Media education and new technology: a case study of major curriculum change within a university media degree

The Bachelor of Communication (Media) degree at RMIT University has been in existence for 30 years. It has offered students both an academic education in humanities and communication fields and a professional education in practical television and radio production. However, until recently, there have been virtually no links between the academic and production components of the degree. Concerns about this educationally schizophrenic structure, combined with a realization of significant changes in the media production industries, prompted a comprehensive review of the degree. The degree that emerged from the review has an emphasis on process-based learning and network literacy. Every student has a blog, which is a fully public networked document used in core subjects and all year levels. Video and audio are incorporated into blogs and students are encouraged to produce academic texts that include all forms of media. Through these and other changes, the curriculum encourages students to become independent learners in a rapidly changing media environment.