Reviewing the Quality of Education
The Aims and Objectives for Education
Curriculum Design, Content and Organisation
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Student Progression and Achievement
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) was established in 1997. It has responsibility for assessing the quality of higher education (HE) in England and Northern Ireland from 1 October 1997 under the terms of a contract with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The purposes of subject review are: to ensure that the public funding provided is supporting education of an acceptable quality, to provide public information on that education through the publication of reports such as this one, and to provide information and insights to encourage improvements in education. The main features of the subject review method are:
The HE sector in England and Northern Ireland is diverse. The HEFCE funds education in over 140 institutions of HE and 75 further education (FE) colleges. These institutions vary greatly in size, subject provision, history and statement of purpose. Each has autonomy to determine its institutional mission, and its specific aims and objectives at subject level. Subject review is carried out in relation to the subject aims and objectives set by each provider. It measures the extent to which each subject provider is successful in achieving its aims and objectives. Readers should be cautious in making comparisons of subject providers solely on the basis of subject review outcomes. Comparisons between providers with substantively different aims and objectives would have little validity.
Subject review examines the wide range of influences that shape the learning experiences and achievements of students. It covers the full breadth of teaching and learning activities, including: direct observation of classroom/seminar/workshop/ laboratory situations, the methods of reviewing students' work, students' work and achievements, the curriculum, staff and staff development, the application of resources (library, information technology, equipment), and student support and guidance. This range of activities is captured within a core set of six aspects of provision, each of which is graded on a four-point scale (1 to 4), in ascending order of merit. The aspects of provision are:
Reviewers are academic and professional peers in the subject. Most are members of the academic staff of UK HE institutions. Others are drawn from industry, commerce, private practice and the professions.
The review method has two main processes:
In addition to individual review reports, the QAA will publish subject overview reports at the conclusion of reviews in a subject. The subject overview reports are distributed widely to schools and FE colleges, public libraries and careers services. Both the review reports and the subject overview reports are available in hard copy and are also on the world-wide web.
1. This Report presents the findings of a review in February 2001 of the quality of provision in education provided by the Central School of Speech and Drama, London.
2. The Central School of Speech and Drama is a specialist institution, founded in 1906. The main site is a late Victorian theatre at Swiss Cottage in north-west London. There is an annex at the Oval, Kennington, in south London. The School's degree programmes are validated by the Open University Validation Services. There are nearly 600 full-time and 45 part-time students at the School, representing 612 full-time equivalents (FTEs). The School is organised into three departments. The assessed provision is located within the Education Department, and is based entirely at the Swiss Cottage site.
3. There are some 110 full-time undergraduates, and 17 full-time and 37 part-time postgraduates studying on the programmes under review, representing a total of 141.8 FTEs. Some 9.3 FTE academic staff are attached to this provision, together with a number of visiting lecturers. In addition, students' practical work is supported by a school-wide provision for production support which comprises 7.2 FTE technical and wardrobe staff. The programmes are also supported by 1.6 FTE administrative staff.
4. The following provision forms the basis of the review:
5. The statistical data in this Introduction are provided by the institution itself. The aims and objectives are presented overleaf. These also are provided by the institution.
The Education Department offers four courses that are based in drama. Three involve the study and practice of drama in statutory, continuing and community education settings (including the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), which is not part of this subject review). The fourth, in drama and movement therapy, prepares students for work in the health and education sectors.
The mission statement of the Central School of Speech and Drama emphasises its aim to:
The Education Department reflects the mission by:
The principal aim of our work is to prepare students as:
Our courses have certain aims in common. These are:
Successful undergraduates from our BA (Hons) Drama and Education course will be able practically, verbally and/or in writing to:
Successful postgraduates completing the Postgraduate Diploma in Drama and Movement Therapy (Sesame) will demonstrate:
Successful postgraduates completing the Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma Platform of the Postgraduate and Professional Development Programme in Drama and Theatre Education (the Postgraduate Programme) will demonstrate the ability to:
The MA platform of the Postgraduate Programme offers the synoptic challenge for students to:
6. The graded profile in paragraph 7 indicates the extent to which the student learning experience and achievement demonstrate that the aims and objectives set by the subject provider are being met. The tests and the criteria applied by the reviewers are these:
To what extent do the student learning experience and student achievement, within this aspect of provision, contribute to meeting the objectives set by the subject provider?
