Outreach

Internationalizing a Journalism Curriculum Using Distance Education Technology: A Pilot Project Between Lebanese American University and the University of Missouri-Columbia

October 26-29, 1999, Beirut, Lebanon

— by Magda Abu-Fadil (Lebanese American Univeristy) and Roger Gafke (University of Missouri-Columbia)


Next Steps

The editors could have a greater role in the development of final versions of students' stories. The editors could react to story proposals, critique first or second drafts of stories and prepare generalized comments about strengths and weakness of the stories as a group. This last step permits students to learn from the experience of their peers.

Any of these additional steps requires that the role(s) of the distant editor regarding grading, enforcing deadlines and journalism standards be clear to faculty and students.

The distant editor's role(s) should be an extension of the face-to-face relationship the resident editor has with his or her students. Where possible the distance work of the editor should be supplemented with campus visits to ensure he or she will be perceived as part of the resident team.

Resident students could work directly with the distant editor. This step is best done with an initial pilot project to test the relationships and technology. The local students could enroll in an independent study project with the distant editor as primary teacher. The local student might also be paired with a student at the distant site to work cooperatively on a project.

If the pilot project demonstrates the feasibility of the cooperative effort, groups of students and faculty editors can undertake a joint reporting project with teams of students working cooperatively on common story themes. The development of Web-based, course management software such as WebCT or Lotus Learning Space (among others) makes this group work much more feasible than it formerly was. The software contains it own e-mail systems and workspace for student groups to post and edit their projects.

Assuming the stories are of publishable quality, the editors can submit them to specific international publications for wider distribution.

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