Multiplatform Public Service Broadcasting: The Economic and Cultural Role of UK Digital and TV Independents

In this report, produced as part of a two-year Arts & Humanities Research Council project (AH-H0185622-2) on ‘multiplatform public service broadcasting’, focusing on factual/specialist factual as a case study, we detail the role independent production companies play in PSB. We set out how PSB informs the production cultures of independent companies, the tensions that are experienced between profit and public service and the impact multiplatform commissioning and production practices have had on the sector

Assessing creativity in TV studio production

This paper will seek to gauge how media production can be taught within Higher Educational Institutions to inspire the next generation of programme makers to create original student led productions, rather than replicating content. Brown and Duthie ask how media educators and teachers of film and television production courses assess creativity and discuss innovative approaches to learning, teaching and assessment in the academy and ask how we can encourage risk taking in a risk averse environment. This paper considers whether contemporary global TV formats can be the catalyst for new ideas and content and how to encourage students to be film and TV making pioneers

The Industry and Policy Context for Digital Games for Empowerment and Inclusion:Market Analysis, Future Prospects and Key Challenges in Videogames, Serious Games and Gamification

The effective use of digital games for empowerment and social inclusion (DGEI) of people and communities at risk of exclusion will be shaped by, and may influence the development of a range of sectors that supply products, services, technology and research. The principal industries that would appear to be implicated are the 'videogames' industry, and an emerging 'serious games' industry. The videogames industry is an ecosystem of developers, publishers and other service providers drawn from the interactive media, software and broader ICT industry that services the mainstream leisure market in games, The 'serious games' industry is a rather fragmented and growing network of firms, users, research and policy makers from a variety of sectors. This emerging industry is are trying to develop knowledge, products, services and a market for the use of digital games, and products inspired by digital games, for a range of non-leisure applications. This report provides a summary of the state of play of these industries, their trajectories and the challenges they face. It also analyses the contribution they could make to exploiting digital games for empowerment and social inclusion. Finally, it explores existing policy towards activities in these industries and markets, and draws conclusions as to the future policy relevance of engaging with them to support innovation and uptake of effective digital game-based approaches to empowerment and social inclusion.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

The relevance of journalism schools in producing talent for a converged newsroom: A case of Uganda

While journalism training schools play a crucial role in equipping students with the necessary skills and knowledge to work in the media industry, the rapid advances in media technology raised concerns about the training needs and skills and whether J-schools were equipping graduates with the requisite skills for the converged newsrooms. The rapid evolution of digital technologies transformed traditional newsrooms into converged newsrooms, where journalists are expected to produce content for multiple platforms, including print, broadcast, and digital media. This shift has created a demand for journalists with diverse skills, including writing, reporting, editing, video production, social media management, and data analysis. However, it is unclear whether journalism training schools in Uganda adapt their curricula to meet the changing demands. Some training schools are still offering outdated courses that do not adequately prepare students for the reality of working in the industry. This has contributed to a skills gap, where there is a shortage of journalists with the necessary skills to work in converged newsrooms. This study, therefore, sought to investigate the relevance of journalism training schools in producing talent for converged newsrooms in Uganda. Using a mixed methods approach and the Interdisciplinary Theory, this study explored the curricula of two Ugandan universities, Makerere University and Uganda Christian University, and compared them to the skills required for working in two converged newsrooms of Vision Group and the Nation Media Group. The study also investigated the perceptions of media industry professionals regarding the adequacy of the training provided by journalism schools in Uganda and tried to understand why it was taking so long for journalism schools to adapt at a pace similar to that of the industry. Ultimately, the findings of this study provide insights into the effectiveness of the current journalism training programmes in meeting the needs of the media industry in Uganda

Partiture: An Interoperable Music Stand Application for Mobile Devices

Peaaegu kõik saavutused tänapäeval taanduvad meeskonnatööle ja ühistegevusele. Erandiks ei ole ka muusika loomine ja esitamine. Heliloojad, luuletajad, seadete autorid, interpreedid, kollektiivid, dirigendid, koormeistrid, muusikaõpetajad – kõigi panused lõikuvad mingil tasandil teiste panustega. Leidub palju programme ja tööriistu, mis näiteks abistavad heliloojaid komponeerimisel, seadjaid seade loomisel, õpilasi mingi instrumendi õppimisel, jne. Siiski on reaalajas muusika-alast kaastööd võimaldavate vahendite hulk praktiliselt olematu. Dirigendid, muusikaõpetajad jätkuvalt edastavad kontekstiga seotud märkusi oma juhendatavatele suuliselt, mis tihtipeale põhjustab arusaamatusi ja informatsiooni kadu. Käesoleva töö eesmärgiks on välja töötada omavahel ühenduses olevate koostöövõimeliste noodipultide kontseptsioon, mis võiks muuta muusikute omavahelist suhtlemist tõhusamaks jagatud noodilehe keeramiste, märkuste kui ka tagasivõtu kohtade määramisel kiirelt ja üheseltmõistetavalt, kasutades selleks spetsiaalseid lokaalselt ülesseatud ajutisi traadita võrke. Tegemist on vastava tarkvarasüsteemi (Partiture) arendamise esimese etapiga.Almost every accomplishment can be retreated as an effort of teamwork and collaboration today – so can be creating and performing music. Composers, lyricists, arrangers, inter-preters, collectives, conductors, choirmasters, music teachers and students – all their con-tribution intersects at some level. There are many tools and programs available, which assist for example composers in creating the artwork, arrangers in modifying it for con-crete collective types, students in learning to play some instruments, etc. However, the circle of real-time collaboration supporting means is practically non-existent. Conductors, music teachers still do communicate all the context related notices to their mentees ver-bally, which often causes misunderstandings and information loss. This thesis presents the concept for interconnected interoperable music stand applications, which can enhance the cooperation between the musicians in the form of sharing page turns during performing, creating/sharing remarks and comments during practice sessions as well as locating retake positions fast and unambiguously, working over the air using ad-hoc based temporary networks. It is the introduction into the first phase of developing the corresponding soft-ware system (Partiture)

