:

2 contemporary monologues

2 classical monologues (1 comedic, 1 dramatic)

1 self-scripted autobiographical monologue

1 complete physical and vocal transformation into a self-created character, sustained

through an extended improvisation

experience of clowning (to develop vulnerability and performance risk)

experience of mask-work (to develop physical simplicity and expressivity)

experience of a range of dialogues and scenes from the classical and contemporary canon,

across the spectrum of realistic to non-realistic texts, some of which scenes are cast by

the instructor and some of which are self-selected

a variety of self-created and group-devised etudes and scenes

experience of a variety of roles and styles, from ensemble scenes to solo performances

SUMMARY OF COURSES, ASSIGNMENTS & LEARNING OUTCOMES

All courses include continual assessment of classwork and individual process; reflective journals

in which students are encouraged to analyze the holistic, psychophysical work undertaken in

class; 2 or more performed etudes and/or scenes, some of which will be open to faculty, staff and

students in the Department at large to watch as audience.

3

021a: Fundamentals of Acting

Course Goal: To equip students with a basic understanding of their own apparatus as an actor

(through somatic awareness, work on the imagination, audition experience, and simple dramatic

interactions) and to develop an awareness of the creative artist’s social, moral and aesthetic

values.

Learning Outcomes

1. Memory/Knowledge: Participants will be able to recognise the significance of

psychophysical integration (i.e. breath control, physical relaxation, imaginative

connection and somatic awareness) in memorising the texts for two performance

assignments.

2. Comprehension/Interpretation: Participants will be able to interpret given

circumstances, objectives, action and activities, through their embodied enactment of

their two performance assignments.

3. Application/Dramatisation: Participants will be able to dramatise their understanding of

world view, and illustrate their vulnerability and emotional accessibility through the

creation of an autobiographical monologue.

4. Analysis/Research: Participants will be able to analyse and research their understanding

of acting and aesthetics through their preparation of audition technique and their

collaboration on their final Open Scenes.

5. Synthesis/Transformation/Creation: Participants will be able to adapt their

understanding of various aspects of acting and revise their performance strategies through

in-class workshops and feedback, dress rehearsals and final presentations of their

performance assignments.

6. Evaluation/Appraisal: Participants will be able to evaluate and assess their own work

and that of their peers through their reflective journals and their in-class peer-group and

instructor-led feedback.

Assessments

Classwork: 40%

2 x 1000-word Reflective Journals: 15%

1 x 10min Mock Audition/including 1 x 2min Autobiographical Monologue: 20%

Final Performance of 7-10 min Open Scene: 25%

Required Reading

Merlin, B. (2010), Acting: The Basics, New York: Routledge

Recommended Reading

Stanislavsky, K. (2008), An Actor’s Work, New York: Routledge

Benedetti, R. (2008), The Actor at Work, 10th

edition, New York: Allyn & Bacon

Cohen, R. (2007) Acting One, 5th

edition, New York: McGraw Hill

Bruder, Lee, Olneck, Pollack, Previto, Zigler (1986), A Practical Handbook for the Actor,

Vintage

Shurtleff, M. (2002), Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part, New

4

York: Walker and Company

* * * *

120: Intermediate Acting: Gateway: The Actor’s Toolkit

Course Goal: To deepen the students’ understanding of themselves as a psycho-physical

instrument, using a range of tools from Stanislavsky’s ‘system’ and applying them to classic

naturalistic texts and contemporary realistic scripts.

Learning Outcomes

1. Memory/Knowledge: Participants will be able to identify and label tools from

Stanislavsky’s ‘system’ and reproduce from memory characters for two performance

assignments from the realistic canon.

2. Comprehension/Interpretation: Participants will be able to express their understanding

of Stanislavsky’s ‘system’ through their interpretation and psychophysical embodiment

of two characters from the realistic canon.

3. Application/Dramatisation: Participants will be able to apply their understanding of

tools such as Justification, Adaptation, dynamic listening and ‘a constant state of inner

improvisation’ to their acting work (including the Transformation Project), and also apply

that understanding to their social and collaborative interactions.

