Technological advances and cultural shifts are changing the way we work and learn. Journalism students at Towson University spent the spring 2019 semester addressing a common question: What is the future of work and higher education?
Taking a solutions journalism approach, which emphasizes how people are responding to problems, students in Multimedia Reporting Capstone teamed up to pitch, research, report and produce enterprise stories. In these videos, students explain how they came up with their story topics and what they learned through the production process.
Capstone students Megan Davis and Jordan Nowaskey wrote a newsletter that highlights all 13 group projects and provides a curated reading list on those topics.
Freelance Nation: The Future of the Gig Economy
Calling all Uber, Lyft, Postmates and GrubHub drivers; Poshmarkers; individual and Wag dog-walkers; and other freelance workers. You may not know it but you’re a part of a growing workforce sector: the gig economy. Clocking in and out as you please and making your own schedule is appealing to workers who want to earn an income on their own terms. But there are downsides to gig work, as well.
Andrea Herb and Grace Hebron dive into the future of freelancing and the gig economy, addressing many of the concerns and benefits that accompany this kind of employment.
Related content:
- How the gig economy is reshaping careers
- The gig economy isn’t going anywhere
- 10 of the highest-paying gig economy jobs of 2019
For Students, New Badges of Honor: The Future of College Credentials
There’s a new way to show off your skills to employers. With the creation of digital badges, which colleges are increasingly offering for students who have earned credits and had other life experiences, students can demonstrate that they are leaders, critical thinkers or skilled communications (there’s a badge for all of those!). Will badges make students more employable? Daniel Meiser gets the inside scoop on these new badges of honor.
Related content:
- Digital badges: How schools and libraries use them today
- Future college graduates aren’t the only ones worried about job security: Here’s what you need to know
- With employers in the mix, can badges become more than a fad?
When a Four-Year Degree Isn’t the Dream: The Future of Career and Technical Education
Imagine a school option that costs half as much and takes half as long as a four-year degree, and focuses on teaching students specific skills needed for the workplace. Would you consider that over the “traditional” college experience? Increasingly, students are. Career and technical education programs are growing. But can they overcome the long-held stigma that trade schools and related programs are for students who can’t cut it in college? How are college counselors shaping students’ decisions about where to go to school after graduation? Andrew Barnes and Aaron Lighter investigate these questions and more.
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- Rethinking career and technical education
- 78 career and technical education facts
- Compare and contrast colleges vs. CTE programs
Working without a paycheck: The future of unpaid internships
You’re doing the work, so shouldn’t you be paid for it? It’s an uncontroversial argument — but one that still needs to be made as many college students take on unpaid internships. They often come with college credit and may lead to full-time work. Yet they may be unavailable to students who don’t have the means to pay rent while bringing in no income. Jennifer Ragusa, Ashley Illenye and Kayla Calhoun uncover the impracticality of unpaid internships and how hard it is to work without the benefit of pay.
Related content:
- All shook up: unpaid internships and inequality
- Unpaid intern workplace rights could get labor board review
- Unpaid internships perpetuate financial inequality
Programs Push Students to be Globe-trotters: The Future of Study Abroad
You’ve seen the selfies: Groups of American college students next to the Eiffel Tower or Palace of Westminster. Studying abroad in Paris or London is a rite of passage. But are these programs really giving college students an immersive international experience if they are living in dorms with other Americans in English-speaking countries? A growing number of programs push students to get out of their comfort zones — by living with host families, sending them to multiple locations in a semester and even having all of college be one long study abroad experience. Lauren MacNeill and Diamond Ward examine study abroad options — and accessibility of the trips for people with disabilities.
Related content:
- Study abroad numbers continue to grow
- International enrollment and study abroad participation growing
- Study reveals living abroad boosts your decision-making clarity
The Workplace Gets a Makeover: The Future of Office Design
Want to know how to appeal to employees? The office space might be the key. Office makeovers are in the works as employers begin to focus on the quality-of- work/life for their employees. But have some gone too far with open-office- concept layouts that many have criticized as leading to excessive noise? Watch as Nicole Damico, Shanda Kersey and Sean Perry profile two companies — one in Baltimore, one in New York — that designed their offices to fit the type of work tasks their employees are asked to do.
