Course Catalogue

The educational aims of the programme are for the student to:

Provide a professional actor training suitable to meet the evolving demands of theatre, screen, and new media industries.

Develop creative actors who can thrive in directed and collaborative projects, and who can generate their own work and opportunities.

Develop a global perspective, empowering actors to seek out and create opportunities internationally in English and in the graduates' own native languages.

Promote healthy practice to underpin and sustain a lifelong career.

Provide a comprehensive understanding of contemporary theatre arts practice to create critical thinkers and reflective practitioners who value lifelong learning.

Enable graduates to guide their own professional, creative, and intellectually development, to realise their full potential as creative practitioners.

Empower creative actors to embody and promote best practice within the industry.

Teaching is delivered through lectures, practical classes, individual study, tutorials, preparation for live performance. Teaching includes:
Sharing knowledge, conceptual frameworks and discussion
Providing instruction in all elements required for acting/performing
Explaining how to research, structure an academic argument and frame findings
Developing skills in critical thinking
Guiding a creative process, providing feedback during and after the event

Visiting lecturers contribute by offering other perspectives and simulate learning in a professional context.

A summary description of the teaching and learning activities by level is:

Level 4: Embed key understanding, skills, knowledge, self-learning strategies and interpersonal/academic skills.
Practical/theoretical classes in Acting Stage and Screen, Voice, Singing, Dancing, Movement, Stage Combat,
Contextual Studies, Devising and Healthy Practice. Space to develop and perform their own work.

Level 5: Applying learning and extending students’ knowledge, skills, experience of rehearsal processes and
performances. Practical/theoretical classes in Acting Stage and Screen, Voice, Singing, Dancing, Movement,
Contextual Studies, Teaching Pedagogy, Devising, and Professional Preparation. Performances to in-house, and
public audiences. Space to develop and perform their own work.

Level 6: Focus on securing employment in the industry and acquisition of transferable graduate attributes for
graduate employment. Practical/theoretical classes in core subjects with major emphasis on Public Performances,
and Research Project.

Independent study is essential at each level. The journey from being a guided learner to an autonomous one is
integral to the learning partnership between the institution and each student.

Assessment is geared toward learning and serves the purposes of:

Helping students learn by highlighting strengths and weaknesses and working to develop their abilities to achieve
the learning outcomes (LOs)

Mapping students’ skills, knowledge and ability against the LOs of their modules

Ensuring that the module or programme of study is delivering the required learning activities

As is appropriate in a vocational Acting programme, there are a high number of practical assessments. To enhance the academic underpinning of the programme traditional types of assessment will also be used such as research,
analysis and critical appreciation activities and writing tasks.

Assessment types: essays; critical evaluations; viva voces; practical tasks; creative tasks; technical demonstrations;
live performance; recorded performance; rehearsal projects; technological tasks; presentation of portfolios,
reports/case studies; group presentations.

Formative and Summative Assessments are used. Formative develops knowledge/skills in preparation for the mark-bearing. Summative marks are reported to the LJMU Board of Examiners and ratified marks then appear on the
students’ individual Progress transcript at the end of the academic year. Unratified marks are returned to the
students within 15 working days of the assessment and accompanied by feedback from the marker. The specifics of
each assessment are detailed in Module Guides.

IAB is committed to equality of opportunity and, where reasonable and appropriate, adjusts the assessment tasks
where a student has shown a specific need. LOs are not adjusted and the level is maintained; the student is instead
provided with the opportunity to demonstrate them in an alternative manner. Modifications to an assessment may
include but not be limited to Additional time allowance or alternative assessment tasks.

The programme is vocationally specific and designed to include work-related learning. Industry standard facilities, hardware and software are used throughout the programme. The practical assessment tasks wherever possible are positioned against industry standards and processes to replicate ‘real world’ situations. Students are also given access to a range of opportunities to undertake voluntary, extra-curricular work in the industry. At Level 5 the Camera and Recorded Media, Projects 2, modules are designed to develop understanding and competence with professional working practices and protocols within a variety of working and performance contexts. At Level 6 the students are expected to work as a professional artist and engage with other professionals in the appropriate manner. They will engage directly with working professional in Career Preparation, Making New Work, Public Performances, Camera and Recorded Media Project. They will experience a variety of working and performance contexts.