Annual Report 2017-2018

LETTER FROM THE DEAN I am pleased to share with you the College of Computing and Digital Media’s (CDM) 2017-18 annual report, highlighting the many achievements across our community. It was a big year. We began offering five new programs (two bachelor’s, two master’s, and one PhD) across our three schools, in addition to several new certificate programs through our Institute for Professional Development. We built new, cutting-edge spaces to support these and other programs— most notably a 4,500 square-foot makerspace, a robotics and medical engineering lab, an augmented and virtual reality lab, and plans for a cyber-physical systems project lab. Our faculty continued to pursue their research and creative agendas, offering collaborative opportunities with students and partners. CDM students and alumni were celebrated for their many achievements— everything from leading the winning teams at the U.S. Cyber Challenge and Campus 1871 to showcasing their games at juried festivals and winning national screenwriting competitions. We encouraged greater research and teaching collaboration, both between our own schools and with units outside CDM. Design and Computing faculty are working together on an NSA grant for smart home devices that considers both software and interface/design, as well as a new grant-funded game lab. One Project Bluelight film team collaborated with The Theatre School and the School of Music while CDM and College of Science and Health faculty joined forces to research the links between traumatic brain injury, domestic violence, and deep games. It has been exciting and inspiring to witness the accomplishments of our innovative and dedicated community. We are proud to provide the space and resources for them to do their exceptional work. David MillerDean, College of Computing and Digital Mediahttps://via.library.depaul.edu/cdmannual/1001/thumbnail.jp

Ubiquitous Technology for Lifelong Learners

Nowadays, most people change their career throughout their lives, many times independently on what they learned during their formal education period. Therefore, the necessity to continually keep our skills sharp and up-to-date becomes increasingly important in a rapidly changing job market. The European Commission stressed the importance of lifelong learning as a key challenge for the knowledge society to adapt to the pace in which digital technology is transforming every aspect of people’s lives. Later on, the Commission published a reference framework comprising eight competences to flexibly adapt to a rapidly changing and highly interconnected world. In this thesis, we aim at supporting learners to understand the way they can better learn in-context using technology, therefore we focus on two specific competences, namely, learning to learn and digital competence

Media Innovation Studio Interactive Review: Volume 1

The Media Innovation Studio’s founding aim in 2012 was to work across disciplines to explore the potential of creative and digital technologies to bring about positive change. Our ‘action research’ approach is lodged in a desire to create inclusively-designed prototypes as responses to real-world issues. Originally positioned within the University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) School of Journalism and Media, and now part of the College of Culture and the Creative Industries, the Studio’s remit is to inhabit ‘liminal spaces’ between disciplines. It hopes to explore, research and innovate within the digital ecosystem evolving around us. The human race is more socially, economically, politically and technologically interdependent than at any time in its history. Yet, inequality, instability and unsustainability remain. Collectively, the Media Innovation Studio is trying to understand whether technology has a contribution to make to resolving this broader set of fundamental social issues. Perhaps more interestingly, we’re asking whether there are an emerging series of ideas bound up in the creation and use of Information Computing Technology as it is repurposed by global communities to support activities that make our lives better. We do not believe that technology enables everyone by magically bridging the ‘digital divide’. Nor do we believe that its use by supporters of ‘digital democracy’ is any more democratic because of the use of ICT. Instead, we have discovered through a combination of talking to people, building relationships and making things together, possibilities for change are created. Thankfully, there’s plenty of evidence to demonstrate we’re capable of this. This review shows some of our projects, approaches and methodologies which combine disruptive design techniques, traditional social science and established practice-based methods from the arts. Focussing on the last 12 months of activity, the book also incorporates earlier projects that helped shape the thinking that brought us together to create the Media Innovation Studio

The Playful Citizen

This edited volume collects current research by academics and practitioners on playful citizen participation through digital media technologies