Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2012

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

As more news and other factual material including commentary is being processed through online media, practitioners and also intending citizen journalists will benefit directly from studying the social and economic underpinnings of the format, and building up skills for using it.

This unit explores the background and principles of online journalism, and teaches skills, enabling students to write and publish reports on line; providing instruction in a set of essential production skills - ready for further expansion of skills ability.

The unit is taught through lectures and tutorials conducted as online production workshops.

Aims

This unit aims to:
1. Provide an understanding of the possibilities of journalistic communication in an online environment and the similarities and differences between online and other journalistic forms;
2. Provide you with digital production skills needed to produce and post online news and feature material of a professional standard;
3. To write, produce and publish online journalistic content showcasing the capabilities of the online medium.

Objectives

On completion of this unit you should be able to:
1. Identify the different styles and news judgements required in online news and the importance of collaboration and user-generated copy.
2. Making news judgements at speed from multiple sources in tight deadlines.
3. Initiate, repurpose and repackage journalism content across mulitiple platforms and using multiple technologies.
4. Work to very tight deadlines while still recognizing the importance of accurate and interesting copy using text and/or multimedia.

Content

This unit recognises that online journalism is about generating original journalistic copy as well as repurposing and repackaging existing copy across multiple platforms. It will examine new ways of journalistic story telling in a online environment using multimedia in often experimental ways along with the place of citizen journalism, user generated copy and collaborative journalism including blogs in online journalism. It will look at the use of collaborative sites such as facebook and twitter in a journalistic context.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Introductory seminars involving industry professionals will provide a launching pad from which you will explore the possibilities of online journalism as a form of journalism distinct from either print or traditional broadcast journalism.

Students will also attend software training seminars as required to learn the operation of the site and any advanced software used to enhance online storytelling.

Students will then be rostered in small groups to produce copy for an online news site.

Each student will also produce, in his or her own time, an original piece of online journalism which will be filed on the online news site.

Assessment

LATE ASSIGNMENTS
An assignment submitted after the due date without an approved extension will not be marked. If you are unable to complete your assignment on time, you should submit on time whatever work you have done.

Faculty Assessment Information
To access the Creative Industries Faculty Assessment Information please refer to the Blackboard site for this unit

You will be awarded a final grade on a 1 to 7 scaleFORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Description: You will receive formative feedback on your progress in this unit during tutorials and discussions throughout the semester.
Weight 0%

Assessment name: Online Praxis
Description: (Summative and Formative) Praxis
You will work to produce deadline-driven copy for the QUTnews site. Over four days you will rotate through a series of production roles including generating an original story for the site in association with the television newsroom; repurposing scripts from the radio newsroom for the online site and preparing television material for the site.
Relates to objectives: 1-4
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Group with Individual Component
Due date: Late Semester

Assessment name: Tutorial Exercises
Description: (Summative and Formative)
This comprises two related and equally weighted tasks: First, multiple media, multiple platforms: bringing it all together. Creating stories with an emphasis on gathering multi media and user generated content Second, social media, blogging, photo galleries and the new "news values".
Relates to objectives: 1-4
Weight: 20%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Group with Individual Component
Due date: Early Semester

Assessment name: Case Study
Description: (Summative) Analyse news/feature content produced specifically for Ipads. Produce and upload an original piece of online journalism which would be suitable for inclusion on an IPad news publication. Write a 600 word analysis of what Ipad news storytelling looks like explaining how your piece sits in this online journalism environment. Submit via your own blog with original story also uploaded to the QUT news site.
Relates to objectives: 1-4
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End Semester

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty means that you are expected to exhibit honesty and act responsibly when undertaking assessment. Any action or practice on your part which would defeat the purposes of assessment is regarded as academic dishonesty. The penalties for academic dishonesty are provided in the Student Rules. For more information you should consult the QUT Library resources for avoiding plagiarism.

Resource materials

Required Text

Unit readings will be listed on the Blackboard site and a selection of readings will be made available on the Course Materials Database (CMDB), through that site.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks for this unit.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 27-Feb-2012