<div style="text-align:center; padding:40px;"><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><h1 style="color:#06aea8;">SAMPLE DIGITAL CAPABILITIES DESCRIPTOR FOR JOURNALISM</h1><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><p style="color:#ffffff; MARGIN-BOTTOM:6PX;">Adapted from ANZCA Conference paper by Peter Fray, Philip Pond, J. Fiona Peterson, 28 July 2017.</P><P style="color:#ffffff;">The Capabilities have been updated by Peter Fray, Catherine Raffaele, J. Fiona Peterson, 15 December 2017.</p><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --></div>
Overview of Approach to Developing the Journalism Descriptors

Building upon a range of literature spanning affordance theory and journalism practice and education, we have developed a digital capabilities descriptor for journalism. This has been refined and developed further through industry engagement and reflection upon employment trend data.

Affordance theory defines a technology in terms of the uses, interactions and possibilities that the technology affords to its users; and affordances can be categorised – according to their potential for achieving outcomes – as Functional, Perceptual, Maintenance and Contextual (Best 2009; Evans et al. 2017). These categories of affordance have been adapted in this project and re-named as Functional, Perceptual and Adaptive, to reflect the fact that contextual application does not constitute a separate affordance and to differentiate known and unknown contexts. For the purposes of this project, affordances are categorised and defined as follows:

Functional affordances relate to the operation of technology; this includes naming, knowing and operating the features of a technology/technologies to perform tasks.

Perceptual affordances relate to interpretation and being discerning about technology tools and practices for their suitability and in-context operation in known contexts.

Adaptive affordances relate to imagining, adapting and extending technology use in previously unexplored and emerging contexts; this requires functional knowledge/skills and perceptual experience.

(Source: adapted from Best 2009; Evans et al. 2017; Fray et al. 2017)

The Functional, Perceptual and Adaptive capabilities are hierarchical but integrated. Adaptive capabilities are underpinned by some Functional knowledge/skills and Perceptual experience.

Organising capabilities into domains is intended to make it clearer to educators what capabilities we believe are necessary to scaffold interaction with technology to enable specific journalistic outcomes. We define a domain as a discrete (but not fixed) set of capabilities that a journalist requires for interacting with technology to effect a defined outcome. Within each domain, we argue that educators need to develop task-based learning activities that model industry-relevant digital labour, establishing functional and perceptual capabilities and then structuring opportunities for adaptive / cross-contextual application.

As a first step towards identifying functional, perceptual and adaptive capabilities for scaffolded learning embedded in the journalism curriculum, we propose four sample domains for graduate journalists: coding; data; external communication; and internal communication. These are explained next, with examples of functional, perceptual and adaptive capabilities within each domain.

The aspect we focused on in this study was Collaboration for project management within the Internal Communication domain.

DIGITAL CAPABILITIES DESCRIPTOR FOR JOURNALISM

Four sample domains are proposed for graduate journalists: coding; data; external communication; and internal communication. These are explained below, with examples of functional, perceptual and adaptive capabilities within each domain.

1. Coding Domain

We define coding as the knowledge and skills required to write and organise instructions to direct a computer to achieve specific tasks using machine-readable languages. We do not propose that journalism graduates need to be able to code. While it is obviously advantageous for them to have this ability, we do not see technical scripting and ‘debugging’ skills as essential within this domain. These skills are easily and increasingly outsourced; automation, especially for the generation of boilerplate code, is increasingly common; coding is taught in schools i.e., there is diminishing value in attempting to teach graduate-age journalists foundational coding skills.

Rather, we propose that journalists need to be fluent in the principles, language and potential of code, so they can direct coding projects, interact with specialist and generalist coders and use the potential of scripted computing power for research and storytelling. Coding can add value to the adaptive affordance level for creating something new. Overall, there is a role for being the ‘translator’, ‘explainer’, the ‘go between’ – from the realm of the technical world, to the realm of the narrative storytelling and text-based world of the working journalist.

Functional affordance/capabilities

Language of code:

Name and define programming concepts; name the principles and limitations of automated processing and define them appropriately.

Relationship between code and journalism:

Name and define programming concepts; articulate ways in which code can be used to support journalism.

Perceptual affordance/capabilities

Language of code:

Use concepts appropriately in communications with programmers; and in communications with others about coding.

Relationship between code and journalism:

Employ code directly, or employ programmers, in the most effective way to perform journalism and to tell stories.

Adaptive affordance/capabilities

Language of code:

Use concepts to direct programmers strategically to achieve journalistic outcomes; experiment with new forms of storytelling; and conceive of new editorial products.

