Towards a situated media practice: Reflections on the implementation of project- led problem-based learning

Abstract

In the field of media practice education, project-based learning is utilized as a major pedagogic paradigm with the aim of mirroring professional practice within the curriculum. However, if the use of project-based learning is to be considered as more than just a way of administrating student activity, then educators need a critical understanding of how problem encounters order practice within the life cycle of a project. The drawing together of practice-based, project-based and problem-based approaches allows us to see the overlapping nature of these approaches and also differentiate them as unique pedagogies in their own right. It is argued here that this tension between similarity and difference requires a new way of thinking about mirroring professional practice within higher education, one which offers a theory of project-based learning as a productive pedagogy which places problem encounters at its heart.

Producing an Online Undergraduate Literary Magazine: A Guide to Using Problem-Based Learning in the Writing and Publishing Classroom

“…As technologies shift, the way we write changes with them, often in significant ways (Tucker, 2008), calling for curricular constructions and pedagogy that can rapidly adapt to change. Therefore, instead of seeing creativity and career preparation as at odds with one another, English 420's and English 423's use of PBL allows students to gain an understanding of the life cycles of creative projects (Hanney, 2013) and to better understand the contexts in which writing is conducted (Rosinski & Peeples, 2012).…”

“…The courses offer a creative, applied writing experience and professional practice (Hanney, 2013). Students may take ENG 420 and ENG 423 for up to three semesters, so there is a mix of novice and experienced students in any given classroom.…”

“…My students, largely unfamiliar with literary magazines, had very little knowledge about the very print publications they were seeking to transform into digital format. What ensued was the chaos that often accompanies early phases or iterations of both PBL projects and real-word creative endeavors (Lee et al, 2014;Hanney, 2013;Savery 2006).…”

“…However, students were then encouraged to add new features unique to online publications. This creativity and invention, coupled with problem solving, distinguished the course from project-based course models (Hanney, 2013). Students were able to communicate their understanding of a literary magazine by producing this first template.…”

“…The study of writing in Cabrini's English department is interested in preserving-and at times discovering-literary tradition, whatever future forms that tradition may take. PBL permits students to understand the complexities faced when writing for an audience other than the professor (Hanney, 2013;Rosinski & Peeples, 2012). Producing a publication adds a social and cultural dimension to writing that complicates writing (Rosinski & Peeples, 2012).…”