Fit for purpose – tracking the quality of university education of entry-level journalists

1. Fit for purpose – tracking the quality of university education of entry-level journalists Guy Berger, 10 June 2005

2. Ubani?

3. PHAMBILI … • Serving the industry debate • Context: SA’s HE landscape • HEQC’s “fit for purpose” • Going beyond … to assessing impact • UK and US quality audits • Methodologies • Reference point: media’s “fit for purpose”

4. A: KUNZIMA • Industry point of reference • Tension: “admin” vs “critical” journ ed. Industry Academy • Prod/professional skills • Vocational • External orientation • Administrative Vs Vs Vs Vs • Theory, concepts • Academic • Internal orientation • Critical

5. A: KUNZIMA • Prod/professional skills • Vocational • External orientation • Administrative Vs Vs Vs Vs • Theory, concepts • Academic • Internal orientation • Critical BUT: • Theory embedded in Prod/Professional • Prod skills ≠ vocation per se (eg. mm, WED) • Academic ≠ internal orientation (topical) • Critical can be in all these

6. IMPUMELELO • Have to cover all bases & tensions • Bigger issue not university-academy: but contribution to society. • media not endpoint, but a means … • Practical connection: USA 71% • But, beware simple cause-effect

7. B: UMHLABA GENERAL: • Locate academy-industry relations in global “Quality” debate • About valuing – and investing – in ed. • HEQC: teaching, learning +Comm Service • Calls to define missions to our situ. • = Reference pt for quality assessments.

8. QUALITY - YINTONI LE? • Past: reputation, peer • “Customer satisfaction” measure. • “Fit for purpose” – whose purpose? • VCs: self-referential interpretation. • NCHE: value for $ to stakeholders • But: Students not customers • But: Many stakeholders; whose priority? • But: Perspective = follow, not lead, “mkt” = critique? Hayi!

9. THETHA! • Overall quality can be negated by weakest link. • Some say: what a grad can do; • Others: must take account of effects and benefits of academic education. • If purpose is (critical) contrib to media, failure there = chain of quality undermined. • Need to assess actual “fit” empirically. • Fit for purpose has to apply to media too.

10. C: NGESI & AMELIKA • Sheffield, Westminster, City Leicester, Leeds, Central Lancashire, • Many have vocational missions/purposes. • Audits rarely assess this. • No attention to efficiency (cost) issues • Few have critical components in mission • Only one assessed for this – superficially.

11. ENYE INTO: ACEJMC accredits – 108 schools • 12 universal standards (not fit 4 own purpose) • Includes diversity criteria (courses, people) • Includes comm service & alumni relations. • No probe if grads actually join industry. MISSING IN UK & US: • (a) grads becoming journos; • (b) with what effect?

12. D: IBETHA! • HEQC urges impact assessment 4 quality • HEQC urges benchmarks (allows ratings) • Impact on whom, intended & unintended? • Cover KAP and RLAP • Reaction: attitude to journ ed. • Learning: what was learnt • Application: what is applied • Pay-off: what diffs are made. • 360 degree research needed.

13. IMIBUZO Alumni surveys: • Attitude: towards “unethical” practices • Learning: “when use un-named sources?” • Application: “have you implemented?” • Pay-off: “have you persuaded newsroom?” • Complexity: Baseline needed re: before grad went into the media. • Using the findings …

14. E: SIQIBILE • What is the value (i.e. quality) of journ ed? • i.e. impact of grads on & via media. • NB to “admin” v “critical” debate. • NB in context of HEQC & SA univs. • Need expanded view of “fit for purpose” • UK and US systems fall short. • Need to assess media’s own “fit for purpose” in SA.

15. Ndiyabulela, abahlohli bam!Ngoku, masithethe!