By Heather Cass, Publications Manager, Penn State Behrend
What if your classroom wasn’t just a classroom, but a creative agency with real clients, real deadlines, and real impact?
That’s the idea behind COMM 481: Advanced Multimedia Production, a new course taught by Tom Deau, lecturer in media and communication. Students in the course don’t just learn production skills — they use those skills to help community partners.
After connecting with Harborcreek Township Supervisor Dean Pepicello, students recently launched a live-streaming initiative for the township’s bi-monthly public meetings, giving community members easier access to local government. The first stream went live on March 4. The next is scheduled for March 18, at 5 p.m. The live streams can be viewed on the Wintergreen Media YouTube channel.
The township streaming project is just one of several new initiatives this semester. Deau’s students also are producing a promotional video for HARVEST 912, a nonprofit that supports individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Other projects include employee profile videos for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, “Day in the Life” features for social media, and a promotional video for the “Empower Her Summit,” a Junior Achievement of Western PA event that will be held on campus later this month.
These experiences embody the college’s Open Lab model of learning, in which students and faculty members partner with business, industry, and community organizations to design new products, develop new services, or solve specific business challenges. The projects benefit the community, but they help students, too: By applying the fundamentals they learn in class, students gain résumé-building, real-world experience.
BEHREND BLOG 