4. Analysis/Research: Participants will be able to relate the tools from Stanislavsky’s

‘system’ to their integrated scene work and extended improvisations, critically assessing

in dramatic scenes a conflict, a pressing issue, and an outcome.

5. Synthesis/Transformation/Creation: Participants will be able to synthesise their

understanding of psychophysicality in their original interpretations of scripted roles and

their extended Transformation Project improvisation, as well as deepening their own

personal self-knowledge.




Assessments

Classwork: 40%


The Transformation Project (an extended group improvisation): 10%

1 x 7-10 min Ensemble Scene from a Chekhov play: 15%

Final performance of self-selected 7-10 min scene from Realistic canon: 20%

Required Reading

Merlin, B. (2007), The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit, London: Nick Hern Book

Chekhov, A. (1988), Chekhov Plays, (trans. Frayn, M.), London: Methuen Drama

Recommended Reading

5

Stanislavski, K. S. (2008) (trans. Benedetti, J.) An Actor’s Work, Abingdon: Routledge

Chekhov, M. (2002) To the Actor on the Art of Acting, London: Routledge

Hagen, U. (2008), Respect for Acting, New York: Wiley

Innes, C. (2000), A Sourcebook on Naturalist Theatre, London: Routledge

Suggested Plays

The Seagull – Anton Chekhov

The Cherry Orchard – Anton Chekhov

Three Sisters – Anton Chekhov

Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller

The Wild Duck – Henrik Ibsen

Hedda Gabler – Henrik Ibsen

A Doll’s House – Henrik Ibsen

Miss Julie – August Strindberg

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Tennessee Williams

Fences – August Wilson

* * * *

121a: Advanced Acting: Scene Study and Script Analysis

Course Goal: To provide students with strategies to undertake independent analysis of a text,

understanding the forensic research into the play’s words that enables the actor to embody a

character truly and credibly, according to genre and style.

Learning Outcomes

1. Memory/Knowledge: Participants will be able to mark up a script, identifying events in

a scene, defining characters’ objectives and motivations, labelling pressing issues, and

learning by heart three roles from a diversity of plays.

2. Comprehension/Interpretation: Participants will be able to summarise a character’s

world view, interpret a role in terms of its text and subtext, and discuss the social

transactions inherent in a dialogue.

3. Application/Dramatisation: Participants will be able to apply techniques of script

analysis to a diversity of texts, and demonstrate their understanding of a range of tools

including tempo-rhythm, atmospheres and style in their final performance.

4. Analysis/Research: Participants will be able to break down a role and a scene into its

constituent parts and map out a character’s arc, as well as undertake deeper research into

playwright’s text in terms of dramatic structure, background and lexical choices.

5. Synthesis/Transformation/Creation: Participants will be able to invent an original

interpretation of a range of characters, through the reintegration of the components of the

scene and the transformation into a series of different characters.




6

Assessments

Classwork: 40%


2min Contemporary Monologue: 10%

5-7min Play-as-Cast scene Performance: 15%

Final Performance of 7-10min Self-Selected scene from any genre or era: 20%

Required Reading

Thomas, J. M. (2009), Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, Designers

Williams, Tennessee, A Streetcar Named Desire

Recommended Reading

Aristotle (2011), The Rhetorics and Poetics of Aristotle, CreateSpace

Donnellan, D. (2005), The Actor and the Target, London: Nick Hern Books

Waxberg, C. (1998), The Actor’s Script: Script Analysis for Performers

Ball, D. & Langham, M. (1983), Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading

Plays, South Illinois University Press

Berne, E. (1996), Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis,

Ballantine

Suggested Plays

The America Play – Suzan Lori Parks

Twilight: Los Angeles – Anna Deveare Smith

Dangerous Liaisons – Christopher Hampton

The Vagina Monologues – Eve Ensler

Mother Courage and her Children – Bertolt Brecht

A Raisin in the Sun – Lorraine Hansberry

Long Day’s Journey into Night – Eugene O’Neill

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Tennessee Williams

Ghost Sonata – August Strindberg

Tartuffe – Moliere

* * * *

121b: Advanced Acting: Rehearsal Processes and Practices

Course Goal: To provide students with opportunities to develop the skills to be active resources

to their directors, rather than passive recipients of instruction. These skills include their

willingness to be imaginative, vulnerable, inventive, playful and collaborative with each working

process and in each creative environment. (Different directors will adopt different processes,

providing the students with opportunities to develop their individual flexibility.)

