The State Of Communication: A 9.9 School Of Communication Annual Summary

Online, April 2, 2013 (Newswire.com) - It was a year of milestones for the 9.9 School of Communication (9.9 SoC). On top of the name-change from its previous avatar as 9.9 School of Convergence, there have been short courses from respected international journalism schools offered to the school's journalism students, tie-ups with schools in Ireland and New Zealand and off-site training for reporters in Bhutan and at The Times of India. There have also been extra-curricular "Hacks vs Hackers" sessions for IT hackers and 9.9 SoC journalism students to share their respective skills. Thanks to these exciting collaborations, our students - full-time and offline - have had exciting, illuminating years which make them well prepared to face their ever-changing media futures with poise.

The name-change to 9.9 School of Communication was designed to better reflect the breadth of courses now offered by the school - from 21st-century journalism, to digital media communication, to part-time and short-term courses for media houses like The Times of India. "The new name better reflects the aims and courses of the school, which focuses on quality, international-standard communications education and training for the Indian market," said Associate Dean - Career Services, Gunjan Aggarwal.

Read ahead for a snapshot of the accomplishments of the 9.9 SoC in 2012-13.

New Zealand - Writing for the Web pilot course collaboration
This year, 9.9 SoC will start an online web-writing course in collaboration with the Open Polytechnic, a New Zealand-based institute. The course will equip students with the understanding and skills needed to produce clear, effective content for electronic delivery. The 17-week course involves a workload of around 10 hours a week and graduates will leave with a certificate from 9.9 SoC and Open Polytechnic.

Bhutan Media Foundation's 20-Day Training
This was a first-of-its-kind programme delivered by 9.9 SoC for the Kingdom of Bhutan and was held in Bhutan in July 2012. The course was solicited to help local reporters upscale their knowledge of contemporary journalism philosophies and approaches.

TOI Online gets a Grip on Digital Analytics
The proliferation of new digital channels - such as social media, video and mobile - has made the management of data and the analysis and use of that data a big challenge, even for large media houses such as The Times of India (TOI). Transferring this highly useful data into an easy-to-understand format was the aim of the course 9.9 SoC offered to TOI.

International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)
Faculty from the Washington DC-based International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) trained 9.9 SoC students in broadcast and online reporting during the 2012-2013 academic year. 9.9 SoC students who specialised in broadcast news received in-depth training by ICFJ fellows in video shooting, editing and graphics production.

'What it takes to be on AIR' Workshop
9.9 SoC conducted a seminar at Kamla Nehru College of Delhi University on the 24th of January, 2013. The aim was to spread awareness about the power of communication and journalism. The workshop was conducted for all 3rd-year students, and all students were enthusiastic and active participants.

"Hackathon": Hacks vs Hackers event
The first of a regular series of information-gathering sessions which pool the combined and similar skill-sets of 9.9 SoC Journalism students (the "Hacks") and hackers, began on the 9.9 SoC on January 2013. The kick-off session was an innovative six-hour event where coders and journalists pitched ideas and collaborated to make cool, impactful maps and data visualisations on important issues.

DMI
In January, 9.9 SoC signed an exciting new tie-up with Irish school, the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI), to offer a globally competitive digital media programme. DMI, the global leader in training professionals in digital marketing, has entered into a strategic alliance to offer digital marketing education and professional certification in India. The flagship Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing offers comprehensive professional certification and is recognised internationally by the industry - a first for India.

About 9.9 SoC: The 9.9 School of Communication offers world class education in the fields of Media Studies, Journalism and Communication. 9.9 SoC's PG Diploma in Applied Journalism and Media Communication, together with the programme in Global Media and Communication and the Centre for Communication Excellence, brings the best professional and academic practices to the classroom.
9.9 School of Communication aims to become a globally acclaimed school for journalism, media and communication studies. Our programmes are centered on three guiding principles:

• Collaboration between theory and practice

• The development of an understanding of communication, as technological advances
bring together print, broadcast and online media

• An intercultural and international approach to learning, making the most of
India's position as an emerging market and its leading role in media and
information production

The 9.9 School of Communication is founded on the belief that education is based on cultural sensitivity, and emphasises the importance of ethics and quality in all aspects of media education.