the future of e-learning for african journalists
TRANSCRIPT
The Future of e-learning for African Journalists
Salem Solomon Casey Frechette
AT E-LEARNING LOGO
Topics for Today ● Africa’s media landscape
● Why African journalists need training
● The value of an online approach
● Why we need a new platform and Africa Talks E-Learning is the
best one
The Media Landscape in Africa
The Need for Training for African Journalists
The African Press Faces Challenges ● Limited resources and equipment
● Lack of compensation
● Threats from businesses and governments
“Society has a responsibility to ensure its journalists have the competencies to seek out and interpret information, and the judgment and integrity to communicate it in as objective
and unbiased terms as possible.”
Why an Online Platform? ● Cost effective
● Can help the largest number of journalists
● Can offer an up-to-date, consistent curriculum
● Flexible
● Allows for an expert staff assembled from anywhere
Why an Online Platform? (Continued) ● Direct interaction between trainers and participants
● An archived, ongoing resource
● Creates opportunities for networking with other journalists
● Helps journalists see the potential reach of their work
The Need for a New Platform
Content ● Western-centric material
● Cultural differences
● Topics of particular interest to African journalists
Delivery Methods ● Mobile-first
● Feature phones, SMS
● Low-bandwidth delivery (connections can be slow, and data can be
costly). We’ll focus on transcripts and other free delivery methods.
Language ● The platform will launch in English first.
● Potential to grow beyond English-language courses. African
languages, French, etc.
● Possibility to translate content will be build into the design of the
platform.
Phase 1: Needs Assessment
Next Steps ● Help develop a pool of initial participants.
● Reveal the readiness for a new online learning platform.
● Guide what courses we develop first. We want to start with two or
three universal courses.
Popular Course Topics So Far ● Fact-checking and Verification
● Video Production
● Working with Data
Thank you! Questions? ● On Twitter:
o @AT_eLearning
o @Africa_Talks
o @Salem_Solomon
● Email:
● Web:
o www.africa-talks.com/training