12 points, SCA Band 1, 0.250 EFTSL
Postgraduate - Unit
Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
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Organisational Unit
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Synopsis
Digital journalism is fast evolving as technology changes in newsrooms worldwide. The modern journalist must develop a range of skills in this digital era of journalism, including writing with speed, editing, headline writing, caption writing, social media monitoring and breaking news via social media platforms, live writing and tweeting during event coverage via live blogs, and producing digital stories, using Adobe products and other custom-built products. The digital journalist also aims to produce visually appealing content that features multimedia assets, including video, photographs, social media posts and educational interactives. The multimedia products are aimed to maximise reader engagement.
Digital journalism is a broad area, in which reporters develop areas of expertise, including breaking news, police news, general digital reporting, multimedia, video or digital production. Reporting and production skills are required across the 24/7news cycle.
This unit also features industry engagement and in-house internship opportunities (mojo digital magazine) working with highly experienced Monash staff.
Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the unit students will be able to:
- have a deep conceptual overview of functionality of digital journalism, both in reporting and production;
- understand the range of digital resources available for journalism research;
- understand the key usability factors that determine good digital design, production and presentation;
- be able to research and report for digital journalism and to locate their output within the context of an evolving global medium;
- be able to produce a digital story using text, sound and images;
- be able to produce a news package using Adobe products.
Assessment
Within semester assessment: 100%
Workload requirements
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 288 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
See also Unit timetable information