St. Petersburg, FL– Poynter’s News University recently announced that more than 75 percent of educators surveyed are integrating e-learning into their classroom curriculum. And of those who responded affirmatively, more than 60 percent ranked it as extremely important to classroom teaching.
More than 625 educators participated in the online survey, which examined how teachers are combining classroom teaching with online learning, such as self-directed courses, Webinars, tutorials and instructional videos.
“Journalism educators, just like journalists, must deal with the new digital world with more innovation and different tools to train today’s students,” said Howard Finberg, director of interactive learning at The Poynter Institute. “The results validate what we’ve seen at NewsU, which continues to show growth and great evaluations among students and teachers, in addition to professionals across media platforms.”
In addition to viewing online training as an important tool in the classroom, 70 percent of educators said that online training is very relevant to their classroom teachings. A majority also believe that their students value online training, both in terms of importance and relevance.
“One of the great values of e-learning programs such as NewsU is its grounding in professional, real-life examples. Add ‘interactive’ and ‘expertise’ to the mix and students respond to training that matches their digital lifestyle,” said Finberg.
The survey also found that 57 percent of respondents believe that online training has made them a better teacher. Respondents had an opportunity to explain their answers in more detail, and the following are some of those responses:
- “The modules help me to be able to relate the information to what others are saying and to refer to work being done elsewhere more directly. Connecting more dots is important and adds to classroom lectures/presentations. I can also cover more material more quickly — a surprise, actually.”
- “Finding and then incorporating these materials in the syllabus helps me organize my exercises and related exams earlier. Better organization helps me craft a stronger semester.”
- “E-learning tools allow students to learn at their own pace, access information on their own time, and apply the information to specific projects.”
Seventy-seven percent of the educators who responded to the survey teach at the college undergraduate level, followed by graduate level (19 percent) and high school (2 percent). Of those who haven’t incorporated e-learning into the classroom, a majority cited cost and lack of relevance to the subject matter as primary reasons.
Finberg will present the results of the survey during a session at the AEJMC conference in Denver on August 5 at 5 p.m. The session is open to all AEJMC attendees and will be in Tower Court A at the Sheraton Denver Downtown.
About NewsU
Poynter’s News University (www.newsu.org) offers training to journalists, journalism students, teachers and the public through interactive e-learning modules and links to other journalism education and training opportunities.
About Poynter
The Poynter Institute trains journalism practitioners, media leaders, educators and citizens in the areas of online and multimedia, leadership and management, reporting, writing and editing, TV and radio, ethics and diversity, journalism education and visual journalism. Poynter’s Web site (www.poynter.org) is the dominant provider of journalism news with a focus on business analysis and the opportunities and implications of technology.