Learning Outcomes

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1. Memory/Knowledge: Participants will be able to acquire practical working knowledge

of one or more rehearsal processes, outlining the basic principles and identifying key

strategies in preparing a role.


of the rehearsal approach through the psychophysical embodiment of one or more roles.

3. Application/Dramatisation: Participants will be able to apply their embodied

understanding of imagination and improvisation through the solo clown project,

dramatising their vulnerability and playfulness.

4. Analysis/Research: Participants will be able to depict one or more characters through the

embodied research of the particular rehearsal approach and the analysis of their own

creative process.

5. Synthesis/Transformation/Creation: Participants will be able to adapt the rehearsal

processes learnt in the course to their own creative strategies, to originate unique ways of

approaching texts and rehearsal processes.




Assessments

Classwork: 40%


2-3min Solo clowning etude: 10%

5-7min Play-as-Cast scene Performance: 15%

Final Performance of 7-10min Self-Selected scene from canon recommended by

instructor: 20%

Required Reading (tbc)

Carnicke, S. M. (2010), Stanislavsky in Focus, New York: Routledge

Recommended Reading (tbc)

Chekhov, M. (2002), To the Actor, London: Routledge

Mitter, S. (1992) Systems of Rehearsal: Stanislavsky, Brecht, Grotowski and Brook. New

York: Routledge

Levin & Levin (2002), The Stanislavski Secret, Meriwether Publishing

Mitchell, K. (2008), The Director’s Craft: A Handbook for the Theatre, London: Routledge

Leach, R. (2004), The Makers of Modern Theatre, London: Routledge

Suggested Plays

The Caucasian Chalk Circle – Bertolt Brecht

Six Characters in Search of an Author – Luigi Pirandello

Death and the King’s Horseman – Wole Soyinka

Desire under the Elms – Eugene O’Neill

The Marriage of Figaro – Beaumarchais

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* * * *

121c: Advanced Acting: Character and Style

Course Goal: To enable students to increase their physical and imaginative courage in building

characters and performing in public, including solo performance, cross-gender casting, cross-

cultural casting, and plays involving heightened language and non-realistic settings from across

the range of comic, tragic, absurd and post-modern texts.

Learning Outcomes

1. Memory/Knowledge: Participants will be able to recognise the bold physical and

psychological choices possible when playing non-realistic texts, and to identify/acquire

the skills and confidence to embrace those bold choices.

2. Comprehension/Interpretation: Participants will be able to compare the performative

options of various non-realistic styles, and use that knowledge to interpret a number of

characters.

3. Application/Dramatisation: Participants will be able to apply the physical, vocal,

psychological and imaginative tools available to them in the laboratories to a diversity of

scenes and etudes for performance, and thereby to explore different cultural parameters

and aesthetic genres.

4. Analysis/Research: Participants will be able to depict a variety of world views, by

inhabiting cross-gendered roles, cross-cultural roles, and direct-address-to-audience

monologues from socially and politically aware plays.

5. Synthesis/Transformation/Creation: Participants will be able to synthesise the various

acting tools into their creation of roles and transformation into character, adopting a range

of world views and occupations.




