Online Journalism Education: Reaching and teaching globalised media ProfAlan Knight Central Queensland University This paper considers how digital convergence of text, audio and image on the net might impact on the content, structure and delivery of journalism education. It will review course development at Central Queensland University where online journalism programs have been unfolding for two years. It will consider the construction of an action research project, examining how online delivered, industry mentored programs might be funded, offered and organised for journalism students located in widely disparate regional locations. The project, centred on the regional city of Emerald, will review how online distance learning materials might be delivered face to face to remote students brought gether by data base analysis, internet interactivity and other online Central Queensland university Central Queensland University is Australia's most geographically disparate and ethnically diverse, regionally based university. It operates over ten Australian campuses and four overseas franchises. Almost fifty percent of CQU's 18000 students were in 2002, foreign, fee-paying visitors, drawn from the Asian Pacific region. These students were primarily located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. International students received external courses and programs delivered by locally hired tutors. Courses were conceived, created, administered moderated and examined from Rockhampton ejournalist. com. au, Issue 03/02, 2003. Centra sland Univers
ejournalist.com.au, Issue 03/02, 2003. Central Queensland Univeristy 1 KNIGHT : Online Journalism Education:Reaching and teaching globalised ... Online Journalism Education: Reaching and teaching globalised media Prof Alan Knight Central Queensland University This paper considers how digital convergence of text, audio and image on the net might impact on the content, structure and delivery of journalism education. It will review course development at Central Queensland University where online journalism programs have been unfolding for two years. It will consider the construction of an action research project, examining how online delivered, industry mentored programs might be funded, offered and organised for journalism students located in widely disparate regional locations. The project, centred on the regional city of Emerald, will review how online distance learning materials might be delivered face to face to remote students brought together by data base analysis, internet interactivity and other online resources. Central Queensland university Central Queensland University is Australia’s most geographically disparate and ethnically diverse, regionally based university. It operates over ten Australian campuses and four overseas franchises. Almost fifty percent of CQU’s 18000 students were in 2002, foreign, fee-paying visitors, drawn from the Asian Pacific region. These students were primarily located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. International students received external courses and programs delivered by locally hired tutors. Courses were conceived, created, administered, moderated and examined from Rockhampton
KNIGHT: Online Journalism Education: Reaching and teaching globalised In 2002, 38 percent of domestic students were located in Rockhampton with lesser populations in Mackay, Bundaberg, Gladstone and Emerald Eighty five percent of CQU academics and administrative staff and all but two of the professors continued to be employed at Rockhampton. All Deans and most senior management were also located in rockhampte Queensland regional campuses were initially conceived as feeder operations; offering first year only. The second phase of evolution began in 1995 when some full programs were commenced. Currently there is a mix of programs which can be completed entirely on-campus; those where certain specialisations need supplementation with ISL or other delivery and a lesser number of programs which are limited to first-year. 202 Enrolments by EFTSU 2000 1029 1000 Rockhampton Distance Bundaberg Mackay Gladstone Emerald In practice, this has meant that domestic students frequently had to transfer to Rockhampton to enrol in advanced programs or complete their programs. In some programs, they are able to enrol externally. Neither alternative was entirely satisfactory for the students involved In its Strategic Plan, CQU sought to apply new distance teaching methods to draw together these diverse and in some cases divergent strands, and re-affirm its regional base, which remained couched in Queensland Our vision is to be. realist com.au, Issue 03/02,2003. Central Queensland Univeristy
ejournalist.com.au, Issue 03/02, 2003. Central Queensland Univeristy 2 KNIGHT : Online Journalism Education:Reaching and teaching globalised ... In 2002, 38 percent of domestic students were located in Rockhampton with lesser populations in Mackay, Bundaberg, Gladstone and Emerald. Eighty five percent of CQU academics and administrative staff and all but two of the professors continued to be employed at Rockhampton. All Deans and most senior management were also located in Rockhampton. Queensland regional campuses were initially conceived as feeder operations; offering first year only. The second phase of evolution began in 1995 when some full programs were commenced. Currently there is a mix of programs which can be completed entirely on-campus; those where certain specialisations need supplementation with ISL or other delivery; and a lesser number of programs which are limited to first-year. 202 Enrolments by EFTSU 3043 2374 1073 1029 381 2 3 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 Rockhampton Distance Bundaberg Mackay Gladstone Emerald In practice, this has meant that domestic students frequently had to transfer to Rockhampton to enrol in advanced programs or complete their programs. In some programs, they are able to enrol externally. Neither alternative was entirely satisfactory for the students involved. In its Strategic Plan, CQU sought to apply new distance teaching methods to draw together these diverse and in some cases divergent strands, and re-affirm its regional base, which remained couched in Queensland government legislation. Our vision is to be:
