Winter 2015 Vol. 47, Issue II www.prssa.org/FORUM
Professors Bridge Industry and Classroom in New Ways
BY RYAN BAUM UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Internships have long been
championed as the place for
students to apply their studies
and prepare for the industry, but
professors are finding innovative
ways to bring that same hands-on
experience into the classroom.
An interactive approach to
learning creates better professionals by preparing students
to think on their feet and
excel in the skills and settings
where they will be expected to
thrive throughout their careers.
“It boils down to one key
thing: most people learn best when
they are doing,” said Tracy Sims,
University of Alabama PRSSA’s
Chapter adviser and faculty
editor for Platform Magazine.
PUBLISHED WORK
Platform Magazine is an
online, student-run publication
at the University of Alabama
with content covering various
aspects of the public relations
field. The magazine is supported
by the Plank Center for
Leadership in Public Relations.
It began as a course in the 2007
spring semester, with goals of
determining the new magazine’s
purpose, structure, communications strategy and target audiences.
Now that its identity has
been established, the publication
is supported by Sims’ online
magazine writing and editing class.
“My role as an instructor
is really just to guide the team,
so there isn’t much lecturing,”
Sims said. “These students are
truly running this publication.”
Students serve on the editorial
board which allows them to screen
and edit content. In addition,
they work on one of three teams:
BY SAMANTHA WATSON
THE UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO
Spring is a great time of year
— the weather starts to warm up,
school starts to wind down and
it’s once again time for PRSSA
Regional Conferences.
This spring, 10 schools will
host unique Regional Conferences all over the U.S., giving
PRSSA members the opportunity
to attend without having to travel
long distances. This year’s conferences are:
writing, designing or marketing.
“This kind of class encourages
students to get out of their
comfort zones,” Sims said. “I’ve
seen students who thought,
‘Well, I’m not creative,’ and
they get on the design team and
realize that they actually are.”
CLIENT INTERACTION
Innovative
educational
solutions like Platform Magazine
are important in this constantly
evolving field, but interactive
experiences can be incorporated
into more traditional courses.
Juan-Carlos Molleda, public
relations department chair at
the University of Florida, has
split his public relations strategy
class into groups this semester
to solve real communications
dilemmas for three clients.
Students spent the semester
learning public relations theory
through
multimedia
lecture
sessions, with client strategies
evolving each week to reflect
new information — similar
to
the
dynamic
workflow
of an agency environment.
“I believe students learn best
with service-learning projects
along with creative illustrations
in the classroom,” Molleda said.
“This is an opportunity ... in which
willing clients become a critical
part of the learning experience.”
DIGITAL EMPHASIS
Robert French, a lecturer
at Auburn University, also
recognizes
the
correlation
between client interaction and an
engaged classroom. His students
all interact with multiple clients
instead of focusing on just one.
French teaches a style and
Public relations
professors have
been seeking innovative ways to
give students the
real-world experience they need
to get hired. “It
boils down to
one key thing:
most people
learn best
when they are
doing,” said
Tracy Sims, fac-
ulty at University of Alabama.
Photo courtesy of
Laura Daronatsy.
design course, which covers
topics including principles of
graphic
design,
typography,
the Adobe Creative suite and
content management systems.
He said his class is commonly
referred to as the “social media
class,” but it is more than that.
Students learn HTML, search
engine optimization and other
skills that are increasingly relevant
as the industry continues its
migration toward the digital sphere.
French aims to do “as little
lecturing as possible,” preferring
focused, interactive assignments
that build the students’ knowledge
and provide work examples.
“I build in the activities to
teach them all the skills they
need to complete the final
project,” he said, “but then they
also have all of this portfolio
material to fill their new website.”
RELEVANT PORTFOLIO
That capstone project at the
end of French’s style and design
course is the creation of a digital
resume and portfolio, which is then
featured on the course website.
Compelling portfolios are
the final piece of the immersive
learning puzzle, completing the
picture by showcasing industryrelevant classroom experiences
that set the students apart.
“At DePaul, we are replacing
the comprehensive exam option
for graduate students with the
more
relevant
e-portfolio,”
said Ron Culp, professional
director of the graduate public
relations
and
advertising
program at DePaul University.
Prior
to
graduation,
DePaul hosted an e-portfolio
showcase that was attended by
more than 60 Chicago-area agency
and public relations executives
who reviewed student portfolios.
“Building
an
interviewready
e-portfolio
requires
students to strategically think
through how they organize their
experience and capabilities in
a compelling way,” Culp said.
CREATE OPPORTUNITIES
In programs without a focus
on immersive learning, students
can seek out these chances for
industry-relevant
experience
elsewhere — or create new ones.
From
guest
blogging,
to
coding classes, to web
design, the more diverse skills
students pursue, the better.
These hands-on opportunities, whether taught or sought
out, will give any student the
experience to land tha Bf