Course Title: Online Journalism: Theory and Practice

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Online Journalism: Theory and Practice

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

COMM1049

City Campus

Undergraduate

335H Applied Communication

Face-to-Face

 Sem 2 2006,
Sem 2 2007,
Sem 2 2008,
Sem 2 2009

COMM1049

City Campus

Undergraduate

345H Media and Communication

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2010,
Sem 1 2011,
Sem 1 2012,
Sem 1 2013,
Sem 1 2014

Course Coordinator: Mr Jack Kerr

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 5216

Course Coordinator Email: jack.kerr@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 9.4.54

Course Coordinator Availability: TBA


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

You should have satisfactorily completed the prerequisite courses COMM2092 REPORTING & NEWSWRITING (OR for Professional Communication students undertaking the Journalism specialisation COMM2148 GENERAL NEWS REPORTING) and COMM2410 JOURNALISM ETHICS AND REGULATIONS before you commence this course.

  


Course Description

This course will give you an understanding of online journalism, including the formats and skills for writing journalism for online publications, as well a basic understanding of multimedia journalism. It examines the major theoretical debates around online news delivery and gives you the practical skills to produce specialist online reports.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

In this course you will develop the following program capabilities:

  • Demonstrate the cognitive, research, analytical, critical thinking, communication and presentation skills required for undergraduate study and professional practice
  • Be able to apply the ethics and regulations which govern modern media and communication practice
  • The ability to recognize news and to apply critical thinking, analytical skills and ethical practice in the gathering and presentation of news within the context of the professional requirements and demands of the multimedia newsroom
  • The professional skills to work in a converged, multimedia newsroom and the ability to adapt to future changes in newsroom practice


Upon successful completion of this course you will be able to:

  • Present journalism for the online medium
  • Create in-depth web-based journalism, incorporating use of images and multimedia elements
  • Analyse the theoretical issues of the world wide web and the impact on online journalism
  • Critically evaluate current theories of online journalism


Overview of Learning Activities

Through the labs, you will learn to write for the online medium and undertake investigative research techniques. You will also learn to plan and create dynamic multimedia presentations. In the lectures, you will learn to think beyond the constraints of the printed page or the broadcast medium. In addition, this course examines debate around the practice and future of online journalism. The regular assessment projects will encourage better online writing and publishing skills and will allow you to apply this new knowledge and skills to produce professional-level packages for your portfolio.

 


Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. There is no set text for this course, however you will need to be reading news websites, newspapers and consuming TV and radio news programs. When reading news online, you should gather information from a wide variety of sources; local, Melbourne-based news services, national and international. You should also be familiar with blogs and independent ‘net news services’.


Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how will you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program capabilities. This course has three assessable tasks which correspond with the three modules of study for the course: online writing and reporting, multimedia journalism and blogging. Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks. RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. There is no set text for this course, however you will need to be reading news websites, newspapers and consuming TV and radio news programs. When reading news online, you should gather information from a wide variety of sources; local, Melbourne-based news services, national and international. You should also be familiar with blogs and independent ‘net news services’.