MDIA 3310 - Professional Practice

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2014

This course prepares students for diverse fields of media work. It introduces students to the expectations of a range of professional media and communications roles within a range of organisations, including fast-developing media industries, government service and community organisations. The course is in three parts. The first part explores the changing nature of professional media careers and the role of communications professionals in broader industry, government and community environments. Career search and professional presentation will be included. During the second part, students will learn about current media and communications project management, communication strategies, report writing, and other essential activities in contemporary organisational environments. The third part provides an opportunity for students to develop and polish their skills in a broad range of media and professional writing forms.

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Course Details

Course Code	MDIA 3310
Course	Professional Practice
Coordinating Unit	Media
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Prerequisites	12 units Advanced Level Media
Incompatible	MDIA 3301
Restrictions	Available to B Media students only
Assessment	Attendance & participation 10%, Research essay 30%, Media skills project 30%, Professional writing exercise 30%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Ying Jiang

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1	Critically analyse critically communication principles in the context of contemporary society
2	Demonstrate understanding of the extent to which their skills meet the needs of the community in the digital era
3	Demonstrate strong practical skills involving problem solving, such as investigation of facts, the recognition of issues, the analysis of problems and situations, the use of tactics and decision-making
4	Demonstrate highly-developed awareness of the ways in which contemporary media professions are in a process of change resulting from the increasing reliance on digital communication forms
5	Acquire an understanding and appreciation of the importance of career planning and continuing professional development
6	Demonstrate the ability to complete an e-Portfolio consisting of skill assessment and career plan used for career advancement
7	Demonstrate the ability to participate as an active and informed member of society
8	Demonstrate the ability to identify, take responsibility for, and achieve personal goals

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	2,3,4,5
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	1,6
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	3,4,8
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	3,4,5,8
A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies.	2,6
A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life.	5
A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community.	7,8
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	1,2

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Textbook is not required for this course. Reading materials will be provided on MyUni.

Learning & Teaching Modes

Lectures supported by problem-solving tutorials which develop the lecture material.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

WORKLOAD	TOTAL HOURS
1 x 2-hour lecture (or equivalent) per week	24 hours per semester
1 x 1-hour tutorial per week	12 hours per semester
3 hours reading per week	36 hours per semester
4 hours group work per week	48 hours per semester
3 hours research per week	36 hours per semester
TOTAL WORKLOAD	156 hours per semester

Learning Activities Summary

Schedule
Week 1	What is a media profession & Project brief from participating organisations
Week 2	E-portfolio and self-presentation for media careers
Week 3	Planning a public relations career
Week 4	Planning a journalism career
Week 5	Planning a marketing & advertising career
Week 6	Strategic planning and develop a communication strategy
Week 7	Media and communication project management
Week 8	Media project report writing and online professional writing
Week 9	Finding jobs & preparing for job interviews
Week 10	Freelancing jobs & business requirements for freelancing professionals
Week 11	Employability
Week 12	Feedback from participating organisations

Small Group Discovery Experience

In this course, students will be provided opportunities to tackle communication issues for organizations based in Adelaide. At the beginning of this course, representatives from these four organisations will introduce their projects in the lecture; in the first couple of weeks, students in each tutorial will be divided into four small groups according to their strengths, skills and interests in the four projects. In other words, each tutorial group is viewed as a “Consultancy Company”, which provides communication and media related consultation services for organisations.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome
E-Portfolio	Formative and Summative	20%	2,4,5,6
Group Project Report	Formative and Summative	30%	3,4,7
Individual Professional Practice Reflection Paper	Summative	40%	6,8
Tutorial Participation and Professional Conduct	Formative and Summative	10%	1,3,8

Assessment Detail

E-Portfolio (20%): students are required to create an electronic portfolio by using blogs, wikis, Facebook pages or other online platforms.

Group Project Report (30%): students work in a group and produce a report of 1800 words (or equivalent) on a chosen project.

Individual Professional Practice Reflection (40%): students submit a reflection paper of 1600 words (not including references/bibliography).

Tutorial Participation and Professional Conduct (10%): attendance and participation in tutorials.

Submission

Information available on enrolment.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator