Industry Perspective on Journalism Education Curriculum in Malaysia

Abstract

Purpose -This study investigated media and communication practitioners' perspectives on the journalism education curriculum in Malaysia. Curriculum plays an important role in providing quality education for students. Journalism is a dynamic field that integrates industrial experience and fundamental knowledge in the field from higher educational institutions. Scholars in the field are divided on the issue of whether it is important for academia to consider input from industrial players in shaping the curriculum on journalism education in higher institutions of learning.Methodology -Drawing from the researchers' experiences and guidelines from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency, the Taba Model was adapted as the theoretical framework for the study. The study used a semi-structured interview method. Fifteen experts were interviewed. They have served more than 10 years in the media industry and have held various executive positions. The interview protocol was developed based on the literature review and guidelines from the curriculum review of Communication and Media Studies. The interviews were conducted at the offices or homes of interviewees. Each interview ranged from 1 to 2 hours. The data was analysed using thematic analysis.Findings -The findings revealed four main themes, namely 1) Strong general knowledge requirement, 2) the right skills matter, 3)Significance -These findings lend further support to the clarion call for industry and academia to collaborate extensively in nurturing high quality graduates in journalism.

The Relevance of Media Studies Education to Industry: Insights From the Leading Media Schools of Pakistan

“…As most Asian and Pakistani universities developed under colonial regimes, they adopted European models in which journalism and media had never been recognized as a discipline for academic pursuit as is discussed by Alkazemi et al (2017). The Media Bachelor’s programs in most Pakistani universities are facing similar challenges of academic respectability just like their counterparts in other developing countries (Alkazemi et al, 2017; Pavlik et al, 2012; Yusof et al, 2018).…”

“…The need of the modern times is to produce competent media studies teachers in specialized areas by introducing advanced degree programs focusing on theory and research in the local context. However, the dearth of suitable graduate programs in majority of Asian countries and the scarcity of research funding often push media educators to either switch to other areas of liberal arts or go aboard for quality higher studies (Alkazemi et al, 2017; Ashraf & Chaudhry, 2013; Yusof et al, 2018). Thus in most national media schools, local faculty with foreign degrees are found to be teaching; while the overseas exposure might expand faculties’ scope of knowledge and intellectual horizons, it often proves to be burdensome to the relevant universities especially when they prefer to stay away as long as they can.…”

“…It is evident that the concepts of press freedom and responsibility, which have evolved for developed nations in the Western world, may not be immediately transferable to an Asian country (Yusof et al, 2018) such as ours, with low literacy, low per capita income, and low political awareness or even national identity. However, what is positive is that educators in Pakistan have realized the value of these media studies programs.…”

Reshaping the Curriculum for Academy in Factory in Malaysia

“…Taba recommends using an inductive approach to curriculum design. According to Taba, the process of developing a curriculum can be divided into seven steps: identifying student needs, deciding on curriculum goals, selecting curriculum content, organising the content, selecting learning experiences, and evaluating the curriculum ( Yusof et al, 2018 ). Curriculum design is an ongoing process, and instructional and curriculum committees will play critical roles in shaping the curriculum through critical criticism.…”