{"id":50239,"date":"2018-10-01T13:35:42","date_gmt":"2018-10-01T17:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=50239"},"modified":"2025-10-01T15:49:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T19:49:07","slug":"digital-media-storytelling","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/digital-media-storytelling\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Media Storytelling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Digital Media Storytelling\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

As media organizations dismantle their print editions and increase their online presence in myriad platforms, Carleton University has launched a new undergraduate program to teach students how to be digital storytellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fall, the first group of students in Carleton\u2019s new Bachelor of Media Production and Design<\/a> (BMPD) program took their inaugural class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Created jointly by the School of Journalism and Communication in the Faculty of Public Affairs and the Faculty of Engineering and Design\u2019s School of Information Technology, the hybrid program is designed to teach both storytelling and computer programming skills with the goal of creating appealing stories for any device or digital platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Digital
Prof. Chris Waddell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Journalism Prof. Chris Waddell<\/a>, the program director, explains that as more newspaper organizations move from print versions to online applications, it makes sense to put journalists together with designers to better engage audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cWhat if you could put together a group of people who had skills in journalism and design to teach visual storytelling through audio, graphics, still photography, analysis and presentation of data?\u201d says Waddell.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cHow do you put it all on a screen to be read on a desktop, a tablet or a smartphone? How do we present it online to a viewer from start to finish, giving them the elements and best way to tell a story?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citing La Presse as an example, Waddell explains the Montreal-based site has redefined how it offers information to its followers by producing online articles and videos accessed through their tablet app and website. It stopped printing a paper edition last year.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Digital<\/figure>\n\n\n

Redefining How Information is
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Creating a visual or audio story for a smartphone can require different technical skills to reproduce on a tablet or laptop. Creating digital content on multiple platforms is an increasingly necessary skill prized by corporations, charities, governments and anyone looking to have an online presence, according to Waddell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teaching the first-year Introduction to Non-Fiction Storytelling class is Vicky McArthur<\/a>, the program\u2019s first faculty member.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIt’s a foundational course that introduces students to the theory of non-fiction storytelling in a digital media context. We’ll be looking at designing stories for games, mobile technologies, and even augmented reality,\u201d enthuses McArthur.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cEverything we learn in this course sets the stage for some of the exciting work we will be doing in the winter course, where students will prototype digital media stories for one of the museums in Ottawa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Digital
Prof. Vicky McArthur<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With approximately 35 students enrolled, McArthur is excited. \u201cIt’s a rare opportunity to be with a program from its inception. I am in a very privileged position wherein I get to help shape the pedagogical design of the program from the very early stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs an interdisciplinary scholar, I have something of a soft spot for programs that combine narrative and digital media. My teaching background is largely in the digital humanities and media design, but I have rarely been able to bridge these topics effectively in the past. When I first read the description of the program, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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