JOU4962 - Professional Practice

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a proficiency in accurate and comprehensive note-taking
2. Demonstrate a basic knowledge, understanding and application of online journalism skills
3. Assess their level of preparedness for employability and the working world

Content:

Semester 1 involves a series of workshops where students will take part in skills audits, prepare their CVs, develop an understanding of professional behaviour and receive career advice and guidance from a range of speakers.

Semester 2 is an introduction to online skills for journalists. Students will develop an understanding of the issues around the development and presentation of journalistic material online and interaction with the audience.
As part of this module, during Semester 2 students will embark on intensive training in fast note taking using the journalism industry standard shorthand – Teeline – and be required to work towards a speed of 60wpm.

Learning and Teaching Information:

A Series of Internative Seminars and Workshops

Workshops: Careers: Semester 1
Students contact hours: 10
Intended group size: Cohort

Lecture (Online)
Student contact hours: 3
Intended Group Size: Cohort

Workshops: Online: Semester 2
Student Contact hours: 3
Intended group size: 25

Workshops: Shorthand:Semester 2
Student Contact hours: 20
Intended group size: 25

Additional assessment information
Portfolio 1 will normally include a CV, research on careers in the industry, and a skills analysis

Portfolio 2: Students will normally be asked to include a 500-word news story suitable for online publication, a 1,000 word evaluative report on a relevant web site, a 500-word reflective report on their own work and evidence of engagement via Moodle on module tasks

Other relevant information
Students are required to submit for all forms of assessment to pass this module. The teaching of Teeline Shorthand is informed by professional expectations in industry that all trainee journalists learn shorthand. Students must show serious engagement with this element of the module. This will be measured by attendance at sessions, the requirement to submit four transcribed practice passages via Moodle during the course of Semester 2 and the need to make one serious attempt at 60wpm examination.

Assessment:

001 Portfolio 1 1x2000 words (end Sem 1) 50%
002 Shorthand exam (Dictation exa, 1x1000 word equiv) end Sem 2 0%
003 Portfolio 2 1x2000 words (end Sem 2) 50%


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