Do the objectives set, and the level of attainment of those objectives, allow the aims set by the subject provider to be met?
1 The aims and/or objectives set by the subject provider are not met; there are major shortcomings that must be rectified.
2 This aspect makes an acceptable contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives, but significant improvement could be made. The aims set by the subject provider are broadly met.
3 This aspect makes a substantial contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives; however, there is scope for improvement. The aims set by the subject provider are substantially met.
4 This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
7. The grades awarded as a result of the review are:
|
Aspects of provision
|
Grade
|
|---|---|
| Curriculum Design, Content and Organisation |
4
|
| Teaching, Learning and Assessment |
4
|
| Student Progression and Achievement |
4
|
| Student Support and Guidance |
4
|
| Learning Resources |
4
|
| Quality Management and Enhancement |
3
|
8. The quality of provision in education at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London is approved.
9. The curriculum is shaped by a strong, unifying philosophy, relating to the role of drama in effecting change in individuals and society. This is across all programmes.
10. The undergraduate programme offers relatively little choice of units, but considerable opportunities for students to pursue particular interests through project work and individual studies. There is an appropriate balance between the acquisition of knowledge and understanding and the development of professional and practical skills. The curriculum offers highly structured tutor-led provision in year one, leading to substantial independent learning units in year three, thereby facilitating the development of students as autonomous learners. Although there are no interim exit awards, the units are credit-rated, enabling students to exit before completion with credit that may be used for advanced standing elsewhere.
11. The postgraduate programme in drama and theatre education offers staged awards, leading to a postgraduate certificate, diploma or MA. The full-time programme is of one year's duration, but part-time study may be spread over five years. This, combined with its modularity, offers considerable flexibility to the mature professionals who make up its target market. This flexibility is enhanced by the opportunity to study some units by distance learning. The programme focuses on the theories, settings and policy issues relevant to drama education professionals. These are applied to students' own professional contexts. The disciplines of drama and education are not separated in the programmes, but integrated within and across units, reflecting the Department's philosophy. Students may choose from a wide range of units, although the study of research methods is a prerequisite for enrolment on the dissertation unit, with a view to ensuring that, even within this highly flexible framework, students develop necessary skills for progression.
12. The Postgraduate Diploma in Drama and Movement Therapy is a full-time programme in the Sesame method, in conjunction with the Sesame Institute, in which all units are prescribed. The aim is to provide an holistic experience, in which students are exposed to the essential knowledge and skills for professional practice. Students may, however, exercise considerable choice of topics within units and in the application of professional practice through clinical placements and fieldwork. The programme offers a coherent curriculum, combining experiential work and skill development, with the study of relevant psychological frameworks.
13. The currency and relevance of the curricula are impressive. Units are informed by the staff's scholarly interests, research activities and professional practice. Further professional relevance is achieved through excellent links with employers and professional bodies, who are active partners in course development. For example, the BA has an active partnership group contributing to course development, and there are good links with employers in the drama and movement therapy fields. The postgraduate drama and theatre education programme has worked closely with a professional theatre company which has participated in unit development. The drama and movement therapy course has recognition from the Training Sub-Committee of the British Association of Dramatherapists. This recognition confers interim recognition by the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine (CPSM) pending a CPSM visit to the School.
14. Transferable skills are integrated within the BA curriculum and carefully mapped across units, providing undergraduates with many opportunities to develop key transferable skills, including group work, communication skills and problem-solving. Work placements and project work provide opportunities to develop professionally specific skills. The development of research and academic writing skills is a key feature of the drama and theatre education curriculum and, within the PgDip in Drama and Movement Therapy, units develop students' communication skills, group working abilities and self-awareness. In addition, the Department has an overarching, well-thought-out, information and communication technology curriculum, which is incorporated in all programmes.
