As part of an ongoing series on teaching and assessing engagement in social media to journalists, her I look at some of the issues affecting how higher education lecturers actually go about teaching social media. It's not easy!
The original research questions were set out here and I would welcome feedback...
How to teach?
Mason and Rennie (2008 p44) note the need to identify to learners the difference between ‘need to know’ and ‘nice to know’. This is especially relevant for the practitioner who finds themselves with a diverse student body with a wide range of core skills in terms of social media. As with so much design, the practitioner needs to build on what students already know. It is important for the lecturer to resist any temptation to wander into the extremes: an early adopter appearing infatuated with every new site and new development can be as overwhelming as a Neo Luddite, who resists the use of any digital tools, is underwhelming. Extensive discussions with colleagues in the department reveal a full spectrum of engagement.
As Godwin-Jones notes, one of the most lucrative real time developments of the web is ‘how new social networking phenomena on the web like community tagging, shared bookmarking and blogs have created convergence between consumers and creators, between reading and writing, between public and private spaces’. It is this convergence that is at the heart of our dilemma in terms of teaching and assessing social media: how to ally the public world of journalistic practice with private learning spaces for students within the university. In my experience within the department, no one really ‘knows’ the answer and it is this looming sense of grey area that is hindering our moves forward.
Buttry 2009 recommends that social media be incorporated throughout the curriculum from writing, visual journalism content dissemination, ethics and social media strategy in management. Mason and Rennie (2008 p46) turn to the basics of pedagogy and encourage practitioners to remember the principles of course design: work out ‘what it is you want the learner to be able to do’ and then ask ‘what tools do they need to prove they can use it’. So far this is failing to be delivered within the department. Instead, colleagues seem to feel social media has to be taught by a ‘digital journalism’ specialist which results in a raft of workload issues. Some of the reasons for this have already been touched on but it could also be rooted in confusion on how to teach social media.
It is essential for there to be a clear, department-wide policy on how to teach social media which also sets out a framework of expected behaviour. Richardson (2006) states that safety is about responsibility, appropriateness, common sense and our obligation to teach what is acceptable. Concerns range from exposing the department to plagiarism, copyright, libel and defamation cases to wanting to create private learning spaces. For example, if students were asked to consider Facebook as a professional platform them you could be accused of invading their personal space. JoMec needs to take further steps to set out a teaching strategy in a web 2.0 environment. If lecturers were confident they had taken whatever steps necessary to protect students in an online environment, as well as educating them on plagiarism, copyright and intellectual property, then more transparent and open exchanges could take place.
How to teach social media is also affected in the department by the sheer number of students. Some universities can offer blogs, for example, and monitor exchange and comments. However JoMec has 450 undergraduates and it would be impossible to monitor the social media presence of all the students in our care.
Key aspects of how to teach social media will depend on what needs to be taught and the year of study. Issues of how to teach can be loosely categorized, in accordance with earlier topics, as follows:
• Helping students to conceptualize the range of tools out there
Classroom example: Several social media tools can be presented with relevant examples of its journalistic use backed up with evidence of use in a professional setting. Students are then asked to find new tools, discuss how they could be useful, and share them on a class wiki. Problem-based learning on news days has been used with limited success to date.
• How to log on or step by step ‘how to’ guides
Classroom example . Task setting on closed online learning spaces such as webct have been used to good effect with worksheets that students can follow step by step. A portfolio of technical skills can be effectively built up in this way in a student’s own time. Most technical skills can be taught in this way. Feedback from lecturing staff clashes with students on this matter: lecturers do not want to ‘waste’ time showing undergraduates how to push buttons while this level of hand holding is often desired by students
• Role and purpose of tools in a journalistic setting
Classroom example: smaller study groups can be used to discuss, analyse and evaluate the purpose of tools. The findings could be presented by way of multimedia packages or social platforms. Reflection, commentary and critique could be learning objectives. Blogs combine solitary reflection and social interaction. Online virtual classrooms such as Twiddla have worked well for debate and discussions.
• The business and ethics of modern-day journalism
Classroom example: Lectures and seminar activities around ethics, revenues, audiences, copyright, plagiarism and newsroom structures will assist students to unpick the key issues at play and then critically engage.
• How to filter news or be a sense maker, managing UGC
Classroom example: problem- or task-based learning can focus students’ attention to detail while reflection will help make sense of ‘why’. Real-life simulations or role plays could also generate opportunities to teach crowd sourcing and interaction.
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