Related content:
- Need to increase productivity in the office? Do it by design
- Everyone hates open offices. Here’s why they still exist
- How spec suites have become the most powerful component in the office marketing toolbox
Job Seekers with Visual Impairments Face Barriers During the Application, Interview Process: The Future of Work for People with Disabilities
Applying to jobs can be stressful for anyone. There’s an added layer of stress when seemingly simple tasks like accessing online jobs listings are nearly impossible. That’s the case for many people with visual impairments, a group that totals more than 2 million people, according to the Current Population Survey. Lack of appropriate accessibility to applications, lack of accommodations and discrimination during the interview process are all issues contributing to the lack of employment for those with visual impairments.
Muhammad Waheed and Tim Utzig explain the pressing issues facing people with visual impairments on the job market.
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- Visual impairment, blindness cases in U.S. expected to double by 2050
- Common misconceptions and benefits of visually impaired employees
- New job search and interviewing techniques for visually impaired job seekers
Bringing Makers Back to Charm City: The Future of Manufacturing in Baltimore
Baltimore was once a manufacturing hub where the creation of products thrived along the Inner Harbor. Jobs left long ago, but the city and state of Maryland are trying to change that. Will tax incentives and other training programs be enough to bring manufacturing back and lift up the local economy? Ben Laing, Jake Stolzenbach and Megan Davis explore the history of Baltimore’s flourishing industrial era and how companies are being incentivized to bring it back to life.
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- Hogan signs bill granting tax breaks for creating new Maryland manufacturing jobs
- Advanced manufacturing in Maryland
- Maryland manufacturing day
Making Waves Across Maryland: The Future of Seafood Sustainability
When most people think of Maryland, they think of seafood. Unfortunately, so do most businesses and customers, to the point where overfishing has become a concern. Kerry Ingram, Karuga Koinange and Alex Best explore how to prevent overfishing and ways to be more sustainable in their mini-documentary series. Follow them as they hop aboard a fishing boat, talk to grocery store managers and restaurant owners, and share their thoughts on their journey. Get some Old Bay ready to eat while you watch.
Related content:
- Maryland faces pressure to take action on overfishing of Rockfish
- Overfishing doesn’t just hurt the fish
- Overfishing does damage to more than just fish
Turning Followers Into Dollars: The Future of Social Media Influencers
Memes, influencers and advertisements, oh my! Have you checked Instagram today? What about Snapchat? Twitter? Facebook? YouTube? Tumblr? WhatsApp? The list goes on…
Social media influencing is an emerging sector of the internet economy where popular social media personalities can monetize their online presence. Accumulate a large following, make money and become online entrepreneurs. But it’s not that easy for many users. Jordan Nowaskey, Chante Goodger and Ardajah Jones spoke with several influencers and marketing specialists to examine whether this type of profession is a passing fad or here to stay.
Related content:
- Top 25 social media influencers on Instagram
- Instagram likes going away? Influencers are here to stay
Facing #MeToo in Offices and Eateries: The Future of Workplace Sexual Harassment Prevention
With the rise of the #MeToo movement, employers are taking a close look at how to prevent sexual harassment in their workplace. That includes offices and restaurants, where harassment is all too common. Natalie Jefferey, Alexis Terry and Leah Volpe take a close look at laws that help to support workers’ rights and organizations that are working on this issue. They also interview several people who have experienced harassment in the food industry. See how to make a difference.
Related content:
- These are your legal rights in cases of workplace sexual harassment
- Can tech help workplace sexual harassment survivors connect and organize?
- Three yips to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in the retail workplace
For Female Sports Journalists, Harassment on Social Media is a Common Thread: The Future of Women in Sports Media
Does the “s” in sports stand for sexism
Women have long been battling for equality and inclusion in the workplace –especially in the sports realm — and they are starting to see results. The number of women in sports media is on the rise. But increasingly, female broadcasters and writers face backlash and harassment on social media.
Sarah Ridenour, Sarah Thompson and Annie Moreno talk to longtime USA Today columnist and television sports personality Christine Brennan, and former Washington Post sports editor George Solomon, among others, about the battles women have been encountering, and trying to survive and thrive in a profession long dominated by men.
Related content:
Automation Hits America’s Pastime: The Future of Robo-Umpires
Can anything an umpire do a robot do better? What is the future of umpiring and technology in sports?
Michael Mills and Glenn Kaplan explore the technological advancements of strike zone automation and how PITCHf/x technology is being implemented into the lower levels of baseball, potentially diminishing the responsibilities and authority of umpires.
Related content:
Students in a data journalism-focused Mass Communication Research course conducted surveys and in-depth interviews on many of these same topics and analyzed existing data using Excel and Google Sheets. Hear them discuss their experience in this video.
Capstone students also asked their classmates — and other graduating seniors — what excites and worries them as they think about their careers. Hear their answers in these podcasts.