EDLD 5305 Assignment 5 – Connecting and Communicating Your Ideas – Malick, S.
The University Press Innovation Plan will incorporate a wide variety and range of materials. The most diverse and constant content will come from working professionals and our network of alumni. This has been attempted in the past, but the challenge has always been maintaining a sustained effort.
The list of resources is going to be ever-changing and ever growing. A continual resource will be coverage of current news events. Analysis and evaluation of events as they are covered are a fundamental component of journalism
One part, UPLift, has already taken place as a conglomeration of formal and informal interactions between current students and alumni working in the professional media field.
UPLift (http://lamaruniversitypress.com/creating-a-professional-brand/) occurred on Oct. 20, 2016 and was the first step in creating components to innovating learning and instruction for the UP.
Other entities and resources include: The Society of Professional Journalists, the Poynter Institute, the Association of Copy Editors, the Nieman Lab at Harvard University. Several resources include authors and individuals included in my literature review and other assignments from this course section.
Professional and academic relationship must be further cultivated to expose students and instructors to a variety of viewpoints. For example, I have been in correspondence with Charles Marler, professor emeritus Abilene Christian University, as mentor for incorporating personal device application development to our technology component. Another example, is Dr. George Sylvie, University of Texas, whom I have corresponded with as mentor to help the UP assess, evaluate and implement innovative ways to better address audience engagement with minority readers on-campus and within our community. The New York Times has been a frequently cited source in my coursework this section and I will continue to follow their research and findings. In particular, Rick Rojas (covered the Ethan Patz murder trial recently to conclusion) is a former student of mine from another institution and has agreed to Skype with our students to address fundamental issues regarding news gathering and journalistic writing.
These resources are not new, the concept of the innovation plan is to bring as many resources together in a congruent way that is most beneficial to Lamar communications students. Most of the technology resources needed are also already available, the innovation lays in developing more engaging and frequent use of these technologies. The same can be said for personnel and budgeting for the programs already in place.
The innovation also lays in planning and coordinating resources to form a collaborative effort in instruction and learning. The disruption lays in instructing students outside of traditional norms of what has been occurring at Lamar and the UP. The role of instructors is to provide cohesive leadership in utilizing these resources.
