2008 Poynter Educators Forum

I just realized I posted too much about curriculum to the what's working string so this may be redundant. I'm on a task force looking at changing the curriculum. As someone who just joined academia after 30 years as an editor, I am very frustrated by the pace of change. I'm used to daily and, frankly with online, minute-by-minute deadlines. I've learned that doesn't happen when it comes to things like curriculum changes. The J-school director is pushing for change and has managed to create a new one-credit class (that will eventually be required for all grads) called reporting for online news. It includes everything from writing for the web to shooting and editing video. We've also incorporated blogging and a little video in basic and advanced reporting classes. Although I think how much - if any - you get depends on which instructor you have. The task force is trying to figure out whether the entire curriculum needs to be blown up or whether additional minor tweaking needs to be made. Views are disparate to say the least.  We are currently talking to other schools to see if we can learn from their best ideas and worst mistakes.