Transcript Jairo Lugo-Ocando - University of Sheffield

Bringing World News Home:
Internationalising Journalism
Studies in Sheffield
Dr Jairo Lugo-Ocando
Department of Journalism Studies,
University of Sheffield, UK
The story in a nutshell
With triple professional accreditation and a very inflexible curriculum,
the Department of Journalism Studies at the University of Sheffield, has
struggled chronically to foster and develop further its international
teaching and learning links. However, in the past few years we have
started to turn things around and become one of the departments in
the Faculty of Social Science that it is putting internationalisation at the
centre of teaching and learning. This presentation shares the
experiences in dealing with the ongoing task of re-structuring the
curriculum and changing cultures in the department so teaching and
learning becomes global and reflects the increasing diversity. In so
doing, the presentation examines the experiences of developing a
departmental strategy for internationalisation, organising for the first
time the international journalism week and promoting overall a more
global approach to teaching and learning in the department.
Areas for Internationalisation
• Teaching and Learning
• Research
• Administrative practices
Teaching and Learning
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Syllabus
Curriculum
Delivery
Assessment
Course evaluation
Joint degrees (PG and UG)
Collaborative modules
Research
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Research
Publications
Grants
Collaborative
Networks
Administrative practices
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Recruitment
Admin Benchmarking
Marketing
Technical support
What is available
Staff
o International Exchanges
o University / Faculty agreements
o Erasmus Teaching Exchange
o Erasmus Training
o Grants
What is available
Students
o International Exchanges
o Erasmus Study Exchange
o Erasmus Work Experience
o Leonardo
o Short Visits (Churchill Trusts, China Exchange,
Daiwa Foundation, etc.)
Challenges for Journalism Studies
1. Attitude and valuation of
internationalisation.
2. Accreditation in UG and
PG (NCTJ, BJCT and PTC).
3. Narrowness of the
Curriculum
4. Industry links and the
chimeric notion of
employability
Advantages
• Helps to confront the challenge of globalisation
• Provides a much more sound dimension for the
syllabus
• Amplifies possibilities for employability and
transferable skills
Action points
• Developing a departmental/school
strategy
• Support from the HoD, DoR and DoT&L
• Support from the T&L Committee
• Consultation with department’s staff
• Implementation
Results so far
• From cero (0) of our students taking part in our exchanges
programmes in 2010, we have today an average of six (6) to eight
(8), with a target of 12 in 2014.
• From one (1) member of staff taking part in Erasmus Teaching
exchange in 2009, we have now an average of six (6) to eight (8)
members of staff taking part every year.
• Between 2010 and 2012 we received eight (8) visiting fellows in the
department from all over the world (outside the IJW).
• We organised the first International Journalism Week using Erasmus
resources: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/journalism/events/ijw2012.
The next one will start on November 11, 2013.
Lessons
Key points
• Support from the top is essential
• Appreciating the value of internationalisation by
most members of staff is equally important
• Re-dimensioning the role of the international officer
• Having a international strategy adapted to the
departments views and needs is essential
Internationalisation and beyond
• Internationalising curriculum (the cases of ‘Ethics’
and ‘Writing for the Media’)
• Internationalising delivery
• Benchmarking assessment
• Benchmarking in technical support and in the
teaching of technical/practice skills
• Developing and implementing joint programmes
Final word
• Why is internationalisation important?
• Is internationalisation relevant to your department?
• What things can internationalisation change in your
department?
• Think of one thing that can’t be changed in your department,
but that if you could do it would improve greatly the whole
learning experience for both staff and students.