15. This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Curriculum Design, Content and Organisation:
Grade 4.
16. The School's teaching and learning strategy has developed through a consultative process involving all subject staff. The strategy incorporates a summary of teaching and learning values, reflecting a commitment to engendering learning in depth and the skills of reflective practice. These values are communicated to all students through the unit summaries.
17. The reviewers observed 12 sessions, covering all programmes and levels, including practical sessions, lectures, seminars, tutorial supervision and workshops. They, like the external examiners who also observe teaching, were impressed by the commitment, skill and enthusiasm of the teaching staff. Sessions were generally lively, with high levels of student participation. Students demonstrated a high degree of engagement with the subject, and were excited about learning. The sessions were well planned, and informed by lecturers' own research and scholarship. The content of sessions was generally very good and, in most cases, students were introduced to an appropriately wide range of references and theoretical perspectives.
18. In two instances, units are taught to students working at different levels. The reviewers recognise the benefits that accrue to students from sharing learning units, and commend the Department for these innovative practices. However, whilst there were differences in assessment tasks, the reviewers found that it was, on occasions, difficult to determine differences in levels of student attainment and would encourage the programme team to consider methods of establishing clear threshold criteria for each level.
19. Each course unit on the postgraduate drama and theatre education programme has guidance notes setting out intended learning outcomes, unit content and assessment activities. Often, however, learning outcomes do not indicate the knowledge and skills students are expected to acquire, but are descriptions of learning activities or processes. Assessment tasks tend, therefore, not to focus on the achievement of outcomes, and feedback does not, in general, refer students to the assessment descriptors to help them understand the reasons for the grade achieved. However, the reviewers understand that the team uses other methods, such as tutorials and illustrative materials, to ensure that students are clear about what they need to achieve. The distance-learning element of the programme is particularly well thought out and organised, and provides high-quality learning materials which are much appreciated by students.
20. Student workloads are well planned and deadlines published well in advance. The reviewers noted clear progression in students' work, although a minority of students showed some weaknesses in written communication. External examiners comment positively on most students' high levels of knowledge and understanding. There is evidence from the reviewers' discussions with current and former students, and in the reviewers' scrutiny of students' work, that learning has had a transformative effect on students' lives.
21. Students are given a wide range of generally challenging and well-designed assessment tasks. They are guided in their tasks by written assessment briefs and by tutors in group sessions and individual tutorials. Students are encouraged to submit drafts and receive detailed feedback. The reviewers found that marking was generally consistent and carefully undertaken, and feedback to students, particularly undergraduates, was often detailed, and supervision of dissertations was thorough. Descriptors for assessment grades are clearly stated in unit outlines. External examiners express high levels of satisfaction with the assessment process and the assessment methods, which they consider challenging.
22. This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment:
Grade 4.
23. The student profile reflects the School's mission to help people from many backgrounds to develop their skills, understanding and creative talents. The undergraduate programme recruits nationally, although some three-quarters are drawn from London and the south-east, and the north of England. Greater London provides half of the intake to the two postgraduate programmes, although the Drama and Movement Therapy programme attracts a number of European Union students. Mature students are well represented on all programmes, and ethnic minorities account for some 10 per cent of entrants across all programmes. Women are in the majority on all programmes.
24. The BA attracts around 10 applicants for each place. Some three-quarters enter with GCE A-Levels, with an average points score of 19; the remainder typically have Edexcel qualifications, or enter through an Access course. A few students each year are recruited directly into the second year. The Drama and Movement Therapy programme has an application to places ratio of nearly 3:1, and the Drama and Theatre Education programme a ratio of close to 1:1. Both these postgraduate programmes recruit appropriately qualified students, mainly graduates, although a small number enter by means of accreditation of prior experiential learning procedures.
