Web-based Curriculum Support

I have developed a series of course websites which document both curriculum content and the development of a resource-based approach to teaching.

Some of the sites (such as Writing for the web) are meant primarily as resource databases for personal study others (such as News and Current Affairs) play a more integral role in course delivery.

The News and Current Affairs site was designed for intensive summer semester delivery of a course in media studies for journalism students. It provides a number of resources to students:

• web based resources for the pursuit of personal study
• summary notes of lectures and class presentations
• assessment task information
• study resources

It is thus a key resource for both communication of structural/administrative information about the course as well as an interactive resource list of course content.

It is also an evolving site that students contribute to over the course of the summer program. A number of class workshops revolve around the documentation of a media case study of the US CIA leak investigation and the role of NYT journalist Judith Miller. The site initally provides resources in ten designated areas of this case study. The students then work in groups to document particular aspects of the case. The information that they gather is then added to the site. (Due for completion February 2006)

The site also includes a blog which provides a point of contact with students between classes and also models the blogging assignment that they have to complete.

There are a number of reasons for this combined approach:

• the use of the internet for both research and production, models the importance of new media forms which are a key focus of the course content
  
• the web-based presentation of the case-study gives a sense of ownership to the students who produce content for the course site
  
• the production elements (both the case study and the blogging assignment) were deliberately introduced to allow for a better integration of theory and practice in the course - it allows the students to employ journalistic production techniques while also exploring the theoretical elements of media studies.

The Editing and Publishing site will also combine both a resourcing and a production element. Students will produce an online style guide which will then be used for the rest of the course as a reference.

In each case a combination of web-based and print-based resources are given to students to ensure the widest possible access to essential course materials.