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Instructional Planning Report
Journalism Department
2010-2015
Drafted by Brad Kava, Program Chair
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
A. Program Description
The Journalism Department consists of two adjunct professors who give four 3-unit
courses and two labs, including Introduction to News Writing; Photojournalism I and II;
Mass Communications; and Newspaper Production.
To broaden our outreach, we are also covering ground that we lost as the department cut
back, with Independent Studies in Broadcast Writing and Advertising Sales, for one to
three units. Mass Communications and News Writing are core courses; Photography and
Production are approved electives.
Our adjuncts have more than 20 years of professional experience as well as graduatelevel course work and college and high school teaching experience. The department uses
those skills to help students put out the campus newspaper, The Cabrillo Voice and a
weekly hour-long radio show, The Cabrillo Insider.
Through those programs, students get a solid introduction to the real world skills they
will need to find jobs in the field. They also gain a background in the issues that guide
contemporary journalism, including law, ethics, copyright, accuracy, grammar, research,
writing, interviewing, recording and video. While a journalism degree is often preferred
in hiring journalists, we have had students hired locally, right from Cabrillo.
Roughly a quarter of the program’s students in the past two years already have advanced
degrees and are studying to hone their skills and become more marketable. Many others
are fulfilling courses for transfer. Cutbacks to the program have made it impossible to get
an AA degree in the field.
B. Recent Developments
Since the last Planning Report in 2002, journalism and journalism education have been
in a state of tumult, to say the least. What looked five years ago to be an unshakeable
American institution has suddenly gone through drastic changes, mostly as a result of
new funding models and the Internet. Newspapers, magazines and radio formats have
folded, with some fearing an end to news reporting as we know it.
Over the previous four decades, the trend in media was of incorporating and making
smaller properties into large corporate ones. Large companies, such as Dow Jones and
Time-Warner bought hundreds of newspapers, television and radio stations, providing a
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strong career path for thousands of reporters, producers, writers and technicians. But
then, in a pattern that has been cyclical in many industries, an economic downturn sent
that model plummeting. Corporations, struck by a loss of ad revenue to more diverse and
targeted Internet media, could no longer afford top-level journalists and they laid them
off in droves. In the current economic downturn, many other industries have been
similarly afflicted.
Pundits have spent years trying to predict the outcome for journalism, something so
important to government, it has a special place in the country’s Bill of Rights. If an
advertising-based model is no longer effective, they ask, then how will news be spread?
The answers vary, from a non-profit educational model to a government-sponsored one,
with varying degrees of commercial models in between. The truth is, there is no answer
yet, just as there wasn’t for the music industry before Apple computer figured out how to
comfortably monetize digital music and became its largest seller.
With that in mind, the best thing a community college journalism program can do is
prepare students for a number of possibilities, and help them to become in the words of
writer Robert Fripp, “small, mobile, intelligent units.”
The goal of the department I inherited was to spend large amounts of money on
equipment that would enable students to master digital television and radio studios. That
was a fine goal at the time. However, with the downsizing of the industry has come a
downsizing of the equipment needed. Giant news cameras are now replaced with small
iPhones. Digital movie cameras and recorders are cheap, plentiful and pocket-sized. This
has made for what the University of Arizona Journalism School calls, the “citizen
journalist,” one who more than ever reflects the penny newspaper publishers the founding
fathers were acquainted with. It makes for a more democratized media, one that Cabrillo
is now fostering.
In the past four years, Cabrillo’s program has been scaled back from two full time
professors and three adjuncts to –gasp—one adjunct who serves as professor, program
chair and newspaper advisor. The downsizing, however, reflected the demand. Class size
was small and the program was on the verge of extinction. Luckily, in this past year,
demand has increased, and I suspect will continue to do so. We have also hired a second
adjunct for spring.
What has made the difference? Some possibilities: The most cynical is that students have
flooded the community college system as a result of the recession, and journalism classes
have benefited as have all disciplines.
But the people filling the classes tell a different story. They are truly sparked by the
prospects of a career in a field that is considerably more questionable than it was a few
years back.
They show that journalism has been reinvigorated by the election of Barack Obama in
2008, a tough contest that not only showed the need for accuracy in media, but politicized
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a new generation, much the same way that the election of John F. Kennedy did for the
children of the 1960s. The students in my three full classes think they can make a
difference as journalists and are pursuing studies vigorously.
One of our biggest accomplishments is the hiring of Shmuel Thaler, a nationally
recognized photographer, to teach photojournalism. Thaler is a born teacher who is
excited about keeping Cabrillo students ahead of the curve in terms of technology and
photo skills. With him on board, we have taken a big step to the kind of integration of
skills modern journalists need: photo, video, audio and writing. I hope our next hire will
be someone whose focus is more on broadcast, video and radio.
The most significant accomplishment is the continuation of the internship program
started by David Sheftman and Rowland Rebele. Mr. Rebele gave $50,000 to pay student
interns to work at media outlets, and has promised to continue the grant at least another
five years.
The results have been remarkable. We have had a string of student interns at the Santa
Cruz Sentinel, the Watsonville Register-Pajaronian, KSCO radio and Good Times. But
more important: they have had great success moving from grant-paid internships to full
time jobs. The first three of those four outlets have hired recent graduates and current
students. Nothing says success like getting a job from an internship. It also boosts
Cabrillo’s ties to the community, and the media’s ties to our program.
The Cabrillo Voice in print and on line has moved ahead by leaps and bounds. You have
only to compare the paper and Web site from two years ago to now to see a qualitative
difference. Both are on par with professional outlets.
Attendance in the program has taken off, from a low of six students two years ago in the
News Production course, to 35 now. Another quantifiable measure can be seen in the goal
I set a year ago of raising funds to keep the newspaper alive and growing. To do this,
with the help of business professor Ray Kaupp, I started a bi-disciplinary news
advertising class. It was funded in the first year by a VTEA grant used to develop a
curriculum. In the second year, I have donated my services for the class.
The results have been phenomenal. The newspaper has a business manager, who reports
that earnings in the first semester were $1,500, from students selling ads in the
community. I modeled the class on a similar one at San Jose State University. That one
raises tens of thousands of dollars, funds a daily newspaper and places students in
advertising jobs right from school. We are in infancy here, but I think we can turn this
into a solid interdisciplinary course, merging business and journalism and preparing
students for a career that is not only necessary all over, but thrives particularly in Silicon
Valley: marketing advertising for the Web. That’s a career with a solid future.
We are getting more crossover from Digital Media, with students learning skills there and
putting them in practice in Journalism. We have page designers and ad designers studying
in DM, and advise journalists to study over there. Even with the cutback of jobs for
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reporters, perusal of the help wanteds in the field shows that journalists with design and
Web skills are still prized.
C. The Job Market
EDD data projects a 4% decline in job demand for media and communications workers
in the Santa Cruz and Watsonville metropolitan area between 2002 and 2012. However,
demand for equipment operators and technicians will increase 11.1%. Demand for public
relations workers is predicted to grow by 14.3%, while demand for editors and technical
writers remains flat. EDD job projections for Santa Cruz County, 1997-2004, showed
fewer than 100 jobs as writers and editors.1
Growth is expected statewide for media related jobs, both for workers who produce
content and who operate equipment. Occupational employment projections for 20042014 for California show a 16.7% increase for media and communications workers, and
an 18.5% increase for media and communications equipment workers. An additional
1,300 jobs are projected statewide for film and video editors. The rise in demand for
equipment operators and video editors may afford Cabrillo an opportunity to create a
vocational certificate program which fills these employment needs for local employers in
the broadcast industry. The journalism industry advisory committee is exploring with
representatives of broadcast news stations, both radio and television, interest in a
certificate program to train camera operators, board operators, and video editors for local
employment at news outlets.
Statewide, jobs for print reporters/correspondents are expected to decline 2.1% while
demand for radio and television announcers is predicted to increase 2.2%. The journalism
program’s new emphasis on digital journalism and broadcast journalism shows
responsiveness to employment trends in an industry which increasingly uses video and
audio to deliver news.
EDD data shows BA/BS degrees as desirable for media employment; however, Cabrillo
journalism students continue to find employment, sometimes full-time, without a fouryear degree. One recent Cabrillo journalism AS degree holder was hired full time as a
reporter for the Watsonville Register Pajaronian. Journalism students with experience
and coursework gained during two years of instruction at Cabrillo have consistently been
hired as writers for weekly and biweekly community publications such as Good Times,
Metro Santa Cruz, MidCounty Post, Aptos Times, Capitola Times, Scott Valley Banner
and Valley Press.
May 2005 U.S. Department of Labor statistics show 52,500 employed nationally as
reporters and correspondents in print and broadcast news, with an average annual salary
of $40,370 and a median hourly wage of $15.52. On average, the hourly wage for
broadcast correspondents is higher ($24.04) than for print journalists ($17.68). California
1
Employment Development Department, Occupational Employment Projections, 2002-2012, Santa CruzWatsonville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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is among the states which pay the highest hourly and annual mean wage. Within our
local market, an entry-level full time reporter at a metro daily can expect an annual
starting salary between $25 and $30K, and stringers earn various rates for doing part-time
work.
Nationally, the newspaper industry continues a trend of downsizing and consolidation.
Journalism students face an increasingly competitive and tight job market in which up-todate web and digital media production skills, in addition to the fundamentals of sound
reporting, are a prerequisite to employment.
One upcoming trend is that of independent journalists banding together to form their own
media services. There are journalism groups doing investigative reporting, funded by
grants or contributions; others covering disasters, sports and music, forming online
publications and selling their work to mainstream newspapers and magazines as if they
were small, entrepreneurial wire services.