25. Over the last three years, progression from year one on the BA programme has averaged 86 per cent, while a further 10 per cent did not progress beyond the second year. Although the numbers involved are relatively small, the reviewers found this surprising in view of the intake profile. The reasons were not fully identifiable during the visit and the reviewers feel that, overall, the monitoring of student progression is perhaps overreliant on informal communication and personal knowledge. Over the same period, the average progression rate through the platforms of the Drama and Theatre Education programme was a commendable 89 per cent. Completion rates on the Drama and Movement Therapy programme are excellent: over the last three years, an average of 94 per cent of students obtained their diploma.
26. Student achievement on the undergraduate programme is good with, on average, over two-thirds of those graduating obtaining First or Upper Second class honours. The small numbers of 'special' and non-traditional entry students were, in general, successful: one First class and three Upper Second class honours degrees were awarded to such students in 2000.
27. Over the last three years, a little under 20 per cent of BA graduates progressed to further study, predominantly to a PGCE, and just under 60 per cent gained employment, the majority in positions relevant to their studies. The first destinations of the remaining students were unknown. Over the same period, some 27 Drama and Movement Therapy diplomates entered employment, one pursued further study, and the destinations of the remaining 17 were unknown. On completion, Drama and Theatre Education students typically return to their employment in schools and other educational establishments.
28. The reviewers' scrutiny of students' work provided evidence that the level of student attainment of subject-specific and transferable skills over all the programmes is good, although the attainment of core clinical skills in the Drama and Movement Therapy programme is not always transparent through the assessment process. Some work was of an exceptionally high quality, with highly developed powers of reflection.
29. Employers and placement hosts spoke highly of their experiences of graduates and postgraduates from the provision. The high reputation of Central School students in these fields was often a strong factor in their success in gaining employment. In particular, employers welcomed the range of skills and adaptability of the students, and their positive attitude. Employers of the postgraduate Drama and Theatre Education students welcomed the increased knowledge and skills they brought back to the workplace.
30. This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Student Progression and Achievement:
Grade 4.
31. Careful selection and admission procedures, which include informative interviews and improvisation sessions, mean that entrants are well informed about the academic and other aspects of student life in the Department and the School. Additional information about pastoral and welfare support is provided by the student counselling and advisory service. This includes the annual Student's Companion publication, which is a mine of useful advice, particularly helpful to those coping with the varied pressures of life in London. The Department also offers a brief induction programme.
32. The student counselling and advisory service offers a range of counselling and welfare support that students of the Department are confident in using. Students were particularly complimentary about the service's dyslexia assessment and remedial tuition facilities.
33. There is provision for financial support. Students with difficulties in paying fees may apply for a Milner Scholarship, 26 of which have been disbursed over the last two years, and there are access bursaries to help provide childcare facilities. Half of the School's 10 awards made to date, went to students on the provision being reviewed here.
34. Current and former students voiced their appreciation of the highly supportive environment provided by the academic, administrative and technical support staff. The students develop the skills to manage their own learning, and the reviewers noted the confident and independent manner in which they engaged in this process. Issues of a more developmental and pastoral nature are handled by a year tutor or, in the case of the postgraduates, a course leader, who retains an overview of the progress of an entire cohort from entry to final destination.
35. Tutors provide useful written and oral feedback on the assessment of students' work. Where further support is needed in developing study skills, they refer students to learning and information services where several useful guidance packs are available in text and electronic form. The programme and unit handbooks, which students found extremely helpful throughout their courses, also contain much useful advice about appropriate academic style and practice.
36. In the course of all the programmes, students develop strongly supportive networks with their tutors and peers. Some teaching strategies in the Drama in Context and Directing units positively encourage exchange of experience between different year groups. This mutual support extends also to distance-learning students, who are encouraged to form study networks. Staff communication with students is friendly and encouraging.
