Modules

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, learning and teaching activities on campus as described in the module descriptors are currently restricted. Learning and teaching will be enabled through a mixture of scheduled online activity where you will be able to engage with your tutor and classmates in real-time and unscheduled guided activity where you will be required to complete activities and tasks at a time which best suits you. Teaching will take place on campus, wherever possible, and where this is safe to happen.

Definitive information on module delivery during 2020/21 will be provided on Module Moodle Sites. For specific enquiries please contact the module leaders directly.

Core Module Information
Module title:	News Writing
SCQF level:	11:
SCQF credit value:	20.00
ECTS credit value:	10
Module code:	JAC11119
Module leader:	Allan Boughey
School	School of Arts and Creative Industries
Subject area group:	Media and Humanities

Prerequisites

Description of module content:

This module will introduce you to the art of finding original news and feature stories, developing good angles, and being aware of your audience for print and online outlets. Core values of accuracy, attribution, impartiality and balance will be covered alongside ethical and legal awareness. Besides sourcing up to date stories and conducting interviews, you will refine your writing skills and submit tight copy to deadlines with crisp leads and engaging headlines. You will develop an awareness and understanding of all aspects of news reporting.

Learning Outcomes for module:

LO1: Source and properly research original news stories for print and online.
LO2: Demonstrate professional standard writing skills appropriate for print news media
LO3: Demonstrate professional standard multimedia content creation skills appropriate for online news media
LO4: Demonstrate sound application of core journalistic values including balanced and impartial reporting, accuracy, attribution of information to the source and legally and ethically sound news content creation
LO5: Demonstrate an ability to self-edit.

Full Details of Teaching and Assessment

2022/3, Trimester 1, Face-to-Face, Edinburgh Napier University
VIEW FULL DETAILS

Occurrence:	001
Primary mode of delivery:	Face-to-Face
Location of delivery:	MERCHISTON
Partner:	Edinburgh Napier University
Member of staff responsible for delivering module:	Allan Boughey
Module Organiser:

Learning, Teaching and Assessment (LTA) Approach:

Learning & teaching methods including their alignment to LOs
The weekly three-hour session is designed to be a multi-purpose workshop, which may involve different aspects each week, including lecture and tutorial elements that cover the key skills in news writing and core journalistic skills (covering LO 1-5), discussions, field trips (to see news in action, such as at the Scottish Parliament for example) and off-campus work (to conduct voxpops, for instance), and news days that will aim to replicate industry practice. You will learn the fundamentals of news writing and aim to achieve a professional standard with your own work. Each news day will run for six hours, necessitating an earlier start and later finish to the usual class times. Specific timings will be communicated to students in advance of each news day (there will be two non-assessed news days around weeks 11, 12 and 13 – depending on room and student availability - plus an assessed news day in week 14 that all students MUST attend).

Embedding of employability/ PDP/ scholarship skills
This module is vocational as well as reflective in nature and will be delivered by an experienced practitioner. Activities on this module will develop essential employability skills. Assessments are designed to provide you with employability skills relevant for working in today’s news and information media. The multimedia newsroom creates an authentic working environment, allowing you to participate in work-simulated exercises. You will develop critical oral and written communication skills, by working individually and as part of a news team, through collaborative learning, peer review, tutor feedback, and assessed work.

Formative Assessment:

The University is currently undertaking work to improve the quality of information provided on methods of assessment and feedback. Please refer to the section on Learning and Teaching Approaches above for further information about this module’s learning, teaching and assessment practices, including formative and summative approaches.

Summative Assessment:

Student Activity (Notional Equivalent Study Hours (NESH))
Mode of activity	Learning & Teaching Activity	NESH (Study Hours)
Face To Face	Tutorial	1
Other	Guided independent study	3
Face To Face	Practical classes and workshops	46
Independent Learning	Groupwork (Independent Study)	150
	Total Study Hours	200
	Expected Total Study Hours for Module	200

Assessment
Type of Assessment	Weighting %	LOs covered	Week due	Length in Hours/Words
Portfolio	50	1-5	10	HOURS= 0, WORDS= 2500
Class Test	20	1-5	14	HOURS= 0, WORDS= 1000
Class Test	30	1-5	15	HOURS= 0, WORDS= 1500
Component 1 subtotal:	50
Component 2 subtotal:	50
Module subtotal:	100

Indicative References and Reading List - URL:

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