Here’s an example of one such service started by sports fans/reporters that is now being
paid by the San Francisco Chronicle:
Bleacher Report, which was started a year ago by four “obsessed sports fans from the
Bay Area," has landed a deal with Hearst Corp. to provide sports coverage to the
Chronicle and other Hearst papers, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Bleacher Report was founded by Dave Finocchio, Zander Freund, Bryan Goldberg
and Dave Nemetz. They call their site “the world’s largest publisher of exclusively fangenerated sports reporting.”
Our community of fan-experts creates hundreds of original stories each day, and we
publish their work to the millions of people who visit Bleacher Report on a monthly
basis. In addition, content created by the Bleacher Report community is used by several
major partners, including CBS Sports and Fox Sports.
How does Bleacher Report accomplish all this?
Simply stated, we provide our community of talented writers with the best possible
experience. Our publishing platform enables them to create first-rate content, and our
wide reach delivers their work to countless sports fanatics across the globe. Thus, for
many writers, contributing to Bleacher Report is a superior experience than operating
an independent blog.
According to Bleacher Report, the special local sections of the newspapers will have
original articles written by Bleacher contributors, and also “aggregated content from
across the Web.”
While such programs are impossible to quantify, there is anecdotal evidence that
journalism is heading this way. And by that I mean serious journalism, not just
blogging—the skills that make for fair, balanced, comprehensive coverage that not only
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reports news, but puts it in context. These skills are still needed and enterprising
journalists can forge careers with them.
In February, 2010, we have six current and former students being paid at Santa Cruz’s
only commercial AM station, KSCO. Two are being paid at the Santa Cruz Sentinel. One
is at Good Times; one at the Register-Pajaronian and one at the Oakland A’s magazine.
These students have broadened the class’s understanding of what it is to work in the
professional world, and by working while studying, have significantly added real world
experience to the classroom environment.
D. Productivity
JOURN - Program planning data for 2008/09
3
5
2
3
3
47
61
58
73
67
Fall
80.3%
76.7%
68.4%
53.6%
75.5%
5
3
Spring
72.3%
78.4%
76.0%
77.1%
74.3%
Fall
84.4%
83.7%
74.4%
57.6%
88.5%
Business, English & Language Arts (BELA)
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Journalism
Course Enrollment
Academic
Year
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
Fall
124
129
122
128
139
Source: Data Warehouse
FA
Majors
Spring
131
149
126
111
136
SP
Fall
50
52
66
67
77
FA
SP
FTES
Academic
Year
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
Fall
14.4
15.8
15.3
15.8
15.5
Success
Spring
FA
Fall
447.1
487.4
471.7
489.4
479.0
Fall
Count
5
5
2
1
3
Time
10.4
3.8
1.5
27.0
5.7
Certificates of
Achievement
Count
Time
0
0.0
0
0.0
0
0.0
0
0.0
2
3.0
Skill Certificates
Count
0
0
0
0
0
Time
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Source: Datatel
FTEF
Spring
485.7
521.7
436.7
376.2
424.6
Spring
78.5%
83.8%
83.2%
83.5%
89.0%
SP
WSCH
Spring
15.7
16.9
14.0
12.2
13.7
Degrees
Retention
Percent of College
WSCH
Fall
Spring
0.28%
0.31%
0.30%
0.33%
0.30%
0.28%
0.29%
0.23%
0.25%
0.23%
WSCH/FTEF = Load
1.4
1.3
1.5
1.6
1.3
Spring
1.3
1.5
1.5
1.5
0.8
Fall
331.2
366.5
306.3
315.7
368.5
Spring
379.5
354.9
287.9
248.0
519.9
3
5
3
5
Spring
67.8%
67.8%
66.6%
67.8%
68.9%
Fall
82.9%
81.0%
80.6%
80.6%
85.5%
Percent of College
FTEF
Fall
Spring
0.46%
0.43%
0.45%
0.48%
0.51%
0.49%
0.49%
0.48%
0.42%
0.27%
Source: Datatel XFAS report [Faculty Assignment Sheets.]
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5
4
Spring
47,283
46,652
47,024
51,727
51,634
Fall
6,005
6,870
7,531
8,425
8,948
College Totals
Majors
Course Enrollment
Academic
Year
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
Fall
45,159
47,997
48,151
51,362
56,005
Success
Spring
6,635
7,082
7,954
8,572
8,677
Fall
69.6%
67.2%
66.7%
67.3%
68.4%
Retention
Spring
81.0%
80.9%
80.3%
82.0%
84.6%
College Enrollment includes both Credit and Non-Credit coures.
Degrees
Count
797
828
769
863
787
Time
9.4
9.6
10.1
10.1
10.6
Certificates of
Achievement
Count
Time
86
12.7
127
13.3
98
16.0
89
14.4
366
9.2
Skill Certificates
Count
115
141
165
149
192
Time
9.3
10.8
10.5
12.1
10.0
Source: Datatel
Source: Data Warehouse
FA
Academic
Year
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
SP
FA
FTES
Fall
5,156.8
5,217.8
5,068.5
5,405.1
6,088.1
SP
FA
WSCH
Spring
5,077.9
5,014.3
4,927.0
5,248.1
5,862.5
Fall
160,347.0
162,371.3
157,687.2
168,320.7
189,534.5
Source: Datatel XFAS report [Faculty Assignment Sheets.]