37. Support networks also include employers. Such contacts have contributed to a very strong database of potential work placements. Undergraduates engage in two placements in their second year, and drama and movement therapy students undertake three during their study. Tutorial and mentor support for these placement schemes is well managed, and the contacts made in consequence often lead to permanent employment. Indeed, graduates continue to feed information about employment opportunities back to staff and students through email and other informal channels, adding considerably to the formal careers event that final-year undergraduates attend, and to which visiting professionals contribute. An innovative feature of the drama and movement therapy programme is the regular 'Live curriculum vitae' meeting where students share their professional experience with their peers. In this way, careers advice and employment opportunities are embedded within all the programmes, reflecting the vocational aim of the Department.
38. This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Student Support and Guidance:
Grade 4.
39. The Department's resources strategy is determined by its teaching and learning strategy and curriculum needs. These require appropriate library resources, serving intellectual enquiry in the fields of drama, education and dramatherapy, as well as physical resources in theatre arts to enable students to develop and practise active drama and theatre skills, in professional, educational and therapeutic contexts. The School is pursuing a bold estates development plan that aims to refurbish the historic Embassy Theatre, provide improved access to all areas and consolidate accommodation on a single site.
40. The library (learning and information services) was designed for use by 1,000 students. It offers a range of services and, with little more than 600 students currently enrolled, more than adequate study spaces that are well used by students. The specialist nature of the School means that most of the book stock of more than 22,000 volumes is relevant to the provision under review, and 16 specialist journals are subscribed to. Video and CD-ROM collections and software packages are also available. Playback and screening facilities are readily available in the library, together with 13 bookable and 13 open-access computer terminals with attendant information technology support. There are also multimedia production and desk-top publishing stations, and video, sound recording and editing equipment in conventional and digital formats. This provision is in the process of being developed in response to growing student demand.
41. The Embassy Theatre and associated studios contain five rehearsal and performance spaces. The studios are of varying capacities and are well stocked with appropriate lighting rigs, sound systems and flexible audience seating. Well-equipped dressing rooms and scenic and costume workshops are efficiently managed by the production support unit. The unit provides supervision in the use of the spaces and equipment on a needs basis, and the team of six maintains services and equipment in good order. It is the School's policy that all programmes have access to all spaces, and students make good use of them for rehearsals and some performances.
42. There are adequate lecture and seminar rooms, and spaces where students can socialise. A quiet room has recently been added in response to postgraduate requests. The Embassy Theatre was being refurbished during the reviewers' visit, and the noise and disruption coming from the development of the site was minimised by the flexible approach to room allocation evident in the Department's strategy.
43. A key feature of the provision is the dedicated and enthusiastic technical support staff, who have a sound understanding of students' needs. Students appreciated their approachability and willingness to help, thereby effectively underpinning students' learning.
44. A major resource to the Department is London itself, offering access to many varied professional arts and education contexts, and opportunities to engage in practical therapy work. The Department makes excellent use of these, including work placements in such organisations as Shakespeare's Globe and companies such as the Clean Break Theatre. The Department also makes good use of resources further afield. An annual visit to perform at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall, for example, is a popular feature of the BA students' experience.
45. This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Learning Resources:
Grade 4.
46. There is a sound framework for quality management at institutional and departmental level. The provision is subject to annual monitoring by a panel of Academic Board representatives, and at least two members external to the School. Panel members observe teaching sessions, review relevant materials, and conduct a frank and evaluative dialogue with staff and students about the attainment of departmental aims and objectives. The resultant report identifies, under the six aspects used by the QAA, priorities for action and improvement. Clear information on quality processes is provided in appropriate handbooks. External examiners receive a handbook and are invited to a briefing day. There is also a useful visiting lecturer's handbook.
47. While the quality framework is impressive, the reviewers are not convinced that the accuracy and detail of management information available for review and monitoring are uniformly sufficient to support robust judgements across all aspects of the provision. The statistical information used to track student progression fails to take full account of the increasing flexibility that permits students to enter, intermit and rejoin a course. The reviewers and the Department had difficulty in identifying the actual non-completion rates on the undergraduate programme. For cohorts of students completing in 2000, the first destinations of some 19 per cent of graduates and 25 per cent of postgraduates are unknown. Although these figures are considerably lower than in previous years, in view of the vocational nature of the programmes, the reviewers would encourage the Department to seek means of increasing still further its knowledge of the destinations of completing students.
