Course Outline
CMN237 Online Journalism
Course Coordinator:Peter English (penglish@usc.edu.au) School:School of Business and Creative Industries
2026Semester 1
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton Bay |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
What is this course about?
Description
The online world is constantly changing and this course is dynamic. It provides you with an understanding of online journalism, teaching you formats and skills for writing and producing news on the web. This course also delivers a basic understanding of multimedia journalism and factual, online storytelling. It examines the major theoretical debates around online news delivery and gives you the practical skills to produce specialist online reports. Influences on online journalism, such as participatory journalism, design considerations, multimedia, law, and copyright, are covered. You will participate in the online publishing process, build a portfolio of published articles and blog posts, and develop visual and photojournalism skills.
How will this course be delivered?
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Lecture – 1 hour online lecture content for 12 weeks (or equivalent). | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On campus tutorial/workshop for 12 weeks (or equivalent). | 2hrs | Week 2 | 12 times |
| Online | |||
| Online – 3 hours online content for 12 weeks (or equivalent). | 3hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
Course Topics
Module 1 – Covering breaking news
Module 2 – Multimedia reporting
Module 3 – Online publishing
What level is this course?
200 Level (Developing)
What is the unit value of this course?
12 units
How does this course contribute to my learning?
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Create journalism for the online medium that adheres to professional standards. |
Empowered Engaged |
| 2 | Create in-depth web-based journalism, incorporating use of images and multimedia elements. | Engaged |
| 3 | Demonstrate the ability to write under time pressures. | Empowered |
| 4 | Analyse the theoretical issues of the world wide web and the impact on journalism. | Creative and critical thinker |
Am I eligible to enrol in this course?
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Pre-requisites
Not applicable
Co-requisites
Not applicable
Anti-requisites
Not applicable
Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)
Prior knowledge equivalent to introductory journalism subjects is essential and assumed. You will be able to identify a news story and have a basic understanding of how to write a news story.
Microcredential Information
Not applicable
How am I going to be assessed?
Grading Scale
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Details of early feedback on progress
Formative feedback on your academic progress will be provided in tutorials throughout the semester. An early formative assessment will also occur by Week 4 through an online test that will help with preparation for Assessment Task 1.
Assessment tasks
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Written Piece | Individual | 30% | 500 words |
Week 5 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 2 | Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece | Group | 45% | 500 word text component, 90 second visual component |
Week 10 | To Supervisor |
| All | 3 | Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece | Individual | 25% | 400 word text component |
Week 13 | In Class |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Breaking news story | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | This task has been designed to replicate the pressures of working in an online newsroom and to produce a news story. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Product: | Written Piece | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | You will be required to write a breaking news story using information provided to you in class or online in week 5. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria: |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Generic Skills: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| All - Assessment Task 2:Online news package | |||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | For you to collaborate and demonstrate your ability to produce a multimedia news package for the web. |
||||||||||||||||||
| Product: | Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece | ||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | In groups* organised in class you will research and produce a multimedia news package on a topical issue. The package includes three components: a text-based element; interactivity and audience engagement; and an audio-visual story. Each component is based on the group's own newsgathering. All visual and audio elements must be taken and recorded by the group members. This is a web package using text, social media, visual and audio aspects to tell the story. The audio-visual component must include at least two grabs from sources who you have never met before. Grabs should be the original recordings as recorded by your group. The finished audio-visual product must be published on YouTube, and the story text and package overview emailed to your tutor. *These requirements can be modified for those studying online-only. |
||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria: |
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Generic Skills: | |||||||||||||||||||
| All - Assessment Task 3:Web production | |||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | For you to create in-depth web-based journalism, and critically engage with contemporary journalism issues |
||||||||||||||||||
| Product: | Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece | ||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | You will be required to plan, research and complete a 400-word blog post, written to deadline in class or online, about a journalism ethics or media issue. |
||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria: |
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Generic Skills: | |||||||||||||||||||
Directed study hours
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
What resources do I need to undertake this course?
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Prescribed text(s) or course reader
Specific requirements
This course requires some commercial software or hardware which is provided at USC campuses for student use. If you elect to do this course online, you may either; attend a campus at which it is available, discuss alternative open source solutions with your course coordinator that would enable you to demonstrate the learning outcomes, or if you prefer you may acquire this software and/or hardware at your own expense.
How are risks managed in this course?
What administrative information is relevant to this course?
Assessment: Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Assessment: Additional Requirements
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct.Assessment: Submission penalties
Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: - 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.Links to relevant University policy and procedures
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
- Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
- Review of Assessment and Final Grades
- Supplementary Assessment
- Central Examinations
- Deferred Examinations
- Student Conduct
- Students with a Disability
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
Student Charter
UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.
General Enquiries
- In person:
- UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
- UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
- UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
- UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
- UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
- UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
- Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
- Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au