SP
FTEF
Spring
158,048.5
156,095.9
153,261.4
163,414.1
182,199.1
Fall
291.0
294.1
304.3
316.2
310.5
WSCH/FTEF = Load
Spring
296.5
304.9
311.6
316.8
299.0
Fall
551.0
552.1
518.2
532.3
610.3
Spring
533.1
512.0
491.8
515.8
609.3
Success
Retention
WSCH
FTES
FTEF
Time
- Grade was A,B,C, or CR or P
- Grade was any except W
- Weekly Student Contact Hours
- Full Time Equivalent Students
- Full Time Equivalent Faculty
- Average semesters to award (2 per year)
Detailed Notes: http://pro.cabrillo.edu/pro/factbook/inout_how_use2009.PDF
In the last year surveyed, 2008/09, my first year here, our success rates have gone up
significantly. Retention is up to 88.5 percent, from 57.6 in the fall, and 89 percent from
83 percent in the spring. These were significantly above the college totals for success
and just above for retention. We issued three degrees, as opposed to one the previous
year, and two certificates of achievement. Our load is up to 519 in the spring, from 248.
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E. Costs
Journalism
Academic
Year
2008/09
2007/08
2006/07
2005/06
2004/05
2003/04
2002/03
Program Base
Expenditures
$44,342
$76,318
$104,362
$73,751
$80,554
$84,375
$90,722
4330, 4331, 4332, 4342
College Base
Expenditures
$28,658,802
$29,023,043
$26,934,725
$25,688,668
$24,373,819
$23,646,684
$24,168,447
JOURN
Program Expenditures from
Sources Other Than Base
$7,861
$6,252
$29,548
$9,858
$8,747
$8,731
$3,703
The Journalism Department gets roughly $44,000 from the college last year,
including salaries, supplies and newspaper production costs. The salaries included that of
Andre Neu, a fulltime professor who has retired and a part timer who left on medical
disability. It should be significantly less this year.
We teach roughly 150 students each semester. Last year’s budget was half of what it was
in 2006/2007. We spent almost $8,000 of outside funding last year, including grant
money and newspaper advertising. Our advertising has grown to $1,400 last Spring and
$1,865 last semester, which has gone into increasing the newspaper’s size and buying
needed supplies and equipment. We are working toward making it a weekly paper.
F. Student Learning Outcomes
(Appendix A) Journalism faculty adopted student learning outcomes for all courses
currently offered as part of revising course outlines to reflect changes in journalism
education and in preparation for employment in the industry. SLO statements appear on
instructors’ syllabi for each course taught. Program faculty have also adopted SLO
statements for attainment of the certificate in journalism, and an assessment process to
measure those outcomes via a capstone project which measures outcomes attained by
students across the range of individual courses which make up the certificate program.
Ongoing SLO assessment at the course level involves faculty selecting one course SLO
and measuring student achievement of it via one assignment tied to that SLO. Faculty
describe in a report which SLO was assessed, via what assignment, using what rubric,
and with what results. At flex week department meetings, faculty discuss their SLO
assessment report and changes they plan to make to instruction based on the assessment
results. SLO assessments and flex week discussions about those assessments have been
performed for journalism’s newspaper production courses (JOURN 53), news writing
(JOURN 23A), and photojournalism (20A) courses. Appendix B contains SLO
department assessment forms documenting this work and the discussions around them.
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G. Relationships Outside BELA
Outside of BELA, journalism maintains productive ties with faculty in VAPA,
particularly in Digital Media. While no formal courses have been linked, DM students are
freely joining news production class and using it to practice their skills. News students
are taking the DM series for the same reason. The newspaper and the Cabrillo Voice Web
site, have become labs for both departments.
The Journalism advertising class is using DM and graphics students to design ads, and
business and marketing students to sell them.
Journalism and DM are paired at booths for College and Career Night, signaling the
strong link between digital media training and careers in journalism.
H. VATEA Core Indicators
Journalism has used VATEA funds to address gaps between the successful performance
for journalism students at Cabrillo as compared to negotiated levels applied statewide for
journalism programs. The statewide vs. Cabrillo core indicators gap came in two areas:
course completion (Core 1) and Employment/Placement (Core 3). To advance course
completion and employment/placement, VATEA funds over three years were targeted to
“develop, improve, or expand the use of technology in vocational and technical
education” (Authorized Use of VATEA Funds, item 3), “Initiate, improve, expand, and
modernize quality vocational and technical education programs (Authorized Use of
VATEA Funds, item 6), and “Provide students with strong experience and understanding
of all aspects of an industry” (Authorized Use of VATEA Funds, item 2).
In 2010 VATEA funds were used to purchase $3,000 of equipment: a smart classroom
hookup for the newspaper and photography classroom to enable students to share work
and hone professional skills. It also enabled us to buy five small digital video cameras, to
practice skills and report for the Web.
