There has been a lot of interest on how I have frame my hackathon-style class in a progressive, but still traditional academic curriculum.

The first thing to keep in mind is that this is one elective offered among more traditionally structured courses.

This class is set as a D-Clearance, meaning I have to approve each student that gets to add this class to their course roster. I do this for several reasons:

• I get to assess the student’s skill level and digital experience. Ideally, I am looking to ensure the right digital + journalism balance that allows us to produce whatever ambitious projects we imagine up.
• I also do this to ensure that the students know exactly what they are signing up for. While it says “2 units” this course — depending on what projects we as a class vote to do — can vary in how much work we will do.
• I want them to understand that, outside the first three or four weeks, the rest of the course depends on the projects we, as a class, decide to pursue. The majority of the semester is unknown… and that should be an exciting challenge.
• If they are looking for an easy grade or a course that is predictable, I advise the student to look for another course. Many students opt out of this course, or delay it to take it another semester. But, and I can see this in their eyes and body language, many students get pumped up and excited for this opportunity. Those are the students I want.

They say that the most important part of directing and filmmaking is casting… and I think that applies to an unpredictable class like this. We, the entire class, will determine whether we success or fail. We are responsible, not the professor or some textbook.

So, I am blunt and tell each student, I can’t afford one weak link in the group. Everyone needs to roll up their sleeves and get to work… proactively get in where you fit in. Be proactive about teaching your skills to your peers. Be proactive about learning more skills from your peers. And get ready to try and fail and figure new processes out.

With that in mind, here is my syllabus for my Fall 2016 J489: Hands-on disruption class that focused on VR Journalism.

My role in this class is to facilitate the learning rather than being the guy with all the answers. I do play the lead editor role and guide the experiences we develop, representing the user (or “visitor”).

I know what I know, and I know what I don’t know… which is a lot.

If we hit a roadblock I tap into my network for help often recruiting industry friends and JOVRNALISM alum to guest lecture and teach students these concepts. A lot of my work in preparing for this class are informal partnerships with companies and colleagues, looking for ward to support this class.

Look, while I recently got a Knight grant, I did this class with no budget with support ranging from equipment to software to talent.

It takes a village. And because of how small and collaborative this VR village is, we have incredible support.

This, for the record, trains my students for be industry ready either leading to internships or jobs. (I am proud to brag about my students’ success stories that I believe are directly connected to my class.)

The truth is anyone can do this class.

The key is class culture. Embrace that no one has all the answers, especially the professor. But trust your students that together you will find an answer — even if it will change in three months.

Don’t just talk about iterating and failing… make it part of the class and learning objectives. Place public deadlines — meaning, deadlines that involve demoing to the public — like usability testing.

Even if you never publish a thing, the learning achieve in this framework is gold.

I can’t stress that enough.

The way the students (and I) bond, problem solve and produce is unique. These courses have been the highlight of my still short academic career and I can’t imagine not teaching at least one course like this.

If you want to do something like this, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Let’s be here for each other as we learn together.