Syllabus for JOU-352-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

News Writing is an overview of journalistic techniques such as news gathering, interviewing, feature writing, editorial writing, and writing for print and broadcast. Students will gain understanding of the differences in methods of presenting these styles through a consideration of the ethical and legal implications.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing News Writing, you should be able to:

• Course Objective (CO) 1 Demonstrate an ability to write in a variety of journalistic styles, including news writing, feature writing, editorial writing, and writing for print and broadcast.
• CO 2 Write a basic news story for print and broadcast.
• CO 3 Demonstrate an ability to edit and revise your own or another's writing.
• CO 4 Generate a summary lead.
• CO 5 Generate effective interview questions and then integrate and attribute source material after conducting the interview.
• CO 6 Demonstrate an ability to write in the journalistic style, using concise language.
• CO 7 Demonstrate an understanding of legal and ethical principles that guide responsible media coverage.

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course. These materials are available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Textbook

• Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method, 6th ed., by Carole Rich (Boston: Wadsworth/CENGAGE, 2010; ISBN-10: 0-495-56987-9).

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COURSE STRUCTURE

News Writing is a 3-credit online course. The course consists of six modules. The student is required to complete six (6) written assignments and to take a proctored midterm and an unproctored, online final. Together these exams cover the materials of the entire course.

You are required to read the text as assigned, complete all written assignments, and take both the proctored midterm and the online final examination. You are also required to take part in the online discussions.

For the course's assignments, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. (See also the Calendar.)

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

Communication with the mentor and among students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and at least two subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

News Writing has six (6) written assignments. Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor through the appropriate submission link within the Submit Assignments area of the course. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and submit your assignment file.

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EXAMINATIONS

You are required to take two examinations: a proctored midterm examination and an online final examination. Consult the course Calendar for the timing of these exams.

Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long. The first part of the exam requires you to define terminology. The second part includes short essay questions. The final part of the exam includes two writing assignments. The midterm covers material in Modules 1 through 3 and the accompanying text readings.

You may take the examination only during the designated midterm exam period, by choosing one of the following two options:

• Online Proctor Option: If you have a webcam with a microphone and a reliable, high-speed Internet connection, you can take the exam online in the convenience of your home. During the first week of the semester, you will select an appointment through the ProctorU scheduling system. Then, on your selected day and time, you will be monitored by a remote proctor who will communicate with you via your video and audio connection. For further information on scheduling and taking an online proctored examination, see Tests & Quizzes > Midterm Examination.
  
  
• Pen-and-Paper Option: You may choose your own proctor or take the exam at Thomas Edison State College during midterm exam week. You should schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site). For more information on scheduling a pen-and-paper proctored examination, see the Online Student Handbook in General Information.

If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

Final Examination
The final is a closed-book, unproctored, online exam. It is two hours long and consists of several types of questions. The first part of the exam requires you to define terminology. The second part includes short essay questions. The final part of the exam includes two writing assignments. The exam covers material in Modules 4–6 of the course.

The final exam is taken online in Blackboard. An exam link will be activated and made available to you in the Tests & Quizzes area of the course site at the start of the last week of the semester. You may take the exam at any time during that week, but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). If you are on a course extension, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the final exam.

Sample Examination
You will find a sample online examination in the Tests & Quizzes area of this course site. Use this sample exam to familiarize yourself with the online testing setting and format before you take your online exam. Keep in mind the following potential differences between the sample exam and your online exam:

• The content of your exam will match the content of your course; the sample exam has some generic questions on art history, world history, and environmental science.
• Your exam is likely to include only one type or at most several types of questions (such as multiple choice or essays). The sample exam includes all the types that you might encounter in an online assessment at Thomas Edison State College.
• You will be able to enter and take your exam just once—once you have entered the exam you must complete it. The sample exam may be taken as often as you like.
• There will be a penalty for exceeding the time limit in your actual midterm and final exams (see the "Statement about Cheating" below), whereas there is no corresponding penalty with this sample exam.

Statement about Cheating
The final examination in this course is an unproctored exam. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Please also note that the exam is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete the exam. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit. This may also result in your failing the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and the examinations are based on the following numerical grades:

Note: To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, projects, papers, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.



2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams and arrange for proctors, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.



3. Arrange to take your midterm examination by following the instructions in the Online Student Handbook. Then complete the "Proctor Request Form" and submit it to the Office of Test Administration (OTA) before the end of the first week of the current semester. (See Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site.)



4. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.



5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking your examinations. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.



2. Read over all the assignments before you begin the course. Aspects of certain assignments (interview, public meeting) need to be arranged for in advance of their due dates.



3. Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.

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