VATEA funds in ’06-’07 provided $3,000 to purchase equipment for training students in
online journalism, better preparing them for successful transfer and employment in an
industry where news is increasingly delivered via the web and hiring decisions are based
on the digital media production skills of journalism graduates. In ’07-’08, VATEA funds
ensured the upgrading of the program, again in support of successful transfer and
employment placement, to all digital instruction in photojournalism.
VATEA funding also paid for the development of a bi-disciplinary syllabus including
business and journalism, which addresses newspaper ad sales and marketing. It has been
continued as an Independent Study, with 8-12 students.
I. JACC
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The Journalism Association of Community Colleges has been a great resource for our
program, offering two conventions a year attended by our students and paid for through
the Rebele fund. Every community college in the state with a newspaper participates in
programs designed to increase skills, foster ideas and compete. Sessions include attorneys
lecturing on the rights of the press as well as reporting specialties such as environment,
courts, police, features and editorials.
Cabrillo student Linda Stephenson won a top honor in a copyediting contest at the
Sacramento 2009 convention. There are contests that spotlight printed versions of
newspapers and Web sites and others that are held on the spot, a mini Olympics of
writing and reporting skills. These fire up the students, who pay a percentage of the costs
to attend and end up with a broader understanding of what it is to be a journalist in
California.
II. Departmental Goals
A. Staffing
1. Cabrillo is one of only a few community colleges that run a journalism program
with no full time staff. For the sake of consistency and vision, I would recommend
a fulltime staff member and department chair. Cost: $70,000 annually.
2. Broadening course offerings back to previous levels, adding back courses on
broadcast media, more mass communication classes and writing for public
relations. Cost: $20,000 annually.
B. Non revenue goals:
1. Increase participation and cross-pollination with Digital Media to work on
design of ads and Web sites and news content.
2. Increase the involvement of Spanish-speaking reporters and outreach to
Spanish-speaking community. Our newspaper now reflects the Cabrillo
community with more than 25 percent of its staffers who are Latino and
speak Spanish. My goal is to use them to write in both languages, and to
focus on more issues that are important in their community, ie: the Voice
issue of April 26 had stories on AB540 and Puente.
Appendix A
Occupational Program Assessment Plan
Use the form below to describe your assessment plan and to analyze the results of it.
Include this form in your Instructional Plan and incorporate the results in to the narrative
of our instruction plan.
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Department
Program Outcomes
(List the student
learning outcomes of
each degree and
certificate your
program offers.
Attach another sheet
if necessary)
JOURNALISM
In the semester in which they apply for the certificate, students
will design and print a mini-newspaper (capstone project)
containing one editorial, two news stories, two photographs,
complete with headlines, cut lines, and other design conventions
of a print newspaper.
Assessment of
Program SLOs
Describe the
Assessment Process
your program will
use to evaluate the
outcomes. Include
the assessment tool
used and the rubric
or criteria to evaluate
success
Students will through a graded, point-scored newspaper will
demonstrate editing, reporting, grammar, design, photography
and style. The rubric includes: Presence of the necessary
identifying aspects: the who, what, when, where, why and how
(however, all six of these elements may not fit or belong in a
news lead, and the “why” and “how” may not be known).
Selection of the most significant of those 5W’s and H to use to
begin the lead. Brevity and succinctness in the lead (although 25
words is considered average, some leads demand more and some
less). Completeness of the lead (it must summarize all the
elements that demand immediate attention). Arrangement of the
lead elements (if it covers multiple news actions, they must be
organized in order of importance). Imaginative use of language
(this skill may more often come into play with news features, but
can often figure in delayed news leads). Accuracy in facts, dates,
locations, figures, spelling of names and so on. Balance and
fairness: the information presented must not omit material that is
needed to provide an equally legitimate but different perspective
(this may have to be supplied in the next paragraph, but it must
not be buried in the story). Objectivity: it must be free from
obvious bias (the writer’s opinion must not appear). Attribution:
Opinions used must be attributed in the lead, as should most
factual information unless it is commonly accepted or not
generally challenged. Libel: the lead must be free of unfounded
and unsupported charges damaging to people or organizations.
Assessment
Evaluation
Describe the process
the department uses
to evaluate
assessment results.
Include:
Department faculty will meet as needed to assess the capstone
projects submitted and assess their quality for the granting of the
certificate. Results and the graded rubrics used by faculty for the
assessment will be kept by the program chair.
Department faculty including the program chair will assess the
quality as passing or failing using a point-driven rubric which
assesses the following features: design, news sense, writing,
photography, style/consistency.
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What meetings will
be held? When?
Who will be
involved? What will
be discussed? How
will your record the
results?
Meetings will be held during the week before classes, with myself
and photography staffer, Shmuel Thaler. We will discuss scoring
of the rubric and creation of it for each of our four classes.
Occupational Program Assessment Analysis
Use the form below to summarize the results of the department meeting in which you
discussed the results of your program’s assessment process. Include this form in your
Instructional Plan and incorporate the results into the narrative of your instructional plan.
