Mapping the media: 'Learner-centred' orientation to graduate employability

This paper reports on the introduction of media mapping in media education programs in three Australian universities. ‘Media mapping’ aims to integrate students’ theoretical and ‘real world’ knowledge of the media. It involves investigating media organisations, analysing their operations, developing data base profiles and then organising and creating the final representation of the media environment. The purpose and particular applications of media maps are discussed with reference to debates about the role of new media in media education, developments in Australian higher education policy, trends in teaching and learning, and the institutional contexts of two media maps described here. The prospects for wider adoption of media mapping, and benefits for students, teachers and larger communities of interest, are also outlined.