Media Innovation

Media Innovation starts from the idea that journalists and journalism students have a lot of methods and tools available to construct their stories: from AI, interactivity, gaming, VR, AR, and 3D audio, to theatre, art installations and location-based content. However, in the daily rush of producing stories journalists and journalism students alike often do not get the chance to experiment with all of these. The programme aims to change that, enabling you to develop a creative mindset in your work.

During the programme you will produce a portfolio of creative journalistic work, trying out a new tool or method every few weeks*, and at the end we will highlight your accomplishments in a public showcase. You end the programme with an oral exam, in which you discuss with your teachers what tools had what kind of effect on your journalistic work, and where you think a great promise for journalism lies. The core of this programme is playful experimentation, trying out different tools and methods, and reflecting on your processes and output to connect all you did back to journalistic work. Sometimes you will do this alone, sometimes in duo’s or in larger groups. Working together with a group of international students allows you to look outside of the borders of your own country and mind, and we expect these collaborations to results in engaging projects for journalism as a whole.  

*The exacts tools and methods that will be featured in the programme will be decided shortly before the programme begins, to allow students to work with the latest tools journalists can use in their work, such as AI applications for research and presentation. 

In this module you will construct an innovation portfolio by engaging with different tools, media, approaches and/or methods that you can use for your journalistic work. Every few weeks you will be introduced to such a new aspect, and after some instruction and practice you will get to work on your own project. You collect the results in a portfolio, in which you analyze in retrospect how your work can be considered journalistic and/or innovative. In tandem you will learn to communicate about the (innovative) work that you do in a variety of ways, zooming in on the choices you make in each project and what the outcomes teach you about yourself as a creative maker. The exact themes for each week will be decided shortly before the programme starts, to ensure you work with the latest tools at your disposal.

In this module you will discuss academic work that will help you analyze your own and other journalists’ work through an innovation lens: when can something be called innovative, what types of innovation can we talk about, and what discussions about journalistic practices are on top of mind in the journalistic field? We will constantly connect your own innovative and journalistic practices to this theory, testing one against the other. We will also learn about journalism and innovation in different cultural setting, and learn to look at our own practices through an international lens. This will be interwoven with the work that you do throughout the rest of the programme.

Complete your exchange semester or year by taking one or two cross-departmental modules. You will receive ECTS credits when you complete a module successfully.

• Behavioural Change in Organizations
• Cambridge English B2 or C1
• Drama and Improvisation
• Dutch Language
• Dutch Society
• Economic Mindsets
• Innovation Research Competences for Urban Development  
• Intercultural Awareness
• Personal Leadership (7 Habits)
• Youth and Media Literacy

Want to know more about the exchange programme of Media Innovation? Check the course catalogue for more information about matters such as assessment and teaching methods.

Read the course catalogue