Telling Stories in Land and Food
SystemsKathryn GretsingerCyprien LomasDuncan McHughUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouver, BC, Canada
NMC 2009June 11th, 2009Creative Commons Attribution-
Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Canada License
･ How did this course come to be? ･ How did we do it? ･ What were challenges? ･ What were results?
Special Topics in Agriculture
･ Very passionate about their research･ Somewhat isolated･ Many have a lack of awareness as to how to tell a story
LFS students
･ Engaging their research in a new way･ Improving their communication skills･ Expressing themselves using digital tools･ Spreading their message to a broader audience
LFS students
･ Mostly re-purposing lectures･ Useful, not very dynamic
Academic podcasting
･ Cross-campus collaboration
The PEPI Group
･ Cross-campus collaboration ･ Putting the technology into students’ hands ･ Sought to create an ‘academic iTunes’ ･ Evolved into a partnership between LFS & SoJ
The PEPI Group
･ 4th year seminar in issues related to the UBC Farm･ Traditionally assignments were essays･ UBC Farm is the only working farm in Vancouver･ UBC Farm is threatened by development･ Two-part assignment
AGRO 461 & UBC Farm
･ Sought to use journalism skills to teach to six LFS students to create engaging and rigorous audio documentaries ･ Four-member teaching team:
･ Agriculture prof ･ Journalism prof ･ Tech instructor ･ Big thinker
This year’s course
･ Students didn't have a framework for this type of work
･ four rules of journalism
･ storytelling, not just feeling
･ crafting a narrative out of
an interview
This year’s course
･ Students were taught the difference between advocacy and journalism ･ As newspapers and other media suffer cutbacks, room for citizen journalists to have a voice
What is citizen journalism?
･ Streeter: students were sent out to ask strangers a question ･ Voicer: simple story piece that combines basic audio editing, sound recording, interviewing and narration
Early results
･ New skills for students to pick up “･ How to get good recording” “･ The use of audio recorders” “･ Basic audio editing” “･ Copyright awareness”
Technology workshops
･ Audacity
Tools
･ A number of audio recorders: M-Audios, Zoom H4s & Edirols
Tools
･ Audio piece, ~10mins in length ･ Workshopped extensively ･ Sense of accountability to students and the work ･ CBC competition
Final project
“･ The Soil Beneath Your Feet” “･ Dandelion” “･ The Farmhouse” “･ Where Are We Growing”
Final project
･ new technology ･ lack of time ･ the need to change culture ･ scarcity of resources [pilot]
Challenges
Student Reflections
･ formalised course, restricted elective ･ 15 students cap ･ new assignments
Next year
･ One way to tell 50 stories ･ Better breed of podcasts
･ Student satisfaction ･ raised the bar and they stepped
up ･ tangible product to share with
those outside of the university ･ giving students the tools they
need to be heard ･ epiphanies can't be planned
Conclusion
Questions?
Thanks!Kathryn Gretsinger
Duncan [email protected]
Cyprien Lomas [email protected]
Faculty of Land and Food SystemsThe University of British Columbiawww.landfood.ubc.ca/learningcentre
