Helping Students become Professional Practitioners

Direct link to Podcast.

  In conversation with:

Mark Barden, Course Leader BA (Hons) Sports Journalism. Teaching and learning themes: communities of practice; easing the move from 'student' to 'professional practitioner'; how Sports Journalism students develop and showcase their practice. Course name / level: BA (Hons) Sports Journalism. College: London College of Communication (LCC). Student Numbers: approximately 20 per year; around 60 in total. Digital Spaces used and discussed: myblog.arts (UAL's teaching and learning blogging platform);  'Elephant Sport' Website.

Key Quotes:  "our students') aspiration is to become media professionals within the sports environment" ... "Love of and a real passion for sport is the common currency everyone who comes on to the course should have" ... "...it’s a very vocational course. It is actually pretty competitive out there … and the ones that ‘buy in’ to the course really get that" ... "I come to it from a very practice based background. I’m here to impart my experience and knowledge of how to do the job - with the team and guest speakers" … "It’s their (students') site; they’re responsible for filling it with good quality sports journalism - whether that’s written, video, podcasts - and we want them to be proud of it … " ... "One of the messages we try to impart - it’s all about standing out - making yourself stand out!" ... "(with 'Elephant Sport') as in the professional media environment you will have people checking through your work, sub-editing it, helping you to make it better and helping you to become a better sports journalist through that process" ... "two of my students this year went off together up to Birmingham to interview the British Middleweight Champion who’s just about to fight for a World Title … they came back with a very good video package … and it will look fantastic in their portfolio!" ... "… it’s about the work (students) do - so that when they come out of the course at the end of the final year … they’ve got work they can show off and be proud of!"