Assessment for the online journalism module is divided between two assignments with the following assessment criteria:

Assignment 1 – Multimedia Portfolio (70%) – Due Tuesday 4 May 2010

NOTE: PLEASE CONTACT MARCUS, NOT CHRIS OR GARY, FOR ANY ISSUES RELATED TO THE SERVER OR CONFIGURATION OF YOUR PORTFOLIOS

Develop a multimedia portfolio of journalistic work on a selected theme using online content management system (CMS) and skills developed in module labs.

The minimum number of posts is 15. Students are expected to write at least one post of 200-300 words every week. Research from other work can be used provided it has relevance to the topic of the portfolio, but no work can be marked as part of this course and simultaneously for another class or module.

You are still welcome to use the site as a place to do work for other classes, but you must make it clear to us. We suggest using Wordpress’s Categories feature.

Below is a final rubric outlining what we will expect when we mark your portfolio:

Content:

• Quality of content (interesting, on-topic, target audience)
• Tightness and clarity of writing
• Do the articles have a clear relevance to each other? In other words a well-thought-through topic that is clearly reflected in each post
• Clear command of compositional methods outlines in lab 3 (lab 4 for Internationals).
• Clear relevance between artiles and the time when they were written.
• Accuracy (factual, grammar, sourcing, spelling and punctuation)
• Adherence to copyright and legal
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Presentation:

• Sensible presentational choices – is it easy to read
• Clear evidence of customizations to the design.
• Creative use of tags/categories
• Use of images
• Use of maps/widgets to support individual stories and/or site as a whole

Options which may enhance your mark but are not mandatory for the assignment:

• Use of rich multimedia content
• Installation of additional plugins
• Live-uploaded content
• Input from users/readers
• Experimentation

Please note that having your own domain name for your portfolio makes absolutely no difference to your final mark.

Assignment 2 – Reflexive Analysis (30%) – Due Tuesday, 6 April 2010

Author an original 800 word feature in response to one of these questions introduced in the module lectures attended by all MA students in the Department of Journalism.

Please answer one of the following questions in your feature:

• What is the role of the reporter in Web 2.0 and beyond?
• Analyse the ethical issues involved in journalists accessing personal data (social networks, automated biographers, google, etc) for use in a story.
• Does convergence enhance or diminish the number and variety of stories and perspectives in the media?
• Develop an iPhone app strategy for a corporation, government or non-profit organisation that does not yet have apps available.
• Evaluate the merits of a ‘paywall’ for corporate media organisations. Use specific examples to support your argument.
• Propose a business model for a feasible journalism project in 2011. Identify target markets, scale (eg. local … global), differentiators, and resource roles/requirements.

Submit feature to box entitled “Online Journalism Reflexive Analysis” at journalism department front desk. Box will be there from Monday, 29 March to Friday, 09 April and will be cleared each evening (5pm) from 6 April onwards. Late assignments handed in after 6 April will be deducted 10% each day until 09 April. After 09 April no late assignments will be accepted.

Assessment Criteria

Article should be written and submitted in hard copy form. It should take the form of a journalistic feature article supplemented with academic sourcing through footnotes/endnotes and references. If a source is a website indicate the full url in your reference.

1. Theme and focus of article
2. Headline, cutlines, standfirst, intro, pull quotes, etc
3. Structure of article (tightness, clarity of writing, images)
4. Accuracy (grammar, spelling and punctuation)
5. Use of source material (quotes, key facts, academic research)

There are no extensions, and no exceptions.