West Virginia University journalism and creative arts students will have the option of a new minor in interactive storytelling starting in fall 2014.

The blended Interactive Media Design minor is a new collaborative effort between the P.I. Reed School of Journalism and the College of Creative Arts, which aims to prepare students from both fields to become interactive storytellers across a range of digital platforms and devices.

This transdisciplinary program will allow students to take courses such as Designing for Multimedia, which emphasizes visual design for digital and multimedia platforms; Game Design and Digital Narrative, which includes using game theory to build interactive stories; and Media Tools and Applications, which covers the principles and practice of multimedia content gathering and editing.

School of Journalism Assistant Professor Dana Coester stressed these courses will give journalism students the opportunity to work beyond just creating content and will provide them skills in application development.

“Mastering new narrative forms in digital platforms, including ‘mobile-first’ or ‘device-based storytelling,’ is to possess another level of skill that’s in high demand,” Coester said. “As news organizations are quickly trying to create interactive news teams, this program will be a significant enrichment of our students’ skill sets and make them more marketable.”

Many of the classes will be developed and taught by a new teaching assistant professor with a dual appointment in both schools.

“The skill sets and creativity that our new faculty hire will bring to our students will expand their knowledge base and opportunities for employment in the industry for both fields of Art and Journalism,” said Alison Helm, director of the School of Art and Design and professor of sculpture at the College of Creative Arts.

Depending on the popularity of the minor, it could potentially be opened up to students across the University in the future.

-WVU-

al/04/22/14

CONTACT: Kimberly Walker, School of Journalism
304.293.5726, Kimberly.Walker@mail.wvu.edu

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