Teaching Objectives

Module Aims:

1. To equip students with fundamental theories and practical skills in data journalism, and enable them to proficiently use tools such as Tableau and Excel for data collection, cleaning, analysis, and visualization.

2. To enhance students’ ability to design and produce news reports using data journalism techniques within the context of a new media environment.

3. To guide students in exploring emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR), and their evolving applications in the field of journalism.

4. To strengthen students’ collaboration and communication skills through team-based data journalism projects.

Teaching Requirements

1. To integrate theoretical instruction with hands-on practice, with a strong emphasis on the practical application of tools such as Python and Tableau.2. To deepen students’ understanding through case studies, in-class discussions, and group projects.

3. To require students to complete tasks such as data collection, analysis, and the production of data-driven news stories in a timely manner. 

Teaching Contents

 What is Data Journalism

 Concepts and Characteristics of Data Journalism

 Background of data journalism

 Review of the development of data journalism

1. Introduction to Data Journalism (4 hours)

 Definition, historical development, and characteristics of data journalism 

 Applications of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) in journalism 

2. Data Collection and Cleaning (8 hours)

 Querying open datasets (e.g., government and international databases) 

 Web scraping tools (Python, Octoparse) and data storage methods 

 Data cleaning tools and workflows 

3. Data Analysis and Visualization (12 hours)

 Basic statistical analysis using Excel; multivariate clustering 

 Tableau case studies and hands-on visualization 

 Time series forecasting models (ARMA) 

 4. New Media Technologies and Journalism Practice (12 hours)

 VR and AR applications in news reporting 

 AI prompt engineering practice (e.g., Doubao platform) 

 Social network analysis and data mapping 

 5. Data Journalism Project Production (10 hours)

 Team-based project: topic selection, data collection, analysis, visualization, report writing 

 6. Assignment Review and Final Recap (8 hours)

Text Book(s) and Reference Materials

 Brant Houston, Computer-Assisted Reporting: A Practical Guide (4th Edition)

 Alberto Cairo, The Functional Art

 Dan Murray, Tableau Your Data!: Fast and Easy Visual Analysis with Tableau Software (2nd Edition)

Credits: 2