Student work will be assessed through a series of in-class activities, quizzes, and practical reporting assignments. NOTE: No late work will be accepted. If your work is not posted online by the deadline, you will receive a 0 for the assignment.
Attendance and Participation (10 percent of total grade)
Attendance is graded and points are earned only if students arrive on time, attend and participate fully in the class. Each student receives two “free passes” during the
semester. Beginning with the third instance, points will be deducted for absence, arriving late, leaving early, or failing to participate in class. Students who miss class are responsible for all material covered in that class and must meet all deadlines related to that material. Excused absences include religious observances, documented illness, death of family or loved-one and pre-approved school-related activities. Students must provide official written documentation to receive an excused absence.
Quizzes (12 percent of total grade)
There will be four quizzes on the reading and in-class course work during the semester. They will be announced ahead of time. Quizzes cannot be made up or taken early, unless you have an excused absence (see attendance policy).
Weekly Blog Posts (48 percent of overall grade)
Each student will select a news beat (i.e., a subject, a neighborhood, or a focused topic). The topic must be something that student reporters can access on a weekly basis. You must be able to attend events, interview people, and create original audio, photographs and video related to your subject. The topic must be approved by the instructor.
Students will then set up a blog with required elements. Each student is required to post to his or her blog at least once a week beginning the third of the semester. A total of 14 posts are required over the course of the semester. Some posts will be assigned (i.e., a news article, a photo essay, an audio clip, or video) and they must contain the required elements. Some blog posts will be “free choice” and students can select a format that is best suited for the content of the posts. Weekly blog posts are due by 8:00 p.m. each Saturday. Each post will be graded on content and execution. Each post must be substantive and free of errors.
Final Project (20 percent of overall grade)
Students will create a final project that consists of a 500-word text article formatted for the web and an accompanying multimedia feature. Projects will be assessed on story content, original reporting, quality of the presentation, and completion of each required element. This project should demonstrate knowledge and skills gained over the course of the semester.
Overall Blog Assessment (10 percent of overall grade)
At the end of the semester, each student will receive an overall assessment of his/her overall body of online work. Blogs will be assessed on breadth and depth of content, effort and initiative in covering the topic, and progress made over the course of the semester.
Assignments Points
Quizzes (4 X 30 pts) 120
Blog Pitch/Set Up/Post 1 Introduction 30
Post 2: Aggregation 30
Post 3: Free Choice 30
Post 4: 300-500 word article 30*
Post 5: Free Choice 30
Post 6: Q & A with Photo 30*
Post 7: Free Choice 30
Post 8: Photo Gallery (5+ photos) 40
Post 9: Free Choice 30
Post 10: Free Choice 30
Post 11: Audio and Photo 40
Post 12: Free Choice 30
Post 13: Video 40*
Post 14: Free Choice 30
Post 15: Free Choice/Class Presentation 30
Final Project 200
Overall Blog Assessment 100
Attendance/Participation 100
Total 1000 points
