Combining integrated curriculum and project-based learning: a short film case study from media and communication students

Abstract

Undergraduate students in media-related fields expect their courses to be focused on real-world work environments, ultimately producing media products that can be proudly shared on social media and become part of their CV. The present paper presents a combination of integrated curriculum (IC) and project-based learning (PBL) to design a year-long activity that traverses various courses through an academic year to produce a quality media outcome. It utilizes face-to-face group interviews with the students and the instructors involved in the experience, survey questionnaires, as well as a comparison of the grades before and after the implemention of the project. The results show that the quality of the media products rised, that overall satisfaction of instructors was high, but students had mixed feelings. The lack of self-assessment tools and the emergence of group conflicts considering the length of the project were cited as the main limitations.