Department
Meeting Date
JOURNALISM
Flex meeting, Fall ’06.
Number of faculty in
attendance
Four
Number of faculty
sharing assessment
results
SLO Competency
Measured
Two
Assessment Tool
(Briefly describe
assessment tool)
Write an adequate news lead (incorporating the basic who, what,
when, where, why and how if possible) within 60 minutes given
a collection of story facts.
Instructor’s rubric for evaluating news leads
Presence of the necessary identifying aspects: the who, what,
when, where, why and how (however, all six of these elements
may not fit or belong in a news lead, and the “why” and “how”
may not be known). Selection of the most significant of those
5W’s and H to use to begin the lead. Brevity and succinctness in
the lead (although 25 words is considered average, some leads
demand more and some less). Completeness of the lead (it must
summarize all the elements that demand immediate attention).
Arrangement of the lead elements (if it covers multiple news
actions, they must be organized in order of importance).
Imaginative use of language (this skill may more often come into
play with news features, but can often figure in delayed news
leads). Accuracy in facts, dates, locations, figures, spelling of
names and so on. Balance and fairness: the information presented
must not omit material that is needed to provide an equally
12
Assessment Results
(summarize your
overall results of
your department)
Next Step in the
Classroom to
Improve Student
Learning (check all
the items faculty felt
would help them
improve student
learning)
Next Step in the
Department to
Improve Student
Learning
legitimate but different perspective (this may have to be supplied
in the next paragraph, but it must not be buried in the story).
Objectivity: it must be free from obvious bias (the writer’s
opinion must not appear). Attribution: Opinions used must be
attributed in the lead, as should most factual information unless it
is commonly accepted or not generally challenged. Libel: the
lead must be free of unfounded and unsupported charges
damaging to people or organizations.
Although a majority (nine of fifteen) of students performed well
or at least adequately, six others missed most or all of the lead
elements—a disheartening outcome. The construction of an
adequate lead was a key aspect of ongoing instruction. More
emphasis must be given to explaining the significance of the
news lead and how to put one together. Based on
recommendations from both news writing instructors we are
modifying the SLO for the class and adding one to include
construction of a complete, logically organized news story of 300
to 500 words. The performance of students in this fall 2006
semester will be compared to that of the previous fall to
determine whether a new instructional approach is necessary or
whether the SLOs are unrealistic.
√ State goals or objectives of assignment/activity more explicitly
Revise content of assignment/activities
Revise the amount of writing/oral/visual/clinical or similar work
√ Revise activities learning up to and/or supporting
assignment/activities
Increase in-class discussions and activities
Increase student collaboration and/or peer review
Provide more frequent or fuller feedback on student progress
√ Increase guidance for students as they work on assignment
Use methods of questions that encourage competency
√ State criteria for grading more explicitly
Increase interaction with students outside of class
Ask a colleague to critique assignments/activities
√ Collect more data
Nothing; assessment indicates no improvement necessary
Other (please describe)
Offer/encourage attendance at seminars, workshops or discussion
groups about teaching methods
Consult teaching and learning experts about teaching methods
√ Encourage faculty to share activities that foster competency
Write collaborate grants to fund departmental projects to improve
teaching
Provide articles/books on teaching about competency
Visit classrooms to provide feedback (mentoring)
Create bibliography of resource material
13
Priorities to Improve
Student Learning
(List the top 3-6
things faculty felt
would most improve
student learning)
Implementation
(List the
departmental plans to
implement these
priorities)
Timeline for
Implementation
(Make a timeline for
implementation of
your top priorities)
Have binder available for rubrics and results
√ Analyze course curriculum to determine that competency
skills are taught, so that the department can build progression of
skills as students advance through courses
Nothing; assessments indicate no improvements necessary
Other (please describe)
Increase emphasis on SLO attainment via enhanced instruction in
lead writing.
Provide supplemental exercises targeted toward SLO attainment
Track data on performance changes in SLO attainment with
changed instructional practices
Begin follow-up assessment in JOURN 23A for Spring ’07 and
Fall ‘08.
Department
Meeting Date
JOURNALISM
Fall ’06, Flex week
Number of faculty in
attendance
Four
Number of faculty
sharing assessment
results
SLO Competency
Measured
Assessment Tool
(Briefly describe
assessment tool)
Assessment Results
(summarize your
overall results of
your department)
Two
For JOURN 50: Students will produce news stories verified for
fairness and balance.
Instructor’s rubric identifying instances of biased reporting in a
sample news story from the Associated Press.
All students identified at least one device taught during class
which produced biased reporting in the sample AP story. Most
students noted that the lede painted a negative image of the
subject being written about whereas poll data reported later in the
story contradicted the impression given in the lede. Students also
noted that the arrangement of details produced bias. Only one
student, however, noted the skewed presentation of quotes from
14
Next Step in the
Classroom to
Improve Student
Learning (check all
the items faculty felt
would help them
improve student
learning)
Next Step in the
Department to
Improve Student
Learning
Priorities to Improve
Student Learning
(List the top 3-6
things faculty felt
would most improve
student learning)
Implementation
(List the
departmental plans to
sources, with four anti-Bush sources given voice in the story as
opposed to one pro-Bush voice. This same student noted that the
anti-Bush sources were people of high status such as an analyst
for the American Enterprise Institute versus the one pro-Bush
source who was a female bus driver from Georgia. A few
students failed to attend to the focus of the assignment.
