The role and optimization strategies of the performing arts course in cultivating professional competencies among Chinese university students

Introduction

The development of professional skills is a priority in Chinese higher education. Higher education is no longer just a process of transmitting information but increasingly focuses on developing students' communication, collaboration, innovation, reflection and practical skills for future occupations. In this process, the Performing Arts course is particularly valuable as it integrates artistic knowledge, physical performance, emotional expression and social interaction.

Performing arts courses generally involve drama, music, dance, recitation, body movement, improvisation and interdisciplinary art practices. It engages students physically, emotionally and cognitively, in contrast to other theoretical courses. Students not only understand the artistic theory; they also feel how to communicate meaning, collaborate, handle feedback and perform in public. Tight (2023) suggests employability has become a central issue in higher education because universities are now required to bridge learning with graduate outcomes and societal benefit [1, p. 551-571]. This implies that a performing arts education is not just about artistic learning, but also about graduate employability skills.

In China, the Performing Arts course is also related to aesthetic education reform. The 2020 policy on strengthening school aesthetic education in China highlights course reform, institutional support and students’ aesthetic and humanistic qualities [2]. In this context, the Performing Arts course can assist students to improve their expression, professional identity and cultural self-esteem. But some existing teaching methods focus heavily on imitation, skills and performance, while it pays less attention to creativity, cross-disciplinary learning and employability. So it is important to review the functions of this course and consider how to improve it.

Course role

The Performing Arts course helps build professional skills by learning how to communicate. While training in performance arts, students need to learn to convey meaning through speech, movement, rhythm, facial expressions and emotions. This enhances not only their artistic practice, but also their public speaking, self-confidence, emotional management and audience engagement skills. Li et al. (2024) demonstrate that performing arts learning is highly practical and that students' learning is influenced by interaction, technology and the characteristics of performing arts [3]. As a result, this course can translate abstract skills into tangible action.

The course also enhances students' creativity and communication. Performing arts learning is not the memorisation of prescribed movement or text. Students must interpret the role, adapt the performance details, plan the movement and develop artistic meaning through personal understanding. Luetkemeyer et al. (2021) report that arts-based learning at higher education level can promote engagement, meaning making, real-world connections and risk-taking collaboration [4, p. 450-469]. This is significant because for students to become professional practitioners they need to perform tasks and also creatively react to scenarios.

In particular, collaboration is significant in rehearsals and performance. The majority of performing arts activities involve role allocation, coordination, adaptability and teamwork. Students have to listen to other participants, accept feedback and adapt their performance to fit the group. UNESCO (2024) highlights that culture and arts education should facilitate multiple learning, cultural practices and participation [5]. This indicates that performing arts education has a social and educational purpose beyond performance skills.

The course also promotes professional development and reflection. For music, dance, drama, education, media and cultural management majors, performing training helps them to experience the logic of art work. They learn about the connections between preparation, performance, reception and professional responsibility. Novak-Leonard (2024) notes that graduates of arts and design often link their postsecondary studies to their work, careers and arts-related professions [6]. Performance students also reflect on their work after rehearsal and performance, analyse issues and develop their creative skills. This supports them to transition from participation to professional development.

Existing problems

While the Performing Arts course is valuable, there are some issues with its present form. The major issue is the over-focus on performance skills. In some classrooms, the students' performance is largely assessed by whether their body movements, voice, rhythm or appearance meets certain standards. This can enhance technical abilities, but also limit creativity. If students are mainly trained to copy the teacher’s demonstration, they may not develop their own artistic judgement and become over-reliant on others.

Another weakness is the lack of relations to future practice. Some students choose to take the course to gain credit, and may not fully understand its relevance to their professional future. For instance, education-related majors may not be introduced to the connection between performance and communication in the classroom, teaching demonstration or student engagement. Students in cultural management or media-related disciplines may not link performance skills to event management, audience engagement or cultural communication. This means the job applicability of the course is not fully realised.

The assessment system also needs improvement. While in many courses, assessment is still focused primarily on the final performance, the students' rehearsal process, collaboration, reflection and creative contribution are not properly valued. Putri, Quinton and Selkrig (2024) suggest that creative pedagogies in higher education can help graduate skills through creative thinking, collaboration and knowledge systems [7, p. 2075-2094]. As a result, assessment should be a combination of final performance, classroom engagement, rehearsal engagement, collaboration, reflection and creativity

There is also a lack of integration of digital and interdisciplinary approaches. Sometimes, teachers only use video recording for documentation; not for feedback and analysis. But digital tools can support students to view their own performance, explore different versions and develop a relationship between the stage and media communication. Webb and Layton (2022) suggest that digital skills are now essential in the performing arts industry and higher education courses must keep up with curricula to enable work-ready graduates [8, p. 33-47]. So, the course should be more responsive to artistic and communication trends.

Optimization strategies

The first step in improving the Performing Arts course should be competency-based course design. The course outcomes should not be restricted to technique training. These should explicitly include communication, creativity, collaboration, reflection, aesthetic judgement and professional practice. Instructors must also guide students on how these skills can be applied to their future career, so that the course becomes a professional learning experience, rather than a short-term performance project.

The course curriculum should combine theory with practice. Performance training is still essential, but it needs to relate to artistic expression, cultural awareness and professional contexts. For instance: drama skills with classroom communication skills, music performance with emotional interpretation and body movement with body confidence and control. This means performance will not be just a technical skill, but also a form of professional practice.

Areas of teaching should be more practical. Rather than primarily "teacher demonstrates, students imitate", the course can consist of project-based rehearsal, group creation, role analysis, performance workshops and performance. Students can be involved in the entire artistic production process, from choosing a topic, adapting the material, designing the rehearsal, designing the stage, performing and evaluating. In doing so, they not only gain artistic skills, but also time and team management, communications and problem solving skills.

Assessment should also be diversified. Final performance may be an important assessment, but it shouldn't be the sole consideration. Perhaps a more sensible evaluation model would be classroom activity, rehearsal activity, teamwork, creativity, reflective essays and final performance. This can help students of various talents to be involved and avoid the course turning into a talent contest.

Multimedia and cross-disciplinary factors should be enhanced. Instructors can record students, create digital portfolios and online platforms for performances to support students in self-reflection and to experiment with different expressiveness. Meanwhile, universities can promote interdisciplinary projects between performing arts and education, media, cultural management, tourism and digital communication. These multidisciplinary projects can allow students to see how performing arts skills are used in the workplace.

Conclusion

Performing Arts is a valuable course for professional competency development of Chinese college students. This course not only enhances students' performance skills, but also their communication, creativity, collaboration, reflection, self-confidence and professional identity. Rehearsal, interpretation and presentation allow students to translate knowledge into practice and link individual expression with social practice.

Meanwhile, the course needs to be improved. Excessive focus on technical aspects, lack of professional relevance, limited assessment and lack of digital and interdisciplinary integration may limit its teaching effectiveness. Thus, Chinese universities need to improve the course with a competency-based approach, practice-oriented learning, reflective thinking, multiple assessment and professional relevance. Thus, the Performing Arts course can be a more effective course for training students to be artistically communicative, professional and socially and professionally responsive.