Syndicates: First draft of top recommendations
Please click here or the below button for the syndicate presentation shown at the WJEC closing session.
Please click here or the below button for the syndicate presentation shown at the WJEC closing session.
WJEC Syndicate Team Program
Robyn S. Goodman, Alfred University, USA
Elanie Steyn, University of Oklahoma, USA
Technology Expert: Imran Palash, University of Oklahoma, USA
Sign up for the popular WJEC Syndicate Team Program, covered in your registration fee. Syndicates are small, themed discussion groups that produce recommendations to help improve journalism education worldwide. Sign up for one syndicate only, which will meet twice. Syndicates will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
(Scroll down to the bottom of the page to register for syndicates)
Sign up for the popular WJEC Syndicate Team Program, covered in your registration fee. Syndicates are small, themed discussion groups that produce recommendations to help improve journalism education worldwide. Sign up for one syndicate only, which will meet twice. Syndicates will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
(Scroll down to the bottom of the page to register for syndicates)
Teaching journalism for mobile platforms
Expert: Danni Mulrennan, Auckland University of Technology, NZ
Chair: Agnes Gulyas, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK
Rapporteur: David Baines, Newcastle University, UK
Mobile platforms are changing the way journalism professionals capture, curate and distribute information. Journalism schools are under pressure to respond to the explosive rise in mobile technology. Revised teaching methods need to reflect this change. Journalism educators should teach students to be conversant with mobile technology when gathering, processing and distributing information. They need to revise content, adjust teaching methods and ultimately update curricula to achieve this goal.
The question: How do journalism educators revise curricula to effectively prepare students for the reality of mobile technology while maintaining the fundamentals of journalism education?
Expert: Danni Mulrennan, Auckland University of Technology, NZ
Chair: Agnes Gulyas, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK
Rapporteur: David Baines, Newcastle University, UK
Mobile platforms are changing the way journalism professionals capture, curate and distribute information. Journalism schools are under pressure to respond to the explosive rise in mobile technology. Revised teaching methods need to reflect this change. Journalism educators should teach students to be conversant with mobile technology when gathering, processing and distributing information. They need to revise content, adjust teaching methods and ultimately update curricula to achieve this goal.
The question: How do journalism educators revise curricula to effectively prepare students for the reality of mobile technology while maintaining the fundamentals of journalism education?
Teaching fact-checking and verification in the digital age
Expert: Margaret Van Heekeren, Charles Sturt University, AU
Chair: Mary Lynn Young, University of British Columbia, CA
Rapporteur: Denise Ryan-Costello, Swinburne University, AU
Accuracy, alongside its siblings, brevity and clarity, is a time-honored journalistic principle. While all three remain fundamental to journalism practice and education, accuracy has gained prominence in recent years as the core of the burgeoning fact-checking movement. Fact-checking and verification have now merged into their own journalism genre, taking advantage of digitally available information to evaluate and authenticate political claims and public statements. Almost 100 websites worldwide are dedicated to this new form of journalism. The onus is now on journalism educators to teach accuracy through a more intensive examination of facts, requiring enhanced research and data manipulation capabilities.
The question: What research and data skills should journalism schools teach students for successful entry into fact-checking/verification journalism?
Expert: Margaret Van Heekeren, Charles Sturt University, AU
Chair: Mary Lynn Young, University of British Columbia, CA
Rapporteur: Denise Ryan-Costello, Swinburne University, AU
Accuracy, alongside its siblings, brevity and clarity, is a time-honored journalistic principle. While all three remain fundamental to journalism practice and education, accuracy has gained prominence in recent years as the core of the burgeoning fact-checking movement. Fact-checking and verification have now merged into their own journalism genre, taking advantage of digitally available information to evaluate and authenticate political claims and public statements. Almost 100 websites worldwide are dedicated to this new form of journalism. The onus is now on journalism educators to teach accuracy through a more intensive examination of facts, requiring enhanced research and data manipulation capabilities.
