There are two parts to this assessment: participation in a podcast episode and listening to the podcast episodes.

Participation: Students will take in turns partnering with the unit convenor (Helene Thomas) to prepare, present and package one podcast episode over the course of the unit. These podcasts will replace weekly lectures. Leading up to their assigned week students will listen to a professionally produced radio feature/podcast/live radio excerpt and discuss the piece with the other presenters of the podcast (fellow students and convenor). The podcast presenters will critique the piece or pieces they've listened to thinking about theme, structure and narrative style, content, technical production and quality, and target audience. The podcasts will be recorded in the radio studio every Monday from 9am-10am. Punctuality is a pre-requisite. Being late will be considered a "no-show". This part of the assessment is worth 10%.

Listening: All students will be required to participate in a regular quiz via iLearn. The quiz will have questions related to the podcast episodes. Students who engage with the podcast each week should receive full or high marks for this assessment. This part of the assessment is also worth 10%.

The criteria against which your participation will be graded are:

• create a rich and rewarding media experience for listeners
• engage in constructive round-table discussion about audio content
• demonstrate a familiarity with different genres, styles and practices including new initiatives in radio and be able to talk about them with others 
• demonstrate active listening and engagement in the whole podcast series
• punctuality

This assessment task relates to the following Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

For this assessment all students will be required to submit a "rough cut"* of their audio feature at the beginning of tutorials in Week 7 after the mid-session break. During the week 7 tutorials students will be assigned one student feature each and will have five days to complete a critical appraisal of the piece. Students will be assessed on the quality of their feedback**. The appraisal will cover feedback on the idea, structure, narrative style, content, technical production and quality, whether each moment of the piece is understood and how engaging it is. Students are required to offer suggestions for improvements and also highlight the strengths of the piece. The required word length of the critical appraisal is between 400 and 500 words (approximately 1 page). 

This assessment is due on Friday 29th April by midnight. Assessment to be submitted through turnitin. 

Assessment tasks are aligned to the unit Learning Outcomes. Timely submission of assessment tasks is a unit requirement or penalties apply. 10% per day (including weekends) will be deducted for all late submissions unless Disruptions to Studies (including a request for an extension) is approved.

* A rough cut of a radio feature is almost a completed version of a piece. The Pro Tools session must include all roughly edited segments of the feature (i.e. interviews/narration/music/SFX/atmos etc). Every segment should be placed carefully and thoughtfully and the piece must make sense to the listener. In other words, the structure needs to be well thought out. The length of the rough cut should be approximately the required duration, give or take a little.

** Once this feedback is formally assessed it will be passed on to the student whose work was appraised along with the convenor’s comments and suggestions.

The criteria against which your appraisal will be graded are:

• to be able to identify interesting and engaging audio stories
• to know what is required to create a rich and rewarding media experience for listeners
• to be able to offer constructive and quality feedback to your peers regarding their work

This assessment task relates to the Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 5, 6

Students will produce audio content for the themed* live three-hour broadcast. This can be in the form of: a feature or a current affairs styled feature package; or audio collage exploration of the theme; or, a series of short pieces around the theme to be spaced through the program; or a radio drama, sketch or comedic presentation/piece. The duration for this piece is between 10 and 15 minutes.

All radio content (features, packages and other) will be judged on their:

• impact/construction and ability to communicate with, engage or move an audience
• quality of the content and research leading to the finished work including its scope, rigour, originality and/or suitability to the theme
• aesthetic, entertainment or innovative qualities, and or quality/sophistication of the argument of the piece - taking into consideration its intended audience
• overall technical quality

Student aims, and any problems encountered, lessons learnt, should be outlined in an accompanying scholarly reflection to assist in the marking process. The required length for this is minimum one page and maximum two pages (500-1000 words).

Assessment criteria for the scholarly reflection is as follows:

• the ability to critically engage with one's own work (i.e. identify strengths and areas for improvement)
• apply theory to practice
• selection of quotes and paraphrases used as evidence and examples (do they strengthen the point or argument / have they been integrated critically, smoothly and in a variety of ways)
• clear and concise writing style
• accuracy of in-text referencing and reference list presentation

Submit audio assessment to DAWS and written material via iLearn before your Tutorial in Week 11. 