State goals or objectives of assignment/activity more explicitly
Revise content of assignment/activities
Revise the amount of writing/oral/visual/clinical or similar work
√ Revise activities leading up to and/or supporting
assignment/activities
Increase in-class discussions and activities
Increase student collaboration and/or peer review
Provide more frequent or fuller feedback on student progress
√ Increase guidance for students as they work on assignment
Use methods of questions that encourage competency
State criteria for grading more explicitly
Increase interaction with students outside of class
Ask a colleague to critique assignments/activities
√ Collect more data
Nothing; assessment indicates no improvement necessary
Other (please describe)
Offer/encourage attendance at seminars, workshops or discussion
groups about teaching methods
Consult teaching and learning experts about teaching methods
√ Encourage faculty to share activities that foster competency
Write collaborate grants to fund departmental projects to improve
teaching
Provide articles/books on teaching about competency
Visit classrooms to provide feedback (mentoring)
Create bibliography of resource material
Have binder available for rubrics and results
Analyze course curriculum to determine that competency skills
are taught, so that the department can build progression of skills
as students advance through courses
Nothing; assessments indicate no improvements necessary
Other (please describe)
Include more than one graded exercise on distinguishing
advocacy journalism from objective reporting.
Have students do follow-up by rewriting the biased story to
ensure fairness and balance
Track progress of SLO attainment in future courses.
Begin assessment in Fall ’10 and continue.
15
implement these
priorities)
Timeline for
Implementation
(Make a timeline for
implementation of
your top priorities)
Department
Meeting Date
JOURNALISM
Flex meeting Spring ‘07
Number of faculty in
attendance
Five
Number of faculty
sharing assessment
results
SLO Competency
Measured
Two
For JOURN 53: Students will construct visually attractive and
readable newspaper pages by critiquing newspaper pages for
design principles and design quality
16
Assessment Tool
(Briefly describe
assessment tool)
Assessment Results
(summarize your
overall results of
your department)
Next Step in the
Classroom to
Improve Student
Learning (check all
the items faculty felt
would help them
improve student
learning)
Next Step in the
Department to
Improve Student
Learning
Instructor’s rubric: A—applies newspaper page design principles
in sophisticated manner, critiquing design weaknesses across a
wide range of features and employing precise terminology; B—
offers solid critique of design principles through competent
application of most features and employing a competent range of
precise terminology; C—offers marginal and inconsistently
accurate critique of design features using a minimal set of
features and a preponderance of generalized terms; D—offers
unsophisticated, novice critique of design features with weak
grasp of terminology.
Nine students submitted the assignment: 5 A’s, 3 B’s, 1 D.
Student performance was not surprising given the regular and
ample practice during class assignments and outside of class
homework in critiquing newspapers for design features good and
bad. Five of the nine students had the advantage of being on the
staff of the college newspaper for at least one semester. The D
student was a first semester staffer with ESL challenges. The
instructor anticipates expanding the demands of the assignment
to include a longer written critique, pushing students to delve
deeper into their knowledge of effective vs. ineffective news
design.
State goals or objectives of assignment/activity more explicitly
√ Revise content of assignment/activities
Revise the amount of writing/oral/visual/clinical or similar work
√ Revise activities leading up to and/or supporting
assignment/activities
Increase in-class discussions and activities
Increase student collaboration and/or peer review
Provide more frequent or fuller feedback on student progress
Increase guidance for students as they work on assignment
Use methods of questions that encourage competency
State criteria for grading more explicitly
Increase interaction with students outside of class
Ask a colleague to critique assignments/activities
√ Collect more data
Nothing; assessment indicates no improvement necessary
Other (please describe)
Offer/encourage attendance at seminars, workshops or discussion
groups about teaching methods
Consult teaching and learning experts about teaching methods
√ Encourage faculty to share activities that foster competency
Write collaborate grants to fund departmental projects to improve
teaching
Provide articles/books on teaching about competency
Visit classrooms to provide feedback (mentoring)
Create bibliography of resource material
17
Priorities to Improve
Student Learning
(List the top 3-6
things faculty felt
would most improve
student learning)
Implementation
(List the
departmental plans to
implement these
priorities)
Timeline for
Implementation
(Make a timeline for
implementation of
your top priorities)
Have binder available for rubrics and results
Analyze course curriculum to determine that competency skills
are taught, so that the department can build progression of skills
as students advance through courses
Nothing; assessments indicate no improvements necessary
Other (please describe)
Offer same focus for the assignment but demand lengthier
response
Continue practice of students choosing and critiquing their own
models of excellent versus poor news design
Continue ongoing assessment of the SLO in Fall ’08.
