Dr. Cindy Royal speaks on integrating digital culture in academia at SXSW

March 11, 2017

jonzmikly

In Saturday's SXSW Interactive panel "Disrupting J School with Digital Culture", SJMC's Dr. Cindy Royal explained how academic institutions can be more nimble by developing a culture of innovation. Joined by University of Southern California Annenberg's Robert Hernandez, the session started with an introduction to digital culture, then discussed how innovation is happening at each of their respective schools, and ended by providing advice for other academics seeking to introduce digital concepts and topics into curriculum.Dr. Cindy Royal began by explaining how students have three options when it comes to digital courses in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University. They can either take digital-focused electives, add a digital concentration to their major, or sign up for a Digital Media Innovation major. With digital courses like the Fundamentals of Digital and Online Media, Coding and Data Skills, Social Media and Analytics and one-credit short courses like Digital Tools: 360 Video & VR, any student has a wide variety of curriculum options from which to choose.At USC Annenberg's School for Communication and Journalism, Hernandez said he's not just preparing students for disruption; he's preparing them to be leaders of disruption. Through innovative courses that partner with leading media companies such as NPR, the New York Times and ProPublica, Hernandez said diversity in his courses breeds creativity."What was magical was the diversity of students from different disciplines and watching them learn from each other. We have students from public relations, communication, gaming, engineering, and each one brings his or her craft to the table. These are different cultures coming together to collaborate, which is what they'll experience when they enter the real world."Overcoming ChallengesDeveloping innovative curriculum in academia does not come without its challenges. Both Royal and Hernandez explained the disrupting traditional systems is not easy and that funding can often be an issue."We do a lot with a little," said Royal. "Our director Dr. Judy Oskam is great at finding pockets of money for us, and she's been very open to find funding to support our efforts."However, one major misconception about innovation is that it is too costly. While some digital equipment is highly expensive, many tools and hardware isn't as bad as one might think. The Insta360 camera that Hernandez set up to live-stream the presentation, for example, only cost $199."Sometimes, smartphones might be all someone needs for an innovative project.  You can do this with little to no money," said Royal.Being a product of a newsroom with a bootstrap budget, Hernandez said he's used to "hustling with nothing." Consolidating resources has been one solution for USC, where the school even eliminated some computer labs because so many students already had their own laptops.Outside of a budget increase, Royal said grants are also a valuable source for funding."If grants don't cover equipment, you can set up trips for training," said Royal. "Get creative, and prioritize your needs." Both Hernandez and Royal also advised academics to partner and share resources with other organizations and even academic institutions that value innovation.Building A Culture of InnovationWhile a lack of funding can be difficult, affecting the overall digital culture of an organization can be more of a challenge."One person can't do this," said Royal. "You can't have that token 'digital' person in an organization -- you need people who are willing to take their spare time to learn this stuff."Hernandez said he often has be his own "hype man" for his projects and goals, especially for those who don't truly understand what he does.Overall, the duo's advice for developing a more innovative culture in academia was to model the behavior first."When you show off student projects and successes, people start to take notice. It becomes attractive to other faculty," said Royal.