PREREQUISITES

• Keyboard proficiency
• Working knowledge of the Internet and e-mail.
   

   Offers hands-on practical experience as students assist in the production of the newspaper or yearbook. Includes news writing, newspaper design, photojournalism, Web design and yearbook design. Students will practice journalistic writing, learn production techniques, produce artifacts for individual portfolios, and enhance their interpersonal communication skills. The Editor-in-Chief will handle meetings under adviser supervision.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Demonstrate the ability to write news stories and feature articles fluently, concisely and clearly by deadline;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of journalistic ethics;
3. Demonstrate skill in using the technologies commonly used in newspaper and magazine production.
    

REQUIREMENTS

In general, students participating in the practicum:

1. Read the Staff Handbook.
2. Attend the weekly staff meetings of The Voice. These meetings take place in Wells 106. You will receive your assignments at the meeting. If you can't attend, let Dr. Sitton or the editor know in advance.
3. Volunteer for story assignments — unassigned stories will not count for credit. You must write at least seven stories over the course of the semester. Also, don't just walk into the news room and put your initials next to a story. Some stories have been assigned already but don't have the initials marked yet.
4. Use news format. If you don't know it, I'll help you learn it.
5. Use correct style. If you don't know it, look it up in the AP stylebook or Student Publications' stylebook. I will also help you with this.
6. Adhere to deadlines.
7. Keep a portfolio of the work you do for this class. As each issue of The Voice comes out, clip your story, photograph or design and paste it on a sheet of notebook paper. Label it with the date of publication and place it into a folder. Put your portfolio in my office by 4 p.m. Monday of finals week. You must turn in the portfolio on time for credit. For each article, briefly explain what you learned. You will attach this memo and any feedback to your portfolio.
   • Reporters might explain:
     • how was the story changed by the copy editor? (Did the changes teach you something about news style or being less wordy?)
     • what problems you encountered doing the story and how you solved those problems
     • what news values the story has, etc.
   • Editors might explain:
     • if you learned something new about design or working with pagemaker.
     • what problems you encountered laying out the page and how you solved those problems.
     • what problems you encountered editing the page. Did you learn something new about AP style?
   • Photojournalists might explain:
     • difficulties encountered with taking the picture (e.g. lighting, rule of thirds, etc.)
     • something you tried different than with previous pictures you've taken.
     • difficulties with staged vs. real-time photography

Reporters, Feature Writers, Editorial Writers

Photographers/Editorial Cartoonists/Cartoonists

   Provide art for student publications with appropriate cutline information. Pictures should feature individuals involved on campus -- buildings are drab in comparison. The Staff Handbook details further responsibilities.

GRADING

   Completing the requirements assures that you pass the class. I will also consider:

• Timeliness — did you meet your deadlines?
• Reliability — did you complete the assigned story by deadline? Did you do what you said you'd do? Did you meet me when you said you would?
• Quality of Writing — how much rewriting was needed? Did you follow and/or learn AP style as the semester progressed? Were your articles accurate, fair and balanced?
• Overall improvement — did you barely learn your skill or learn it well enough to use it in the work place? Did you turn in consistently poor photographs or did they improve over the semester? Did you perform your tasks well, or did they have to be redone by someone else?
• Neatness of portfolio.
• Perceptiveness of comments in portfolio.
• Attitude — did you do your work cheerfully? Did you take constructive criticism or argue over every point?
   

   As far as written work, it is your responsibility to conduct your interviews in time to make the deadlines. Individual duties and publication deadlines can be found in the staff manual. Store all of your work on a disk, including research and interview notes, correspondence with sources and all drafts of your articles.

   Once your work is edited, make the appropriate changes and resubmit the work in electronic form. Rewriting your work will not only help you understand the attributes of a successfully written article, but it prepares you for the portfolio due at the end of the semester. Submit clean copy for a final grade. Though not required, it's recommended you have two sets of eyes look over the assignment before submission.
   

SharePoint

   We'll use SharePoint Server to improve the efficiency of student publications. It allows reporters to submit their articles electronically to the editors. It allows an editor to read, edit and send the articles to other editors so that we have at least three sets of eyes on each article. It also allows communication between the adviser (Sitton) and the staff.

If you don't understand something in this Web note, please e-mail Dr. Sitton.