Assessments

Classwork: 40%

2x 1000-word Reflective Journals: 15%

2min Direct-address-to-audience monologue: 10%

5-7min Cross-Gender Casting scene Performance: 15%

Final Performance of Self-Selected 7-10min scene from non-realistic canon: 20%

Required Reading

Cohen, R. (2002), Advanced Acting: Style, Character, Performance, New York:

Macgraw

Genet, J. The Maids

Brecht, B. The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

Recommended Reading

Chekhov, M. (2002), To the Actor on the Art of Acting, London: Routledge

9

Saint-Denis, M. (2008), Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style, Abingdon: Routledge

Classics

Aitken, M. (2000), Styles: Acting in High Comedy, New York: Applause

Styan, J. L. (1986), Restoration Comedy in Performance, Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press

Suggested Plays

Twilight: Los Angeles – Anna Deveare Smith

The Permanent Way – David Hare

The Laramie Project – Moises Kaufman

The Country Wife – Wycherley

The Man of Mode – Etheridge

Amadeus – Peter Shaffer

Hamlet – Shakespeare

The Tempest - Shakespeare

Happy Days – Samuel Beckett

Ubu Roi – Alfred Jarry

Phaedra – Euripides

Phaedra’s Love – Sarah Kane

Rhinoceros – Eugene Ionesco

Master Harold and the Boys – Athol Fugard

Marat/Sade – Peter Weiss

Lulu – Frank Wedekind

Lysistrata – Aristophanes

The Memorandum – Vaclev Havel

Top Girls – Caryl Churchill

* * * *

122a: Advanced Acting Devising and Collaboration

Course Goal: To facilitate students’ collaboration in the making of short etudes and dramas to

explore and express contemporary issues and preoccupations. Further goals are: to enable them

to understand scenic action and structure; to develop awareness of visual and narrative

composition; and to create a constant state of inner improvisation. (Original pieces may be

submitted to the student Edge Festival or for development in the Film Festival, both of which are

held in the Spring quarter.)

Learning Outcomes

1. Memory/Knowledge: Participants will be able to identify and implement different

strategies for creating and performing original etudes and scenes.


of devising strategies through the interpretation of characters in a series of original

scenes.

10

3. Application/Dramatisation: Participants will be able to apply their knowledge of

dynamic listening, work with objects and other imaginative stimuli to the dramatisation

of scenes and etudes, as well as increased sensitivity to social interactions and discourse.

4. Analysis/Research: Participants will be able to map out dramatic structure, analyse

social interactions, and present their research of contemporary issues and preoccupations

through the presentation of the original scenes and etudes.

5. Synthesis/Transformation/Creation: Participants will be able to transform their

knowledge of devising and collaboration strategies into performative pieces, involving

the synthesis of various imaginative stimuli and the creation of scripts. These scripts may

form the basis of further performance pieces to be submitted to the Department’s Edge

Festival and/or Film Festival.




Assessments

Classwork: 40%

Reflective Journals: 15%

1 x 2-3 min silent etude: 10%

1 x 3-5 min small group etude involving three or four characters and a specific

activity: 15%

1 x 7-10 min short devised one-act involving four or more characters: 20%

Required Reading

Oddey, A. (1996), Devising Theatre: A Practical and Theoretical Handbook

Recommended Reading

Bicat, T. & Baldwin, C. (2002), Devised and Collaborative Theatre: A Practical Guide,

Crowood Press

Graham, S. & Hodgett, S. (2009), The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre,

Abingdon: Routledge

Kerrigan, S. (2001), The Performer’s Guide to the Collaborative Process, New York:

Heinemann

Boal, A. (2002) Games for Actors and Non-Actors, London: Routledge

Brook, P. (1995) The Empty Space, Touchstone

Johnstone, K. (1987) Impro, London: Routledge

* * * *

122b: Advanced Acting: Shakespeare and his Contemporaries

11

Course Goal: To equip students with a clear approach to Shakespearean texts and classical

language, using text analysis, physicalisation, imagination and personalisation to interpret and

perform contemporary takes on classical texts.

Learning Outcomes

1. Memory/Knowledge: Participants will be able to define various linguistic, imagistic and

interpretative tools and terms applicable to speaking Shakespearean and classical texts, as

well as memorising two monologues and one classical dialogue.


of these tools and terms through their psychophysical embodiment of three different

characters, in monologues and dialogues to be performed in class.

