by Madeline Johnson
“I have always had a massive interest in sports my whole life so this class is an excellent taste of what’s to come.” Thats what senior, Nick Hughes, had to stay about the COMM -399 Sports Broadcasting class when asked about the final project. He has plenty of positive things to share, but that is just one. This class’ final consists of two parts: one individual and one group project.
Before diving into the specifics of the COMM-399 final, there is some research that shows why final projects are so important to student’s education and future success. An article by Bioscience Education has some insight into how the final in a class can actually improve skills from students even when they were not expecting it.
When asked about stress related to finals season AJ Hobson, ONU student, shared how they made her feel,
“Sometimes finals can feel like the end of the world, absolutely stressful, and takes a toll on my mental health, but other times, I can really see and understand the value that the finals have”.
AJ Hobson on final exams
Another ONU student, Payton Thill has a different feeling,
“Honestly they don’t really stress me out and I am pretty chill during finals week”.
Payton thill on final exams
When it comes to finals in college there seems to be a mixed bag of emotions for each student. For further reading on how finals effect students check out Blavity’s article here.
COMM-399’s final exam is in the form of a two-part project. Students have an individual responsibility to record a 90 second radio spot in the back labs at the Shine.fm studios. This spot is a small overview discussing sports in the “market” they chose. “Market” refers to the city, team, or organization they are representing. Mikayla Turner explained that she chose the Chicago White Sox as her team,
“I know the team and I think I can represent them well for my radio spot.”
mikayla turner
The second half of the project is the group portion. Here is where the fun kicks in for these students. The students are broken up into groups by their professor and each group picks a market. From here they must produce a 20 minute “ESPN” style show. discussing all sports within their market city. The students have access to the Communication’s department’s camera, and audio equipment, as well as studio A.
When talking with Nick Hughes about his experience in the class and final project here is what he had to say,
“The final helps us to research different organizations – different sports in general, to be able to put our broadcasting skills into action.”
This very unique final is something many of these students have been training for. As many of them have had an interest in sports media for a long time now. To learn more about sports media at ONU check out this article here.