Relationship between code and journalism:

Explain the influence of code (and automation) on the production and consumption of news; translate into journalism.

2. Data Domain

We differentiate between coding and data capabilities. We treat coding as technical, computer-control skills, whilst data handling is underpinned by the knowledge required to identify, process and interpret qualitative and quantitative data (representing, in sum or in part, news value). At present, these domains (coding and data) often seem to be confused, which we would argue makes pedagogical scaffolding difficult. Data capabilities are far broader than technical coding capabilities – they require statistical knowledge, familiarity with empirics, and the use of software programmes to organise and process datasets.

Within industry, data is used to understand what audiences want and do and thus guide editorial decision making — and it is increasingly used to make actual data stories and create new narratives. This duality may lead to a level of confusion in the news room. For the sake of clarity, data journalism should mean someone who uncovers patterns in data to unearth insights about the world in which we live; whereas someone who interprets and analyses data is in essence part of an ‘insights’ team. They seek to understand what audiences are doing online and how best to serve them.

Functional affordance/capabilities

Statistics:

Name basic statistical concepts and perform basic statistical calculations.

Data processing:

Operate data processing software packages; control user interface.

Perceptual affordance/capabilities

Statistics:

Interpret statistical findings to identify news value; use statistical findings in support of stories.

Data processing:

Produce analysis and visualisations to support a story.

Adaptive affordance/capabilities

Statistics:

Select appropriate statistical tools to investigate data sources, to identify news value and to illustrate news value in innovative ways.

Data processing:

Select software appropriate to data and to news value; support new forms of storytelling in collaboration with design, business/IT, PR, advertising, marketing, sales.

3. External Communication Domain

We argue that the two domains of external and internal communication reflect different journalistic responsibilities and therefore require different knowledge and skillsets. External communication tends to require visibility, transparency, network building and audience engagement. In other words, external communication refers to the relationship between a journalist and her publication-audience and her personal public (Schmidt 2014).

Functional affordance/capabilities

Social media software:

Identify and operate a range of social media software packages relevant to audiences; establish connections; engage interactively; publish content.

Networked audiences:

Name and define concepts and actions related to networks and engagement.

Perceptual affordance/capabilities

Social media software:

Direct social media applications to fulfil journalistic requirements: build personal following; disseminate stories to audience; develop content and storytelling techniques appropriate to medium.

Networked audiences:

Interpret audience and traffic data; interpret social metrics and engagement measures; distinguish between good and bad strategies.

Adaptive affordance/capabilities

Social media software:

Differentiate strategically between platforms: select platforms appropriate to both stories and audiences; tell stories in ways that maximise the potential of different platforms – media and audiences.

Networked audiences:

Make strategic decisions based on network knowledge and news value, in collaboration with advertising/marketing/PR, design, business/IT, to increase audience engagement with stories.

4. Internal Communication Domain

Internal communication capabilities are required to source, research and prepare a story for publication. The emphasis is frequently on privacy, security, anonymity and small team coordination with fellow specialists and different specialists (i.e., including cross-functional teams). Consequently, it makes sense to treat internal communication as a separate domain.

Functional affordance/capabilities

Collaboration:

Name and define internal communication and project management principles and tools.

Security:

ame and define security concepts and tools: anonymity, encryption, virtual private networks (VPNs).

Perceptual affordance/capabilities

Collaboration:

Apply those principles and tools to support journalistic practices.

Security:

Employ tools appropriately during journalism to ensure privacy and security for all participants: journalists, stringers and sources.

Adaptive affordance/capabilities

Collaboration:

Adapt established principles and tools to emergent contexts to increase productivity and minimise risk; work with different specialists; be a connector, explainer, translator across parts of the organisation/business units.

Security:

Respond to emergent security threats by employing available tools appropriately; develop new approaches to enhance security for vulnerable stakeholders.

Source: adapted from Fray et al. 2017, building upon Best 2009; Cullen 2015, 2016; Cullen et al. 2014; Davies and Cullen 2016; Evans et al. 2017; Finberg and Klinger 2014; Gibson 1979; Hartson 2003; Hunter and Nel 2011; Hutchby 2001; Joinson and Piwek 2013; Mullin 2016; Norman 1988, 1999; Schmidt and Rosenberg 2014; Schmidt 2014; Schwab 2016; Stencel and Perry 2016; Tanner et al. 2014; Wake and Farrer 2016.
Notes and References
As highlighted in Fray et al. (2017, p.16):

The four domains we have proposed in our Journalism Digital Capabilities Descriptor (coding, data, internal communication and external communication) are not an exhaustive list, nor are the sample areas of capability focus identified within them (statistics, networked audiences, collaboration, security and so on).

The rapid prototype learning model and the Descriptors we have put forward are intended as a springboard for further research, involving industry practitioners and the academic community, to continue to refine the domains and specific areas of capability focus nominated in each domain. Mapping capability development to the curriculum, devising an assessment strategy and verifying the achievement of associated learning outcomes is a longer-term endeavour, which we believe is essential to advance contemporary pedagogy.

References:

  • Beetham, H. (2015). Deepening digital know-how: Building digital talent. Key issues in framing the digital capabilities of staff in UK HE and FE. Report, JISC, UK.
  • Best, K. (2009). Invalid command: Affordances, ICTs and user control. Information, Communication & Society, 12(7), 1015-1040.
  • Cullen, T. (2016). Designing journalism capstone units that demonstrate student skills. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 71(3), 360-370.
  • Cullen, T. (2015). A capstone unit for journalism programmes that aims to facilitate the demonstration of graduate capabilities. Asia Pacific Media Educator, 25(2), 297-304.
  • Cullen, T., Tanner, S., O’Donnell, M., & Green, K. (2014). Industry needs and tertiary journalism education: Views from news editors. In Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Teaching & Learning Forum, Transformative, innovative and engaging, 30-31 January 2014. Perth: The University of Western Australia.
  • Davies, K., & Cullen, T. (2016). Data journalism classes in Australian universities: Educators describe progress to date. Asia Pacific Media Educator, 26(2), 1-16.
  • Evans, S. K., Pearce, K. E., Vitak, J., & Treem, J. W. (2017). Explicating affordances: A conceptual framework for understanding affordances in communication research. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 22, 35–52.
  • Finberg, H., & Klinger, L. (2014). Core skills for the future of journalism. Report. The Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Retrieved from http://www.newsu.org/course_files/CoreSkills_FutureofJournalism2014v2.pdf
  • Fray, P., Pond, P., & Peterson, J. F. (2017). Digital work practices: Matching learning strategies to future employment. In Proceedings Australian & New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA) Conference, University of Sydney, Australia, 4-7 July.
  • Gibson, J. J. (1979). The ecological approach to visual perception. London: Psychology Press.
  • Hartson, H.R. (2003). Cognitive, physical, sensory and functional affordances in interaction design. Behaviour & Information Technology, 22(5), 315-338.
  • Hunter, A., & Nel, F. (2011). Equipping the entrepreneurial journalist: An exercise in creative enterprise. Journalism & Mass Communications Educator – Essays, Spring, 10-24
  • Hutchby, I. (2001). Technology, texts and affordances. Sociology, 35, 441-456.
  • Joinson, A. N., & Piwek, L. (2013). Technology and behaviour change, for good and evil. In Social impact of technology. New York: STI Press.
  • Mullin, B. (2016). The Associated Press will use automated writing to cover the minor leagues. Retrieved from https://www.poynter.org/2016/the-associated-press-will-use-automated-writing-to-cover-the-minor-leagues/419489/
  • Norman, D. (1988). The psychology of everyday things. New York: Basic Books.
  • Norman, D. (1999). Affordance, conventions, and design. Interactions, 6(3), 38-43.
  • Schmidt, J. H. (2014). Twitter and the rise of personal publics. In K. Weller, A. Bruns, J. Burgess, M. Mahrt, & C. Puschmann (Eds.). Twitter and Society. New York: Peter Laing.
  • Schmidt, E., & Rosenberg, J. (2014). Google: How Google works. London: John Murray Publishers.
  • Schwab, K. (2016). The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Geneva: World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/about/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-by-klaus-schwab
  • Stencel, M., & Perry, K. (2016). Superpowers: The digital skills media leaders say newsrooms need going forward. Report. Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism, City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. Retrieved from http://towknight.org/research/superpowers/http://towknight.org/research/superpowers/
  • Tanner, S., O’Donnell, M., Green, K. P., & Cullen, T. (2014). Graduate qualities and journalism curriculum renewal: Balancing tertiary expectation and industry needs in a changing environment. Final report. Sydney: Office for Learning and Teaching.
  • Wake, A., & Farrer, G. (2016). What is journalism for? Call for journalism educators to think beyond industry practice. Asia Pacific Media Educator, 26(2), 163-174.
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