The media curriculum aims to integrate theory and practice by incorporating theory within practical activities and practice within theoretical understanding. It emphasizes reflection and process-based learning, with ongoing documentation and assessment supporting self-reflection. In the first year, most teaching and critiques are oral and focus on basic technical skills and single media modes. The second year incorporates written documentation and reflection with a focus on whole media objects and professional orientation. The third year involves applied media projects, written reflection, and the use of theory to explain work.

1. media
learning & teaching
February 2010
adrian.miles@rmit.edu.au

2. media curriculum: theory & practice

3. media curriculum: theory & practice
The media curriculum tries to erase the distinction
between theory and practice as discrete activities or
domains by integrating theory within practice, and
practice within theory.
Making is a thinking in media and so demands
competencies that are not only technical. This leads to
our emphasis on the integration of explicit and tacit
knowledge in a lot of our curriculum.
We generally begin with explicit knowledge and then
through reflective making and doing move towards tacit
understanding.

4. media curriculum: reflective practice & process

5. media curriculum: reflective practice & process
There is an interest and emphasis on reflection and
process based learning — we spend time learning about
learning and sometimes this is literally the content of a
class.
This is supported through ongoing formal and informal
documentation (project reports, journals and blogs), and
assessment that supports self assessment and reflection.
This understanding of learning as a doing (which includes
making, writing and thinking as forms of doing), and its
development, provides a meta level model that sustains
learning, critical reflection and scaffolds the development
of students as applied theoreticians.
Reflective practice is the cornerstone to making tacit
knowledge explicit.

6. media curriculum: practice
In year one most of the teaching and critiquing is oral. In EMT the key assessment mode remains
oral.

7. media curriculum: practice
year verbal critiques simple technical exercises
1 oral verbal presentation single media modes
verbal assessment partial objects
year media with written documentation whole media objects
2 text written reflection professional orientation
written analysis inward
project documentation
year applied media written reflection all media
3 group documentation & any media
reflection outward
In year one most of the teaching and critiquing is oral. In EMT the key assessment mode remains
oral.

8. media curriculum: practice
year verbal critiques simple technical exercises
1 oral verbal presentation single media modes
verbal assessment partial objects
year media with written documentation whole media objects
2 text written reflection professional orientation
written analysis inward
project documentation
year applied media written reflection all media
3 group documentation & any media
reflection outward
In year one most of the teaching and critiquing is oral. In EMT the key assessment mode remains
oral.

9. media curriculum: practice
year verbal critiques simple technical exercises
1 oral verbal presentation single media modes
verbal assessment partial objects
year media with written documentation whole media objects
2 text written reflection professional orientation
written analysis inward
project documentation
year applied media written reflection all media
3 group documentation & any media
reflection outward
In year one most of the teaching and critiquing is oral. In EMT the key assessment mode remains
oral.

10. media curriculum: theory
in year one the readings show that it is possible to write and think about these questions. That
abstractions around concrete media objects and practices are possible. Given the oral mode much

11. media curriculum: theory
what is an edit?
why are there edits? make sketches that
year descriptive & problem what does an edit do? realise or explore these
1 posing readings introduce ways questions as directed
of thinking & discussing tasks.
this
make a work that
responds to an idea.
year secondary sources & read an introductory make a media work
2 commentary text that demonstrates the
idea of “Small Things
Loosely Joined”
use theory x to do or make a work that is an
year make something. idea
3 primary sources what theories can/ make a work that
would you use to thinks ‘inside’ its media
explain....
in year one the readings show that it is possible to write and think about these questions. That
abstractions around concrete media objects and practices are possible. Given the oral mode much

12. media curriculum: theory
what is an edit?
why are there edits? make sketches that
year descriptive & problem what does an edit do? realise or explore these
1 posing readings introduce ways questions as directed
of thinking & discussing tasks.
this
make a work that
responds to an idea.
year secondary sources & read an introductory make a media work
2 commentary text that demonstrates the
idea of “Small Things
Loosely Joined”
use theory x to do or make a work that is an
year make something. idea
3 primary sources what theories can/ make a work that
would you use to thinks ‘inside’ its media
explain....
in year one the readings show that it is possible to write and think about these questions. That
abstractions around concrete media objects and practices are possible. Given the oral mode much

13. media curriculum: theory
what is an edit?
why are there edits? make sketches that
year descriptive & problem what does an edit do? realise or explore these
1 posing readings introduce ways questions as directed
of thinking & discussing tasks.
this
make a work that
responds to an idea.
year secondary sources & read an introductory make a media work
2 commentary text that demonstrates the
idea of “Small Things
Loosely Joined”
use theory x to do or make a work that is an
year make something. idea
3 primary sources what theories can/ make a work that
would you use to thinks ‘inside’ its media
explain....
in year one the readings show that it is possible to write and think about these questions. That
abstractions around concrete media objects and practices are possible. Given the oral mode much