Is online training right for you?

Getting a job in journalism is hard enough these days, but almost impossible without adequate training. With increasing course fees and the cost of living, many people simply cannot afford to pay for training.

But online training is a growth area - and one that offers a realistic, affordable option both to potential journalists and those who need to refresh their skills.

Cleland Thom's Journalism Training Services (CTJTS) offers six online courses including professional journalism, freelance journalism and the NCE (National Certificate Examination) refresher.

The professional journalism course was established two years ago and currently has 70 students enrolled. Mr Thom claims that his students have all achieved exam results comparable with any journalism college in the UK. He has trained journalists with Reuters, the Times and the BBC as well as many local newspapers.

Online training is popular because of its flexibility and convenience, says Mr Thom. Students are able to study at a time that suits them and also save money on hidden expenses like travelling costs. The full course costs £450, including text books.

"Most of our students are going through a career change and fit their studies in around their jobs. They do not have the time to go to college - or the money.

"Our students receive tutorial support by email or phone almost on demand - unlike colleges, where they have to fit in with their tutors' timetables and availability."

'Professional journalism online' takes students through a series of exercises and assignments leading up to the formal exams run by the NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists), the most widely recognised qualifications body for professional journalists.

CTJTS students are emailed exercises and assignments one at a time and, when they finish, they email their work back to their tutor for marking. This means that students can plan their own work schedule.

A step up the ladder

Emma Saunders now works on the entertainment desk of BBC News Interactive. Looking to move from administration into broadcast journalism, Ms Saunders needed to study for the NCTJ qualification while still working full time.

Working without the reassurance and encouragement of other students is an inevitable part of distance learning, and Ms Saunders also had to battle through difficult coursework with only email support from her tutor.

"Doing the correspondence course without Cleland's help was pretty tough and you often felt quite isolated as you have no classmates to chat to about problems," said Ms Saunders.

"Ultimately, I don't think you can beat being in a classroom face-to-face with a tutor but given my circumstances, I think online training is the next best thing."

Overall, the course was good value for money and Emma passed her exams because she was motivated and determined to succeed.

"It's still up to you to do the work and no-one is there to give you deadlines. It is really hard work so you have to have to be very focused, but I don't know if I would have passed all my exams just studying on my own."

Pay attention!

Cayssials Training is another established training group, co-founded by former Financial Times journalist Jenny Luesby. Cayssials developed a press release writing course as a trial into online training, but has struggled to find a satisfactory model for web-based courses.

"The problems we've had with e-learning are the same problems that everyone has with e-learning – it's really hard to structure the work in a way that keep students engaged," said Ms Luesby.

Cayssials now include online elements in several of their courses, but the medium works best with certain content. Accounts, for example, can be taught through multiple-choice options.

"Online learning removes the facility for somebody to ask a question. We are compiling more top 10 Q&A sections to help with this, but there is always someone that will need the answer to question 11."

Working out how to add further value to online courses refers back to traditional distance learning models, such as those developed by the Open University 20 years ago.

Multimedia tools, such as chatrooms, offer some potential for making online learning a more interactive experience, says Ms Luesby, but even this structure brings online training back to a traditional classroom scenario.

Some of the main advantages of online training - such as convenience and privacy - are the same as distance learning generally. Well-established business journalists have attended Cayssisals' business accounts course, for example - and wouldn't want to be seen in a group training session.

Online training does have advantages in other ways. It is much more inclusive, says Cleland Thom, because costs are much more affordable.

Internet-based tuition means that students can be based anywhere in the world - and Mr Thom is tutoring students from Canada, the Lebanon, Israel, the Netherlands and the US.

Managing your workload

Liz Kneale studied Russian at university and works as a translator, but plans to begin a new career in journalism when she qualifies later this year.

Ms Kneale has been surprised by the volume of work on the CTJTS online journalism course, but has been able to select additional, optional assignments as well as core projects to design her own way of working.

"I have been able to develop a method of working through the modules that best suits the way I absorb information. I can also set my own deadlines then work to them as and when I have the time.

"However, you have to be seriously strict with yourself. It teaches you a lot about time management!"

In this case, liaising with the tutor by email was actually more effective and much faster than handing in work on paper. Ms Kneale could email her coursework in the evening and have it returned and marked by 10am the next day.

"In the run up to my exams, I was churning out a couple of past papers a day and Cleland would send them back marked within an hour or so. I doubt you'd get that response on a classroom-based course."

What now?

Several other UK organisations offer online training, including the BBC - which even offers some courses for free. These are typically downloadable guides that cover topics including interviewing by radio, an introduction to video production and the BBC News style guide. Some are designed to be studied in as little as 15 minutes, although there is no tutorial support and the courses are not part of any recognised qualification.

London-based Communication Skills Europe is also considering the possibility of expanding online training, using the e-learning network of French parent company Demos. And the UK's National Union of Journalists recently announced a new training course for union representatives that is taught entirely online.

Cleland Thom is planning to introduce new online courses in specialist writing, such as business journalism, sports and entertainment.

"I'm so old that the internet had never been thought of when I was at college," he said.

"I wish it had been - it would have been far easier than trekking to college five days a week."



More news from dotJournalism:
Discuss journalistic style online
A lesson to be learned online
Online training network expands
Be trained by the BBC – for free
Reuters launches online post-training clinic

See also:
Cleland Thom Journalism Training Services: http://www.ctjts.biz
BBC Training: http://www.bbctraining.com/onlineCourses.asp
Cayssials: http://www.cayssials.com
National Union of Journalists: http://www.nujtraining.org.uk/
CSE: http://www.cseltd.com/CSE/index.asp
Demos: http://www.demos.fr
Elisabeth Kneale: http://www.definitivelanguagesolutions.biz

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