The Need to Teach Digital Genre in Vocational Education

Abstract

Genre consensus, to some extent, is affected by digital media, which some researchers propose as digital genre. This social dynamic requires adjustment and appropriation to teach designed courses in vocational education to stay relevant as vocational education is industry driven. This paper describes the practice of teaching digital genre in Online Journalism class. There were 23 third-year students of Diploma IV who participated in the class. During 8-week teaching and learning, there were five news articles the students composed by applying digital genre characteristics. Data were taken from participant observation in the industry, direct observation and survey in the classroom. Findings show that most of the students were aware of digital genre, able to practice it, and able to relate it to industry requirements. This paper suggests digital genre be inculcated in the class by analyzing its characteristics and having a hands-on practice.