There are four online multiple choice quizzes throughout the semester testing your understanding of the readings and podcasts.

Quizzes are hosted on MAS203s iLearn site and you can access them at the beginning of each week in which they are set.  Each quiz must be completed by 9 pm on the Friday of the quiz week. See iLearn for quiz schedule and deadlines.

This Assessment Task relates to the following Learning Outcomes:

1 Demonstrate key theories and practice of news and current affairs media

2 Evaluate the relationship between news and current affairs and politics and culture

3 Synthesize theories to understand and evaluate the relationship between news and current affairs and society

4 Demonstrate critical evaluation of news and current affairs in global media

You will write a news story for a newspaper (print or online) using the inverted pyramid model introduced in classes. The news story will be based exclusively on a report or a study (such as a government report, an academic study, or NGO report). This assessment will contain: a 10-12 paragraph news story with a lead paragraph, explanation paragraphs (important facts and details, quotes and indirect quotes), and additional information; a headline and student byline (these are not counted as paragraphs); and a list of five questions that you would ask either the lead author of the report/study or an expert or someone who you believe could be affected by the report/study (these should be placed at the bottom of the news story with the heading 'Interview Questions'). 

The exercise requires you to identify the report's most newsworthy point(s) and prioritise the information contained in the report. The assessment should be approximately 450-500 words in total.

You will be given the report/study during workshops.  

The aim of this assessment is to help you familiarise themselves with processes and procedures related to the construction of news in order to enable a better evaluation of news and current affairs. Furthermore, to help you develop the skills to be able to identify and create a news story; report in a clear, concise, factual and engaging way; develop an understanding of the use and implications of selecting, editing, condensing and excluding during the story construction process; and create for readers a rich and rewarding media experience.

This assessment is to be submitted through Turnitin (links to all assessments are on the iLearn page for this unit).

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 the report will be graded are:

• identifying newsworthiness,

• structure and style,

• comprehensiveness,

• grammar and presentation, and

• appropriate interview questions.

This Assessment tasks is aligned to the following  Learning Outcomes:

1 Demonstrate key theories and practice of news and current affairs media

4. Demonstrate critical evaluation of news and current affairs in global media

There are two components to this assessment: practical and written. They are equally weighted (20% each).

Practical

In pairs or small groups you will produce a television news story for a class news bulletin. The news package will be approximately 90 seconds to 120 seconds in duration. 

Students will work collaboratively on this project from Week 4 to Week 10 incorporating both production skills (technical and management) and audio/visual storytelling techniques. This project will incorporate digital camera operation, audio recording, digital video and audio editing using desktop software. 

The criteria against which the TV news story will be graded are:

• Demonstrate key practices of news and current affairs media (understanding of how news journalism functions)
• Work effectively in a team environment (effective collaboration; completing required tasks on time; doing a fair share of the work overall)

This part of the assessment is due Friday, 19th May, 9pm.

Written

You are required to submit a reflective journal (minimum 1000 words).

In this journal you will reflect on your experience of producing a television news story and critically evaluate your experience where you think about the connection between theory and practice, and link these ideas with what you have learned from the unit coursework and readings and elaborating on it. You will also reflect on what you have taken out of the experience in order to inform practice.

The reflective journal is more than a description of your observations/thoughts or a summary of what happened. It requires going beyond describing what we do to thinking about why we do things. The key is to link what you studied, discussed and read during the unit to what you did on a practical level (i.e. the application of the theory to your own practice). 

At least 3 references should be used in the reflection (a combination of the text book and podcast episodes). The references can be used to compare and contrast your practical experience with theoretical approaches introduced in the readings and podcasts. You are encouraged to reference as much as you like throughout the journal to demonstrate a stronger link between theory and practice. All journals should include a reference list with full bibliographic details of all sources referred to in the journal, and in-text referencing. You can use the Harvard or author-date referencing style.

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 the reflective journal will be graded:

• Link theory and practice and explore the relationship between theory and practice in an authentic and concrete way

The reflective journal is to be submitted through Turnitin (links to all assessments are on the iLearn page for this unit). 

This part of the assessment is due Friday 2nd June, midnight.

This Assessment Task is aligned to the following Learning Outcomes:

1 Demonstrate key theories and practice of news and current affairs media

2 Evaluate the relationship between news and current affairs and politics and culture

3 Synthesize theories to understand and evaluate the relationship between news and current affairs and society

4 Demonstrate critical evaluation of news and current affairs in global media

5 Reflect on practice and theory