The question: What research and data skills should journalism schools teach students for successful entry into fact-checking/verification journalism?
Teaching transmedia storytelling
Expert: Mindy McAdams, University of Florida, USA
Chair: Stijn Postema, Napier University, UK
Rapporteur: Kathryn Bowd, The University of Adelaide, AU
“Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes it own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story.” —Henry Jenkins.
Jenkins (2006) describes how the story told in the Matrix trilogy was expanded in comic books, video games and animated short films. The main point was not simply that the creators use multiple mediums, but rather that some parts of the story were left out of the movies altogether and told only in other media products. Moreover, the film’s directors deliberately implemented this strategy.
The question: How can we inspire and teach future journalists to effectively experiment with telling various parts of a story across multiple mediums and different platforms?
Expert: Mindy McAdams, University of Florida, USA
Chair: Stijn Postema, Napier University, UK
Rapporteur: Kathryn Bowd, The University of Adelaide, AU
“Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes it own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story.” —Henry Jenkins.
Jenkins (2006) describes how the story told in the Matrix trilogy was expanded in comic books, video games and animated short films. The main point was not simply that the creators use multiple mediums, but rather that some parts of the story were left out of the movies altogether and told only in other media products. Moreover, the film’s directors deliberately implemented this strategy.
The question: How can we inspire and teach future journalists to effectively experiment with telling various parts of a story across multiple mediums and different platforms?
The challenges and opportunities of teaching social media as an information gathering and distribution tool
Expert: John Murphy, University of Hertfordshire, UK
Chair: Kate Kartveit, Denmarks Medie-og Journalisthojskole, DK
Rapporteur: Epp Lauk, University of Jyvaskyla, FI
One of the biggest challenges for most journalism educators is that their students are social media natives. They know more about social media than their professors. However, this means journalism educators have an opportunity to exploit students’ prior knowledge and high-interest level in order to teach them how to use social media as a journalistic information gathering and distribution tool.
The question: What opportunities do social media platforms offer media professionals related to gathering and distributing information, and how can we best teach them?
Expert: John Murphy, University of Hertfordshire, UK
Chair: Kate Kartveit, Denmarks Medie-og Journalisthojskole, DK
Rapporteur: Epp Lauk, University of Jyvaskyla, FI
One of the biggest challenges for most journalism educators is that their students are social media natives. They know more about social media than their professors. However, this means journalism educators have an opportunity to exploit students’ prior knowledge and high-interest level in order to teach them how to use social media as a journalistic information gathering and distribution tool.
The question: What opportunities do social media platforms offer media professionals related to gathering and distributing information, and how can we best teach them?
Journalism education programs’ responses to quality control for/in journalism education
Expert: Joe Foote, University of Oklahoma, USA
Chair: Felix Wao, University of Oklahoma, USA
Rapporteur: Silvia Pellegrini, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chille, CL
Education stakeholders (students, parents, governments and donors) are increasingly demanding proof that educational programs are effective and high quality. This syndicate explores three ways that journalism education programs are responding to this challenge: by examining how different role players measure quality globally and the effectiveness of industry accreditation, peer accreditation and government oversight as assessment tools.
The question: Which quality control system is gaining momentum, and which best fits the particular needs of journalism education worldwide?
Expert: Joe Foote, University of Oklahoma, USA
Chair: Felix Wao, University of Oklahoma, USA
Rapporteur: Silvia Pellegrini, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chille, CL
Education stakeholders (students, parents, governments and donors) are increasingly demanding proof that educational programs are effective and high quality. This syndicate explores three ways that journalism education programs are responding to this challenge: by examining how different role players measure quality globally and the effectiveness of industry accreditation, peer accreditation and government oversight as assessment tools.
The question: Which quality control system is gaining momentum, and which best fits the particular needs of journalism education worldwide?
Internships as a way to prepare students for the profession: benefits and challenges
Expert: Lorraine Branham, Syracuse University, USA
Chair: Nadia Vissers, Artesis Plantijn Hogeschool Antwerpen, BE
Rapporteur: Barbara Gainey, Kennesaw State University, USA
Experiential learning, better known as internships, is essential for students in today’s competitive job market. They set students apart from their peers and may pave the way to meaningful employment after graduation by providing networking opportunities, exposing students to professional environments and complementing students’ classroom learning. However, many schools hesitate to require internships because of the challenge to ensure internships for all students, the problem of compensation, the lack of time/resources to properly oversee them, their often uneven quality, etc.
The question: How can journalism schools and the industry best collaborate to provide students with the benefits of experiential learning while addressing the challenges associated with such opportunities?
Expert: Lorraine Branham, Syracuse University, USA
Chair: Nadia Vissers, Artesis Plantijn Hogeschool Antwerpen, BE
Rapporteur: Barbara Gainey, Kennesaw State University, USA
Experiential learning, better known as internships, is essential for students in today’s competitive job market. They set students apart from their peers and may pave the way to meaningful employment after graduation by providing networking opportunities, exposing students to professional environments and complementing students’ classroom learning. However, many schools hesitate to require internships because of the challenge to ensure internships for all students, the problem of compensation, the lack of time/resources to properly oversee them, their often uneven quality, etc.
The question: How can journalism schools and the industry best collaborate to provide students with the benefits of experiential learning while addressing the challenges associated with such opportunities?
Teaching hospitals: the challenge to meet modern-day demands while teaching journalism fundamentals
Expert: Katherine Reed, University of Missouri, USA
Chair: Elanie Steyn, University of Oklahoma, USA
Rapporteur: Daniel McDonald, Oklahoma State University, USA
Journalism schools are increasingly striving to create teaching environments that plunge students into real-life journalism activities. Some of these experiments take a project approach in which students, under faculty guidance, address a specific need. Others aspire to more broadly serve a community with daily news and information, as community newspapers have done for years. As technology increasingly influences how news is created, delivered and consumed, faculty are challenged to meet cutting-edge demands while still teaching journalism fundamentals.
The question: How do journalism faculty meet pressing industry and community demands while still teaching journalism fundamentals?
Expert: Katherine Reed, University of Missouri, USA
Chair: Elanie Steyn, University of Oklahoma, USA
Rapporteur: Daniel McDonald, Oklahoma State University, USA
Journalism schools are increasingly striving to create teaching environments that plunge students into real-life journalism activities. Some of these experiments take a project approach in which students, under faculty guidance, address a specific need. Others aspire to more broadly serve a community with daily news and information, as community newspapers have done for years. As technology increasingly influences how news is created, delivered and consumed, faculty are challenged to meet cutting-edge demands while still teaching journalism fundamentals.
The question: How do journalism faculty meet pressing industry and community demands while still teaching journalism fundamentals?
Relevant issues in developing inclusive journalism curricula
Expert: Milica Pesic, Media Diversity Institute & Westminister University, UK
Chair: Verica Rupar, AUT, NZ
Rapporteur: Greg Treadwell, AUT, NZ
We live in a time in which a potential U.S. president is insulting women, Latinos, Muslims and others. One in which ISIS uses all possible means to get media attention, a Russian citizen is looked at with suspicion simply because Putin is her president, where criticism of Netanyahu or the Israeli state is easily seen as anti-Semitism and Muslims are often seen as terrorists. The need for new thinking on how to prepare future journalists to reflect political, social and cultural diversity issues and to provide informed and inclusive debate on these topics is more relevant than ever. This syndicate will explore issues relevant for development of inclusive journalism curricula.
The question: How do journalism educators develop students’ awareness and sensitivity toward diversity and inclusion and work such factors into new, improved curricula?
