6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL
Undergraduate - Unit
Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
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Unit guides
Prerequisites
Twelve credit points of second-year Arts units. As this is a third-year level unit, it is highly recommended that students only take this unit after they have completed two second-year level units in Journalism or Journalism practice.
Synopsis
The unit explores production and design practices in digital journalism, including content management systems used in newsrooms, 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:
- Acquire a conceptual overview of digital journalism production and its functionality in the newsroom.
- Employ digital techniques to produce assets that enhance story-telling appeal via web pages.
- Understand the mechanisms of content management systems and the use of basic HTML code to embed assets within story pages.
- Employ data journalism software to create relevant data sets for news investigations.
- Gain a high level of proficiency in producing and design web pages that are aesthetically appealing for the digital audience.
- Develop digital production and design skills that will enhance job opportunities in digital journalism.
Assessment
Within semester assessment: 100%
Workload requirements
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 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
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.