Community Journalism: Digital and Social Media

Cardiff University

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Start Date: 08 Feb, 2016
5 weeks
Study Content: Videos

Gain practical skills and insights into hyperlocal journalism, and use digital and social media to create your own news website.

Course Fee: Free

Certificate Cost: See Fees and Eligibility

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Introduction

Introduction Video

Course Description

This course is made available through the eLearnAfrica and FutureLearn partnership.

Community journalism is a growing area of interest for professional journalists, academics and the wider public. The decline of local newspapers and radio stations, coupled with the low cost of publishing online, means there are more community journalism and hyperlocal websites being launched everyday.

Launch your own community or hyperlocal site

Whether you want to launch and support your own site - or simply study this new media sector - this free online course will give you both useful insights and practical skills.

Community journalism is an area that combines elements of traditional journalism with the new opportunities brought about by digital and social media, so we’ll look at:

setting up a community website

exploring different forms of community – local, professional or personal

identifying and building an audience

creating content and establishing a workflow to sustain the site

using Wordpress, Twitter and Facebook

managing an online community

and abiding by media law and ethics.

Learn with the UK’s first community journalism centre

You’ll learn with the UK’s first academic Centre for Community Journalism, launched by Cardiff University in 2013 to help nurture and study this growing sector.

This will give you a broader understanding of the field and how it’s developed, as well as insights into the experiences of those already operating community sites.

Join other learners who’ve launched their own sites

This course first ran in April 2014 and many learners went on to start or improve their own hyperlocal sites, such as Cwmbran Life and EastGrinsteadOnline.

You can find out more about this course in Richard Sambrook’s blog post: “Community journalism: launch your own local news service.” Or read a review of this course by a learner at Class Central.

This course is open to anyone with an interest in journalism or social and digital media, and in connecting their communities online. No prior qualifications are required.

We’ll cover core journalism principles, skills and practice as part of the course, as well as hands-on skills in creating and sustaining hyperlocal sites.

Practicing journalists or more experienced students will be particularly interested in learning about current developments in hyperlocal and community journalism in the digital environment.

This course is provided through eLearnAfrica’s partnership with FutureLearn.

Please note that, should you choose to purchase a Certificate of Achievement or a Statement of Participation, you will be re-directed to the FutureLearn for processing.

The following information is from the Future Learn website:

What is a Certificate of Achievement?

A Certificate of Achievement is a valuable certificate to prove what you’ve learned on your course.

Your Certificate will include your name; an outline of what you’ve learned and how long it took; the logos of the university and other organisations associated with your course. Your printed certificate will also include the lead educator’s signature.

In addition to the digital and printed certificate, you will receive a detailed transcript of what you’ve learned, how long it took and your average test score (if your course contained tests).

You can view our page about Certificates of Achievement to see what they look like.

How do I qualify for a Certificate of Achievement?

To be eligible to buy a Certificate of Achievement, you must:

complete 90% of the steps in a course (by using the “Mark as complete” button on each step),
attempt every test question in the course,
score over 70% on average across all course tests.

How do I buy a Certificate of Achievement?

If you’re taking a course, we’ll email you details of how to buy a Certificate of Achievement, once you’re eligible for one.

How much does a Certificate of Achievement cost?

The cost of the Certificate of Achievement varies depending on the course. They normally cost from £39.00 (GBP) to £59.00 (GBP) + shipping. The price shown includes a digital and printed certificate and transcript, and VAT or local sales tax. The exact price for your course will be shown within the course itself.

What if I don’t qualify to buy a Certificate of Achievement?

If you don’t qualify to buy a Certificate of Achievement because your test score does not meet the 70% pass threshold, you have a couple of options. You will still be able to purchase a Statement of Participation for the course, or you could join a later run of the course. Unfortunately it is not possible to retake tests in FutureLearn courses.

What is a Statement of Participation?

A Statement of Participation is a collectable printed and digital record that you can buy, to show that you’ve taken part in a FutureLearn course. Statements are available for the vast majority of FutureLearn courses in both digital and printed formats. You can view our page about Statements of Participation to see what they look like.

Your Statement will include your name; a short summary of the course and how long it took; the logo of the university and other organisations associated with your course. In addition, your printed certificate will also include the lead educator’s signature.

Your Statement will confirm that you’ve completed the majority of steps in a course and attempted all test questions, but it will not show your individual level of completion or your test scores.

How do I qualify for a Statement of Participation?

To be eligible to buy a Statement of Participation, you must complete over half of the steps in a course (by using the “Mark as complete” button on each step) and attempt all test questions.

How do I buy a Statement of Participation?