KNIGHT: Online Journalism Education: Reaching and teaching globalised A unified university Acknowledged universally as a leader in flexible teaching and learning and well focused research Acknowledged as contributing strongly to the sustainable development of the communities and regions in which we operate (CQUs Draft Strategic Plan, 2003) CQU JOURNALISM CQU began teaching journalism, more than a decade ago. Courses were located in Rockhampton and delivered by conventional face-to-face lectures and tutorials, Journalism was offered within a bachelor of Communications program, which also featured cultural studies communications theory and film studies. The appointment of a Chair of urnalism and Media Studies in 1998 allowed the creation of a plan to develop journalism teaching and learning at CQU Brendan Nelson, the federal Minister for Education, recognised this year that regionally based universities such as CQ had special responsibilities to rural communities. In"Our universities: backing Australia's future he said that it was neither desirable nor necessary for all universities to be the same. "A more diverse system will be achieved by institutions forging distinct missions within the overall system and through greater collaboration between individual universities and other education ions and communities " Dr Nel So how might diverse courses including journalism, be delivered to disparate domestic and int CQU journalism has developed an evolving program to place journalism ejournalist. com. au, Issue 03/02, 2003. Central Queensland Univers
ejournalist.com.au, Issue 03/02, 2003. Central Queensland Univeristy 3 KNIGHT : Online Journalism Education:Reaching and teaching globalised ... A unified university Acknowledged universally as a leader in flexible teaching and learning and well focused research Acknowledged as contributing strongly to the sustainable development of the communities and regions in which we operate. (CQU’s Draft Strategic Plan, 2003). CQU JOURNALISM CQU began teaching journalism, more than a decade ago. Courses were located in Rockhampton and delivered by conventional face-to-face lectures and tutorials. Journalism was offered within a Bachelor of Communications program, which also featured cultural studies, communications theory and film studies. The appointment of a Chair of Journalism and Media Studies in 1998 allowed the creation of a plan to develop journalism teaching and learning at CQU. Brendan Nelson, the federal Minister for Education, recognised this year that regionally based universities such as CQU had special responsibilities to rural communities. In “Our universities: backing Australia’s future”, he said that it was neither desirable nor necessary for all universities to be the same. “A more diverse system will be achieved by institutions forging distinct missions within the overall system and through greater collaboration between individual universities and other education providers, industry, business, regions and communities,” Dr Nelson said. So how might diverse courses including journalism, be delivered to disparate domestic and international campuses? CQU journalism has developed an evolving program to place journalism
KNIGHT: Online Journalism Education: Reaching and teaching globalised within CQU's strategic objectives, aiming to offer journalism to CQU's communities, by using internet delivered resources, courses(units)and programs(degrees) The elements of this plan were as follows ourse Courses were re-written to reflect recent industry experience and contemporary practices. Principles ofJournalism, which had been offered to international students was eliminated after it was discovered to contain arochial and borderline racist material. New courses, such as Reporting Isia Pacific, were created to inform students of Asian regional issues, Appointments New academic staff were required to have both professional experience and academic qualifications. Staff with Masters qualifications was encouraged to upgrade to a Doctorate. Unqualified permanent staff were retired or re-deployed. Unskilled casual tutors were replaced with working Journalism Centre Exploiting an urban renewal project in central Rockhampton, journalism was relocated to a former magistrates court, which was renovated to de an electronic newsroom, a digitised broadcast training studio and a tutorial room. Academic staff offices opened onto student work areas. The court building was a short walk to the local commercial and ommunity radio station, the ABC and Rockhampton's The Morning Bulletin. The new centre provided a focus for the introduction of digitised equipment and allowed the abandonment of most analogue production jOurnalism The term jOurnalism was adopted to reflect the industry wide tendency for text, audio, and television journalism to converge on the Internet New courses including Online Investigative Journalism were created to emphasise the importance of computer skills to contemporary, advance A specialist librarian from University of Queensland, Belinda Weaver, was engaged to locate and select online resources such as certified web sites and create specialist lists appropriate to the courses om.au, Issue 03/02, 2003. Central Queens asland Univeristy