Department
Meeting Date
JOURNALISM
Flex meeting Spring ‘07
Number of faculty in
attendance
Five
Number of faculty
sharing assessment
results
SLO Competency
Measured
Two
Assessment Tool
(Briefly describe
assessment tool)
For JOURN 23A: SLO #22) Construct within one hour a
logically organized news story of 300 to 500 words based on a
news release and collection of facts compiled by a reporter.
Instructor’s rubric: Presence of the necessary identifying aspects:
the who, what, when, where, why and how (however, all six of
these elements may not fit or belong in a news lead, and the
“why” and “how” may not be known). Selection of the most
significant of those 5W’s and H to use to begin the lead. Brevity
and succinctness in the lead (although 25 words is considered
average, some leads demand more and some less). Completeness
of the lead (it must summarize all the elements that demand
immediate attention). Arrangement of the lead elements (if it
covers multiple news actions, they must be organized in order of
18
Assessment Results
(summarize your
overall results of
your department)
Next Step in the
Classroom to
Improve Student
Learning (check all
the items faculty felt
would help them
improve student
importance). Imaginative use of language (this skill may more
often come into play with news features, but can often figure in
delayed news leads). Accuracy in facts, dates, locations, figures,
spelling of names and so on. Balance and fairness: the
information presented must not omit material that is needed to
provide an equally legitimate but different perspective (this may
have to be supplied in the next paragraph, but it must not be
buried in the story). Objectivity: it must be free from obvious
bias (the writer’s opinion must not appear). Attribution: Opinions
used must be attributed in the lead, as should most factual
information unless it is commonly accepted or not generally
challenged. Libel: the lead must be free of unfounded and
unsupported charges damaging to people or organizations.
Fourteen students took the final at the designated time. All of
them finished both sections (the “lead section” in Exercises A
and B and the “story section” in Exercise C) in less than an hour.
To help accomplish this, they were all given 15-minute and 5minute warnings when each deadline was approaching. This was
done to remind them of the seriousness of journalistic deadlines
as well as to push them to finish on time. The story used in
Exercise C was about the mayor of the fictional city of Culver
announcing a deal with a film-making company to make a movie
showing the effects of a “small nuclear device’’ going off in a
small American city. The mayor gushed in a news release about
what a great deal the movie was for the town, even though
customers would have extremely limited access to stores on Main
Street for nine days and the merchants had not been told how
they would be compensated. Unfortunately, 9 of the 15 students
downplayed the concern of Main Street merchants and seemed to
accept the “spin” of the blustering mayor. Worse, 6 of the 15
students left out the fact at the top of the story that Culver was
about to be obliterated by a nuclear bomb – at least in the
movies. These six students used the term “disaster movie’’ or
similar description without explaining until later in the story that
the disaster was a nuclear explosion. They let the mayor’s words
in the news release influence the way they approached the story.
And these six students also seemed to miss the point that many
Culver residents might be upset seeing their town depicted this
way.
State goals or objectives of assignment/activity more explicitly
√ Revise content of assignment/activities
Revise the amount of writing/oral/visual/clinical or similar work
√ Revise activities leading up to and/or supporting
assignment/activities
Increase in-class discussions and activities
Increase student collaboration and/or peer review
19
learning)
Next Step in the
Department to
Improve Student
Learning
Priorities to Improve
Student Learning
(List the top 3-6
things faculty felt
would most improve
student learning)
Implementation
(List the
departmental plans to
implement these
priorities)
Timeline for
Implementation
(Make a timeline for
implementation of
your top priorities)
Provide more frequent or fuller feedback on student progress
Increase guidance for students as they work on assignment
Use methods of questions that encourage competency
State criteria for grading more explicitly
Increase interaction with students outside of class
Ask a colleague to critique assignments/activities
√ Collect more data
Nothing; assessment indicates no improvement necessary
Other (please describe)
Offer/encourage attendance at seminars, workshops or discussion
groups about teaching methods
Consult teaching and learning experts about teaching methods
√ Encourage faculty to share activities that foster competency
Write collaborate grants to fund departmental projects to improve
teaching
Provide articles/books on teaching about competency
Visit classrooms to provide feedback (mentoring)
Create bibliography of resource material
Have binder available for rubrics and results
Analyze course curriculum to determine that competency skills
are taught, so that the department can build progression of skills
as students advance through courses
Nothing; assessments indicate no improvements necessary
Other (please describe)
Spend more time emphasizing the importance of journalistic
skepticism, explaining the difference between skepticism and
cynicism.
Continue ongoing assessment of the SLO in Spring ‘09
June 14, 2011
ETECH Program Planning
Goals and Recommendations
1.
2.
Description:
Hire a full time journalism professor with at least two years of experience
teaching and advising the newspaper.
Add job-based courses, which will also qualify for a degree, including public
relations, broadcast, more mass communications classes.
Cost
$75,000 a year
$20,000 a year
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
.
.
Cabrillo College
6/14/2011 8:34 AM