If you’re taking a course, we’ll email you details of how to buy a Statement of Participation, once you’re eligible for one.

To be eligible, you must complete the majority of steps in the course and attempt all test questions. You can check how close you are to being eligible on your course progress page.

How much does a Statement of Participation cost?

The cost of a Statement of Participation varies depending on the course. They cost from at £19.00 (GBP) to £34.00 (GBP) plus shipping. The price shown includes a digital and printed version, and VAT or local sales tax. The exact price for your course will be shown within the course itself.

For more information on Fees and Eligibility, please feel free to consult the Frequently Asked Questions:

If you do not find an answer to your question, you can also contact FutureLearn directly via email, at: feedback@futurelearn.com

The information provided was current as of 22 September 2016. Please visit Certificates and Statements to check for changes.

Certificate cost may vary. You will be redirected to the host page for cost and payment options.

This course is provided through eLearnAfrica’s partnership with FutureLearn. To go directly to a specific Category of Frequently Asked Questions, please feel free to click on any of the links below (you will be redirected to the FutureLearn website):

Cardiff University

It is a member of the Russell Group of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities and is ranked within the top 150 universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings. Cardiff University is one of Britain’s major teaching and research universities.

Founded by Royal Charter in 1883, the University today combines impressive modern facilities and a dynamic approach to teaching and research with a heritage of service and achievement which has included Queen’s Anniversary Prizes and Nobel laureates among its staff.

The University’s breadth of expertise in research and teaching encompasses: the humanities; the natural, physical, health, life and social sciences; engineering and technology; preparation for a wide range of professions; and a longstanding commitment to lifelong learning. The University’s research institutes are responsible for radical new approaches in a variety of areas, including neurosciences and mental health, cancer stem cells and sustainable places.

The University’s students and staff are drawn from throughout the UK and from more than 110 countries throughout the world; they share and benefit from the university’s international outlook and commitment to innovation and excellence in all areas of activity. In 2013 Cardiff was shortlisted for University of the Year in the Sunday Times University Guide.

(Cardiff is a) “world class research-intensive university.” - Daily Telegraph Guide to UK universities.
“An excellent reputation for the quality of its teaching and research.” - Guardian University Guide.
“Outstanding facilities are backed up by a teaching and research record that is hard to beat.” - Sunday Times University Guide.

This institution is available on eLearnAfrica through partnership with FutureLearn.

You may be able to download course materials after enrolling in this course. If not, all of the necessary course materials provided by the course instructor will be available on the provider's course page.

COLLABORATION POLICY

By enrolling in a course on or through eLearnAfrica, you are joining a special worldwide community of learners. The aspiration of eLearnAfrica is to provide anyone with an internet connection access to courses from the best universities and institutions in the world and to provide our learners the best educational experience internet technology enables. You are a part of the community that will help eLearnAfrica achieve this goal. eLearnAfrica depends upon your motivation to learn the material and to do so with honesty and academic integrity. In order to participate in eLearnAfrica, you must agree to the Honor Code below and any additional terms specific to a class.

ELEARNAFRICA HONOR CODE PLEDGE

By enrolling in a course, program, or degree hosted on the eLearnAfrica App or Site, I agree that I will:

Complete all tests and assignments on my own, unless collaboration on an assignment is explicitly permitted.
Maintain only one user account and not let anyone else use my username and/or password.
Not engage in any activity that would dishonestly improve my results, or improve or hurt the results of others.
Not post answers to problems that are being used to assess student performance.
Abide by any and all requirements of the eLearnAfrica Participants as may regard the expectations of civil or academic behavior or of community standards.

VIOLATIONS

If you are found in violation of the Terms and Conditions or Honor Code, you may be subject to one or more of the following actions:

Receiving a zero or no credit for an assignment;
Having any certificate earned in the course withheld or revoked;
Being unenrolled from a course, learning program or degree program; or
Termination of your use of the App and/or Site.
Additional actions may be taken at the sole discretion of eLearnAfrica and eLearnAfrica course providers.

No refunds will be issued in the case of any corrective action for such violations.

Honor code violations will be determined at the sole discretion of eLearnAfrica, the Partners, or Members. You will be notified if a determination has been made that you have violated this honor code and you will be informed of the corresponding action to be taken as a result of the violation.

CHANGING THE HONOR CODE

Please note that we review and may make changes to this Honor Code from time to time. Any changes to this Honor Code will be effective immediately upon posting on this page, with an updated effective date. By accessing the App and/or Site after any changes have been made, you signify your agreement on a prospective basis to the modified Honor Code and any changes contained therein. Be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of this Honor Code.

Effective Date: September 22, 2016