Expert: Milica Pesic, Media Diversity Institute & Westminister University, UK
Chair: Verica Rupar, AUT, NZ
Rapporteur: Greg Treadwell, AUT, NZ
We live in a time in which a potential U.S. president is insulting women, Latinos, Muslims and others. One in which ISIS uses all possible means to get media attention, a Russian citizen is looked at with suspicion simply because Putin is her president, where criticism of Netanyahu or the Israeli state is easily seen as anti-Semitism and Muslims are often seen as terrorists. The need for new thinking on how to prepare future journalists to reflect political, social and cultural diversity issues and to provide informed and inclusive debate on these topics is more relevant than ever. This syndicate will explore issues relevant for development of inclusive journalism curricula.
The question: How do journalism educators develop students’ awareness and sensitivity toward diversity and inclusion and work such factors into new, improved curricula?
Encouraging community engagement as journalism students prepare for a changing profession
Expert: Tara Ross, Canterbury University, NZ
Chair: Don Heider, University of Loyola, Chicago, USA
Rapporteur: Imran Hasnat, University of Oklahoma, USA
Journalists’ success depends on establishing relationships with the people they serve. However, this is tough to achieve as social platforms change how people connect with news and audience attention becomes shorter and more diffused. Future journalists will need to work harder to build strong connections with their communities, especially those previously ignored and/or less likely to participate online. Journalism educators must therefore teach future journalists to effectively engage both offline and online, listen and build relationships and conduct deeper conversations with communities and loyal audiences alike. To achieve these goals, journalism educators will need to re-examine traditional ideas about journalists' responsibilities and their role as outside observers.
The question: What should journalism educators teach future journalists to help them engage, through meaningful, ongoing relationships, with the communities they serve?
Expert: Tara Ross, Canterbury University, NZ
Chair: Don Heider, University of Loyola, Chicago, USA
Rapporteur: Imran Hasnat, University of Oklahoma, USA
Journalists’ success depends on establishing relationships with the people they serve. However, this is tough to achieve as social platforms change how people connect with news and audience attention becomes shorter and more diffused. Future journalists will need to work harder to build strong connections with their communities, especially those previously ignored and/or less likely to participate online. Journalism educators must therefore teach future journalists to effectively engage both offline and online, listen and build relationships and conduct deeper conversations with communities and loyal audiences alike. To achieve these goals, journalism educators will need to re-examine traditional ideas about journalists' responsibilities and their role as outside observers.
The question: What should journalism educators teach future journalists to help them engage, through meaningful, ongoing relationships, with the communities they serve?
De-Westernizing journalism education in an era of new media genres and communication technologies
Expert: Yusuf Kalyango Jr., Ohio University, USA
Chair: Jing (Cynthia) Xin, Central China Normal University, CN
Rapporteur: Bernie Whelan, Whitireia, NZ
Over past decades, traditional journalism education took place through the prevailing Western (European and North American) lens. With the emergence of new media genres and communication technologies, the era of Western-centric journalism education is under intensified scrutiny. In light of how globalization is changing information societies (netizens, bloggers, etc.) as well as the media ecology, this syndicate will consider ways journalism educators can de-Westernize journalism education.
The question: How can we teach future journalists to avoid a Western orientation in their news coverage, and how can we build journalism curricula to accomplish this goal?
Expert: Yusuf Kalyango Jr., Ohio University, USA
Chair: Jing (Cynthia) Xin, Central China Normal University, CN
Rapporteur: Bernie Whelan, Whitireia, NZ
Over past decades, traditional journalism education took place through the prevailing Western (European and North American) lens. With the emergence of new media genres and communication technologies, the era of Western-centric journalism education is under intensified scrutiny. In light of how globalization is changing information societies (netizens, bloggers, etc.) as well as the media ecology, this syndicate will consider ways journalism educators can de-Westernize journalism education.
The question: How can we teach future journalists to avoid a Western orientation in their news coverage, and how can we build journalism curricula to accomplish this goal?
For any syndicate queries, please email Farzana via falladin@aut.ac.nz.