New mobile online course for journalists launched in five languages

The practice-oriented project "Region - Central Asia: Journalism Education on Migration Issues" was implemented in 2023-2024 by the working group of the UNESCO Chair in Journalism and Communication of the al-Farabi Kazakh National University within the framework of the International Communication Development Program (IPDC). The course was created on the SC Training mobile platform (EdApp) and strengthens the digital complex of journalism education "Media SDG Platform" in Central Asia.

The aim of the new development for training students and improving the qualifications of journalists was to create a mobile MOOC with game and situational tasks. The course is based on the manual "Reporting on Migrants and Refugees. A Handbook for Journalism Teachers" from the UNESCO series on journalism education and is available free of charge. In addition to international recommendations and standards, the online course contains many local cases.

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become an integral part of both formal and informal education in recent years, allowing students freely study relevant academic subjects based on adapted materials presented in a concise and easy-to-understand form.

The project-working group under the leadership of professor, doctor of philological sciences N.T. Shyngysova and implementers – associate professors: E.I. Dudinova, A.V. Rozhkov, M.O. Negizbaeva and PhD A.I. Skripnikova, collected extensive material into a compact electronic course that allows to master new knowledge interactively from any mobile device.

The MOOC "Region - Central Asia: Journalism Education on Migration Issues" underwent initial validation with the involvement of representatives from more than 40 Central Asian universities, media editorial offices and public organizations in the field of migration. During the discussion of the content and methodology of the project, recommendations were made as proposals on distinguishing the presentation of personal and mass reflection of migration in articles and reports, verification of statistics and digital data, formation of the image of a migrant taking into account such important factors as gender, age, motives for movement and related trauma. In addition, participants in the discussion of project indicators proposed localizing resources for the formation of a database of examples and tasks, as well as unifying quality control of their implementation through a single assessment (one star for one task).

During the discussion, a creative concept was formed to support students with animated course characters - graduates of the journalism faculty Dana and Amir to personalize the course and provide feedback. Virtual characters actively participate in mastering the presented materials, apply recommendations for covering migration based on each lesson in their work and motivate participants not only to self-expression, but also to respect the heroes of the publications. Digital volunteers Dana and Amir are included in the educational course for greater involvement of young listeners.

The course is structured through convenient navigation by introduction, eight lessons and conclusion, contains assessed tasks, games; is illustrated with photos, videos, drawings, graphs; is provided with links; is presented as compactly as possible, taking into account regional specifics.

The course program has been fully tested and received positive feedback from testers.

The official launch of the course took place on September 3, 2024 in Almaty with the participation of journalists, teachers of journalism faculties, students, representatives of various organizations in the field of journalism and migration.

This course, the first in Kazakhstan, was created using multimedia, animation and interactive technologies for those wishing to expand their knowledge and acquire the necessary skills. Since 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals concern migration, this project helps bring the region closer to their full implementation.

The mobile MOOC "Region - Central Asia: Journalism Education on Migration Issues" has been translated into Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Tajik languages, and is equipped with QR codes for easy navigation. It will help improve professional skills, reduce misconceptions and manipulations when covering this topic, and teach listeners to solve complex issues using international experience when covering migration.

To access the course, you will need to create an account on the EdApp platform.

Registered user access to all courses: https://link.edapp.com/kHUWsZP5zMb

Course in Russian language: https://link.edapp.com/psVOAPX4zMb  

Course in Kazakh language: https://link.edapp.com/0RyXm2U4zMb

Course in Kyrgyz language: https://link.edapp.com/ADxwxCT4zMb

Course in Uzbek language: https://link.edapp.com/rsaUkFY4zMb

Course in Tajik language: https://link.edapp.com/9dQxxBZ4zMb