For universities and colleges that want to assess:
how applicants make sense of messages conveyed through different media
applicants' "literacy" in a diversity of media
approach to "learning the language" of different types of media
the flexibility of applicants' thought patterns
Master academic content
Think critically and solve complex problems
Work collaboratively
Communicate effectively
Learn how to learn
Develop academic mindsets
Rationale for Use
"Translating" one piece of media into another media format is a complex task that requires an understanding of the "languages" of both media forms, which engages one in new patterns of thinking. In addition, high-quality translation requires a deep understanding of the material being translated.
Since the media that must be translated and the media format that it must be translated into are randomly determined, it is likely that the applicant will not have already mastered both media forms. Based on how they approach the task, then, your admissions office can likely get a sense for how they learn how to learn and whether they are in the practice of doing so.
Design
Possible Prompts
Applicants will be given a random piece of culturally significant media, and will be asked to "translate" it into another, randomly assigned media format.
"Translate the Mona Lisa into a poem"
"Translate the music score of your country's national anthem into a speech"
Media formats may include, but are not limited to:
a painting
a poem
a music score
song lyrics
a recording (instrumental music, a speech, etc)
a video clip
Timeline
Evaluation Guide
Use of Media
Does the applicant take advantage/make central the unique allowances of the media format they are translating into, demonstrating a deep understanding of the "language of the media" and flexibility of thought?
Translation Emphasis
What parts of the original media does the applicant's translation seem to emphasize-- content, form, feeling, etc.?
Examples
Wassily Kandinsky's paintings often tried to capture music visually.
The painting I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth a "symbolic portrait" of William Carlos Williams' poem "The Great Figure".
The sight of the raising of an American flag during the War of 1812 inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner"-- the United States' national anthem.
FAQs
If the task is conducted asynchronously how will we know that the submission is the authentic work of the applicant?
Given that media and media formats will change with every applicant, there is not really a way to study for or "game" the task. No individual would then be significantly "better prepared" than any other. Therefore, we do not believe that there will be a large incentive to hire someone to complete the task on the applicant's behalf, nor will there likely be the time to find an expert in the assigned media format once it is disclosed. Applicants can also be made to acknowledge a Code of Honor before beginning and submitting the essay as an additional measure.
Why should applicants who are not going to study the arts be asked to translate one media into another?
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