In making the necessary decisions, students are required to explicitly address aspects of their thinking and actions that may otherwise remain implicit( Sheridan Burns 2002). Active learning is also encouraged through a linked repertoire of activities. Face-to-face class contact is not usually the starting point. Potentially passive activities such as reading are"activated" by requiring students to demonstrate their understanding of readings through an activity such as a short esearch task. An undergraduate journalism unit with typically be divided according to the table below. Hours per week Activity 2.5 Reading as set 1.0 Research based on activity linked to read 1.5 Completion of chapter-based activity 2.0 Face to face contact with staff 2.0 Linked writing exercise 1. 0 Critical reflection Approaches to Assessment Academics monitor student progress through self and peer evaluation processes. Learning is assessed with reference to the integration of knowledge, skills and abilities, situation analysis and elf-directed learning. Students are required to evaluate not only what theyve done, but also how and why theyve done it. They have to become competent at articulating their thinking as well. The focus is not on the extent of content coverage, it is on what they can demonstrate they have learned. This is because, as Prpic Hadgraft (1998: 4) found, it encourages active learning and growth towards self-directed learning They found that facilitating group learning, research and mmunication skills ensures knowledge of a specified subject domain and the ability to transfer knowledge to novel situations. A variety of assessment strategies illuminate these aspects, in contrast to the teacher as expert"approach, which tests the student 's ability to duplicate the teachers approach to solving the problem Providing students with an evaluation rubric guides the evaluation process. An important element of the model is to help students identify gaps in their knowledge in order for meaningful learning to occur. Self-assessment requires students to think carefully about what they know and what they need to know to accomplish certain tasks. It also reinforces individual accountability for work produced. These strategies enhance but do not replace the formal feedback provided by tutors and put assessment in a different context. Tutor assessment within this model includes academic judgements about how successfully individuals interacted with their groups and their cognitive growth. The pre-professional preparation of journalists is incomplete without actively working to develop their communication skills, because so much of work life revolves around presenting ideas and results to peers. Oral presentations provide student s an opportunity to practice their hetorical skillsIn making the necessary decisions, students are required to explicitly address aspects of their thinking and actions that may otherwise remain implicit (Sheridan Burns 2002). Active learning is also encouraged through a linked repertoire of activities. Face-to-face class contact is not usually the starting point. Potentially passive activities such as reading are “activated” by requiring students to demonstrate their understanding of readings through an activity such as a short research task. An undergraduate journalism unit with a workload of 10 hours per week would typically be divided according to the table below. Hours per week Activity 2.5 Reading as set. 1.0 Research based on activity linked to reading. 1.5 Completion of chapter-based activity 2.0 Face to face contact with staff 2.0 Linked writing exercise 1.0 Critical reflection Approaches to Assessment Academics monitor student progress through self and peer evaluation processes. Learning is assessed with reference to the integration of knowledge, skills and abilities, situation analysis and self-directed learning. Students are required to evaluate not only what they've done, but also how and why they've done it. They have to become competent at articulating their thinking as well. The focus is not on the extent of content coverage, it is on what they can demonstrate they have learned. This is because, as Prpic & Hadgraft (1998:4) found, it encourages active learning and growth towards self-directed learning. They found that facilitating group learning, research and communication skills ensures knowledge of a specified subject domain and the ability to transfer knowledge to novel situations. A variety of assessment strategies illuminate these aspects, in contrast to the “teacher as expert” approach, which tests the student’s ability to duplicate the teacher’s approach to solving the problem. Providing students with an evaluation rubric guides the evaluation process. An important element of the model is to help students identify gaps in their knowledge in order for meaningful learning to occur. Self-assessment requires students to think carefully about what they know and what they need to know to accomplish certain tasks. It also reinforces individual accountability for work produced. These strategies enhance but do not replace the formal feedback provided by tutors and put assessment in a different context. Tutor assessment within this model includes academic judgements about how successfully individuals interacted with their groups and their cognitive growth. The pre-professional preparation of journalists is incomplete without actively working to develop their communication skills, because so much of work life revolves around presenting ideas and results to peers. Oral presentations provide students an opportunity to practice their rhetorical skills