Applied Learning
Practice-based research is a growing area in the field of media education and is now starting to have an impact on pedagogic practices. Combined with reflection, exploring theoretical ideas through practice can be an effective learning process.
Richard Berger is currently researching how adaptation can be utilised as a teaching tool in a variety of learning contexts. He is particularly interested in the pedagogic potential of fan fiction writing. Richard has presented papers on this research in the US and Ireland as well as contributing a chapter on student adaptations to the collection Redefining Adaptation Studies (2010) and in the forthcoming Lights, Camera, Action: The Use of Film in Education (2012).
Andrew Ireland has developed his own practice into a research methodology, as he seeks to ‘remake’ television texts to understand the context of their original creation.
Work-Based Learning
The Centre’s work-based learning masters programmes add a new dimension to research in this growing field. The MA in Creative & Media Education is a course of study for media educators in Further and Higher Education, whereby online delivery is supplemented by a series of themed residentials. The Centre is currently seeing to build on the success of these programmes by developing a part-time undergraduate provision.
The development and delivery of the work-based masters programmes has provided a series of useful case-studies which examine the nature of employer engagement in work-based learning, the challenges of wholly online delivery and the issues a learner faces when returning to study whilst working full-time having been away from formal learning for a significant period.
The Centre’s research in this area has included a report commissioned by the Higher Education Academy for the Department for Media, Culture and Sport written by Jon Wardle, Tzu-Bin Lin and Richard Berger. This report assesses the challenges faced by those in full-time work who undertake work-based learning programmes.
Richard Berger is collaborating with Ashley Woodfall on a chapter about the challenges cross-platform media practices present to students in Higher Education. The chapter will be published for the forthcoming collection, Crossmedia Innovations: Texts, Markets, Institutions, Education (2012).
Work Placements
Work experience comes in all shapes and sizes including part-time jobs, vacation work and voluntary work. These guides offer advice on work experience placements to higher education students on practice based media courses, academic staff in higher education media departments where students are required to undertake a placement as part of their course, and to employers who would like to offer work experience placements to higher education students on practice based media courses. They are intended to be used alongside guidelines provided by individual universities.
Jon Wardle, Richard Berger and Marketa Zezulkova are currently collaborating on a chapter about student work placements for the forthcoming collection, Cultural Work and Higher Education (2012).
