The purpose of the online lectures, workshops and group assignments before the in-person meeting is to prepare the students in a way that allows them to make the best of the precious days of their in-person meeting.
The online programme preparing the in-person meeting should thus make sure the students are prepared on goals, content, work process and methods as well as practicalities. This includes a shared terminology, agreements and basic knowledge of intercultural and team communication. Time and attention is dedicated to intercultural and team communication early on in the process. Experience from CJC and the international Master in Investigative Journalism at the lead partner Gothenburg University shows that this works well with the double purpose of making teams work more smoothly and – in the beginning of the programme helps students get to know each other.
In the Crossborder Journalism Campus first pilot year, the shared programme was rudimentary and teams were only selected in a shared process during the in-person meeting. That was cumbersome and took time and attention from the work plan. In the 2nd pilot year, a shared agenda was offered and teams of students from all three partner educations were set up ahead of the in-person meeting, so they could get to know each other and start planning. Depending on the schedule of the participating classes, meetings can be offered as a series of lectures, integrated in full work days with lectures and workshops or a combination.
Our ideal preparation agenda could look like this:
Meeting 1 – Kick-off meeting
About the programme
Who is who – the partner journalism schools and the background of the students
Aim of the investigation
Timeline
Q & A
Meeting 2 – Intercultural communication, team communication
Lecture and group work on intercultural and team communication.
Material for inspiration on intercultural and team communication.
Meeting 3 – Cross-border collaborative journalism
Lecture on the work process of cross-border collaborative journalism.
Material for inspiration on the collaborative journalism process.
Meeting 4 – Cross-border collaboration work routines
Lecture on cross-border collaboration work routines including project management
Material for inspiration on cross-border collaboration work routines
Meeting 5 – Introduction to the topic
This depends, obviously, on the topic agreed for the project. The two pilot cohorts of CJC focused on the EU Green Deal and Labour & Migration respectively and got introductions to the topic, existing legislation and levels of decision making, actors in field and milestones on the political agenda.
Meeting 6 – Lecture and workshop 1 with groups
The group division is presented and students get to know each other in breakout rooms.
Lecture on how to generate and select story ideas.
Followed by more group work.
Meeting 7 – Lecture and workshop 2 with groups
The groups meet in break out rooms and catch up on what’s been done since they last met.
Lecture on how to develop cross-border journalism work plans.
Inspiration for the lecture on work plans.
Templates for the discussion about work plans.
Meeting 8 – Presentation of story ideas and last preparations
The groups meet in break out rooms and catch up on what’s been done since they last met.
All gather for a short round of very first pitches of the story ideas.
Last practicalities for the in-person meeting are discussed.