ejournalist.com.au, Issue 03/02, 2003. Central Queensland Univeristy 4 KNIGHT : Online Journalism Education:Reaching and teaching globalised ... within CQU’s strategic objectives, aiming to offer journalism to CQU’s communities, by using internet delivered resources, courses (units) and programs (degrees). The elements of this plan were as follows: Course Rewrites Courses were re-written to reflect recent industry experience and contemporary practices. Principles of Journalism, which had been offered to international students, was eliminated after it was discovered to contain parochial and borderline racist material. New courses, such as Reporting Asia Pacific, were created to inform students of Asian regional issues, using online Asian newspapers as sources. Appointments New academic staff were required to have both professional experience and academic qualifications. Staff with Masters qualifications was encouraged to upgrade to a Doctorate. Unqualified permanent staff were retired or re-deployed. Unskilled casual tutors were replaced with working journalists. Journalism Centre Exploiting an urban renewal project in central Rockhampton, journalism was relocated to a former magistrates court, which was renovated to include an electronic newsroom, a digitised broadcast training studio and a tutorial room. Academic staff offices opened onto student work areas. The court building was a short walk to the local commercial and community radio station, the ABC and Rockhampton’s The Morning Bulletin. The new centre provided a focus for the introduction of digitised equipment and allowed the abandonment of most analogue production systems. eJournalism The term eJournalism was adopted to reflect the industry wide tendency for text, audio, and television journalism to converge on the Internet. New courses including Online Investigative Journalism were created to emphasise the importance of computer skills to contemporary, advanced journalism techniques. A specialist librarian from University of Queensland, Belinda Weaver, was engaged to locate and select online resources such as certified web sites and create specialist lists appropriate to the courses
KNIGHT: Online Journalism Education: Reaching and teaching globalised The Internet was to become a source for references, an object of research, a mode of communication and way of delivering courses. The theme coincided with the activities of the host faculty, which brought journalism and media studies together with Information Technology and Information Systems(Informatics) A website was created in 1999 to provide information on staff, courses program and equipment. The 150-page site was progressively expand to include resource indexes. information on student activities and research material.(http://www.ejournalism.au.cor Industry Involvement Local newspaper and television editors became involved in regular reviews of course material. Their staff were employed as specialist tutors in broadcasting, newspaper production, reporting, feature writing an photography. Work experience was incorporated through informal links with tutors and specific, project oriented courses(Communications Project). The current Editor of the rockhampton Morning Bulletin, John Schlach, a regular first year journalism tutor, enrolled in a research program (Master of Communications)created to help industry professional achieve academic qualification Research A post Doctoral Fellow, with a specialism in Chinese journalism, was appointed in 2002. A refereed online scholarly journal, eJournalist, was created to encourage publications, and in doing so, attract federal research renue. The journal was established online, to allow the easy dispersal of information to a geographically disparate staff and students Rockhampton based researchers were encouraged to attend regular research work shops which provided practical support for developing research projects. Advanced researchers were invited to attend Australian Research Council grant development sessions New Three new jOurnalism courses; a Bachelor's degree, a Diploma and an Advanced Diploma were created in 2002. These courses, which could be completed externally, were constructed so that the Diplomas acted as exit points for the Bachelor's program. The latter degree included compulsory introductory multimedia courses to provide basic web construction skills. The degree was transdisciplinary, requiring a double ejournalist. com. au, Issue 03/02, 2003. Central Queensland Univeristy
ejournalist.com.au, Issue 03/02, 2003. Central Queensland Univeristy 5 KNIGHT : Online Journalism Education:Reaching and teaching globalised ... The Internet was to become a source for references, an object of research, a mode of communication and way of delivering courses. The theme coincided with the activities of the host faculty, which brought journalism and media studies together with Information Technology and Information Systems (Informatics). eJournalism.au.com A website was created in 1999 to provide information on staff, courses, program and equipment. The 150-page site was progressively expanded to include resource indexes, information on student activities and research material. (http://www.ejournalism.au.com) Industry Involvement Local newspaper and television editors became involved in regular reviews of course material. Their staff were employed as specialist tutors in broadcasting, newspaper production, reporting, feature writing and photography. Work experience was incorporated through informal links with tutors and specific, project oriented courses (Communications Project). The current Editor of the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin, John Schlach, a regular first year journalism tutor, enrolled in a research program (Master of Communications) created to help industry professional achieve academic qualifications. Research A post Doctoral Fellow, with a specialism in Chinese journalism, was appointed in 2002. A refereed online scholarly journal, eJournalist, was created to encourage publications, and in doing so, attract federal research revenue. The journal was established online, to allow the easy dispersal of information to a geographically disparate staff and students. Rockhampton based researchers were encouraged to attend regular research work shops which provided practical support for developing research projects. Advanced researchers were invited to attend Australian Research Council grant development sessions. New programs Three new eJournalism courses; a Bachelor’s degree, a Diploma and an Advanced Diploma were created in 2002. These courses, which could be completed externally, were constructed so that the Diplomas acted as exit points for the Bachelor’s program. The latter degree included compulsory introductory multimedia courses to provide basic web construction skills. The degree was transdisciplinary, requiring a double