Students in Land and Food Systems are passionate about the environment, urban farming, sustainability and food. As applied scientists, its crucial they learn media skills. In conjunction with the UBC School of Journalism, students were taught how to find and tell stories about their discipline. Students crafted stories, interviewed experts and produced podcasts using their disciplinary content. Students wrote a biased story (advocacy), an unbiased story (citizen journalism) and created their streeter and voicer podcasts.

1. Telling Stories in Land and Food Systems Kathryn Gretsinger Cyprien Lomas Duncan McHugh University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada NMC 2009 June 11th, 2009 Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial- Share Alike 2.5 Canada License

2. ･ How did this course come to be? ･ How did we do it? ･ What were challenges? ･ What were results? Special Topics in Agriculture

3. ･ Very passionate about their research ･ Somewhat isolated ･ Many have a lack of awareness as to how to tell a story LFS students

4. ･ Engaging their research in a new way ･ Improving their communication skills ･ Expressing themselves using digital tools ･ Spreading their message to a broader audience LFS students

5. ･ Mostly re-purposing lectures ･ Useful, not very dynamic Academic podcasting

6. ･ Cross-campus collaboration The PEPI Group

7. ･ Cross-campus collaboration ･ Putting the technology into students’ hands ･ Sought to create an ‘academic iTunes’ ･ Evolved into a partnership between LFS & SoJ The PEPI Group

8. ･ 4th year seminar in issues related to the UBC Farm ･ Traditionally assignments were essays ･ UBC Farm is the only working farm in Vancouver ･ UBC Farm is threatened by development ･ Two-part assignment AGRO 461 & UBC Farm

9. ･ Sought to use journalism skills to teach to six LFS students to create engaging and rigorous audio documentaries ･ Four-member teaching team: ･ Agriculture prof ･ Journalism prof ･ Tech instructor ･ Big thinker This year’s course

10. ･ Students didn't have a framework for this type of work ･ four rules of journalism ･ storytelling, not just feeling ･ crafting a narrative out of an interview This year’s course

11. ･ Students were taught the difference between advocacy and journalism ･ As newspapers and other media suffer cutbacks, room for citizen journalists to have a voice What is citizen journalism?

12. ･ Streeter: students were sent out to ask strangers a question ･ Voicer: simple story piece that combines basic audio editing, sound recording, interviewing and narration Early results

13. ･ New skills for students to pick up ･ “ How to get good recording” ･ “ The use of audio recorders” ･ “ Basic audio editing” ･ “ Copyright awareness” Technology workshops

14. ･ Audacity Tools

15. ･ A number of audio recorders: M-Audios, Zoom H4s & Edirols Tools

16. ･ Audio piece, ~10mins in length ･ Workshopped extensively ･ Sense of accountability to students and the work ･ CBC competition Final project

17. ･ “ The Soil Beneath Your Feet” ･ “ Dandelion” ･ “ The Farmhouse” ･ “ Where Are We Growing” Final project

18. ･ new technology ･ lack of time ･ the need to change culture ･ scarcity of resources [pilot] Challenges

19. Student Reflections

20. ･ formalised course, restricted elective ･ 15 students cap ･ new assignments Next year

21. ･ One way to tell 50 stories ･ Better breed of podcasts ･ Student satisfaction ･ raised the bar and they stepped up ･ tangible product to share with those outside of the university ･ giving students the tools they need to be heard ･ epiphanies can't be planned Conclusion

22. Questions?

23. Thanks! Kathryn Gretsinger [email_address] Duncan McHugh [email_address] Cyprien Lomas [email_address] Faculty of Land and Food Systems The University of British Columbia www.landfood.ubc.ca/learningcentre