MDIA 3310 - Professional Practice

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2021

This course prepares students for diverse fields of media work. It introduces students to the expectations of a range of professional media and communications roles within a range of organisations, including fast-developing media industries, government service and community organisations. The course is in three parts. The first part explores the changing nature of professional media careers and the role of communications professionals in broader industry, government and community environments. Career search and professional presentation will be included. During the second part, students will learn about current media and communications project management, communication strategies, report writing, and other essential activities in contemporary organisational environments. The third part provides an opportunity for students to develop and polish their skills in a broad range of media and professional writing forms.

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Course Details

Course Code	MDIA 3310
Course	Professional Practice
Coordinating Unit	Media
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	12 units of Level II Media courses
Incompatible	MDIA 3301
Restrictions	Available to B Media students only
Assessment	E-Portfilio 20%, Media skills project 25%, Professional writing excercise 45%, Attendance and participation 10%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Mr Darren Taljaard

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1	Critically analyse critically communication principles in the context of contemporary society
2	Demonstrate understanding of the extent to which their skills meet the needs of the community in the digital era
3	Demonstrate strong practical skills involving problem solving, such as investigation of facts, the recognition of issues, the analysis of problems and situations, the use of tactics and decision-making
4	Demonstrate highly-developed awareness of the ways in which contemporary media professions are in a process of change resulting from the increasing reliance on digital communication forms
5	Acquire an understanding and appreciation of the importance of career planning and continuing professional development
6	Demonstrate the ability to complete an e-Portfolio consisting of skill assessment and career plan used for career advancement
7	Demonstrate the ability to participate as an active and informed member of society
8	Demonstrate the ability to identify, take responsibility for, and achieve personal goals

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1, 2,3,4,5,6
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1, 2,3,4,5,6,8
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	8,7,6, 1,2,3,4,5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Required readings for each week will be available via the MyUni course site. You will need to complete these readings each week prior to attending tutorials.

Recommended Resources

Any recommended resources will be made available via the MyUni course site.

Online Learning

You will need continual access to MyUni to access course resources and to stay informed about course activities. All assessment tasks will be submitted electronically via MyUni.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

This course is taught via a 1-hour weekly lecture and a 2-hour weekly tutorial. All lectures will be pre-recorded and made available via MyUni on a weekly basis. Tutorials will be held both online and face-to-face. Attendance at tutorials is an essential part of this course; you may be disadvantaged if you fail to attend at least 80% of classes.

Workload

No information currently available.

Learning Activities Summary

Week-by-week course content is available on the MyUni site.

Specific Course Requirements

No specific course requirements.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Weighting
E-portfolio	20%
Media skills project	25%
Professional writing exercise	45%
Participation	10%

Assessment Related Requirements

You must submit all assignments prior to the due date, and meet all university requirements for attendance, in order to be eligible to pass this course.

Assessment Detail

Details of assessment tasks are available on the MyUni course site.

Submission

All assignments will be submitted electronically via the MyUni course site.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator