Adventist University of the Philippines
Silang, Cavite

DevC 122
Web Journalism:
Researching and Writing for Online Media

Instructor: Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ (webjourn@ewritersplace.com)

[Course Overview] [Subject & Teacher Info] [Course Objectives]
[Text and References] [Course Requirements] [Instructional Strategies and Methods]
[Evaluation of Student Performance] [Course Outline] [Course Schedule]

Course Overview

This course introduces students to the application of Internet technologies into journalism practice. It builds on the journalism skills of researching, reporting and interviewing and applies them to the World Wide Web. Students will learn the basics of HTML and graphic creation/editing, how to conduct online searches, interviews and research, and how to write for the web.

The class consists of lectures, discussions, individual and group assignments, and in-class exercises. Throughout the semester, each student will work on 3 web site projects and write an in-depth analysis/critique of a media web site. All web site projects and writing assignments will be published and accessible on the web.

Students are expected to actively participate in class discussions and be thoroughly prepared each week. Occasionally, students may be required to prepare and lead a discussion and/or present part of their projects.

Weekly readings are assigned and students are expected to come to class with a thorough understanding of that week's reading assignment. The reading assignments are articles published and accessible online.

There are no prelim, midterm and final exams in this course. The media web site analysis/critique and the 3 web site projects will take the place of these exams. Instead of quizzes, students will turn in a 150-word response paper every week. The response paper is based on each week's reading assignment.

Each student is required to have an e-mail account and access it on a regular basis. In some cases, assignments are required to be submitted through e-mail. The class syllabus, outline, schedule and reading assignments will be accessible at the instructor's site (http://sheryruss.com/webjourn/), thus, students are encouraged to visit the site at least once a week.


Subject and Teacher Information

A. Term: 1st Semester 2004-2005
B. Credit: 3 Units
C. Prerequisite: DevC 120, DevC 121, BCOMP 128 or COI
D. Course Schedule: Lecture and Lab 7-12 F
E. Classroom: Studio
F. Teacher: Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ; Cell phone: (0917) 897 4379; E-mail: webjourn@ewritersplace.com
G. Consultation Time/Place: 8-9 T; 1-2 F DevCom Office


Course Objectives

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

  1. Develop and apply the specific skills and techniques used in online journalism.
  2. Learn how to search the Internet to gather information.
  3. Analyze online resources for information gathering, and to evaluate online media with respect to their credibility, reliability, layout and navigability, and other qualities.
  4. Develop a critical understanding of the digital work environment for journalists.
  5. Develop an understanding of legal and ethical issues for online media.
  6. Learn and apply non-linear storytelling techniques for online media
  7. Demonstrate understanding of the concepts of usability, web design and web writing through hands-on work.


Textbooks/References

  • Writing for the Web by Crawford Kilian
  • Writing Online: A Student’s Guide to the Internet and World Wide Web by Eric Crump and Nick Carbone
  • Web Page Design Cookbook by William Horton, et al
  • The Internet Writer’s Handbook by Martha C. Sammons
  • Labyrinths: The Art of Interactive Writing and Design by Domenic Stansberry
  • WRITING.COM: Creative Internet Strategies to Advance Your Writing Career by Moira Allen
  • Online articles and white papers
  • Handouts


Course Requirements

A. Exercises (5%)
B. Oral reports and class participation (5%)
C. Response papers (10%)
D. Resume/Biographical web page (10%)
E. Interview stories web site (15%)
F. Online community web site (15%)
G. Resource web site (25%)
H. Analysis/Critique paper (15%)


Instructional Strategies and Methods

A. Lecture-Discussion
B. Research
C. Individual and group activities
D. Hands-on activities


Evaluation of Student Performance

A. In lieu of exams (Prelim, Midterm and Finals), students will be evaluated and graded based on 3 web site projects and an in-depth analysis/critique of a media site. (70%).
B. Exercises (5%) will be given each laboratory time to prepare students for bigger projects.
C. In lieu of quizzes, students will turn in 150-word response papers (10%) based on the reading assignments every week.
D. Oral reports and class participation (5%)
E. Resume/Biographical web page (10%)

Grading Scale: 


Percentage	Letter Grade	Honor Points
95-100	A			4.0
90-94		A-			3.5
85-89		B+			3.0
80-84		B			2.5
75-79		B-			2.0
70-74		C+			1.5
65-69		C			1.0
Below 65	F			0.0
  • A grade of NC, NG, INC may be requested provided that the student writes a letter stating his/her intent and the reason for such request. For INC, a student is required to fill the REQUEST FOR INCOMPLETE form.
  • Percentage is based on the perfect score. However, bonus questions will be given in order for a student to earn extra points.
  • A grade of FA will automatically be given to students who incurred more than seven absences.
  • Computation of grade: (Raw Score/Perfect Score) x 100


Course Outline

1. Introduction

  • Introduction to the online world
  • Impact of new media on journalism
  • What is web or online journalism?
  • How web journalism differs from traditional journalism and other media
  • Characteristics of the online writer/journalist
  • New roles of journalists in the Internet age
  • Trends in web/online journalism

2. Web site planning, design & maintenance and the writer

  • Basic HTML for writers
  • Audience analysis
  • Concept documents
  • Content planning
  • Copyright issues
  • File management
  • Flowchart
  • Organization
  • Storyboard
  • Structure
  • Testing
  • Web page elements

3. Online research and information gathering

  • Conducting online searches, research and interviews
  • Online searching techniques
  • Plagiarism, copyright and the Internet
  • Journalism ethics and restraint in new media
    • Accuracy
    • Privacy
    • Fairness
    • Linking
    • Journalistic integrity
  • Citing Internet sources
    • MLA
    • APA
    • Chicago Manual of Style
  • Style guide for online hypertext
4. Writing and editing for the Web
  • Overview of Web writing
  • 5 web journalism styles
  • Linear vs. nonlinear form
  • Writing for the screen vs. writing for print
  • Structuring: chunking and scrolling
  • 3 principles of web text
  • Navigation cues
  • Web page writing techniques
  • Types of web writing
  • Web page style
  • Editing web text
4. Criteria and tools for evaluating web sites
  • Context
  • Authorship
  • Publishing body
  • Point of view or bias
  • Verifiability and Accuracy
  • Currency
  • Coverage
  • Comparability with related sources
  • Appropriateness of format
  • Software/hardware/multimedia requirements
6. The Future of Web Journalism