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Teaching “Journalism as Process”: A Proposed Paradigm for J-School Curricula in the Digital Age

January 22, 2013 in Research, Winter 2013

Sue Robinson

Abstract: An in-depth audience study in Madison, Wisconsin, revealed new conceptions of “news” that warrant a reconceptualization of journalism schools’ curricula. Using an experiential-learning model, this essay explores how the digital-era “journalism-as-process” considerations on the part of news audiences might be incorporated into journalism courses. The findings suggest that journalism educators must reformulate traditional news-product classroom work into something more interactive, amorphous, and process-oriented. In addition, teachers should begin helping students to “own” conversations generated in cyberspace.

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Grading Students in the Journalism Workshop Course

January 22, 2013 in Research, Winter 2013

Robert Bergland, Kenneth Rosenauer, and Ann Thorne

Abstract: There has been very little written about the publications workshop course in the journalism curriculum, a staple in many smaller programs that struggle to keep the newspaper and/or yearbooks sufficiently staffed. To provide teachers with greater information about what is being done across the country—and thus a better understanding of how they might consider changing their own courses—we conducted a survey of more than 500 college media advisers. The survey examined such matters as grade distributions, work required, grading criteria, and grading systems. Focusing on the issue of grading/evaluation, we analyzed the data and relay insightful comments from advisers about their strategies and misgivings about grading student work they often do not see until after that work had been published.

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Applying Dialogic Public Relations Theory to Public Relations Education

June 13, 2012 in Research, Spring/Summer 2012

Joshua M. Bentley

Abstract: This article compares and contrasts theories of dialogic pedagogy with Kent and Taylor’s (2002) dialogic public relations model. Several possible explanations are offered to explain the lack of research on dialogic pedagogy among PR scholars and educators. Dialogic public relations is proposed as a helpful approach to make PR education more relational and student-centered. Practical ideas are suggested for applying dialogic PR principles to classroom teaching.

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Encouraging Students to be Readers: Survey Results of Successful Practices

June 13, 2012 in Research, Spring/Summer 2012

Mitzi Lewis and John Hanc

Abstract: Motivating students to complete reading assignments is a problem documented across disciplines. Journalism and mass communication are no exception. This study used a Web-based survey to ask International Association for Literary Journalism Studies (IALJS) members and Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Small Programs Interest Group (SPIG) listserv subscribers about (a) observations of student reading practices with longer forms of journalism and (b) successful practices for motivating students to read. Educators’ learning goals for student reading and the strategies used to achieve these goals are discussed.

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Twitter’s Effects on Student Learning and Social Presence Perceptions

June 13, 2012 in Research, Spring/Summer 2012

Jessica E. Smith and Lakshmi N. Tirumala

Abstract: Social presence, the concept that individuals have a sense of others as “real people” in mediated communication, is a pivotal concept in online interaction and learning. Social presence theory suggests that social media tools, such as Twitter, should build community among groups such as students. This could affect how much students learn. In this study, participants in a quasi-experiment (N = 76) completed supplemental class exercises for a mass communication course, either by conversing with classmates on Twitter or by individually writing essays. Participants who used Twitter had more positive perceptions of Twitter as a classroom tool, and these students had greater social comfort with their classmates. Twitter use for class discussion did not correlate with higher scores on objective questions testing students’ memory of class content.

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Reading to Learn: Engaging University Students in Meaningful Reading and Discussion

November 13, 2011 in Fall 2011, Research

Jan Larson, Amy Young, and Mary Beth Leibham

Abstract: Reading to Learn is an ongoing interdisciplinary research effort designed to understand university students’ reading practices and classroom discussions within the context of reading communities. The goal is to contribute to best practices for engaging students in reading course texts and in meaningful classroom discussion that promotes critical thinking and enhances learning. Preliminary data indicate that students perceive reading communities as being helpful in clarifying their thinking, increasing learning, and improving class discussion.

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I Shot a Prescriptivist in my Pajamas Last Night: A Grammatical Disarmament Proposal for Editors and Educators

November 13, 2011 in Fall 2011, Research

Fred Vultee

Abstract: In an economic atmosphere in which “do more with less” means “fewer and fewer people are available, but they’ll still do more with less,” would a new look at how journalism schools teach grammar help editors—and instructors—do their jobs more effectively? This paper seeks to find out whether the profession and the academy can agree on what sorts of language “basics” new editors need to know—and, by extension, which old ones we can discard.

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