Convergence in the Media: Curriculum to Stay Connected

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Convergence in the MediaCurriculum to Stay
Connected

• By Kelly Goetz, Eric Gotschall, Allissa A.
  Hopkins, Amy Kamies, Laura Poe, Timothy J.
  Schieber, Adam Thompson, Mandy S. Thompson,
  Daniel Thompson

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Research Questions

• Why convergence needs to be in the curriculum?
• What do media studies students need to know once
  they graduate?
• What should media students be learning while at
  Buena Vista University?

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Thesis

• In order for media studies students at Buena
  Vista University to be successful in a
  professional setting, they need to learn how to
  work in a converged media environment, learning
  to work from a multitude of media platforms.

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What is convergence?

• Being able to use all forms of media in order to
  inform a changing audience.

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Why does convergence need to be in the curriculum?

• The emergence of new technology is changing the
  way journalism is being done and therefore
  adapting the way journalists need to be educated.
• Most respondents (78) agreed or strongly agreed
  that all journalism majors should learn multiple
  sets of skills, such as writing, editing, TV
  production, digital photography, newspaper
  design, and Web publishing (Huang, et al).

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What do media studies students need to know once
they graduate?

• "Journalism graduates need to have a broad,
  well-rounded education be critical thinkers
  have the ability to write clearly have a serious
  work ethic and know computer basics in that
  order" (Huang et al)
• "Students must be flexible, have a vigorous skill
  set and be prepared to get laid off and move
  around in the changing media arena." In short,
  "young journalists must be prepared to fill a
  variety of roles if they hope to succeed" (Huang
  et al)

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What should media studies majors be learning
while at Buena Vista University?

• From 1998 to 2002, about 60 of the J-schools in
  the United States redesigned their curricula or
  developed new courses to prepare students from
  practicing news in multiple media platforms
  (Huang et al).

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Project Proposal

• What Buena Vista University has as media studies
  curriculum.
• What other schools are using for their converged
  media curriculums.
• How Buena Vista University should change their
  curriculum to adjust to convergence in media.

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WHY SHOULD WE CHANGE?

• 9 out of 10 of the 240 university programs
  surveyed, have adopted or were in the process of
  adopting convergence curriculum (Murphy et al)
• Convergence will train the student for
  citizenship in a technology-saturated new
  information age, in which there will be a
  marvelous multifaceted array of career
  opportunities (Murphy et al).

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media educators need to become more aware of
the ways in which technology, markets, and
cultural forms interact to shape the production,
distribution, and the consumption of media
content (Gandy).
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Research Questions

• What are other universities doing to adapt to the
  future of new media?
• What should Buena Vista University be doing to
  advance our media studies courses?
• What criteria should a course on convergence for
  college media students require?

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Thesis

• Buena Vista University needs a course that gives
  students the learning experience needed for
  future jobs in new media.

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Kirkwood

• 2-year community college
• Education of convergence
• Already ahead of BVU
• Mass Media Studies (MMS) major
• Communications Media and Public Relations program

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Mass Media Studies (MMS)

• Career Options
• Media Account Executive
• Media Buyer
• Media Artist
• Print Communication
• Radio
• Television
• Public Relations

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Mass Media Studies (MMS)

• Introduction Courses
• MMS-101 Mass Media
• Print
• MMS-131 News Reporting
• MMS-155 Photo Journalism
• MMS-235 Practical Reporting
• Television Radio
• MMS-104 Intro to Electronic Production
• MMS-200 Advanced Audio
• MMS-215 Broadcast/Writing Performance
• MMS-220 Advanced Television
• Public Relations
• MMS-240 Promotions Public Relations
• Convergence Courses
• MMS-133 News Media Convergence
• MMS-920 Field Experience
• MMS-924 Honors Project
• MMS-948 Special Projects

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News Media Convergence

• Introduces skills required in print, broadcast
  and web journalism.
• Print, Broadcasting, Videography, Web
• Identify differences
• Print news stories
• Broadcast news packages
• Web stories
• Newsgathering principles in a converged media
  world

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Major Assignments

• Print News Stories
• Five stories written for print two pages in
  length
• Broadcast News Packages
• Three packages where students work in pairs,
  shooting video, writing voicing packages,
  editing
• Web Stories
• Post print stories, one with a photograph, and
  post TV stories on the web.
• Kirkwood's Communique Website

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Challenges to Convergence

• Tradition
• Class sizes
• Credit conflicts
• Limited cooperation
• Lack of expertise

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A Case Study in Convergence Education

• USCs Convergence Core Curriculum (CCC)
• Program implemented in 2002
• Six-question surveys taken by faculty and
  students

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Survey Results

• Expected setbacks occurred
• Student progress
• Survey conclusions

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• Convergence is the way of tomorrows media and
  tomorrows media is happening today.

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Sources

• Becker, Lee B., Daniels, George L., Lowrey,
  Wilson. "Predictors of Convergence Curricula in
  Journalism and Mass Communication Programs."
  Journalism Mass Communications Educator. 2005
  Vol. 60 Issue 1, 32-46.
• Birge, Elizabeth Q. "Teaching Convergence - But
  What is It?" 92 (2004). EBSCO. 14 Mar. 2007.
• Castaneda, Laura Murphy, Sheila Hether, Heather
  Jane. Teaching Print, Broadcast, and Online
  Journalism Concurrently A Case Study Assessing
  a Convergence Curriculum. Journalism Mass
  Communication Educator Spring2005, Vol. 60 Issue
  1, p57-70, 14p
•  Deuze, Mark. Managing Media Convergence
  Path-ways to Journalistic Cooperation./Convergent
  Journalism The Fundamentals of Multimedia
  Reporting. Journalism and Mass Communication
  Educator. 2006 Vol. 61 Issue 3, 330-333.
• Course Descriptions Mass Media Studies.
  Kirkwood Fall 2007 Credit
• Class Schedule (2007) 157-158.
• Edgar Huang, Shreve, Stephanie,, Karen Davison,
  Twila Davis, Elizabeth Bettendorf, and Anita
  Nair. "Bridging Newsrooms and Classrooms
  Preparing the Next Generation of Journalists for
  Converged Media." Journalism Communication
  Monographs 8 (2006) 221-262. EBSCOhost. Ballou
  Library, Storm Lake. 31 Mar. 2007. Keyword
  Convergence. Quinn, Stephen. Convergences
  fundamental question. Journalism Studies. Feb
  2005 Vol. 6 Issue 1, 29-38.
• Gandy Jr, Oscar H. University of Pennsylvania.
  Media Education Comes of Age
• Television New Media. Nov 2003.
• Kodet, Rose. Personal Interview. 11 April 2007.
• Kodet, Rose. Kirkwood's News Media Convergence
  Syllabus. Spring 2007.
• Lum, Lydia. "The Cross-Training of Future
  Journalists."  Black Issues in Higher Education,
  7/15/2004, Vol. 21 Issue 11, p30-33, 4p
• Quinn, Stephen. Convergences fundamental
  question. Journalism Studies. Feb 2005 Vol. 6
  Issue 1, 29-38.