Assessment
The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments. Each module has one or more formal or ‘summative’ assessment which is graded and counts towards the overall module grade.
Assessment methods include written news stories, features and commentaries; audio and visual news and feature items; portfolios with reflective reports; essays; production tasks involving a range of media technology; group and individually produced projects; research exercises; critical self and peer review; work-based learning reports and external placement opportunities. Tutor observation forms part of assessment for some aspects of group work.
There is an in-class test in the Law in JOUR1010 Journalism Law & Ethics. The assessment criteria for all journalism modules reflect the need for professionalism and a commitment to group activities in the planning and production of work, and this requires good attendance. Attendance at all formal taught sessions and other course activities is expected.
The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken, but a typical formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is:
Year 1:
1 presentation
1 exam
2 essays
4 portfolios of practical journalistic work and news stories.
Year 2:
3 essays
5 portfolios of practical journalistic work and reflective reports and original news stories.
Year 3:
final project
work placement portfolio
2 essays
3 portfolios of practical journalistic work