Assessment tasks are aligned to the unit Learning Outcomes. Timely submission of assessment tasks is a unit requirement or penalties apply. 10% per day (including weekends) will be deducted for all late submissions unless Disruptions to Studies (including a request for an extension) is approved.

IMPORTANT: All features will go through a selection process whereby 3 to 5 are selected for broadcast (the number will depend on duration of the pieces). The judging panel for this selection process will be the EPs of the radio shows, Helene Thomas, Peter Ring and Sean Britten.

This assessment task relates to the following Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6. 

* Themes will be discussed in tutorials and decided on by the end of the tutorial in Week 2.

Students will co-produce a three-hour live radio show to be broadcast on 2SER in Week 13 or 14 (week to be confirmed in first tutorial). The show will include a Q&A forum in the second hour (a replica of the Australian television panel discussion program Q&A, broadcast on ABC television hosted by news journalist Tony Jones).

This assessment is based on individual performance in your role for the live production and written documentation supporting your contribution to the class/team broadcast. In this last respect, you will need to regularly update others of progress in your role on an iLearn forum that will be set up for each class. Keep a diary with regular comments and reflections on your role and content produced for the show. This 'production diary' – with final comments on the success of your program and some of the key things you have learnt – should be kept from Week 7 and be submitted at the end of the week after the broadcast as supporting evidence of your participation. The diary may be digital/typed, or hand written (in part) in a journal/notebook. Typed/online/digital entries including iLearn discussions can be pasted in or enclosed with this (check with convenor for any variations to this).

In the early weeks of the unit you will be elected to a role or will have the chance to volunteer for a specific task.

These tasks include: Executive Producers for the live radio show (create run sheets, direct presenters, check overall technical quality, take responsibility for content, deadlines etc) (2 students); Executive Producer for Q&A Forum segment (choose people for panel and arrange their participation; direct the compere etc) (1 student); a Compere for Q&A segment (1 student) who will work with EP of the Q&A segment in smooth running of forum and scripting/questions; Panel Operators (2 students), one in radio studio, the other operating desk for Q&A forum - both under the direction of Peter Ring (Radio Facilities Manager); Producer-Assistants for the day, to run boom mics, act as messengers/liaison, assist guests, follow up guests with thank-yous and run social media before and on the day (2-3 students); Presenters to host the radio show (up to 4 students, for 2 sessions); Online Content Producers (2 students); a Roving Reporter who will deliver 2 voice pieces on-location via phone, 'filing' these reports live on the day, or possibly these can be pre-produced, but programmed as if live; Audio Content Producer (stings/promos) (1-2 students); Entertainment Producer (organise, rehearse and be responsible for musical artists or other performers featured in the individual class shows, and performing live for radio audiences and before the live audience gathered in the Drama Studio and organise the playlist for the entire show) (1-2 students).

Submit written documentation via iLearn by the end of the week of the live broadcasts (Sunday midnight). Audio should be submitted to Drop Box in DAWS by the Friday of the broadcast (no later than 5pm). Create your own folder with your name and in your class group and submit all of your audio content into that folder.

Assessment tasks are aligned to the unit Learning Outcomes. Timely submission of assessment tasks is a unit requirement or penalties apply. 10% per day (including weekends) will be deducted for all late submissions unless Disruptions to Studies (including a request for an extension) is approved.

The criteria against which you will be graded are:

• Perform independently and collaboratively in production processes to produce audio and/or online content to a high standard
• Develop and perform professional work practices in areas such as time-keeping and deadlines, professional etiquette, personal organisation and care of equipment
• Respond effectively and efficiently to a high pressure working environment
• Reflect-in-action and reflect-on-action to reveal new insights about your own practice
• Work effectively in a team environment (completing required tasks on time and doing a fair share of the work overall)

This assessment task relates to the following learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6.