units

ATS3062

Faculty of Arts

Monash University

Undergraduate - Unit

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

LevelUndergraduate
FacultyFaculty of Arts
Organisational UnitJournalism
OfferedCaulfield Second semester 2014 (Day)
Caulfield Second semester 2014 (Off-campus)
Coordinator(s)Julie Tullberg

Synopsis

This unit explores production and design practices in digital journalism, including content management systems used in newsrooms, basic coding for web pages, and photo management and design through the latest software programs. The unit examines the effective use of interactive features for multimedia news production, including polls, maps, soundslides and infographics.

Students will learn how to produce visually appealing data through a range of software programs, including Adobe products. They will create web pages that feature rich multimedia content. The successful web pages will be showcased on Monash's journalism website, Mojo, or published on other news websites.

Students will develop a special project through individual consultation with the lecturer to produce a high standard of multimedia journalism. They will apply production skills to breaking news scenarios, including natural disasters, police news, political developments or sporting events.

Please be aware that access to certain technology/equipment will be required for this unit. Contact the unit coordinator for details.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. Acquire a conceptual overview of digital journalism production and its functionality in the newsroom.
  2. Employ digital techniques to produce assets that enhance story-telling appeal via web pages.
  3. Understand the mechanisms of content management systems and the use of basic HTML code to embed assets within story pages.
  4. Employ data journalism software to create relevant data sets for news investigations.
  5. Gain a high level of proficiency in producing and design web pages that are aesthetically appealing for the digital audience.
  6. Develop digital production and design skills that will enhance job opportunities in digital journalism.

Assessment

Digital assets on story page: 25%
Creation of two jpeg banners or web page with embedded pictures and gallery: 20%
Data journalism web page: 20%
Special project: 35%

Chief examiner(s)

Workload requirements

On-campus students will be required to attend a two-hour seminar each week. All students spend a further 10 hours study each week.

Off-campus attendance requirements

Off-campus students will be required to engage in online discussion and view all Camtasia videos, highlighting the steps needed to build web pages. The time commitment is two hours a week. All students spend a further 10 hours study each week.

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Prerequisites

12 points of Cornerstone units at the 2nd year level in a related Area of Study