48. The failure of some unit documentation to define learning outcomes that clearly prescribe the knowledge and skills that students must attain in order to pass units, together with some disparity between learning outcomes and assessment strategies, limits the transparency of the process. Although staff work closely with students, the somewhat informal nature of the application of some of these processes means that it may not always be possible for external monitoring to guarantee that students have necessarily attained the full range of knowledge, skills and competencies, such as those required of practising dramatherapists.
49. The Department operates a course committee for the undergraduate programme, while its strong commitment to its professional community is reflected in the workings of the partnership group. In the case of the PgDip in Drama and Movement Therapy, the British Association of Dramatherapists and the CPSM provide the framework necessary for professional approval.
50. The Department responds to external examiners' comments thoughtfully and promptly. Student opinion is canvassed widely. A schedule of dates for regular year-group meetings of students with staff representatives is published in course handbooks, and the outcomes of these meetings are reported by student representatives to the Board of Study each term. In addition, students complete evaluation questionnaires for each of their study units. In discussions with the reviewers, students reported considerable satisfaction with the nature and rapidity of staff responses to any issues they raised.
51. External examiners engage fully with the programmes and their reports are positive. The Department's responsiveness to external examiners' comments is seen in the strengthening of undergraduates' self-critical skills, the planned strengthening of units on the Drama and Theatre Education programme, and the broadening of the psychological perspectives offered on the Drama and Movement Therapy programme.
52. There is a strong commitment to staff development that includes regular departmental staff meetings, addressing research, professional development, and quality enhancement. Staff development priorities are clear and are identified through the staff appraisal system. There is evidence that the Department's educational research has contributed to curricular enhancement and to developments in the wider academic and professional community. Further support for staff professional development is provided through the strong network of professional links fostered and encouraged by the Department. The overarching learning and teaching values set by the School are evident in the Department's strong commitment to the development and sharing of good practice, and to equal opportunities, which is consciously built in to the teaching and learning experiences of students.
53. The self-assessment document provided for the subject review is clear and informative, although it might have benefited from reflecting more fully the commendable openness of the Department and School, to self and external scrutiny.
54. This aspect makes a substantial contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives; however, there is scope for improvement. The aims set by the subject provider are substantially met.
Quality Management and Enhancement:
Grade 3.
55. The quality of provision in education at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London is approved. All aspects make at least a substantial contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives and the aims are at least substantially met. The reviewers come to this conclusion, based upon the review visit together with an analysis of the self-assessment and additional data provided.
56. The positive features of education in relation to the aspects of provision include the following:
a. The curricula, which are well designed and structured to meet the needs of the students (paragraphs 10 to 12).
b. The currency and relevance of the curricula, which are informed by staff scholarship and employer and professional links (paragraph 13).
c. The high quality of teaching by committed and enthusiastic staff, which facilitates students' active learning (paragraph 17).
d. The support for learning through challenging assessment tasks, close supervision of dissertations, and distance-learning materials (paragraphs 19; 21).
e. The commendably high rates of completion on the Postgraduate Diploma in Drama and Movement Therapy (paragraph 25).
f. Evidence of high levels of student achievement (paragraphs 26; 29).
g. The high quality of much of the documentation provided for students (paragraphs 31; 35).
h. The well-structured tutorial support from approachable, helpful staff, reinforced by strong networks of mutual support between students, tutors and employers, generating a sense of community (paragraphs 34 to 37).
i. The well-focused learning resources that effectively underpin student learning (paragraphs 39 to 41; 44).
j. The well-managed and enthusiastic technical support staff (paragraph 43).
k. The very open and welcoming approach to external participation in quality processes (paragraphs 46; 52; 53).
l. The wide canvassing of student opinion and prompt response to it (paragraph 50).
57. The quality of provision in education could be improved by addressing the following issue:
a. Quality management processes may not, in every respect, be uniformly able to assure the Department and the School that all the aims and objectives of the provision are met (paragraphs 47; 48).