Assessment Practices of Applied Music Studio Faculty in Higher Education

Download or read book Assessment Practices of Applied Music Studio Faculty in Higher Education written by Jeffrey Dunford and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the assessment practices of applied music studio faculty in higher education. Potential respondents (N = 19,723) were listed as applied music faculty in The College Music Society's Directory of Music Faculties in Colleges and Universities, U.S. and Canada, 2012-2013 and were asked to participate in an online survey. Respondents who completed the survey comprised a response rate of 8.89 percent (N = 1,754), with 2,123 (10.76 percent) participants answering at least one question. While the response rate was low, comparisons between the proportion of respondents and potential respondents indicated a high degree of representativeness among the population categories. The findings of this study are grouped and discussed in two central themes: (a) assessment criteria and instruments actually used in the implementation, execution, recording, and reporting of the assessment practices of studio faculty, and (b) influences on assessment practices. Assessment criteria found to be used by respondents included both achievement and non-achievement criteria such as: (a) attendance and punctuality, (b) attitude (participation, effort, leadership, etc.), (c) written assessments, (d) performance assessments, (e) practice assessments (self-recorded). Results regarding how assessment policies are disseminated and applied are discussed. Results indicating the influences on assessment practices include: (a) Former teachers' influence on the development and implementation of ones assessment practice, (b) The demographics of the applied music student population itself including degree type and level, (c) Adoption of a standards-based curriculum, (d) The education received by the applied music instructor, and (e) How upper administration and/or department heads monitor or guide assessment. In general, results indicate that in many instances there exists a definite need for further reflection, improvement, and development of assessment policy and implementation within the applied music studios of our colleges and universities.