Teaching Journalism Online: A Handbook for Journalism Educators

"The physical closure of universities and university colleges due to Covid-19 has accelerated the digitalization of journalism teaching to a record speed."

This handbook is designed to give journalism instructors the resources they need either to create a new online course or module or to transform an existing course or module from face-to-face to online delivery. In particular, it offers guidance on how instructors can convey knowledge and teach skills in online course delivery formats in an informative and engaging way. It covers, for example, teaching online in resource-constrained settings, curbing academic dishonesty in online courses, creating a student-centred learning environment, and supporting diversity in the virtual classroom.

As explained in the guide, remote teaching and learning is particularly challenging in journalism education, as the subject matter is often practical and is heavily focused on experiential learning and face-to-face interaction. The need to deliver successful online journalism courses has existed for some time but was accelerated due to COVID-19, when many universities were forced to teach remotely; the trend can be expected to continue. The handbook, which forms part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Series on Journalism Education, has been produced to address this need and the particular challenges of online teaching in this field.  

The chapters are written by invited contributors from around the globe - including from the United States, Ghana, Mexico, Chile and Australia - who have taught fully online courses. Each chapter includes explanations of key concepts, practical tips, and exercises and ends with takeaways from the chapter.  

The contents are as follows:

Introduction: What does it mean to teach online?

Part I: Getting your course online

• Chapter 1: Planning your online course - dissects the process of planning a new online course from scratch, weighing the advantages and challenges of synchronous, asynchronous, and blended online delivery. From backward design to course organisation to technology access considerations, the chapter covers designing and teaching new journalism courses online.
• Chapter 2: Transitioning face-to-face courses to online format - looks at the process of transitioning an existing face-to-face course to online delivery. Highlighting adaptability as the key to success, the chapter argues that being proactive about understanding student needs, focusing on learning outcomes, and being organised are some ways to ensure a smooth transition.
• Chapter 3: Overcoming assessment pitfalls in online teaching - recommends some strategies to curb academic dishonesty in online courses, where it is harder to authenticate students' identities and deploy proctored exams. From reducing stress on students, which has been documented to correlate with a temptation to cheat, to leveraging affordances of online learning management systems, the chapter shows how classic assignments, like exams, as well as journalism-specific projects and portfolios, can be structured and scaffolded strategically to assess students' actual learning.
• Chapter 4: Creating assignments and assessments that work well in online spaces - examines several ways in which assessment of student learning could look different in online courses. The chapter shares examples of assignments in online courses that leverage free resources from universities or nonprofit organisations to expand students' horizons and enhance their practical journalistic skills.
• Chapter 5: Using course management software and videoconferencing - outlines best practices related to the design and use of course management software and videoconferencing to support student learning. After providing guidance on identifying and mitigating logistical challenges inherent in using videoconferencing with students in far-flung time zones and with different connectivity issues, the chapter showcases how to use digital spaces and tools to augment higher-order learning and the perspectives instructors bring to their synchronous courses.
• Chapter 6: Using low-fi methods for online teaching in scarce-resource settings - provides guidance on teaching journalism online in scarce-resource settings based on the case study of the Republic of Ghana. The chapter shows how, with some creative thinking and flexible teaching methods, educational institutions in areas with deficient network infrastructure, computer access, and internet connectivity can adopt online learning during times of disruption to higher education, such as a pandemic.

Part II: The human side of online teaching

• Chapter 7: Fostering community and engagement in online 'classrooms' - looks at building active learning experiences into online courses to foster community and student engagement. A strategy that the chapter characterises as particularly effective in online courses is the R2D2 model, which stands for Read, Reflect, Display and Do. By matching highly interactive tasks in each of the four categories with authentic, individualised feedback, instructors can increase student engagement and learning.
• Chapter 8: Working with various types of learners online - considers how students taking online courses differ not only in digital literacy but also in learning abilities and interests. One strategy that the chapter proposes is to create a student-centred learning environment that accommodates individual learning differences, such as using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework.
• Chapter 9: Focusing on diversity and inclusion - covers ways to support diversity in the virtual classroom. From strategies to make students of a variety of identities comfortable in online courses to methods for discussing, delivering, and documenting diversity, the chapter reminds instructors how to be intentional in their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in online journalism courses.
• Chapter 10: Collaborative learning experience in online spaces - highlights the importance of teamwork and collaborative projects in journalism courses. The chapter argues that with judicious organisation, thoughtful grouping strategies and division of labour, and careful instructor guidance and feedback, collaborative learning can be successfully implemented in online spaces.

Part III: Challenges in online teaching

• Chapter 11: Teaching reporting- and writing-intensive courses online - explores ways to overcome challenges of teaching reporting- and writing-intensive courses online. From course design, to assignments, to feedback and grading, the chapter provides advice to help instructors plan for, and succeed in, teaching synchronous and asynchronous online journalism courses with heavy writing expectations.
• Chapter 12: Teaching audio production and podcasting online - provides strategies for designing project-based audio production and podcasting courses for online delivery. Highlighting scaffolding techniques that give students feedback on each phase of their projects, from ideation to execution to promotion, the chapter emphasises ways to take advantage of online resources to help students produce projects that set them apart from competitors.
• Chapter 13: Teaching television news online - offers suggestions for teaching television news in synchronous and asynchronous online courses. Although strategies such as backward design, assessment of student digital skills at the beginning of the semester, and constant feedback could benefit instructors in a variety of online courses, the chapter also zooms in on challenges unique to teaching TV production successfully online in ways that parallel challenges that TV stations had to navigate during the pandemic.
• Chapter 14: Teaching research methods online - outlines strategies for teaching research methods courses online. By focusing on the most taxing aspects of courses meant to enhance scientific research skills that journalists may need to know - namely, teaching statistics and software usage - the chapter emphasises the importance of organising in advance, of leveraging online tools, and of blending online modalities.
• Chapter 15: Teaching students in very large courses online - explores how time, place, and presence are important considerations when teaching very large courses online. A large number of students means increased issues and tasks for instructors to take care of, and the chapter proposes several solutions, from technical to organisational, to address these unique challenges.

Part IV: The future of online journalism education

• Chapter 16: Skeptics no more: A new era for journalism education delivery - looks ahead to the future of online journalism education, drawing on what the pandemic period has taught instructors to suggest innovations that might be possible now that large numbers of journalism instructors have gained experience teaching online. The chapter suggests that journalism programmes leverage online capabilities for cross-institution collaborations and greater involvement from journalism professionals while taking into account what recent graduates missed during the pandemic and the burdens shouldered by individual instructors.