3. Application/Dramatisation: Participants will be able to apply their embodied

knowledge to the chosen characters and to a broader understanding of different world

views.

4. Analysis/Research: Participants will be able to map a journey through a monologue,

break down a scene into its dramatic structural parts, and compare and contrast the

Elizabethan world view with a twenty-first-century perspective.

5. Synthesis/Transformation/Creation: Participants will be able to synthesis structural

approaches to text (e.g. metre and pulse), physical approaches to text (e.g. Laban efforts

or Bogart’s Viewpoints), and psychological approaches to text (e.g. integrating physical

actions with motivations and intentions), in the portrayal of classical roles.




Assessments

Classwork: 40%

Reflective Journals: 15%

1 x 2min Tragic + 1 x 2min Comic Monologue: 20%

1 x 7-10 min classical scene: 25%

Required Reading

Noble, A. (2010), How to do Shakespeare, Abingdon: Routledge

Shakespeare, W. The Merchant of Venice

Shakespeare, W. Romeo and Juliet

Recommended Reading

Davis, O. F. (2008), Performing Shakespeare, London: Nick Hern Books

Rodenburg, P. (2004), Speaking Shakespeare, London: Palgrave MacMillan

Barton, J. (2011), Playing Shakespeare, London: Methuen Drama

Tillyard, E. M. W. (1959), The Elizabethan World Picture, Vintage

Suggested Plays

Midsummer Night’s Dream – William Shakespeare

Comedy of Errors – William Shakespeare

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The Tempest – William Shakespeare

King Lear – William Shakespeare

Hamlet – William Shakespeare

The Changeling – Thomas Middleton

The Duchess of Malfi – John Webster

The Witch of Edmonton – Dekker, Rowley, Ford

Volpone – Ben Jonson

The Alchemist – Ben Jonson

Dr Faustus – Christopher Marlowe

* * * * *

122c: Advanced Acting: Special Topics in Acting

Course Goal: To provide students with an opportunity to specialise in a particular area of acting

under the instruction of a performance specialist. Students may repeat this course, thereby

encountering a range of different processes, theatrical aesthetics, styles, and practices in a

focused, advanced manner, and increasing their curiosity, versatility and practical skill sets.

(Special Topics may include: World Theatre, Social Theatre, Physical Theatre, Musical Theatre,

etc.)

Learning Outcomes

1. Memory/Knowledge: Participants will be able to identify and define various terms and

practices from a specialized topic, and to recognise their application to acting processes in

general.

2. Comprehension/Interpretation: Participants will be able to interpret those fundamental

terms and practices and express them psychophysically through performative etudes,

exercises and scenes.

3. Application/Dramatisation: Participants will be able to apply those fundamental terms

and practices to a broader understanding of acting, illustrating their relevance to each

individual’s processes through classwork, performance work and discussion of acting in

general.

4. Analysis/Research: Participants will be able to compare and contrast the challenges of a

particular specialised area with previous experience in other acting modes and genres,

relating the specialised areas to broader performance issues.

5. Synthesis/Transformation/Creation: Participants will be able to draw together the tools

acquired through specialized training and synthesize them with previously acquired tools

to transform into a variety of character or create a variety of pieces (as appropriate).




Assessments

Classwork: 40%


Mid-term performance: 15%

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Final performance: 30%

Required Reading

TBC by Instructor

Possible Recommended Reading may include titles such as

Lecoq, J. (2007) The Moving Body, New York: Routledge

Deer, J. & Dal Vera, R. (2008), Acting in Musical Theatre: A Comprehensive Course, New

York: Routledge

Grotowski, J. (1979) Towards a Poor Theatre, London: Methuen

Boal, A. (1979) Theatre of the Oppressed, London: Pluto Press

Brecht, B. (1977) Brecht on Theatre, London: Hill & Wang

Goldhill, S. (2007), How to Stage Greek Tragedy Today, University of Chicago Press

Suggested Plays

TBC by Instructor

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