Teaching journalism during a pandemic

Covid-19 has upended social structures and wreaked havoc on a carefully measured education system. Schools and colleges are just one of many, which have been shocked out of their routines. Fortunately, we have the technology to meet this strange new-world head-on. The education system has been forced to adapt swiftly to changes such as switching of curriculum, revisiting outdated topics and training students and teachers to function online.

As our method of teaching evolves, the subjects that are taught evolve with it. The influx of learning-focused applications and software makes it possible to have online classes that mimic physical/on-site classroom environments. Some experts say that online education, judging by the way it is progressing will come to surpass offline education sooner than we can predict it. “Teachers need to distil their key goals and leverage technology features to meet them. Used well — online chat, discussion forums, re-playable video lessons, online meetings, etc. offer tremendous opportunities to make students more engaged (and accountable) compared to time-strapped classrooms where students hide and few hands shoot up,” says Christine Greenhow, associate professor of educational technology in the College of Education, Michigan State University.

Some experts say that online education, judging by the way it is progressing will come to surpass offline education sooner than we can predict it.

The World Economic Forum is terming this shift a ‘Catalyst’ that could finally change ‘centuries-old, lecture-based approaches to teaching, entrenched institutional biases, and outmoded classrooms.’ Professors are driven to experiment in their classrooms, exploring the various options available on virtual platforms.

Education institutions now have the opportunity to provide a truly immersive learning experience. By using the array of tools available, not only can skills be transferred efficiently, but also make the experience fun. Involving students in guides or real-time surveys about a topic in class or having them contribute to a class blog and webpage is one of the way ways to ensure their engagement.

By using the array of tools available, not only can skills be transferred efficiently, but also make the experience fun. Involving students in guides or real-time surveys about a topic in class or having them contribute to a class blog and webpage is one of the way ways to ensure their engagement.

Teaching journalism becomes particularly challenging during this time. What has always been taught through a practice-oriented, ‘boots on the ground’ approach now needs to be rethought to fit the pedagogy of online learning. Since very few schools and colleges in India deal with the subject as a practice-heavy one, those that do, like the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (IIJNM), Bangalore have an upper hand when it comes to rethinking curriculum for the pandemic. In the twenty years since its founding, IIJNM has focused on a number of creative and technological ways to bring the world into its classrooms and provide a holistic outlook of the field. A flipped classroom approach, which has been a common practice at this journalism school has already laid the foundation for a path-breaking online-learning effort.

Teaching journalism online turns students into trainee-journalists. When they are taught how to report and reporting techniques online, and face the challenge to implement it without the safety net of the collegiate system, learning is intensified. This environment not only gives students a glimpse at the bright future that awaits them but also makes them poised for success as they enter the field.

Journalism educators are also at crossroads. It is already an accepted fact that journalists of today need to be well-rounded and technologically proficient. The pandemic ensures that. Students of all journalism streams now have to learn to work with software to produce their work on time. They can no longer choose to ignore its importance.

The spread of misinformation during the Covid-19 outbreak has put people’s lives at stake. As a response to this pandemic, the internet is flooded with massive amounts of information leading to WHO terming it an 'infodemic'.

It becomes necessary, therefore, to become conscious consumers of news and learn to differentiate fact from fiction. Fact-checking and digital verification are now irreplaceable tools of any journalist. The teaching of journalism has to be able to meet these demands. There is an immediate need for training and for these subjects to become a core aspect of journalism courses in the country. Teachers can undergo short-term training and workshops offered by Google, Facebook and DataLeads, to name a few. Hardly any courses in journalism across the country are being taught by faculty who have been trained in techniques of digital verification. The Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media is one such school whose faculty have the expertise to conduct workshops on fact-checking across the country.

There is an immediate need for training and for these subjects to become a core aspect of journalism courses in the country. Teachers can undergo short-term training and workshops offered by Google, Facebook and DataLeads, to name a few.

Online learning is by no means, a new field. Education Platforms like Coursera, Edx and Udemy, to name a few have been offering online courses in partnership with prestigious universities across the globe for years now. These courses are self-paced and most times free to audit. Educators now look to these platforms to act as building blocks while structuring a course to be delivered exclusively via the web.

Educators need to be technologically competent; they need to have the proficiency to use pre-existing virtual tools to bring in the same level of interaction and learning that is expected in a real classroom. The need to distil our pedagogy also stems from the fact that online learning tends to be more dynamic than in-class learning can be. Students now have the freedom to explore subjects being taught in class simultaneously – they can, when pushed, reach beyond the limits of the textbook. Physical classes usually do not have this luxury.

In courses where the curriculum focuses on practical learning over theory, the need for this is dire. In addition to using apps like Zoom, Google Classroom and Windows Meeting to conduct live sessions, we need to find ways to mimic a virtual university atmosphere to foster discussion, debate and learning.

Using an open-source learning management system like Moodle, IIJNM allows its professors to provide real-time personal feedback to the students in addition to grades and assignments. These platforms provide the option of instituting forums that the professors and students use to talk about topics discussed in class once the allotted hour is done. This is designed to ensure that the students have a semi-formal way to discuss doubts and find solutions like they would in a real classroom.

Controlled interactive sessions, real-time online quizzes and one-on-one online counselling are just some of the ways colleges like IIJNM have succeeded in building a coherent online curriculum to suit the demands of the pandemic and beyond.

About the author

Sangeetha Alwar is Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. She holds an MA degree in English Literature and a B2 level in French from Alliance Française de Bangalore and has also volunteered for two years in the service-learning programme “Srujana”, teaching the English language to underprivileged children in Bengaluru.

 

 

 

 

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha