Category Archives: GIFTs

Spilt Milk: Navigating a Response to a Moral Dilemma

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Editorial Record: Submitted June 9, 2023. Revised September 23, and November 19, 2023. Accepted November 21, 2023. Published March 2024.

Author

Tiffany Derville Gallicano
Associate Professor
Department of Communication Studies
UNC-Charlotte
North Carolina, USA
Email: tgallica@charlotte.edu

ABSTRACT

An ethics assignment is shared involving a cultural crisis. Any moral dilemma involving a cultural crisis could be used in this assignment, or the Arla Foods cartoon crisis could be adopted, which is the model case used in this assignment description. Arla Foods confronted a crisis when it was boycotted based on its Danish identity. This case involves a heated clash in values, it pulls an apolitical company into a high-stakes political battle, it involves managing the complexities of ethics in a global context, and it has themes of cancel culture in the form of boycotts. These themes are relevant to today’s ethical landscape. In addition, the case broadens traditional examinations of diversity and inclusion by delving into the religious diversity of both internal and external key stakeholders, and the case requires students to understand cultural differences. Students engage in environmental scanning by navigating academic, corporate, and news sources; thinking critically; creating solutions; and analyzing them, providing the opportunity to reinforce foundational knowledge about moral decision making (e.g., Martin & Wright, 2016) and crisis management (e.g., Coombs, 2007) from previous lessons or courses while advancing to higher levels of Bloom et al.’s (1956) taxonomy. Leadership and teamwork skills are developed through a lecture about Tuckman’s (1965) group stages and how to navigate them, including ways to confront poor team behavior in this team project.

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On September 30, 2005, a controversial newspaper in Denmark published cartoons ridiculing the Prophet Muhammed, which were depicted by a UAE cabinet minister as “cultural terrorism, not freedom of expression” (Fattah, 2006, para. 20). The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League sent a joint letter to the Danish Prime Minister, who turned down the invitation to meet and backed the newspaper’s freedom of speech, reflecting Danish sentiment. About four months later, a newspaper in Norway reprinted the cartoons. A little more than two weeks later, Arla Foods issued an apology through ads in 30 Middle Eastern newspapers, which activated Danish feminist NGOs, politicians, and other influencers, who criticized the response as supportive of a religion that represses women (Holmström et al., 2010). Middle Eastern consumers started boycotting Danish companies, including Arla Foods, because the Danish government would not accept responsibility or punish the newspaper (Gaither & Curtin, 2008). Within five days of the boycott, the company’s $1.8 million in daily sales from the Middle East plummeted to nearly nothing (Gaither & Curtin, 2008).

GIFT Overview

In teams, students collectively take on the role of vice president of public relations for Arla Foods on the day the cartoons were first printed. They are instructed to gather information about the case as a practice of environmental scanning. Although their information gathering is different (i.e., they would not read a case study about their current situation in an academic journal), they still gain the experience of learning about an event through the navigation of required sources and summarizing the issue concisely at the start of their moral analysis document. They benefit from knowing what actually happened in the case and are in the pilot’s seat to argue for the best morally justifiable solution for how the company should have responded, starting on the day of the initial cartoon publication. In groups, they perform an analysis based on a framework for moral decision making. The textbook by Martin and Wright (2016) was used for teaching the model; however, the model can be found in other ethics textbooks, such as Bivins (2009). Instructors using alternative models for moral decision making can still use the assignment. They would need to start the assignment by having students begin their document by concisely summarizing the issue in about five sentences for the CEO, developing a list of relevant facts, generating a list of key stakeholders, and proposing their best set of three potential moral solutions. Then, any moral decision-making model already used in class could be applied. A common learning moment for student teams is falling into the trap of figuring out what the company can get away with rather than what the company has a moral duty to do. Once students have developed their three moral solutions, instructor feedback is shared and moral solutions can be revised before proceeding to the final step, which involves choosing one of the solutions and justifying it for the CEO in about two paragraphs.

Rationale

Ethics, Diversity and Inclusion, and a Cultural Perspective

The Commission on Public Relations Education is “the authoritative voice on behalf of public relations education, with a board representing 18 organizations and groups, and between 50 and 60 board members on an annual basis” (CPRE, 2018, p. 9). According to the Commission on Public Relations Education’s Fast Forward report, there is a large gap between how PR professionals rate the amount of ethics knowledge entry-level practitioners should have (the importance of which was rated as an average of 4.57 on a 5-point scale) and the amount of ethics knowledge found among entry-level practitioners (rated as an average of 3.34 on a 5-point scale; CPRE, 2018). Although a public relations ethics course was endorsed by CPRE in its 2006 report, The Professional Bond, the need for stronger ethics training has persisted as an issue, leading the CPRE (2018) to list it as its first recommendation in a report of major recommendations, noting that it is “more essential than ever” (p. 20). CPRE’s (2023) recent report indicates that professionals viewed ethics as “an essential competency” despite finding that young professionals lack ethical skills in their first five years.

The assignment also delves into what CPRE (2018) described as “knowledge areas that entry-level practitioners should have”: diversity and inclusion, in addition to a cultural perspective (p. 55). CPRE’s position was informed by practitioners’ prioritization of the areas as the most desired, in addition to a cultural perspective, social issues, and business acumen. The presence of a multicultural perspective among entry-level practitioners was rated as an average of 2.82 on a 5-point scale). This case can help students develop their knowledge of these areas, as religious diversity is seldom explored in the public relations classroom, and students have commonly grown up in a freedom of speech culture in which no religion is so sacred that it is spared from public ridicule. In fact, students typically make the initial mistake of summarizing the event as an issue of racism, seemingly lacking the lexicon to distinguish racism from religious hatred and failing to find words (such as blasphemy) to depict an event that is deeply offensive to members of a religion. Students learn from instructor feedback about how to write about religious offense as they revise their work prior to the recommendation stage of the project.

There are several advantages of using the Arla Foods case with the recommended materials mentioned earlier. The case is a moral dilemma involving conflicting duties to oppositional stakeholders. Students should be reminded that they have a major duty to the organization, but they must also consider their duties to others. As Martin and Wright (2016) noted, “In the ethics classes and workshops we have taught, we have noticed a tendency for public relations people to address ethical issues in terms of “what works?” rather than “what’s right?” That is sometimes because it is often more difficult to figure out what ethics requires than what good public relations practice demands (p. 219).

The case is also strong because of the variety of solutions, some of which could involve collaborating with other groups, ranging from the Confederation of Danish Industries to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which students learn about when completing their reading assignments. The availability of high quality teaching materials (mentioned in the Teaching Note in this manuscript) provides deep opportunities for cultural learning. The case is also ideal because it involves pressure on a decidedly apolitical company that must do something politically to address its moral duties. The case involves managing the complexities of ethics in a global context, and it has themes of cancel culture in the form of boycotts. Students must understand the religious offense from a Muslim standpoint, explain why Middle Eastern countries expect the government to have unilateral control over the media, and use the characteristics of Middle Eastern culture to understand why collective behavior such as boycotts are expected to have high participation rates.

Although the company’s crisis began in 2005, the context continues to be relevant to contemporary events. For example, in 2023, an adjunct art professor was sued and fired for sharing artwork of the Prophet Muhammad in a global art course following a Muslim student’s complaint (Patel, 2023). The tweet promoting this story received over a million views on Twitter (New York Times, 2023). Notably, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (i.e., described by the Associated Press as the largest Muslim advocacy organization in the United States) took the position that analyzing images of Prophet Muhammad for academic purposes was not Islamophobic, unlike efforts to produce images for the purpose of offending Muslims (Hollingsworth, 2023; Lawson-Tancred, 2023).

Another example is the controversy the Asia Society faced when blurring images of the Prophet Muhammad in the museum’s online showcase––the museum called the blurring a mistake and explained that the physical museum tour includes Prophet Muhammad images with warnings to avoid the area if the content is found offensive. Discussing contemporary cases in the context of the Arla Foods case helps students recognize the importance of the intent behind the action, which aligns with Kantian theory (e.g., Bivins, 2009; Martin & Wright, 2016).

To complete the assignment, students must think critically, create solutions, and analyze them, which provides the opportunity to reinforce foundational knowledge about moral decision making (Martin & Wright, 2016) and crisis management (e.g., Coombs, 2007) from previous lessons or courses while advancing to the application level of Bloom et al.’s (1956) taxonomy. Leadership and teamwork skills are also developed through a lecture about Tuckman’s (1965) group stages and how to navigate them, including ways to confront poor team behavior.

Assignment Learning Objectives

The assignment has the following learning objectives:

  • Succinctly summarize a complex moral issue for a CEO based on environmental scanning that is compelling enough to be deemed a priority by the CEO
  • Identify key stakeholders to consider in an ethical dilemma
  • Present three strong solutions to a moral dilemma
  • Perform a moral analysis of potential solutions to a moral dilemma
  • Justify a chosen solution based on moral arguments

Connection to Public Relations Theory

This class project is an ideal way for students to apply approaches to moral decision making they have learned throughout the semester. Students can apply concepts such as Ross’ moral duties, Kantian theory, utilitarianism, and care ethics. These topics are generally covered in PR ethics textbooks, such as Bivins (2009) and Martin and Wright (2016). Students can even focus on virtue ethics by thinking about the best solution for developing the company’s moral character (see Martin & Wright, 2016). When understanding the Danish government’s initial lack of a response, instructors can guide students through Grunig and Hunt’s (1984) linkages model––summarized in an open access publication by Rawlins (2006)––placing the Danish government in the center of the figure. This figure can also be used to help students understand why targeting Danish companies is a compelling option for applying pressure to the Danish government. In addition, instructors can discuss the case in light of Rawlin’s summary of how to prioritize publics based on linkages type (i.e., enabling, functional, normative, or diffused), situational theory classification (e.g., active, aware, or latent), and additional considerations (e.g., power, legitimacy and urgency). Moral duties fall into the third category (additional considerations). Furthermore, students review and apply primary and secondary crisis response strategies in their proposed solutions (e.g., Coombs, 2007). The case allows students to determine how to apply theory to understand and navigate their moral analyses. In addition, Tuckman’s (1965) group stages can be presented with strategies for navigating each stage.

How the Assignment was Class-Tested

This project was adopted in one graduate Public Relations Theory course and in three undergraduate Public Relations Ethics classes. One of the classes included a student who participated in the Arla Foods boycott, and this student served as an additional resource for the class. The revision opportunities for each part of the assignment were essential to most students’ ability to achieve the learning outcomes. The heart of the assignment is the moral analysis of three options for resolving the issue. Students’ rough draft scores typically increased with each subsequent option they assessed, likely due to the benefit of instructor feedback.

The team member evaluations that were due with each rough draft were helpful for discouraging freeloading. Students evaluated themselves and their teammates based on communication skills, reliability, and contribution to the assignment due (considering that rotational team leaders carried expectations for performing greater work than the rest of the team). Students assessed performance on a 5-point scale for each criterion and were required to add comments for themselves and for any student rating below a 3 (i.e., a “meeting expectations” score). Each assignment in the project was set up to be graded individually rather than as a team in Canvas to enable the ability to lower students’ scores for contributing less to the team. If a student did not contribute at all, a zero was given on the assignment. If a student contributed far less than the rest of the team, points were deducted and an email was sent to check in with the student and explain the need for better communication with the team and more substantive contributions to each assignment. Students were required to respond to each other’s communication within 24 hours and had the option to make this window shorter, provided that the team unanimously agreed. These guard rails were effective in correcting poor team behavior. Throughout the team assessment assignments, feedback was shared about the stage their team might be in from Tuckman’s group stages (1965).

Evidence of Learning Outcomes

Each semester, students were invited to reflect upon the assignment. Students appreciated the opportunity to apply an ethical analysis to a complex case and to engage in collective problem solving when deliberating about a difficult ethical case. They also appreciated the experience of guiding a company that is entangled in a culture war and discovering how the assignments within the project were helpful to understanding how to address the conflict. Other students also emphasized problem-solving and expressed appreciation for the diversity and inclusion context of the cast. In addition, students expressed a deeper appreciation for the importance of environmental scanning and audience analyses. Students took the initiative to talk about the case in class discussions of theoretical material.

Template Assignment Guide

The instructions for teaching the assignment in an asynchronous course, a semester-length timeline, and the grading rubrics are presented below in their original format.

Project Instructions

For our class project, you will apply the framework for ethical reasoning, described by Martin and Wright (2016) in chapter 13, to the Arla Foods case. As with all assignments in class, the use of ChatGPT on this assignment would be a form of academic dishonesty other than an area where I state that it is allowed to understand scholarly concepts from cultural studies. I want your thinking to entirely be your own to maximize your learning.

Here are the steps to follow for the assignment.

1. Choose your team in the People tab by the end of the day on Thursday, Aug. 24, or I will assign you to a team after that date.

  • Communicate with the team and figure out who is taking on which role.

2. Learn about the Arla Foods case and the moment in time I’ve chosen for your assignment.

  • You are the vice president of public relations for Arla Foods. Every part of this assignment should be written as if you are in this position, and your audience is the CEO of the company (i.e., write to me as the CEO, not as your professor). On Sept. 30, 2005, a controversial newspaper in Denmark published cartoons ridiculing the Prophet Muhammed, which are highly offensive to the Islamic community. As a Danish company with substantial profit from the Middle East, you are concerned about a backlash against Arla Foods just on the basis that it is from the same country as the controversial newspaper.

Sept. 30, 2005, is the day on which we are entering the case.

This means that no one has started boycotting yet because the newspaper cartoons were just published. You are developing the framework to make a recommendation to the CEO about what Arla Foods should do. I will act in the role of the CEO. Although we are completing this project over the course of the semester, in the real world, you would identify the potential damage from this incident (always preparing for the worst as a PR practitioner) and complete the framework within the day.

I chose this historic case because it involves a heated clash in values, it pulls an apolitical company into a high-stakes political and social battle, it involves managing the complexities of ethics in a global context, and it has themes of cancel culture in the form of boycotts. These are all important characteristics in today’s ethical landscape.

This project involves navigating high-quality research. Each of the sources below has unique information, in addition to overlapping information. Each team member is responsible for reading each of the sources below, regardless of the section you are leading. Learn important details about the context and discover what Arla actually did and the consequences of its actions. Seeing what happened will help you when you develop your best- and worst-case scenarios later in the process.

Arla Foods. (2006a). Our annual report. https://www.arla.com/49f589/globalassets/arla-global/company— overview/investor/pdf/annual-report/eng/annual-report_eng_2006. pdf

Note: Focus on the following sections:

  • Revenue in percent by market on the page after the cover page
  • The chairman’s report (by the way, this is typically drafted by an investor relations executive)
  • The first page of the executive director’s report on page four

Arla Foods. (2006b). Arla affected by cartoons of Muhammad. [Press release.] https://www.arla.com/company/news-and-press/2006/pressrelease/ arla-affected-by-cartoons-of-muhammed-760044/

Cartoon row: Danish embassy ablaze in Syria. CNN. https://newswatch.in/news/2006/02/04/cartoon-row-danish- embassy-ablaze-in-syria

Eriksen, L. (2010, February 26). Danish newspaper apologises in Muhammad cartoons row. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/feb/26/danish-cartoons- muhammad-politiken-apology#:~:text=Politiken%20is%20 courageous%20in%20apologising,to%20promote%20freedom%20 of%20expression

Gaither, T. Kenn, & Curtin, P. A. (2008). Examining the heuristic value of models of international public relations practice: A case study of the Arla Foods crisis. Journal of Public Relations Research, 20(1), 115–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627260701727051

Holmström, S., Falkheimer, J., & Nielsen, A. G. (2010). Legitimacy and strategic communication in globalization: The cartoon crisis and other legitimacy conflicts. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 4(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15531180903415780

Human Rights Watch. (2006, February 15). Questions and answers on the Danish cartoons and freedom of expression. https://www.hrw.org/report/2006/02/15/questions-and-answers- danish-cartoons-and-freedom-expression/when-speech-offends

Inskeep, S. & Martin, R. (2006, February 7). Denmark tries to ease Muslim anger over cartoons. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2006/02/07/5193566/denmark-tries-to-ease- muslim-anger-over-cartoons

Martin, R. (2006, February 7). Denmark battles Muslim backlash over cartoons. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2006/02/07/5194724/denmark-battles-muslim- backlash-over-cartoons

Timeline of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.

Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Jyllands-Posten_ Muhammad_cartoons_controversy

Watson, I. (2006, February 7). Anti-cartoon protests turn deadly in Afghanistan. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2006/02/07/5194721/anti-cartoon-protests- turn-deadly-in-afghanistan

Watt, N. (2006, January 31). Danish paper sorry for Muhammad cartoons. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/jan/31/religion. saudiarabia

In addition, you can see where this case fits into a more extended history in this area of controversy through the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rvYvVFEF_0

Use the Martin and Wright (2016) book as one of your resources. Our textbook authors present the framework we are using and write out an example for us. I’ll want you to use full sentences (unlike they did), skip a line of space between bulleted information and paragraphs, and go a little deeper than they did, but it is still a useful example.

3. Dive into the assignment.

Ready to get started? Follow the steps below.

  • Watch my assignment template walk-through. You might want to open the assignment template below first.
  • Head over to the assignment template, go to File in the Google Docs menu and select “Make a copy.”
  • Go to the Share button in the upper right corner and give anyone access to the document who has the link. Make sure to give “editor” access from the drop-down menu. This is technically listed under Team Member One’s duties, but anyone can do it.
  • Download the free version of Grammarly for your internet browser and use it to help you proof as you write.
  • Coordinate roles, meeting times, and a timeline for completion with your team.

I have organized the project into roles, so each team member will have a turn leading at least one assignment. This leader will be responsible for coordinating team meetings for the assignment they are leading, in addition to taking a leadership role in developing the content and writing. Also, this person will coordinate a timeline for completion to enable all team members to have 24 hours to edit the document before it is due.

Finally, the team member is responsible for revising the work based on my feedback and sharing it with the team for final approval.

There will be a team member assessment due with each original (non-revision) assignment, which will factor into the individual grades I assign. You will report how you contributed to the portion of the group project that is due and you will share feedback about your team members. Although feedback is not required on the revisions because this work should be performed by the team leader with final approval from team members, if there are contribution issues that arise, please share them in the comments section of the assignment or email me.

Below is a list of assignment responsibilities for each team member role, which you will determine in your groups. Additional instructions for each part of the assignment appear in the template after this section.

Team Member One: Fill in your name here.

  • You are responsible for starting the Google Doc for your team to use for their individual assignments and for the team assignment at the end of the document. You will share editing access with your classmates and me (see the “share” button in the upper right corner and ensure that you are selecting editing access for me rather than the default option).
  • You will lead the “issue” section, which is one paragraph. See page 209 in our Martin and Wright (2016) textbook for an example of this paragraph.
  • You will co-lead the “relevant facts” section with Team Member Two by incorporating relevant facts from the Gaither & Curtin (2008) article and the Arla Foods (2006a) annual report (see the assignment description on Canvas for these two documents). Remember to use in-text citations. Work with Team Member Two to organize the information in decreasing order of importance, ending with historical facts. Also, ensure that the facts you include do not overlap. See pages 209-210 in our Martin and Wright (2016) textbook for an example of this section.
  • You will co-lead the decision and justification section with Team Member Two since both of your roles do not otherwise involve applying a moral analysis.

Team Member Two: Fill in your name here.

  • You will co-lead the “relevant facts” section with Team Member One by incorporating relevant facts from the Holmstrom et al. (2010) article and the Arla Foods (2006b) news release (see the assignment description on Canvas for these two documents). Remember to use in-text citations. Work with Team Member One to organize the information in decreasing order of importance, ending with historical facts. Also, ensure that the facts you include do not overlap. See pages 209-210 in our Martin and Wright (2016) textbook for an example of this section.
  • You will lead the “relevant stakeholders” section.
  • You will co-lead the decision and justification section with Team Member One.
  • You will lead the “team reflection” section, which is due with the decision and justification sections (co-led with Team Member One).

Team Member Three: Fill in your name here.

  • Lead your team in proposing a strong option for Arla Foods to take, list the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the option, and evaluate the option (see pages 211-215 in the Martin and Wright textbook). If your team would like feedback on the collection of three options chosen by your team (since they will need to be strong options as a part of your grade), list the proposed actions (for all three options) and email me with a link to your document. I would be happy to sign off on them if you get them to me at least 24 hours before the deadline.

Team Member Four: Fill in your name here.

  • Do the same thing as Team Member Three; however, your option needs to be different from the other options.

Team Member Five: Fill in your name here.

  • Do the same thing as Team Member Three; however, your option needs to be different from the other options.

Sample Project Timeline

Assigned work in the schedule below is based on when it is due rather than when it is assigned. Teamwork evaluation forms are not reflected in the schedule below to save space; however, they are due on the class day that follows each rough draft deadline.

Week One, Thursday

  • Thursday: Instructor: Present a lecture about the case study project. Walk through the assignment description (recorded or in person).
  • Thursday: Students: Choose a five-person team for the class project, or the instructor will assign you to a team by next week if you prefer. (Sign-ups can occur in person or via the learning management system used for class.)

Week Two, Tuesday

  • Instructor: Assign students to project teams if needed.
  • Students: Set up your team meetings for the semester based on your project deadlines and which person will full each role described in the assignment template. Reach out to your instructor if a team member does not return communication within 24 hours, which is a class requirement.

Week Two, Thursday

  • Students: Read the case study resources (see the list earlier in this description) and watch the historical context video (also found earlier in this description).
  • Instructor: Facilitate a discussion of the reading material in person or online.

Week Three, Tuesday

  • Students: The Issue Summary is due. Team Leader: Person One.

Week Four, Tuesday

  • Students: The Issue Summary Revision is due. Team Leader: Person One.

Week Five, Tuesday

  • Students: The Relevant Facts section is due. Team Leaders: Person One, who leads the contributions from Gaither and Curtin (2008) and the Arla Foods (2006a) annual report; Person Two, who leads contributions from Holmström et al. (2010) and Arla Foods’ (2006b) news release.

Week Six, Tuesday

  • Students: The Relevant Facts revision is due. Team Leaders: Person One, who leads the contributions from Gaither and Curtin (2008) and the Arla Foods (2006a) annual report; Person Two, who leads contributions from Holmström et al. (2009) and Arla Foods’ (2006b) news release.

Week Seven, Tuesday

  • Students: The Stakeholders section is due. Team Leader: Person Two.

Week Eight, Tuesday

  • Students: The Stakeholders revision is due. Team Leader: Person Two.

Week Nine, Tuesday

  • Students: Option One is due. Team Leader: Person Three.

Week 10, Tuesday

  • Students: Option One revision is due. Team Leader: Person Three.

Week 11, Tuesday

  • Students: Option Two is due. Team Leader: Person Four.

Week 12, Tuesday

  • Students: Option Two revision is due. Team Leader: Person Four.

Week 13, Tuesday

  • Students: Option Three is due. Team Leader: Person Five.

Week 14, Tuesday

  • Students: Option Three revision is due. Team Leader: Person Five.

Week 15, Tuesday

  • Students: Decision, Justification, and Assignment Reflection assignment is due. Team Leaders: Person One and Person Two.

Week 16, Tuesday

  • Students: Decision, Justification, and Assignment Reflection assignment is due. Team Leaders: Person One and Person Two. Assigning a revision is optional. This particular assignment tends to be strong enough to stand on its own without revision opportunities.
  • Instructor: Facilitate a discussion about each team’s decision and justification.

GIFT Grading Criteria or Rubric

Each initial draft assignment is listed below. Each assignment rubric also contains the following text, which is solely listed here to save space:

“In addition, the score you earn is based on your teammates’ evaluation of your performance, as well as your reflection of your performance with regard to communication, reliability, and contribution to this assignment.”

Students complete a team assessment form following the submission of each initial draft assignment based on the following criteria primarily provided by ChatGPT: reliability (i.e., meeting internal team deadlines; leading the team in setting deadlines for the team leadership role), communication skills (i.e., listening, expressing ideas, giving constructive feedback, working collaboratively as a team member; facilitating productive communication for the team leadership role), and contribution to the assignment (in the context of the expectations of the team member or team leader role). Students rate themselves and their team members on a 5-point scale for each criterion and have an optional comments area for each criterion.

The assessment of the content for each assignment is based on the rubric below (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

Content Rubric

The assessment of the writing for each assignment is based on the rubric below; a quantitative approach is used to increase grading consistency and the communication of expectations (see Figure 2).

Figure 2

Writing Rubric

Minor corrections include errors relating to format (see the template for the format), AP style, grammar, punctuation, executive voice and brevity.

Major corrections include mistakes such as word jumbles, typos, spelling errors, and other obvious issues, such as quotation marks facing the wrong way.

Revision assignments use the same assignment criteria and rubric as the corresponding drafts, but they are worth half the number of points as the original drafts to emphasize the performance of the work independent of my help, the incentive to focus on doing the assignment well the first time, and the lower level of effort generally required to revise the content and writing.

Revisions are performed by the one to two people leading the team for the assignment and include the requirement of a 24-hour window for the team to proof the work.

Assignment: Issue (40 points)

Content: 20 points, Writing: 20 points

The situation is summarized in a paragraph, so your CEO understands what happened.

The paragraph begins with details the CEO would need to understand what happened (what is the name of the newspaper, is it the largest newspaper in Denmark, how many cartoons were there, how did they come about, and what does the Islamic religion say about any visual depiction of the prophet, even if it is positive? What is an example of what was portrayed?).

  • Based on the content, I can grasp the severity of the offense.
  • The paragraph helps the CEO understand why an outside issue of this nature is relevant to the company.
  • At the end of the paragraph, there is a sentence about what is at stake (this is the same idea as why the CEO should consider a response to this issue).
  • The content is clearly targeted to the CEO (not an external audience). The paragraph does not include potential solutions to the issue.
  • I am looking for the quality of the content, as well as the extent to which relevant facts are included and less pivotal facts are omitted.

Assignment: Relevant Facts

Content: 40 points, Writing: 40 points

Additional information is shared about the case. If you did not already cover it in the Issue section, the relevant facts section includes information about how these cartoons came into existence (there is a backstory).

Information is also provided about the prominence of the newspaper. The potential for the Streisand effect is addressed.

  • Economic, social and political pressures are included. Based on this section, the CEO is reminded of the company’s economic interests in the Middle East and the amount of revenue from the Middle East versus the company’s overall revenue.
  • This section also includes facts that help the CEO understand whether there is potential for retaliation through peaceful and violent means.
  • Facts are also shared that help the CEO make inferences about how Middle Easterners might expect a Danish company and Danish government to respond. The explanation for why this is the case is explained clearly for someone to understand who is not a cultural studies scholar. Permission is given to use ChatGPT to understand the meaning of some of the terms in the scholarly articles, provided that the output is entirely reworded. A prompt that includes some of the jargon and “can you explain this for a seventh grader” works well.
  • A comparison of Danish and Middle Eastern cultures is made. Statistics or numerical facts are shared when helpful to understanding the factual statement.
  • A discussion of Muslims in Denmark is included based on the assigned reading.
  • Information is ordered thematically based on what is particularly relevant to the situation before getting into more historical facts.
  • Factual information about anything occurring after the day the cartoons were published is excluded since this project takes place on the day when the cartoons appeared.
  • Both journal articles are cited extensively, and the annual report is cited. APA style is used for in-text citations and in the references section. Outside sources are welcome.
  • I am looking for the quality of the content, as well as the extent to which relevant facts are included and less pivotal facts are omitted.

The same A-F rubric is used for content and for writing that appeared in the Issue section. The number of writing errors is adjusted for a 40-point scale, staying consistent with the percentages reflected in the 20-point scale.

Assignment: Stakeholders

Content: 20 points, Writing: 20 points

The stakeholder section includes all of the people your decision could affect and everyone to whom you have a duty.

  • This section includes what each stakeholder group is likely to be thinking, desiring in the situation, and feeling in response to the cartoons and in response to what the group might expect from Arla Foods.
  • Lower grades will correspond to the extent to which stakeholders and their interests are excluded.
  • In addition, the score you earn is based on your teammates’ evaluation of your performance, as well as your reflection on your performance with regard to communication, reliability, and contribution to this assignment.

Assignments: Option One, Option Two, and Option Three

Content: 40 points, Writing: 40 points for each option

These three assignments are evenly spaced in the timeline but are condensed here since they are identical.

  • When evaluating each Option assignment, I am examining the quality of the primary and secondary crisis response options, as well as the quality of argumentation for justifying them.
  • The primary response option conveys whether the option involves siding with the non-Muslim Danish community, having the company side with the Muslim community, or having the company stay neutral. All three options could involve different ways of enacting the same primary response option, provided that they are substantially different. For example, one option could involve the company’s coalition building efforts with the Confederation of Danish Industries to take a particular stance on the issue, and another option could involve the same stance but be carried out through attempts of dialogue between the company and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
  • The secondary response option involves efforts that can be added to a primary response option, such as a corporate social responsibility initiative. The secondary response option could vary or stay the same across all three options.
  • In addition, I am considering the quality of the pros/cons section, duties section (including harm/care, duties, rules, and the categorical imperative), and personal values section.
  • The section is written as if the option is being weighed rather than arguing that the option should be chosen. Choosing the option and defending it is a separate assignment after Option Three is completed.

Assignment: Decision, Justification, and Team Reflection

Content: 10 points, Writing: 10 points

This assignment contains three components: the decision of which option the team recommends, a justification for the chosen option, and a reflection about the assignment. The content guidelines for the rubric are presented below.

  • The decision chosen is a wise decision, and the justification is compelling. Arguments for why the other two options were not chosen are shared. If the chosen option has a decent chance of not working (such as attempting dialogue with the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation or convincing the Confederation of Danish Industries to adopt a particular position and engage in certain actions), one of the alternative options is shared as a backup response.
  • The assignment reflection includes at least five sentences about what was learned (as a team or individually, depending on your team’s choice). Feedback about how to improve the assignment is welcome and counts towards the sentence minimum.

Teaching Note

Any moral dilemma involving a cultural component could be used for this assignment. As noted previously, this assignment was used in a graduate Public Relations Theory class and three undergraduate Public Relations Ethics courses. The assignment would also function well as a final project in a Principles of Public Relations class or in an International Public Relations course. The Danish cartoons do not need to be shown to the class for this assignment; in fact, students can be informed that none of the required materials involve examining the offensive images. In addition, students should be informed that part of their grade is based on the quality of the three moral solutions they present, and they should be expected to benefit from knowing what the company actually did and what the ramifications were.

Recommended resources include all of the sources found in the assignment description. An additional cultural insight from a student who was an activist when the case occurred is the importance Muslims place on not wasting food. Articles about contemporary controversies involving depictions of the Prophet Muhammad mentioned earlier can also enrich class discussions (Hollingsworth, 2023; Lawson-Tancred, 2023; Patel, 2023; Small, 2023).

Instructors can also help students engage in critical thinking by introducing other contemporary cases of religious cultural controversy. For example, the Los Angeles Dodgers invited a drag troupe called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to its annual LGBTQ Pride celebration, rescinded the invitation after experiencing backlash, and then re-extended the invitation once again to honor the group (Li, 2023). Two of the team’s players were deeply offended because they thought the honoring of the group violated organizational values of respect and inclusivity by impersonating and ridiculing Catholic practices and beliefs (Li, 2023). The application of virtue ethics, Kantian theory, utilitarianism, and care ethics would be insightful to new contexts, especially in light of discussions about the Arla Foods case.

This assignment can be adapted to diverse institutions of learning, as well as online and in-person formats. The assignment has been taught in an online class; however, it would arguably be easier to teach in an in-person class based on the comparative ease of understanding directions delivered by an in-person instructor and coordinating with team members.

Five-person teams can be reduced to smaller teams for smaller class sizes. Colleges with religious affiliations could take particular interest in this study and related contemporary studies that provide a grounded case study approach to exploring contestations over religious tolerance and critique.

References

Arla Foods. (2006a). Our annual report. https://www.arla.com/49f589/globalassets/arla-global/company— overview/investor/pdf/annual-report/eng/annual-report_eng_2006. pdf

Arla Foods. (2006b). Arla affected by cartoons of Muhammad. [Press release.] https://www.arla.com/company/news-and-press/2006/pressrelease/ arla-affected-by-cartoons-of-muhammed-760044/

Bivins, T. (2009). Mixed media: Moral distinctions in advertising, public relations, and journalism (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Bloom, B. S., Englehart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H., & Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives, Handbook: The cognitive domain. David McKay. Commission on Public Relations Education (CPRE). (2006). The professional bond. http://www.commissionpred.org/commission-reports/the- professional-bond/

Commission on Public Relations Education (CPRE). (2018). Fast forward: Foundations + future state. Educators + practitioners. http://www.commissionpred.org/commission-reports/fast-forward- foundations-future-state-educators-practitioners

Commission on Public Relations Education (CPRE). (2023). Navigating change: Recommendations for advancing undergraduate PR education. https://www.commissionpred.org/navigating-change-report/

Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting organization reputations during a crisis: The development and application of situational crisis communication theory. Corporate Reputation Review, 10(3), 163–176. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1550049

Fattah, H. M. (2006, January 30). Portrayal of the prophet prompts a boycott of Danish goods. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/30/international/middleeast/ portrayal-of-the-prophet-prompts-a-boycott-of.html

Gaither, T. Kenn, & Curtin, P. A. (2008). Examining the heuristic value of models of international public relations practice: A case study of the Arla Foods crisis. Journal of Public Relations Research, 20(1), 115–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627260701727051

Grunig, J. E., & Hunt, T. (1984). Managing public relations. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Hollingsworth, H. (2023, April). Minnesota college head to retire after Islamic art dispute. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/hamline-president-retires-prophet-

muhammad-controversy-b5a825785281ef67189f6d349195c51c  Holmström, S., Falkheimer, J., & Nielsen, A. G. (2010). Legitimacy and strategic communication in globalization: The cartoon crisis and other legitimacy conflicts. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 4(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15531180903415780

Lawson-Tancred, J. (2023, January 11). Muslim group urges the reinstatement of fired U.S. professor, saying the Prophet Muhammad painting she showed to students was not Islamophobic. Artnet. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/fired-professor-hamline-not- islamophobic-2241214

Li, D. K. (2023, May 31). MLB players say drag troupe invited to Dodgers’ pride night mocks Christianity. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/mlb-players-say- drag-troupe-invited-dodgers-pride-night-mocks-christia-rcna87013

Martin, D., & Wright, D. K. (2016). Public relations ethics: How to practice PR without losing your soul. Business Expert Press.

NBC. (2015, January 8). Prophet Muhammad cartoons surrounded by violent history. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rvYvVFEF_0

New York Times. (2023, January 8). An adjunct professor at Hamline University showed a painting of the Prophet Muhammad for an art history class. It was followed by an outcry from Muslim students. University officials said it was Islamophobic, but many scholars say the work is a masterpiece. Twitter. https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1612147150472757249?lang=en

Patel, V. (2023, January 15). A lecturer showed a painting of the Prophet Muhammad. She lost her job. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/08/us/hamline-university-islam- prophet-muhammad.html

Rawlins, B. (2006). Prioritizing stakeholders for public relations. Institute for Public Relations. https://www.instituteforpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2006_ Stakeholders_1.pdf

Tuckman, B. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63(6), 384–399.https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/h0022100

© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: Gallicano, T.D. (2024). Spilt milk: Navigating a response to a
moral dilemma. Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(3), 141-169. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4324

Generative AI in the Classroom: Teaching a Critical Skill for the Public Relations Writing Student

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Editorial Record: Submitted June 9, 2023. Revised September 20, and November 17, 2023. Accepted November 21, 2023. Published March 2024.

Author

Steven Ryan
Assistant Professor of Instruction
The Media School Lew Klein College of Media and Communication
Temple University
Pennsylvania, USA
Email: steve.ryan0001@temple.edu

ABSTRACT

With generative artificial intelligence – or generative AI – use on the rise, particularly in content creation, public relations students need to gain skills in applying such tools in PR writing. This article documents the author’s experience requiring the use of generative AI in writing assignments. The results, including research findings, are intended to help PR educators implement generative AI in their classrooms.

3-JPRE_93_Ryan_PDFDownload

GIFT Overview

Rationale

Since the advent of generative AI systems, like the well-known ChatGPT (and GPT-3), both trade and academic articles have tried to make sense of its potential for and potential consequences in communication fields, like PR (Carufel, 2023; Luttrell et al., 2020). The author and two colleagues have also been researching the attitudes of PR educators, practitioners, and students about teaching emerging technologies (including generative AI). The preliminary findings of that research were a significant inspiration for the assignment detailed herein.

Additionally, a recent survey of executives found that 49% of their companies use ChatGPT, and 93% plan to expand its use (ResumeBuilder. com, 2023). There are, however, calls to pause its surge (Samuel, 2023).

Yet, Krishna et al. (2020) assert it is “imperative for [PR] educators to design courses and curricula to reflect the needs of the profession and prepare students … with the key tools and skills they need to be successful in their careers” (p. 4). And still, during a presentation about generative AI, an emerging technology expert said, “You won’t be replaced by AI. You’ll be replaced by someone who knows how to use AI” (A. Hood, personal communication, Nov. 22, 2022).

Connection to KSATs

Incorporating generative AI into our curricula is essential to support knowledge, skills, abilities, and traits (KSATs) identified in the Commission on Public Relations Education report by Duhe et al. (2018), namely writing, digital literacy and technology, and critical thinking.

Numerous studies, including Krishna et al. (2020), have confirmed writing is a vital PR skill. Furthermore, Floridi and Chiaratti (2020) concluded those who write professionally (e.g., PR practitioners) will need to use generative AI to prompt proper output, assemble, and edit it. Additionally, this author posits the ability to train AI models to produce writing in a particular voice is needed. Thus, if educators are to prepare students to be effective PR writers, they must ensure students can use generative AI. Xie et al. (2018) noted “a dire need to incorporate digital components in the curricula and believed it is important to transform students into digital thinkers” (p. 296). Indeed, Duhe et al. (2020) concluded digital technology is an area of “growing importance to the [PR] profession” (p. 63). Even more important than how to use generative AI, PR students must also develop the ability to discern when not to use generative AI. Indeed, Tóth et al. (2020) identified activities a digitally-competent person should be able to perform, including, “correctly applying digital technologies to solve various functional tasks; effectively using digital technologies and obtaining real practical results…self-confident[ly], critical[ly], and creative[ly] using digital technologies” (p. 153).

Assignment Learning Objectives

The generative AI assignments herein feature in an upper level PR writing course. The learning objectives (below) support, at higher levels of Fink’s taxonomy (2013), the overall course objectives:

  • Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of generative AI.
  • Create public relations writing using generative AI.
  • Compare and contrast generative AI writing with human writing.
  • Reflect on the use of generative AI in the writing process.

Connection to Public Relations Practice and/or Theory

Xie et al. (2018) found advertising and PR education was “… outdated in terms of preparing students for the changing industries, especially in terms of coping with emerging media technologies…” and respondents further believed digital skills “…should be embraced at every step in the program of study…” (pp. 302-303). Indeed, underscoring these points, the Commission for Public Relations Education recently highlighted the urgency of both addressing the lack of industry vision for AI and the need for entry-level graduates to possess AI skills and knowledge to prepare them for a field in which AI is being used in a variety of applications. (Toth & Bourland-Davis, 2023, pp. 27-28). The mandate for these skills will only grow as generative AI proliferates.

An analysis of PR job ads by Meganck et al. (2020), however, revealed “technology skills” were sought in just 4.1% of ads, while “social/digital media” appeared in 35.3% (p. 3). This is puzzling, given a comment by Panda et al. (2019) that “communication specialists are under pressure to unlearn old manual skills and learn new digital capabilities to survive in the new work environment” (p. 198).

The current environment feels like certain periods when PR had to adapt to “new digital capabilities” like email, websites, social media, and blogs. When those technologies debuted, PR practitioners evaluated benefits, costs, risks, and applications, preparing for when implementation became advisable or inevitable. The advent of generative AI is similar, so we must integrate it into the PR writing curriculum.

Class Testing

Following the imperative noted by Krishna et al. (2020) to prepare students for success (p. 4), the author also bore in mind the guidance of Galloway and Swiatek (2018), who wisely noted that PR practitioners need not be technology experts, but have a “…sufficient understanding of AI and related technologies…” so they can better advise clients (p. 736). The author required students to use Craftly, a generative AI tool for PR, advertising, and marketing writing, on four of five primary writing assignments (PWAs): backgrounders, blog posts and social posts, feature and social posts, and a letter to the editor. How students used Craftly varied by assignment (for example, see Figure 1). However, to establish a baseline of their writing ability, students wrote their first assignment – a news release – without AI.

As noted, each PWA has specific AI use requirements. Students were required to use Craftly as follows for each:

  • Feature – outline the article, rewrite sentences, create quotes, or create a social media post to promote the article.
  • Backgrounder – outline the document, rewrite sentences, or write the introduction.
  • Letter to the Editor – outline the document, rewrite sentences, write the introduction, or create quotes.

In addition to the PWAs, students used Craftly for in-class learning activities to develop AI prompt-generating skills, including headlines, quotes, news release ledes, and similar output.

Evidence of Learning Outcomes

At the semester’s end, students completed a survey about their use of generative AI in class. The research plan and instrument received institutional review board approval. Of 10 students in the class, nine attempted the survey, and eight finished it. Due to the small class size, no demographic data were collected to ensure confidentiality. The author acknowledges the data set is small (as is often the case with scholarship of teaching and learning—or SoTL—research) and plans to continue this research in future course sections and grow the data set. There are, however, a few notable findings worth sharing that support this assignment.

Early-semester discussions about generative AI tools revealed students had little knowledge of generative AI’s uses, limitations, and risks. Therefore, the author wanted to know how student attitudes about AI changed as they used the technology, specifically its importance in their future careers, its danger, its ability to enhance PR practitioners’ effectiveness, ethical concerns about its use, and if understanding it would set them apart from other job candidates (see Table 1).

Table 1

Changes in Student Attitudes Regarding Generative AI/GPT-3

When considering if GPT-3 skills and their future careers the most remarkable increase was related to seeing the importance of GPT-3 to success in their future careers (t=-4.27, p=0.003) from the beginning of the semester (M=3.11, SD=1.17) to the end of the semester (M=4.56, SD=0.53). The findings suggest students see value in learning generative AI skills to help them advance in their careers and support the admonition of Krishna et al. (2020) to “prepare students to enter the workforce with the key tools and skills they need to be successful in their careers” (p. 4).

When asked to rate potential threats of GPT-3 (see Table 2; 1= is less of a threat to 5 = more of a threat), students expressed concern about loss of writing skills (M=3.75, SD=1.04), which suggests the need not only to teach the effective use of generative AI as a writing tool but also to ensure the ongoing development of fundamental writing skills. Further, with low consumer trust in AI-produced content (Owen, 2023), PR graduates knowledgeable in how to effectively employ generative AI will be valuable contributors to the new AI-enabled PR workforce.

Table 2

Student Attitudes About Generative AI/GPT-3 Use Threats in PR

A common misconception, however, is that younger generations are automatically more adept with and interested in new technologies. Indeed, Tóth et al. (2020) found while students possessed generally high levels of digital competence when switching to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, “… their knowledge and skills are limited to…basic office suite skills, emailing, using social sites, and surfing the Internet. They are thus digital users and consumers of content rather than its creators” (p. 152).

Given the sophisticated nature of generative AI technology, the author wanted to understand student attitudes regarding technology, generally, to understand how those attitudes might shape class teaching using generative AI. Research by Goode (2010a and 2010b) introduced the concept of a technology identity, which helps classify a person’s relationship with technology using an identity model to assess “four areas of an individual’s belief system, namely beliefs about one’s technology skills, opportunities, and constraints to use technology, the importance of technology, and one’s own motivation to learn more about technology” (2010a, p. 590).

Data collected (see Table 3) using Goode’s model (which the author adapted to use a 5-point Likert-type scale) revealed all students saw themselves as fluent in the use of technology and most were motivated to learn more about technology. This model can help educators understand potential barriers and opportunities before introducing generative AI technology in the classroom to use in an assignment such as this.

Table 3

Student Technology Identity Self-Report

Anecdotal student comments were, in many ways, more compelling and offered greater insight than the survey findings. This is an excerpt from one student’s introspection:

My final submission was a huge improvement from my draft and I really enjoyed this assignment. I also enjoy this course in general because it encourages us to utilize a brand-new tool that is frowned upon by others… Generally speaking, many teachers/professors were immediately against ChatGPT before even giving it a chance. I feel as though this is a tool that is supposed to benefit us and improve our writing skills.

Additional student comments included:

“I have a very difficult time editing my own work. It’s easier to edit [AI]. It feels less personal.”

“I want to start finding ways to implement AI into my life more. After using it in this class, I can see that it isn’t perfect, and it probably never will be, but there are some useful factors to it. I also do not see AI going anywhere anytime soon, so finding a way to work with it seems helpful for my future in PR.”

“I noticed that when I begin my papers, I tend to have trouble beginning the writing process. I found that Craftly can easily help me start and end ideas in a very descriptive but to-the-point way.”

“I also feel like I trusted Craftly a little bit too much. Although Craftly did help me develop my first [blog post] pretty much perfectly, it didn’t do the same for my second one. I should have only used Craftly for the brainstorming process…and crafted it myself. I think that the final results would have been much clearer and there would be less confusion using my own words and phrases.”

“The biggest thing for me…is the outlining. Sometimes I have a hard time getting started and organizing my thoughts. Craftly saves me at least 15 minutes.”

“I used to believe AI was just meant to be used for generating…silly responses, I hadn’t considered how useful it could be as a writing tool… AI has become one of my favorite ways of organizing my thoughts.”

… I had trouble making sure what the AI came up with was not an error. Craftly often sounded repetitive, and it made my writing a bit glib. In the beginning, it was harder for me to scrutinize and correct Craftly’s work, but by the end of the semester, I got much better at it.

…using AI is not something I thought I would ever be doing in a class. Before this class, I was very skeptical about AI as many others are. As someone with an interest in art and…the world of freelancing, the push for AI art almost put me off the idea completely. However, since using it in this class I am still skeptical but do not hate it as much as I did.

One student even expressed their feelings in poetry form:

I don’t trust AI, efficiency be damned.

Innocent at first but who knows where it’s going. Power beyond our control, some men have evil hands. Give the men time, we’ll reap what they’re sowing.

Minds will become grey, wastelands, reliant on something they could never be.

See, you and I don’t comprehend its power.

To destroy our lives in new and creative ways; a new tool for the bourgeoise.

Our cries go unheard as, our creativity, they devour.

Humans are unique, dreaming in a universe greater than our comprehension.

Innovation doesn’t end because we choose to reject a dreamless invention.

Important themes emerged in these and other comments, which included writing efficiency, learning how to work with generative AI, and distrust of/skepticism about generative AI.

The business case for generative AI becomes clear when considering the revelations about saving time: 15 minutes (and associated overhead costs) saved in the writing process is significant when multiplied across numerous projects and clients. As previously noted, students agreed faster content creation was an AI-use opportunity.

Students also noted AI can be repetitive and generate inappropriate tone. As the semester progressed, students became more adept at removing such flaws from their drafts.

The author believes healthy skepticism about generative AI is the most vital insight students gain by doing these assignments. The students’ comments expressing such skepticism reinforce the survey findings and recall Galloway and Swiatek’s (2018) caution, “the [PR] profession’s more immediate need to acquaint itself with the broader societal and economic AI impacts should be considered alongside the need to apply AI” (p. 736).

Template Assignment Guides

Blog Post Instructions

Draft two blog entries about topics of your choosing that affect or relate to your nonprofit. Consider:

  • new laws or regulations
  • social issues
  • race issues
  • demographic issues
  • services offered
  • challenges faces
  • expertise to share Your blog posts will include:
  • A related photo (with alt text)
  • Meta description
  • Word limit 800-1000 words

Writing Your Blog with Craftly

  • Think of a brand subject your want your blog posts to be about (e.g. demographics)
    • Use Generate Blog Topics tool
  • Select a topic for your first post, go to Blog Builder
    • Follow the steps and prompts to create the blog content
    • Edit and revise
  • Select a topic for your second post, use the Blog Outline tool
    • Use the Blog Introduction to start your blog post
    • Use the other Craftly tools as much, or as little, as you wish
  • Be sure to take notes about the process of using Craftly for your introspection and cite Craftly content in your blogs

For the images…

  • Use Craftly to create at least one image. The other can be a stock image, screen grab, or original photo.
  • Your alt text for each should be <125 characters and should describe what is seen in the image, as discussed in class. Remember the purpose of the alt text is both to describe the picture to someone using a screen reader and index the image for search engine retrieval.

For the social posts…

  • Each blog post must include one social post to drive traffic to the blog:
    • You can choose Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn, based on what is most relevant for your nonprofit.
    • Use Craftly to generate one of your social posts (identify which one).
    • You may use internet slang and/or emojis as appropriate for your nonprofit and the blog post messages.

Introspection Instructions

The introspection is a short piece that asks you to consider errors, word choice, clarity, adherence to the creative brief, generative AI use, and an overall reflection on your writing. Use the guide below to write the introspection. Because it is written, quality counts. See the attached rubric, too.

After each major writing assignment, you must complete an introspective reflection on the assignment from draft to final. Step away from the assignment for a day or so. Then re-read it and respond to the following:

Errors

  • Were there any surprise errors? What about consistent errors?
  • Are there words you regularly misspell? What are they? How can you avoid in the future?

Word Choice

  • Were any word choices called out in the feedback? How would you resolve them?
  • Looking at your final with fresh eyes, are there any other word choices you would change?

Clarity

  • Were any sentences called out in feedback for lack of clarity? How would you resolve them?

Creative Brief

  • Did you miss any requirements specified in the creative brief? Why do you think that happened?

Overall

  • Upon re-reading, did you find other improvements you could make?
  • How did you feel about your draft compared with your final?
  • Was there instructor feedback you found valuable? Confusing?
  • What were your thoughts on using AI for the assignment?
  • Were there any challenges you faced when writing the assignment? Technical process, inspiration, other.
  • How will you resolve those challenges for the next assignment?

Assignment Grading Criteria or Rubric

This course uses ungrading principles, relying heavily on feedback (Blum, 2020). Students submit each PWA first draft for instructor feedback. Students do not receive a letter grade for each PWA. Instead, they work to improve their writing through feedback until it is of A quality (16-18 points) based on a rubric (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

Primary Writing Assignment Rubric

Each student then works with a pre-assigned peer review partner to critique one another’s work. Students then submit a final draft (subject to further revision) noting any AI content (see Figure 2).

Figure 2

Example of Student Canvas Submission Identifying AI Use

The introspection rubric (see Figure 3) assesses students’ ability to interrogate and better understand their writing process, as well as examine their own use of generative AI.

Figure 3

Introspection Rubric

Teaching Note

These assignments are appropriate in upper-level PR writing courses because they are as much about how to not use generative AI as they are about how to use it. Students should have a foundation in PR writing, grammar, AP style; law and ethics; and PR theory.

Generative AI use varied by assignment and was explicitly defined.

The instructions for a pair of blog posts and an associated social media post are in the Template Assignment Guide. Introspections were also required because they “…have the metacognitive function of helping writers become more aware of their own thinking processes” (Bean & Melzer, 2021, p. 88). Such awareness is essential when writing with generative AI, as illustrated by the student comments.

Based on the author’s experience with these assignments in the classroom, instructors should consider the following when deciding how or if to implement generative AI use in their classrooms:

Generative AI Tool Knowledge

  • Become power users of the chosen generative AI tool. Instructors should understand how to navigate the tool, know its strengths and weaknesses, and be able to provide instruction in its use and troubleshoot student problems.
  • Train students thoroughly in how to use the chosen AI tool. The author’s students received training from Craftly.
  • Consider assessing student technology identities using Goode’s model to understand the students’ orientation and motivation regarding tech use. It can also help to identify peer technology champions who could help their fellow students.

Generative AI Use

  • Prescribe a variety of specific ways to use AI. As noted, students were required to use Craftly to outline, generate quotes, create social media posts, write blogs, craft headlines, and even create images. Allow them to create no- or low-stakes content before using the tool for a graded assignment. Also, require students to reflect on their use of AI and assess AI’s strengths and weaknesses.
  • Require students to identify AI output used (see Introspection Instructions) and caution students against using AI in other classes, as it may be prohibited.

Course Content

  • Teach best practices for completing each writing assignment, irrespective of AI use.
  • Review effective proofreading and editing techniques, focusing on identifying AI-generated shortcomings. Teach shortcomings of AI writing (e.g., redundancy, factual errors, lack of AP style use, and inconsistent or inappropriate tone) to help them effectively edit AI output. Finally, pair each student with a peer editor to support the revision process.

Any generative AI tool should work for these assignments. A paid platform is ideal, as free or “freemium” versions may have word limits or restrictions that may hinder students’ ability to complete assignments and affect the instructor’s assignment parameters. Craftly proved to be an effective tool.

Institutional IT policies may stipulate accessibility requirements for any AI tool chosen (or even prohibit their use). The author’s university requires all institution-purchased software to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. Smaller software companies, especially start-ups, may not prioritize such compliance in early go-to-market plans. Instructors should verify IT requirements before comparing platforms and understand how long university approval and testing processes take to avoid implementation delays.

Opposition from colleagues or the administration is certainly possible. The author’s department supported experimentation with generative AI, but not all institutions will have the same attitudes.

While not a guarantee of acceptance, crafting what Fink (2013) refers to as “significant learning experiences” (p. 7) that comprise (a) meaningful learning objectives, (b) teaching and learning activities, and (c) feedback and assessment, as well as applying appropriate academic rigor are, in the author’s opinion, essential precursors to reassure skeptics. Another important reminder: Generative AI is just a tool. Knowing how to use it does not make one a writer any more than knowing how to use Adobe Illustrator® makes one an artist.

Conclusion

Incorporating mandatory generative AI use in a PR writing course initially seemed risky. However, it also seemed risky not to incorporate the technology given the incredible attention ChatGPT and other generative AI tools were receiving in the media.

Students seemed surprised to be trusted with using generative AI on school writing assignments. It was as if they were being offered a secret code granting them special powers. The author thinks this is true and believes they will be among the first to enter the PR workforce having had guidance in how to (and how not to) use generative AI in PR writing.

References

Bean, J. C., & Melzer, D. (2021). Engaging ideas: The professor’s guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Blum, S. D. (Ed.). (2020). Ungrading: Why rating students undermines learning (and what to do instead) (1st ed.). West Virginia University Press.

Carufel, R. (2023, April 26). Will AI ultimately replace content writers? Nearly 7 in 10 content marketers believe it will over the next five years. Agility PR. https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/public-relations/will-ai- ultimately-replace-content-writers-nearly-7-in-10-content- marketers-believe-it-will-over-the-next-five-years/

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ResumeBuilder.com. (2023, February 27). 1 in 4 companies have already replaced workers with ChatGPT. https://www.resumebuilder.com/1-in-4-companies-have-already- replaced-workers-with-chatgpt/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_ medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_ axioscommunicators&stream=business

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© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: Ryan, S. (2024). Generative AI in the classroom: Teaching a critical skill for the public relations writing student. Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(3), 25-45. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4241

Inoculating Vaccine Disinformation: A Digital Media Kit Exercise

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Editorial Record: Submitted May 18, 2023. Revised September 19, 2023. Accepted November 13, 2023. Published March 2024.

Author

Amanda Bradshaw
Assistant Professor
School of Journalism and New Media
University of Mississippi
Mississippi, USA
Email: asbrads1@olemiss.edu

ABSTRACT

Active learning through classroom role-play exercises has been directly tied to stronger learning outcomes in communication (Baglione, 2006; Govindasamy, 2016; Wang, 2016; Nair, 2019). This real-time digital media kit exercise to promote influenza vaccine uptake, developed for a public relations classroom, promotes active learning and fosters many of the knowledge, skills, traits, and abilities identified in the “Fast Forward” Report on Undergraduate Education created by the Commission of Public Relations, including business acumen, writing, editing, communication, creative thinking, collaboration, initiative, and time management. Assignment learning objectives include: 1) Understand the components of a digital media kit; 2) Create, compile, and synthesize relevant information for a digital media kit in real-time, mimicking immediate deadlines in the public relations industry; 3) Work as a team to achieve the desired outcome; 4) Familiarize students with collaborative project management software (Basecamp). Class-tested assignment metrics and a proposed sample rubric and self-evaluation form are included.

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GIFT Overview

In response to feedback from recent alumni and prospective employers in public relations, students need to be trained how to create, find, and synthesize information for themselves in a variety of formats (e.g., written, photographs, videos). Likewise, students need to learn how to work collaboratively and how to self-manage projects rather than have an instructor provide all required components for them and to become familiar with project management software (e.g., Basecamp).

Therefore, this digital media kit assignment involved the end-to-end creation of a digital media kit to promote flu vaccine uptake on behalf of a fictitious medical organization (see Appendix A). Students were assigned various roles (e.g., photographer, editor, writer, videographer, social media manager) and given a summary outline of tasks to complete in real time (approximately 45 minutes allotted once the activity was introduced). The “Public Relations Director” utilized to-do lists and created content folders in Basecamp, to organize the students and coordinate the project. Ultimately, 18 students divided and conquered to produce two videos, two press releases, a fact sheet with directions to the office, bios for three fictitious doctors, social media handles, posts, and graphics for three platforms, three photos, a flu vaccine clinic calendar, a media pitch, and pitch list. All materials were uploaded to Basecamp and reviewed as a class at the end of the session.

Assignment Rationale

This assignment incorporates multiple knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) identified in the “Fast Forward” Report on Undergraduate Education created by the Commission of Public Relations (CPRE, 2018). First, students enhanced their business acumen as to how the various elements of the digital media kit could be synthesized to contribute to the bigger picture, including: 1) propelling a cohesive media relations strategy, 2) promoting behavioral objectives among key publics, and 3) developing and engaging in collaborative project management processes. Additionally, this assignment was skills-based and incorporated the real-time tasks of writing, communication, and editing to create a comprehensive digital media kit that would meet industry standards. Next, the assignment fostered creative thinking skills, as each student had to utilize a limited amount of hypothetical information to conceptualize their portion of the digital media kit. Finally, this assignment allowed for developing key traits, including collaboration, initiative, and time management.

Assignment Learning Objectives

  1. Understand the components of a digital media kit
  2. Create, compile, and synthesize relevant information for a digital media kit in real-time, mimicking immediate deadlines in the public relations industry
  3. Work as a team to achieve the desired outcome
  4. Familiarize students with collaborative project management software (Basecamp).

Connection to Public Relations Practice and/or Theory

Leveraging mass communication theories, including gatekeeping theory (Lewin, 1947; White, 1950), inoculation theory (McGuire, 1964), agenda setting theory (McCombs & Shaw, 1972); persuasion theory (Petty & Cacioppo, 1987; Miller, 1989), framing theory (Entman, 1993; Hallahan, 1999), and uses and gratifications theory (Blumler & Katz, 1974), the foundations of media messaging are explored through role play in creation of a digital media kit where students create audience focused messaging from kit to pitch (Wallace et al., 2021). Exercises involving role play have fostered student learning as related to public relations education outcomes in crisis management (Baglione, 2006; Wang, 2017) and to develop verbal communication skills (Govindasamy, 2016). Similarly, in health communication, role play was found to be the most preferred and helpful method to teach communication skills to medical undergraduates, with comparison of pre- and post-role play scores on communication skills showing statistically significant improvement (Nair, 2019). Role play exercises as a means of active learning are effective, as they provide a realistic environment where higher level learning occurs (Baglione, 2006).

Evidence of Learning Outcomes/Assessment

This assignment was class-tested in a public relations course with 18 students in March 2022. After completing this activity, all students were able to summarize approximately 6 weeks later in an end-of-semester reflection essay about what media relations is and list the primary components of a digital media kit. Additionally, they could identify examples of strong media relations kits from brands online. They were able to provide an appropriate (hypothetical) media relations strategy for an academic unit trying to recruit students, including the identification of appropriate media outlets to target to reach the key publics and what kind of content those outlets would need to fully represent the program.

As one student explained in an end-of-semester reflection essay: “My favorite chapter was chapter 5, media. This chapter showed me how important media relations are [sic] and that it is important to navigate a crisis correctly and effectively. I will always remember this because I am interested in a job in both social media and public relations. It is important to have a good relationship with the media so you can always have your best foot forward.” Similarly, another student wrote: “I could argue that through doing my own personal case study and working on one with the group, it is the most immersed I have ever felt into real PR. Public Relations has so many components to it and I think that in going through the strategic process, I was able to truly see how it all comes to life.”

Finally, this activity was done under peer observation which included the following feedback: “I liked your mixture of alternating lecture, discussion, and an application activity. That mixture was really good. The open activity was wonderful–I was impressed with the students’ professionalism during it. They all worked together to complete specific tasks to compile a digital media kit during the class session.”

Template Assignment Guide

75-minute class session | ~18 students

  • Introduce the topic of Creating and Maintaining Relationships with Media Stakeholders based on the reading ~10 minutes.
  • Complete in-class small group activity “Compiling a Digital Media Kit” ~ 45 minutes.
  • Review the activity together as a class, and discuss lessons learned ~20 minutes.

The Situation

It is getting near the end of flu season here in March (the season is typically October to May), but your community is suddenly seeing huge spikes of the flu. Unfortunately, many people have foregone their flu vaccines, focusing more on COVID-19 instead. Now, many people are vulnerable to a particularly nasty strain of influenza, especially the elderly, infants, and immunocompromised.

Your public relations team (the entire class) works for a private medical group “Hopeful Health Hospital,” and the doctors want to utilize both traditional and digital media channels to encourage patients and their families to come in ASAP to get vaccinated. This also gives you a chance to showcase the physicians’ expertise by speaking to journalists about the flu virus, the risk, and the solution – increasing vaccination rates across the city.

Student 1- The Project Manager

delegates tasks to compile a complete digital media kit within the hour. You will create a Basecamp folder for all materials and invite your classmates to this folder. You are in charge of compiling/organizing all materials. On behalf of the organization, you will also work with the “doctors” and “videographers” to coordinate video content to go along with the traditional press release.

Students 2-3- Creative/Videographers

Work with the PR director to compile short videos (minimum of 2) teasing the subject matter (consider video format and preferred placement – TikTok, YouTube, etc). These will obviously be “amateur” videos using your phones for today—no fancy equipment needed.

Students 3-4- Press Release Specialists

You will work in a team with the researchers (Students 6-7) to compile a press release to send out to local news outlets. Be sure to highlight the benefits of the flu vaccine and what your practice, HHH, offers. Remember a traditional news lede starts with the 5 W’s and H: Who, What, When, Where, Why, & How. Provide accessible information for potential patients. The researchers will bring in statistics and information that is pertinent to the key publics that you hope to reach, and it is crucial to base your press release and fact sheets on these findings.

Student 5

You will compile a succinct, one-page fact sheet about the importance of the flu vaccine (even at the end of the season), and work with the PR director & videographers to highlight these points in video content.

Students 6-8 – Research!

Conduct secondary research at the beginning planning stages to inform the strategy and tactics. You will identify pertinent statistics on the influenza vaccine to incorporate into targeted messages to reach the key publics that you identify. You will also identify the pertinent target audiences, beyond simply the “general public.” To do this, you will research which groups of people may be most vulnerable to influenza and help to advise the team on creating a research-based strategy to reach these groups.

Once the overall public relations strategy has been determined in coordination with the PR directors, you will turn your attention to media research. We live here in City Name, so be sure to research which journalists you would want to reach out to (print, TV, radio stations, etc). Identify specific people (min. of 3) who write health stories and work on the health communication beat.

Draft personalized email templates to each with their names at the top and have them ready to go—so that all you have to do is attach a public Basecamp link when the time is right!

Be sure to focus on the email subject line. It MUST be catchy, as journalists only respond to about 3.27% of pitches that they receive. Write 3-4 potential email subject lines so that the whole team can vote on the best.

Have a succinct synopsis of the story and pertinent facts in the email body with a link to the Google Drive to learn more & access additional resources. (Over 90 percent of journalists told us that pitches in the email body should be capped at 2-3 paragraphs!)

Students 9-11- The Doctors/Expert Sources

You should each craft a couple of key quotes to include in the press release. You will also appear in the video content being produced by the PR Director/Creatives and help students 15 & 16 with your short bios. (Have fun with these and feel free to make up all kinds of expertise!).

Don’t forget the photographer will want your photos as well.

  • Student 9- Dr. Smith
  • Student 10- Dr. Jones
  • Student 11- Dr. Morgan

Student 12- The Photographer

Get strategic photos of the doctors and upload them/send them to the press release team ASAP. Consider what other photos that you would want to include in the digital media kit, and locate example images online. Provide the social media managers with visual content to go alongside their posts.

Students 13-14- Social Media Managers

Create content that is packaged for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok (work with the photographer/videographer as needed). If the journalists don’t want to use this content, you can always repurpose it for the practice’s own page!

Students 15-16- Biographers

Oh no! We forgot that we don’t have updated bios for each doctor. Please sit down with each of them to craft quick biographical sketches (500 words, max.). If you finish this task early, please offer to help your classmates with their assigned tasks. Many hands make light work.

Students 17-18- Calendar Gurus

Create a calendar of upcoming flu vaccine clinics at the medical clinic to include with the press release as well as a map and detailed directions for people to know how to find the office. Work with the press release team to include these. Brainstorm any additional visual elements that may be useful to journalists and potential patients, alike.

Students 19-20- PR Directors

PR directors will work with all students to coordinate a cohesive, polished final product. They will advise on public relations strategies and tactics and will ensure that other students are creating research-based assets for this effort. They will also review and proofread uploaded content to Basecamp, edit content, and provide feedback to the team.

Assignment Grading Criteria or Rubric

Additionally, a sample rubric is included which was developed based on the Fast Forward KSAs and can be implemented during the in-class portion of the activity.

Sample Rubric

An optional self-evaluation form (Appendix B) could also be utilized in addition to or instead of the other assessment components, where students provide insight on learning outcomes and act as co-creators of their grade.

Teaching Note

Public Relations Classes for Which the Assignment is Best Suited

This assignment is best suited for intermediate courses, where students already have some working knowledge of what public relations is. Examples of courses where this assignment may be incorporated include: Public Relations Techniques, Communication Strategy, Digital Communication, Media Relations Writing, and Public Relations Management and Cases.

Best Practices of Implementing the Assignment

  • Introduce this assignment during a lull in the semester (e.g., immediately following Spring Break) to re-energize and engage the students.
  • Be sure that they have had an introductory module on media relations and that they understand the functions of public relations and journalism.
  • Try to ensure high attendance for best success; let students know well ahead of time that they will be graded on participation during this class session, especially if that is not normally part of the grading schema.
  • Introduce students to Basecamp in a previous assignment, in which the professor has created various folders and showcased some of the features (e.g., message board, To-Do lists). This way, all students 1) have access and can easily log in, and 2) are familiar with the features of the platform.

Recommended Resources Related to the Assignment

Top Three Limitations or Challenges of Implementing the Assignment

  1. For this assignment to be successful, student attendance is crucial, as the group project hinges on students being available to play a variety of roles. Thus, instructors may consider having a low-stakes quiz at the beginning of class or letting students know in advance about this graded in-class activity to ensure optimal participation.
  2. Students exhibited varying degrees of familiarity with Basecamp, and those most unfamiliar with the project management software struggled to get their bearings in the beginning. Thus, it would be helpful to have students log in and explore this project management software in advance, perhaps participating in an instructor-led activity in the classes leading up to the student-led digital media kit exercise.
  3. This assignment mirrors the industry, as students are working on “deadline” and thus have no time to waste. Some students expressed stress at the tight deadline. If the class schedule allows, instructors could split the activity into two class sessions to allow more time to introduce students to the digital media kit concept and permit additional post-activity reflection.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this assignment provided a hands-on learning opportunity that was well-received by students and helped to develop many of the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) identified in the “Fast Forward” Report on Undergraduate Education created by the Commission of Public Relations (2018). Likewise, the professor was able to observe how students work together in teams, better understand their baseline of project management skills, ascertain gaps in learning where students struggled with various components of the media kit, and identify key areas to help students improve their professional skills to maximize their future workplace success. In the future, it would be helpful to integrate a project management system (e.g., Basecamp) more fully into the course so that students learn to self-manage tasks, collaborate on projects (e.g., case studies) and become familiar with best practices in project management and organization. As some students were unfamiliar with tools such as Basecamp, there was a learning curve at the beginning of this activity, which should be accounted for. Splitting this activity into two class sessions, if time allows, would allow for more preparation and background information as well as additional time to recap and reflect on lessons learned. Finally, a similar exercise could be developed and implemented to help students perform their assigned roles in campaigns teams (e.g., account executive, creative director, copywriter, research director, and media promotion manager) to help them organize their ideas, work collaboratively, and meet deadlines efficiently.

References

Baglione, S. L. (2006). Role-playing a public relations crisis. Journal of Promotion Management, 12(3-4), 47-61. https://doi.org/10.1300/J057v12n03_05

Blumler, J. G., & Katz, E. (1974). The uses of mass communications: Current perspectives on gratifications research. Sage Publications.

CPRE. (2018). Fast forward: Foundations + future state. Educators + practitioners. Commission on Public Relations Education. http://www.commissionpred.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ report6-full.pdf

Entman, R. (1993). Framing: Toward a clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43(4), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01304.x

Govindasamy, G. (2016). Exploring the use of role play to develop verbal communication skills in public relations students. The Independent Institute of Education. https://iiespace.iie.ac.za/handle/11622/168

Hallahan, K. (1999). Seven models of framing: Implications for public relations. Journal of Public Relations Research, 11(3), 205-242. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532754xjprr1103_02

Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics II: Channels of group life; Social planning and action research. Human Relations, 1(2), 143–153. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F001872674700100201

McCombs, M., & Shaw, D. (1972). The agenda-setting function of mass media. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176-187. https://doi.org/10.1086/267990

McGuire W. J. (1964). Inducing resistance to persuasion: some contemporary approaches.In C. C. Haaland and W. O. Kaelber (Eds.), Self and society. An anthology of readings (pp. 191–229). Ginn Custom Publishing.

Miller, G. R. (1989). Persuasion and public relations: Two “Ps” in a pod. In C. H. Botan & V. Hazleton (Eds.), Public relations theory (pp. 45-66). Lawrence Erlbaum & Associates.

Nair B. T. (2019). Role play – An effective tool to teach communication skills in pediatrics to medical undergraduates. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 8(18), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_162_18

Petty R. E., & Cacioppo J. T. (1987). The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. In R. E. Petty & J. T. Cacioppo (Eds.), Communication and persuasion central and peripheral routes to attitude change (pp. 1-24). Springer-Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4964-1_1

Wallace, A., Ward, J., & Luttrell, R. (2021). Pitch perfect: Secrets of media relations. Journal of Public Relations Education, 7(2), 203-212. https://aejmc.us/jpre/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/09/ WALLACE_Pitch-Perfect_-JPRE-72.pdf

Wang, M. (2017). Using crisis simulation to enhance crisis management: The role of presence. Journal of Public Relations Education, 3(2), 96-109. https://journalofpreducation.com/2017/12/29/using-crisis- simulation-to-enhance-crisis-management-competencies-the-role- of-presence/?fbclid=IwAR17on0HdAhSbXTaF8-KlfQvTB7oG- kzeDosagPhhkBZLFpsZm6tyC7b7fk

White, D. M. (1950). The gatekeeper: A case study in the selection of news. Journalism Quarterly, 27(4), 383–390. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F107769905002700403

Appendix A

The Organization- Informational Background Sheet

About the organization & pertinent information

Name: Hopeful Health Hospital

We are located at 555 Sample Road, Oxford, MS 38655.

Our office hours are Monday-Friday from 8-5 and Saturdays from 9-12 for sick appointments and vaccines only. We do not accept walk-ins except for special flu clinics during flu season, where walk-ins may be allowed during certain times.

Our phone number is (662) 555-5545.

Our doctors are Dr. Smith, Dr. Jones, and Dr. Morgan. Dr. Smith, a pediatrician, founded HHH in 2015, and Drs. Jones and Morgan joined the growing practice in January of 2019. HHH serves patients of all ages. Originally specializing in pediatrics, we now offer family medicine services as of January 2019.

We accept most major medical insurance plans, and uninsured individuals may receive a flu vaccine as well for a nominal administrative fee of $20. According to the CDC, a yearly flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. Flu shots can be given to your child 6 months and older. The nasal spray vaccine can be given to people 2 through 49 years of age. We are fully stocked with all vaccines and nasal sprays during flu season. Families can come to get their flu vaccines together, no matter the ages.

Our Mission

To provide state-of-the-art care medical care that is delivered with a vital combination of compassion and expertise.

Our motto “Care, Commitment and Convenience” or the “3 C’s” explains the values that we wish to portray to our patients.

  • Care – Each patient will receive consistent, individualized care that is unique to his/her needs.
  • Commitment – Our providers are dedicated to you and your family. They are here as a resource and advocate for your family during each and every stage, from infancy to college graduation and beyond.
  • Convenience – Our offices are open longer hours and on Saturdays to better serve you. We also work to get you in and out of each appointment within 1 hour.

Appendix B

Optional Self-Evaluation Form

Public relations practitioners have identified the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and traits (KSAs) as some of the “most desired” for entry- level level practitioners in the field.

  • Business acumen
  • Writing
  • Editing
  • Communication
  • Creative Thinking
  • Collaboration
  • Initiative
  • Time Management

*Please note: This list is not exhaustive.

Please write a 2-3 page reflective essay evaluating your participation in the Digital Media Kit exercise and explaining whether/how this exercise helped you to foster these KSAs. Your essay should be structured as follows:

  • Define each of the KSAs listed above—what does each term mean?
    • Reflect: Did your work on the Digital Media Kit Exercise sharpen and enhance your knowledge, skills, abilities, and traits to prepare you for the public relations industry? If so, how?
  • Write one paragraph about your role on this project.
    • What portion of work were you responsible for completing?
    • What was your process for completing this work? In other words, what specific actions did you take? How did you spend your class time?
  • Did you finish by the deadline? Why or why not?
    • Describe your experience using Basecamp.
      • Consider:
        • Have you used this project management tool before – or anything similar?
        • What specific functions did you use on Basecamp?
        • Was this helpful? Why or why not?
  • Takeaways
    • What did you find interesting and/or challenging about this assignment?
    • Which of the above-listed KSAs do you need the most practice with? In other words, in which area do you feel the weakest?
    • Conversely, which KSA do you feel most confident in?
    • What is your main “big picture” takeaway from completing the Digital Media Kit assignment?
    • Grading
    • What grade would you give yourself on this project (A-F)? Please justify the grade that you’ve selected.

© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: Bradshaw, A. (2024). Inoculating vaccine disinformation: A digital media kit exercise. Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(3), 46-64. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4252

Express Yourself: Developing Creative Storytelling Skills

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Editorial Record: Submitted May 18, 2023. Revised September 19, 2023. Accepted November 13, 2023. Published March 2024.

Author

Emily S. Kinsky
Professor
Department of Communication
West Texas A&M University
Texas, USA
Email: ekinsky@wtamu.edu

Tiffany Derville Gallicano
Associate Professor
Department of Communication Studies
UNC-Charlotte
North Carolina, USA
Email: tgallica@charlotte.edu

ABSTRACT

This two-part assignment builds students’ creative thinking, effective storytelling, and good communication skills, which can help address the gaps noted for those skills and abilities in the Commission on Public Relations Education’s Fast Forward report in 2018. Using the intuitive video tool within Adobe Express, students produce 1- to 2-minute narrated videos covering characters, setting, plot, and themes relevant to their lives to introduce themselves to their class. In the second part of the assignment, students watch each other’s videos in search of commonalities with their peers and play BINGO, which provides an engaging opportunity for students to build rapport with others.

5-JPRE_93_KinskyGallicano_PDFDownload

GIFT Overview

In an assignment that centers on creative thinking, effective storytelling, and good communication, students produce 1- to 2-minute narrated videos to introduce themselves to their class using the video tool within Adobe Express, which is a free online program. Students watch each other’s videos in search of commonalities with their peers. Two public relations professors teaching at public universities in different states adopted this two-part assignment in order to build students’ creative storytelling skills.

Students creatively combine highlights from their life story to present themselves professionally (see Template Assignment Guide and Assignment Grading Criteria or Rubric). Students introduce the main characters in their story (i.e., family and friends), the setting (i.e., where they grew up), the plot (i.e., dream career; a challenge they triumphed over), and themes (e.g., favorite advice that fits with their story). Limiting the videos to 2 minutes forces students to practice concise storytelling.

Because of Express’ intuitive video tool, the focus of the assignment remains on students’ ability to communicate rather than on using highly technical skills; however, they do gain exposure to basic audio/video technology.

After creating and sharing the videos, students engage in observational learning by viewing each other’s stories, and they build rapport with each other by searching for commonalities. When these student introduction videos were assigned initially in 2019, students created and viewed them during class in person. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the videos and responses were completed online and viewed asynchronously. Beginning in fall 2021, a BINGO game was incorporated to motivate student attention to each other’s videos, which is important to observational learning about storytelling. During the first class to use this game, each student (n = 46) received a link to a unique digital BINGO card for their 12-person discussion group. The instructor created the cards using a free website (see Appendix A). When students viewed other students’ videos and identified a characteristic they had in common with a group member’s video, they clicked the student’s name on the BINGO card. Students submitted a screenshot of their BINGO card and a list of what they had in common with their teammates. If they did not notice any commonalities with their peers, they shared additional information about themselves (e.g., in a 12-person group, they listed 12 additional things about themselves).

At another university during the pandemic, a group Slack channel was used, so students could each see one another’s videos and responses. Due to the small class size (n = 14), each student viewed all of the videos. Since resuming in-person class meetings in spring 2023, the assignment has been used in the same course with videos submitted asynchronously via Slack, and the BINGO activity was completed synchronously in class (spring: n = 10; fall: n = 8). When a student called out “BINGO,” that student shared aloud what they had in common with each of the students’ squares they had marked on their digital BINGO card. This opportunity to share commonalities lends an opportunity for students to gain experience in building rapport with others, which is a highly valued skill, according to the Commission on Public Relations Education 2021 Industry/Educator Summit Report. In fact, following the recognition of the BINGO winner, classmates responded eagerly to the instructor’s invitation to share what they had in common with others in the class. Learning to build rapport through sharing commonalities was an added benefit of this assignment.

Assignment Rationale

According to the 2018 Fast Forward CPRE report, public relations professionals expect entry-level practitioners to communicate well, use storytelling effectively, and think creatively; however, they reported a “significant gap” between what is desired by PR professionals and what entry-level practitioners can do (p. 46). The skill of communication fell in the top three skills rated by practitioners and educators in the CPRE survey. Communication was highly desired by practitioners (M = 4.75 out of 5); however, in the entry-level practitioners they hired, PR professionals indicated finding that skill at a much lower frequency than desired (M = 3.04).

Most public relations professionals responding to the CPRE survey also indicated a desire for entry-level practitioners to have the skill of storytelling (M = 4.03) but did not tend to find that skill as often as desired in recent college graduates (M = 2.50). In opposition to what practitioners thought, educators believed the skill of storytelling was delivered in their programs (M = 4.40). The difference between educators’ and practitioners’ perspectives was statistically significant. Although the assignment discussed in this manuscript will not unilaterally bridge this gap, it has the potential to contribute to reducing the difference. Storytelling is also mentioned in another area of the CPRE (2018) Fast Forward report, specifically the data gathered from the Industry-Educator Summit hosted in 2015. Storytelling was voiced by Summit participants as part of an essential list of skills. One summit participant commented, “Developing content is essential, but it’s essential that we can wrap it into a compelling story” (p. 28). Good storytelling can serve as a key differentiator between PR practitioners and artificial intelligence tools: “Storytelling is one way to future-proof your job because it requires empathy. That and creativity, which go hand-in-hand” (Dietrich, 2018, para. 37). More recently, Dietrich (2023) added that ChatGPT is a helpful AI tool for practitioners, but “it can’t tell stories; it can’t provide context; it doesn’t have expertise; and it doesn’t have unique thoughts. But you know who CAN do all of those things? You!” (2:39). This assignment is an opportunity for students to gain storytelling practice as they tell their unique stories.

In addition to desired skills, the CPRE survey asked practitioners about desired abilities for entry-level practitioners. The top ability rated by practitioners was creative thinking (M = 4.55); their agreement level indicated finding creative thinking abilities at a lower rate than desired (M = 3.34). The CPRE survey also asked which traits public relations professionals and educators thought were most important for entry-level practitioners. Through an open-ended question on the survey, 101 participants listed creativity as a top trait.

In addition to being highly rated in the CPRE report, the results from Krishna et al.’s (2020) study also pointed to the importance of creativity and storytelling. Krishna et al. (2020) presented PR professionals (N = 799) 32 items with the question: “How important is it for the next generation of communicators to have skills/expertise in each of the following areas?” (p. 39). Krishna et al.’s participants rated creative thinking (M = 4.61), creativity (M = 4.54), and digital storytelling (M = 4.41) quite highly on a 5-point scale, with 5 indicating “very important.”

Although technical fluency was not a driving factor in adopting this assignment, the use of the introductory video assignment can enhance basic technical abilities and increase confidence with using audio and video programs. Like creativity and storytelling, this benefit also relates to the finding within CPRE’s (2018) Fast Forward report indicating that practitioners found a significant difference between the level of audio/ video production skills they desired and what their new hires exhibited.

Specifically, they rated their desire for these skills at a mean of 2.85 on a 5-point scale but rated the level they found that skill in their new hires at a mean of 2.22. In addition, within the technology-focused chapter in the Fast Forward report, the authors stated: “Public relations practitioners need to understand many skills related to core technologies, such as design, multimedia creation including audio and video production, strategic thinking, storytelling, and analyzing data” (Kinsky et al., 2018, p. 86). Relatedly, CPRE survey participants’ wish list of other courses and skills they would include if there were room in the curriculum includes audio/video production. In fact, the report advises, “The hope is that these content areas can be taught within the existing PR requirements” (Duhé et al., 2018, p. 63). This video assignment allows instructors to give students exposure to this wish list area without the addition of another course.

The assignment and activity described in this GIFT build these sought-after skills and abilities of communication, storytelling, and creative thinking, as well as multimedia content creation, and can provide one method to help address the gap shared in the CPRE Fast Forward report.

Assignment Learning Objectives

  • Use creativity to synthesize life moments, transforming them into a thematic narrative that advances a personal brand.
  • Creatively select content to visually explain the main points.
  • Communicate an effective story using multimedia.
  • Practice concise storytelling by creating a 1- to 2-minute video.

Connection to Public Relations Practice and/or Theory

This assignment requires students to creatively exercise their digital storytelling skills, which connects to PR practice (CPRE, 2018) and to theories related to storytelling (e.g., Fisher, 1978, 1984, 1985) and creativity (e.g., Tierney & Farmer, 2002).

Storytelling

Good stories validate past, present, and future decisions or actions (Fisher, 1985). Stories help people make sense of their experiences by organizing overarching patterns of continuity and change. Fisher (1978, 1984) proposed a framework to explain the ways in which people evaluate stories. The two general criteria for assessment include narrative probability and narrative fidelity. Narrative probability (also referred to as narrative coherence in Fisher, 1987) refers to whether the story fits together and whether the story, characters, and actions are consistent and non-contradictory (Fisher, 1985). Narrative probability is assessed in the assignment rubric when examining the cohesiveness of each student’s narrative.

Narrative fidelity refers to the matter of truth (Fisher, 1984). Narrative fidelity is reflected in the assignment based on the alignment of the student’s story with qualities that advance an individual’s professional brand. A related consideration is whether the student goes beyond the facts in their qualitative statements about themselves (e.g., positioning themselves as a leader in an industry would violate narrative fidelity).

Green and Brock’s (2000) research supported the criteria of probability and fidelity. They found that people were more engaged in stories that included main characters whom they liked and beliefs and evaluations that were consistent with the ones they held. Their research adds weight to the assignment requirement for students to present themselves in ways that are attractive to employers. In addition, they found that mediators of a narrative’s impact on beliefs include but are not limited to attentional focus, production of imagery, and emotional expressiveness. Assignment components tapping into these mediators include the use of effective visuals and an engaging voiceover.

Creative Thinking/Creativity

Creative self-efficacy (CSE) is the “belief one has the ability to produce creative outcomes” (Tierney & Farmer, 2002, p. 1138). The successful completion of this assignment can build creative self-efficacy. Cohen (2020) pointed to the benefit of using less complicated tools with students as they learn: “It’s important to just build those skills—that creativity lens through visual and verbal communication… you don’t have to have 35 hours of training in professional software” (n.p.). Pressgrove and Kinsky (2023) added, “One factor leading to confidence is experience with a process” (p. 42). Perceived student creativity is enhanced in the sense that students can produce a finished, creative product without first mastering the technical skills traditionally required to produce a video. As they complete the video, their confidence increases. Students’ “confidence in creative ability represents the core of creative thinking and performance” (Alotaibi, 2016, p. 903). The current assignment helps address the need for skill-building practice for creative storytelling work.

How the Assignment Was Class-Tested

The student video assignment was used within 10 classes between 2019 and 2023. The assignment was modified after repeated use as the instructors found new ways to improve the activity. The authors used the assignment in the Principles of Public Relations course (undergraduate level), the Media Innovations course (graduate level), and a student-run public relations firm, which included undergraduate and graduate students.

In the Principles of Public Relations course, the assignment related to the objective to “apply foundational communication and public relations theories.” With regard to the Media Innovations course, the assignment aligned with the following objective: “Demonstrate competence with the presentation of ideas.” The assignment also fulfilled a learning objective in the PR agency course: “Demonstrate professional written, oral, and visual communication.”

Empirical Evidence of Learning Outcomes/Assessment

Students were asked for their feedback about the assignment. For the most part, that feedback was qualitative in nature, but for one class, a survey was employed with multiple choice and yes/no questions. Four of those seven students rated feeling “somewhat comfortable” with storytelling before completing the exercise, and three of those indicated increased comfort after creating the video; those three rated feeling “extremely comfortable” after creating the video. Others expressed a range of comfort levels before completing the exercise. Five of the seven students responding to the survey indicated an increase in their comfort level after completing the assignment. All of the students indicated “yes” that the exercise prompted creative thinking and should be continued.

From a love of travel to a passion for helping others, students identified shared characteristics and experiences with their classmates and professors as they watched each other’s videos and played the BINGO game. One participant said the experience was “useful to help team members become more familiar and comfortable with each other.”

Students also commented on the opportunity for storytelling and creativity. For example, one student said, “I think it works really well as an icebreaker and to prompt creative thinking through multimedia storytelling.” Students said they appreciated learning the program, and they enjoyed making and watching the introductory videos. One student said, “I enjoyed how the assignment allowed everyone to introduce themselves creatively through storytelling, especially through using the combination of photos and voice. People are often asked to tell a bit about themselves verbally, but the visual element of storytelling brings a whole new dimension of depth and personalization.”

Students pointed out specific aspects of storytelling they learned. For example, one participant said, “I learned about telling concise stories and supplementing information with visuals and other storytelling techniques.” Another student said, “It helped me improve my storytelling skills, my listening skills with the BINGO activity, and it improved my ability to build connections with others.” Beyond the storytelling and rapport skills, a student mentioned learning through the introspection it required: “I discovered some threads of my own story that come together in ways I hadn’t previously seen and thought more deeply about how to coherently present myself as a brand.”

In addition, this assignment potentially has the benefit of humanizing members of the class, which is valuable for both instructors and students in online and in-person classes. This was an unexpected outcome of the assignment. Self-reported accounts from both instructors provide initial evidence for the possibility of students’ stories to assist instructors with “meeting students where they are.” For example, one instructor was particularly careful with building a student’s self-concept in feedback throughout the course after hearing the student’s story. After learning more about the students’ personal stories and career goals, content and instruction were tailored to better engage with those students and to help them reach their objectives even beyond this assignment. Both instructors found the humanizing element of this assignment increased their enjoyment of teaching and assessment with regard to stepping into each student’s story as a mentor, and it helped with balancing corrective feedback with encouraging, motivational feedback. Research is needed to explore the impact of humanizing assignments on instructors’ teaching.

Template Assignment Guides

Assignment Guide for Personal Brand Story

Public relations involves storytelling and creativity, so we are going to do that right out of the gate! You will share your story with the class in a one- to two-minute video via Adobe Express. This assignment involves creating slides and adding narration to them. Once this assignment has been submitted, I will share your videos with each other, and you will watch the videos in your discussion group and share responses to them in the BINGO portion of the assignment.

Assignment Objectives

Use creativity to synthesize moments from your life, transforming them into a thematic narrative that advances your personal brand (suitable for sharing in a professional setting).

  • Creatively select content to visually explain your main points.
  • Communicate an effective story using multimedia.
  • Practice concise storytelling by creating a one- to two-minute video.

Creation of Your Personal Brand Story

When sharing a story, whether it is your own personal brand story for this assignment or a client’s story in the professional world, start with the plot by brainstorming your responses to the questions below. Not all of your answers will be included in your video, but the answers will help you shape your story.

1. For any brainstorming process, embrace your creativity by generating any responses to the questions that come to mind.

2. Then, review your results and pick out your favorite responses that can help you design a powerful arc.

Plot Questions

  • What is your professional dream?
  • What is a cause you are passionate about?
  • What obstacles have you overcome to be where you are today? Remember to position yourself as someone with positive qualities when discussing any challenges. For example, complaining about an obstacle will not position you well.

Thematic Element (choose one answer after the brainstorming process)

  • Is there a motto you live by?
  • What is your favorite advice?
  • What is an inspirational quote that fits you and the plot?

Setting and Main Characters

  • What is your hometown?
  • Describe the broader environment where you grew up and how it shaped you, relative to the plot you chose.
  • Who are the main characters in your story (e.g., family, friends, pets, mentor)?

3. Next, put your story in chronological order. Start with a beginning by introducing yourself, the setting and the main characters. Transition into the plot of the story by sharing relevant information generated by your response to the earlier plot questions in this assignment description. Include any thematic element that drives you. Add a conclusion by summarizing where you are now and a concluding message (e.g., something you are looking forward to this semester).

4. Then, storyboard the ideal visual elements for the slides you will narrate for your story. Storyboarding involves sketching visuals to represent each part of your story. Once you know the visuals you require, search through existing pictures and take new photos if needed to represent every part of your story. Keep your personal brand in mind when selecting photos. Casual clothes are welcome; however, clothes that could be deemed inappropriate to a personal brand video should be avoided (e.g., clothes that are too revealing or that otherwise position you poorly). Similarly, photos featuring beer or other elements not fitting to a personal brand video should be avoided. Keep your photo composition in mind by scrutinizing the background of your photos. Also, use high-quality photos rather than pixelated images or awkwardly cropped pictures.

5. Watch the tutorial below to learn how to create a free Adobe Express account and create your video.

6. Rehearse your story and record it as many times as needed to achieve a confident, well-paced delivery that stays within one to two minutes. Additional recording tips are listed below:

  • When you record, let a couple of seconds go by between when you hit the record button and when you begin speaking.
  • Similarly, let a couple of seconds go by between when you stop speaking and when you end the recording by letting go of the button.
  • Don’t let music overpower you. Either turn it off or set it at a low volume. Re-record as much as you want.
  • If you re-record, when you publish the video, you might see a lightning bolt asking you whether to save the updates. Choose “yes!”

7. Turn in the assignment by going to the publish area and download the video. Once the videos are all in our shared learning space, you will be ready to complete the second part of this assignment, which involves playing BINGO.

My Express Tutorial

https://youtu.be/gx8OBDBUZNo

My Example

https://youtu.be/NTCbHuaQgpE

Grading

See the assignment rubric on Canvas [listed in Assignment Grading Criteria or Rubric].

Late Assignments

I will deduct 5% from your score for each day the assignment is late. I will not accept assignments submitted more than a week late without a university-excused absence (i.e., an email prior to the deadline to let me know you’re sick or have a family emergency).

Questions

If you have questions, feel free to text or call me at [xxx-xxx- xxxx], or you can email me: x@x.edu.

Assignment Grading Criteria or Rubric

Assignment Rubric for Personal Brand Story

Categories of mastery, developing, introductory, and absent are shared for the following criteria:

Creativity and Storytelling (50 points)

Creativity is applied by selecting aspects of your life and shaping them into a cohesive narrative that includes a beginning, middle and end (in accordance with the instructional details). The setting, main characters, plot, and thematic elements are blended into a cohesive narrative, which should display your engaging storytelling skill, position you as someone people want to hire, and be workplace appropriate (see the instructions for details).

Visual Communication (25 points)

The slides are designed well, and your own original photographs are used. The pictures are enticing and bring the narrative to life. The pictures are appropriate for advancing your personal brand (e.g., wear modest clothing and avoid unprofessional content). The pictures are high quality (not stretched and pixelated) and do not have people who are obviously cropped out.

Audio Communication (25 points)

The voiceover is well-paced (not rushed, not too slow). Filler words are absent (e.g., um, okay, anyway). If music is added, the volume is at the lowest setting, and the voiceover can be heard easily. You speak naturally and comfortably, as if you are having a conversation with someone. You speak with enough excitement to keep the audience engaged while being authentic. Your delivery shows your personality and makes you seem like someone who would be an excellent employee. The delivery shows your confidence (but not arrogance); for example, do not end your sentences on a high note unless deliberately creating a dramatic moment that makes sense with the narrative. The recording lasts for one to two minutes.

Teaching Note

The assignment instructions have evolved as the two professors have continued to teach this course (including the addition of the BINGO element), and the instructions have been refined for this publication.

Ideal PR Classes for the Assignment

This assignment is flexible enough to be used across all PR classes and all course delivery methods as students introduce themselves to others. In fact, one of the students said, “You can use this exercise to explain different issues or to explore people’s stories. It can be adapted to any lesson!” Another participant commented that the exercise could be used beyond public relations or even communication courses, “It can help familiarize individuals outside of communications to be creative,” and “It can also help organization skills as well as improving basic technical skills like video editing and audio recording.” An additional student also suggested that because “plenty of industries require creative thinking and storytelling,” this brand storytelling video assignment could be useful across many types of classes, and a student suggested it be used at all levels, from the introduction to media communication courses to the senior capstone class. Related to that idea of spanning the courses, one of the participants suggested the value of repeating the exercise: “I think this a hugely helpful exercise and it would even be valuable to do new ones in different semesters to continue thinking about these things.”

For larger classes or team-based classes, the assignment can be adjusted so that individual students introduce themselves to their group or team rather than to the whole class. For example, in a class of 46, discussion groups were created of 10-12 students to make the class feel smaller. The video activity can be followed by a BINGO game to encourage engagement, or classmates can be required to respond to a specified number of classmates’ discussion board posts noting commonalities with each student in their group.

Best Practices of Implementing the Assignment

The assignment has been successfully employed for both online and in-person classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels with students posting the video file or link to their video within a discussion board or other shared communication platform (e.g., Slack).

Recommended student guidance includes a video tutorial by the instructor and an assignment sample by the instructor or a previous student.

Recommended Resources Related to the Assignment

Instructors who would like to learn how to complete the assignment can use the video tutorial used at one of our universities here: https://youtu.be/gx8OBDBUZNo. Instructors can either record their own similar walkthroughs for their classes or use this walkthrough for their own courses. When instructors are ready to incorporate the BINGO element, they can visit https://myfreebingocards.com/ to customize BINGO cards for their classes.

Limitations or Challenges of Implementing the Assignment

The Adobe Express video tool is straightforward and includes a short tutorial, so even less tech-savvy students should figure it out relatively easily. Students may encounter technical difficulties related to browser compatibility, WiFi availability, or issues with the device they use (for example, their microphone might not be turned on). Also, the time limit of 1 to 2 minutes could be expanded to allow for more detailed storytelling. In the latest version of Express, the video tool only shared 1:30 of the video if a student submitted the link rather than the video file; however, the entire video would show if it were submitted as the actual video file. Thus, students will need to download the file from Adobe Express and upload it to Slack or their learning management system rather than submitting a hyperlink. Instructors are advised to see if this cut-off remains an issue before allowing students to submit via hyperlink.

References

Alotaibi, K. N. (2016). Psychometric properties of creative self-efficacy inventory among distinguished students in Saudi Arabian universities. Psychological Reports, 118(3), 902–917. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294116646021

Cohen, M. (2020). Creating epic student diagrams with Spark Post. [Webinar]. https://edex.adobe.com/teaching-resources/how-to-create-epic- diagrams-using-adobe spark-post

Commission on Public Relations Education. (2021). 2021 industry/ educator summit report. http://www.commissionpred.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ CPRE-2021-Summit-Report-Final.pdf

Commission on Public Relations Education. (2018). Fast forward: Foundations and future state. Educators and practitioners. http://www.commissionpred.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ report6-full.pdf

Dietrich, G. (2023, September 12). AI generative search is coming: Will you be ready? Spin Sucks. [Podcast]. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1H1zbOqUhpW5ZkFwzOGCKj

Dietrich, G. (2018, October 13). AI and storytelling: The four things the robots cannot replace. Spin Sucks. [Website]. https://spinsucks.com/communication/robots-cannot-replace- storytelling/

Duhé, S., Ferguson, D., Halff, G., & Shen, H. (2018). Undergraduate curriculum: Courses and content to prepare the next generation of public relations practitioners (Fast Forward: Foundations and Future State. Educators and Practitioners). Commission on Public Relations Education. http://www.commissionpred.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ report6-full.pdf

Fisher, W. R. (1978). Toward a logic of good reasons. The Quarterly Journal of Speech, 64(4), 376–384. https://doi.org/10.1080/00335637809383443

Fisher, W. R. (1984). Narration as human communication paradigm: The case of public moral argument. Communication Monographs, 51(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637758409390180

Fisher, W. R. (1985). The narrative paradigm: An elaboration. Communication Monographs, 52(4), 347–367. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637758509376117

Fisher, W. R. (1987). Human communication as narration: Toward a philosophy of reason, value, and action. University of South Carolina Press.

Green, M. C. & Brock, T. C. (2000). The role of transportation in the persuasiveness of public narratives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(5), 701–721. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.79.5.701

Kinsky, E. S., Freberg, K., Ehrlich, S., Breakenridge, D., & Gomes, P. (2018). Technology: Harnessing the tools for public relations now and future state (Fast Forward: Foundations and future state. Educators and practitioners). Commission on Public Relations Education. http://www.commissionpred.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ report6-full.pdf

Krishna, A., Wright, D. K., & Kotcher, R. (2020). Curriculum rebuilding in public relations: Understanding what early career, mid-career, and senior PR/communications professionals expect from PR graduates. Journal of Public Relations Education, 6(1), 33– 57. https://aejmc.us/jpre/wpcontent/uploads/sites/25/2020/01/ KRISHNA-ET-AL-JPRE-6.1-Curriculum-Rebuilding in-PR.pdf

Pressgrove, G., & Kinsky, E. S. (2023). “Unapologetically original”: Building creative self confidence in the public relations curriculum. Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(1), 35–61. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=3650

Tierney, P. A., & Farmer, S. M. (2002). Creative self-efficacy: Its potential antecedents and relationship to creative performance. Academy of Management Journal, 45(6), 1137-1148. https://doi.org/10.5465/3069429

Appendix A

Assignment Guide for BINGO Activity

The assignment below can be shared on your discussion board if using this platform for the activity. To set up BINGO, visit https://myfreebingocards.com and create a BINGO card for each of your discussion groups (i.e., groups of 10 people were used in a class of approximately 40 students). Name each group (perhaps using elements of your university identity such as school colors and mascot), which will make it easier to organize your BINGO groups. Enter the names of each team member in a group, and the website will produce BINGO cards, populating each space with a student’s name. The discussion board text is shared below.

Team B-I-N-G-O: Bringing Back Game Night

  • We are going retro with this assignment by playing team BINGO!
  • Here is how it works: Once I post the Adobe Express introduction videos for each discussion group, you will watch the ones for your group members. If you see something you have in common with someone on your team, you get to mark their space on the BINGO card and note what it is that you have in common. Here are BINGO Cards for each team (just choose the link that corresponds to your team – your team can be found in the “People” menu area of Canvas (then, toggle over to “Groups”): [Team name]: [custom URL for the team based on this website: https://myfreebingocards. com] [Repeat for each team.]
  • The website will declare a winner on each team for the first person who gets BINGO.
  • For your discussion board submission, this assignment involves writing a list of the people you marked on your BINGO sheet and what you have in common with them. Add a screenshot of your BINGO – because it’s fun, and we need to have fun in this class!
  • You do not have to get an entire BINGO row to earn points.
  • Also, if you do not have anything in common with anyone, explain that and post 12 facts about yourself!
  • Once the videos are shared in this assignment description, the game will be on!
  • You will earn 12 points for participating, which includes your BINGO card and either a list of what you have in common with each person in your group or a list of 12 additional facts about yourself.

© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: Kinsky, E.S., and Gallicano, T.D. (2024). Express yourself: Developing creative storytelling skills. Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(3), 65-85. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4262

Social Advocacy Statement Writing for Entry- Level Public Relations Practitioners

1 Reply

Editorial Record: Submitted June 9, 2023. Revised September 18, 2023. Accepted November 13, 2023. Published March 2024.

Author

Ejae Lee
The Media School
Indiana University
Indiana, USA
Email: ejaelee@indiana.edu

ABSTRACT

This assignment is designed to focus on learning knowledge about social issues and developing public relations writing and critical thinking skills. The learning goals of writing a 350-500-word social involvement statement are to understand the concept and importance of corporate social responsibility and advocacy practice in the field of public relations, to apply the essential elements of excellent PR writing, and to deepen knowledge of diversity, inclusion, and social issues within and beyond the classroom. Empirical evidence of this class-tested writing assignment showed that students successfully applied the essential elements of good PR writing that they learned in the course. Additionally, this assignment helped students cultivate awareness of important current issues and a better sense of diversity and inclusion, as well as advance the competitive skillsets that public relations students are expected to develop for their career as a beginning PR professional.

2-JPRE_93_Lee_GIFT_PDFDownload

GIFT Overview

Stakeholders’ expectations of a business’s role in society have only continued to grow (Edelman, 2019, 2023; USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, 2021). With the increasing expectations of organizations’ leadership roles for society, many companies continue to perform their participation in society by taking a prominent stand on important current issues (Beard, 2021). Public relations practitioners anticipate the number of businesses that proactively advocate for important issues will increase in the next five years (USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, 2022). According to a recent survey in a PR industry report about corporate activism (USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, 2022), 93% of professionals reported spending more time addressing current issues, such as racial equity, healthcare, and climate change, and expected to be involved in multiple issues and dedicating even more time to these matters in the future.

Given these current and future situations in the field, building the ability to plan, implement, and evaluate prosocial initiatives becomes critical for entry-level public relations practitioners. Such critical demands in the industry indicate that it will be essential to help students develop the ability to think critically about social problems and values behind a sociopolitical issue and write an impactful statement regarding an important current issue.

As society has become more polarized, issues have also become more polarized in current information-limiting environments, meaning “encapsulating the primary concerns regarding echo chambers and filter bubbles” (Kitchens et al., 2020, p. 1620; see also Kuypers, 2002; McCoy et al., 2018). This means that these more polarizing social and media environments are a challenge for public relations practitioners who work for an organization that engages with current issues. When planning and implementing an organization’s social initiatives concerning a current issue, public relations practitioners should be aware of a situation in which an organization takes some risks due to the inherently controversial nature of current issues (Browning et al., 2020; Waymer & VanSlette, 2021; Wettstein & Baur, 2016).

With the situation that public relations professionals will be facing, it is imperative for PR students to have the educational opportunity to gain knowledge of social issues and develop competitive critical thinking and writing skills through a writing assignment that reflects industry needs and social environments. PR educators should develop learning objectives that can advance students’ understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) values and the shared responsibility that organizational communication practices have for bettering society (Commission on Public Relations Education, 2018).

Assignment Learning Objectives

In this regard, the learning goals of this social advocacy statement writing were developed in three parts: (a) understanding the concepts of corporate social responsibility and advocacy and its importance to the field of PR; (b) applying the essential elements of PR writing to an impactful social engagement statement; and (c) advancing an understanding of important current issues and values underlying social issues, including diversity, equity, and inclusion.

When it comes to the first learning goal and the objectives of the assignment, students can develop knowledge of organizational communication involving current issues and learn from real-world organizations that have recently implemented social initiatives for various current issues. In addition, students are able to understand why social initiative practice matters to the field of public relations by receiving a 60-minute lecture about the associations between corporate social responsibility/advocacy and the outcomes that an organization can expect to achieve (e.g., relationship quality, reputation, word-of-mouth, attitude toward company) before working on their own writing.

This social initiative statement assignment is designed as a writing assignment that uses a student’s own client organization in a PR writing course at an undergraduate level. Along with a press release, a pitch email, and social media and blog writings, students learn the key elements of good PR writing from the beginning of the semester and practice writing skills through different types of PR writing assignments. Through this assignment, students apply a particular purpose of social involvement, thereby leading to further development of writing skills. For example, students can practice writing a clear first sentence that states a client organization’s stance on an issue and considers the adequate and accurate word choice needed for its specific sociopolitical context. Furthermore, this assignment gives students the opportunity to develop critical thinking and research skills by having them choose an appropriate issue that an organization can speak on based on their understanding and knowledge of that organization’s core values and key stakeholders.

The third goal and objectives of this assignment relate to deepening students’ understanding of current social issues and developing a better sense of diversity, inclusion, and social justice. By including feasible and tangible action plans in a statement, students can learn how to develop ideas, which can make their statement more authentic to audience. This needs to include details about how a client organization will implement its communication practices in a way to show its shared responsibility and commitment to society. To emphasize the importance of having a better sense of social change and impact regarding ethics in PR practice, the instructor needs to provide detailed information about DEI-related seminars and workshops so that students can seek out and experience various resources available on their school campus, as well as public relations associations, institutes, or firms (e.g., Public Relations Society of America, Public Relations Student Society of America, or Institute for Public Relations).

Students craft a 350-500-word statement supporting sociopolitical causes to help their client organization foster audience engagement in social change. For this assignment, students assume that this statement will appear on their client’s announcement webpage to promote social values regarding a sociopolitical issue. Students are required to choose one of the social or political causes, such as racial/gender equality, climate change, abortion laws, gun policy, immigration, and so on.

To teach this social initiative statement assignment, two 75-minute class sessions are necessary. In the first session, the instructor gives a lecture about the concept, importance, backgrounds, and examples of corporate social responsibility, corporate social advocacy, or brand activism to help students develop their knowledge about these concepts. Additionally, the lecture needs to cover writing strategies on the basis of students’ understanding of the essential elements of good PR writing.

Then, the instructor overviews the format of a social advocacy statement with students. The instructor encourages students to develop ideas to decide what social issue would be adequate based on their client organization’s core values and mission before they come to the next session of class.

The second session for this assignment can be run as a writing workshop to provide immediate one-on-one feedback to students. Students are asked to bring their laptops or use a school computer and start writing a draft. Before beginning an in-class writing session, the instructor needs to briefly explain the key elements of a social initiative assignment that students should consider and include for an authentic and impactful statement. While working on their own writing, students can discuss writing strategies by asking questions to the instructor. At the end of the workshopping session, students are asked to write several short open- ended questions on Canvas (a course management system) that is designed for instructors to check whether students have a good understanding of the assignment’s prompts. Example questions are “What social issue did you choose?” and “How much would that social issue be aligned with your client organization’s mission and business values?”

Students are given an additional two to three days to submit their assignments. After grading and providing feedback to the students’ individual assignments, the instructor gives a short lecture to provide general feedback, including common errors in word choices, grammar, or AP style. In addition to writing strategies based on the student’s performance, the instructor needs to provide more information about seminars, workshops, and educational/professional programs regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. This is critical in this assignment to motivate and encourage students to participate in more opportunities to advance their understanding of social, political, and cultural differences and develop a better sense of approaching important current issues for their competitive career preparation and responsibility as good citizens and beginning PR practitioners.

Evidence of Learning Outcomes

As for the empirical evidence of actual learning outcomes, student performance demonstrated that students successfully applied the essential elements of PR writing they learned and practiced in the course to a social involvement statement. Some students experienced difficulty in choosing the most relevant social issue for their client organization during the workshop session. However, with one-on-one feedback during the session, students had a chance to discuss their client organization’s mission and vision, so they were able to decide on an issue that was more adequate for their organization’s social engagement. All students completed social advocacy statements, showing a better understanding of CSR and corporate social advocacy concepts and finding a relevant social issue that aligned with their client’s core values and effectively reflected their client’s situational factors in terms of social involvement partnerships and collaborations.

However, student writing performance suggested that developing effective action plans for an impactful social initiative program would require more time for research and revision to enhance writing quality.

For this reason, students were given the opportunity to resubmit this graded assignment. This encouraged students to revise their work based on instructor feedback; this work was regraded. This second chance to revise their initial submission after receiving instructor feedback was an effective way to have students rethink and polish their writing.

One of the critical elements that students were expected to include in the statement was to provide adequate backgrounds to let the audience know about how proactively a client is involved in the cause. To effectively achieve this learning outcome, it is important to encourage students to continuously monitor what is happening regarding current sociopolitical issues and help them further advance information literacy and critical thinking skills to grasp the main points of social, political, and cultural topics. This prepares students well for their job as entry- level public relations practitioners by developing their ability to find an adequate issue and make a proper decision based on their understanding of a client organization and its situation.

Additionally, the instructor needs to focus on several more learning outcomes specifically related to writing skill development. First, it is important to guide students to write a clear first sentence and paragraph presenting a client’s stance on the cause. When students begin with a strong and succinct first sentence about a client’s position on a social issue, their social advocacy statements were more likely to have coherent arguments and included more feasible action plans. Furthermore, it is critical to teach students how to reduce redundancy and provide strong supporting evidence. For example, students wrote their rationale for why the organization spoke out on an issue by simply repeating “it is an important issue” or “it is critical” instead of providing specific reasons, possible social effects, or potential outcomes that an organization achieves for society.

In terms of word choices based on a sense of diversity and inclusion, some students’ statements could have included more inclusive words or expressions from enhanced diversity and inclusion perspectives. When the instructor gives comments and feedback on grading and a follow-up lecture, it is necessary to help students understand the differences between words and expressions so that they can improve their writing, develop a shared responsibility and ethical approach, and expand their viewpoints on the diversity and inclusion values underlying current issues.

Template Assignment Guide

Specific guidelines in a writing template were provided for an effective learning experience, including purpose, hypothetical situation, and formatting of the assignment.

The prompts used for students are as follows: “You’re writing a social initiative statement about supporting a specific cause related to a current sociopolitical issue. Assume that this statement will appear on your client’s website’s announcement page to promote social values regarding a current issue that they choose to cultivate key stakeholders’ engagement in social change for our society. Choose a social issue that is relevant and adequate to your client organization. Examples of sociopolitical causes are racial and gender equality, climate change, gun violence, and reproductive rights, but not limited to those issues. Your social advocacy statement should be between 350-500 words. The body copy of your social advocacy statement should be single-spaced, flush left, and ragged right. One space between paragraphs. Do not indent paragraphs. Remember short sentences, paragraphs, and word choices are important principles of good PR writing. You should apply the AP style to this writing statement. Before you submit your work, double-check grammar and punctuation (e.g., commas going inside quotation marks mid-sentence or periods going inside quotation marks at the end of a sentence). Be sure to use plain English because a social initiative statement needs to be understandable to everyone, not just economists or academics.”

To help develop more impactful and persuasive social advocacy statements, several specific prompts are required. These are the prompts provided to students: “Begin your statement with the first sentence of the statement showing your client’s clear stance on the cause. Then, explain why that cause and its speaking out on a current issue matter to the client organization, readers, and community. Include a short paragraph to summarize a current issue related to the cause the organization is supporting/opposing. Add one hyperlink to an external news article to provide background on the issues for readers so that readers can look for more information about a social issue that you are writing about. Remember that it is crucial to create a truly authentic social responsibility and advocacy statement for PR practitioners. As we discussed during class, provide details about at least two action plans to actualize the social value (e.g., how to collaborate or partner with other businesses, nonprofits, or industry thought leaders, increase local community participation in advancing the cause or include some sort of component internal to the client organization’s structure and employees).”

Additionally, here is an example of an assignment posting on a classroom webpage, e.g., Canvas: “The purpose of your social advocacy statement is to deliver a clear stance on a particular cause of a current sociopolitical issue and ultimately foster your key stakeholders’ engagement in social change for our society. Details of the social advocacy statement assignment will be discussed in class. There is also a template for the social advocacy statement, with formatting and content instructions, posted here. You should read this entire document, so you understand the content of the social advocacy statement, and then follow the layout of this document and messaging elements so you get the statement formatting correct. There is a grading rubric for this assignment — please review it below to see how your writing will be graded.”

Assignment Grading Criteria or Rubric

With detailed information in a social advocacy statement writing template, the following criteria were used for student learning outcome assessment:

  1. Evaluate the quality of content (50 points out of 100) based on these rubrics: Is the student’s statement clear, incorporating key messages about their client’s stance on a social issue? Does it include all relevant details (e.g., a clear first sentence, a paragraph about an issue, and two action plans) as noted in the assignment description and the classroom discussions?
  2. Improve a presentation format (25 points out of 100) based on these rubrics: Did the statement follow the format and template specified for this assignment, including a hyperlink to a news article that provides backgrounds behind chosen current issues and describing at least two action plans?
  3. Evaluate students’ works for accuracy, clarity, grammatical correctness (25 points out of 100), as follows: Is the student’s writing free from spelling and grammar errors? Did the student follow appropriate AP style guidelines? Are their sentences/ paragraphs short and to the point? Does the student explain everything in plain English?

Teaching Note

As a class-tested writing assignment, this social advocacy statement assignment is most useful for public relations writing courses and DEI-related courses. If the instructor wants to develop it as a full-semester or half-semester group project, it can also be suited for a PR research and planning course or a PR campaign course. In such a case, students can have several weeks to conduct a client’s situation analysis and audience analysis before selecting a social issue that is more relevant to a client organization’s business and social values. Additionally, case studies about real-world social responsibility and advocacy initiatives for another week will be helpful in researching and planning students’ social initiative projects: for instance, doing research on social advocacy statements or posts on owned media (e.g., Ben & Jerry’s, Nike). In addition, instructors can lead a class discussion about a recent crisis related to a social responsibility and advocacy communication program. As one of the possible examples, Hershey’s 2023 International Women’s Day Canadian campaign featuring trans activist Fae Johnstone generated both support and backlash from consumers on social media. In response, the company affirmed its stand, stating it was aligned with the company’s core values and those of its target audience, emphasizing a commitment to togetherness, diversity, and inclusive celebrations of women over the past three years (Wiener-Bronner, 2023).

Instructors can find recommended reading materials that help students’ knowledge of social and political issues and situations by using quality reports published by the PR industry and its institutions (e.g., PRSA) or social science research institutions (e.g., Pew Research Center). To teach the concept, importance, and examples of social initiative practices, it is beneficial to use recent reports written by PR companies (e.g., Edelman’s Trust Reports or Special Reports or Cision) and PR research centers, including the Page W. Arthur Center for Integrity in Public Communication or USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations.

Given the inherent controversy underlying social values, instructors may face challenging teaching moments when leading discussions about some sociopolitical issues. It is necessary to provide an open-minded educational environment when students speak up on their opinions about a particular issue or topic. For that reason, this social advocacy writing assignment can bring a valuable opportunity for public relations educators and students to discuss and practice how to respect others’ thoughts and different perspectives in a higher education community.

References

Beard, A. (2021). Why Ben & Jerry’s Speaks Out. Harvard Business Review.

Browning, N., Lee, E., Park, Y. E., Kim, T., & Collins, R. (2020). Muting or meddling? Advocacy as a relational communication strategy affecting organization–public relationships and stakeholder response. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 97(4). 1026-1053. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699020916810

Commission on Public Relations Education. (2018). Fast Forward: Foundations and Future State. Educators and Practitioners, Commission on Public Relations 2017 Report. http://www.commissionpred.org/commission-reports/fast-forward- foundations-future-state-educators-practitioners/

Edelman. (2019). 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: In brands we trust? https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2019-06/2019_edelman_trust_barometer_special_report_in_brands_we_trust.pdf

Edelman. (2020). 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer. https://www.edelman.com/trust/2020-trustbarometer

Edelman. (2023). 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer: Navigating a polarized world. https://www.edelman.com/trust/2023/trust-barometer

Kitchens, B., Johnson, S. L., & Gray, P. (2020). Understanding echo chambers and filter bubbles: The impact of social media on diversification and partisan shifts in news consumption. MIS Quarterly, 44(4). https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2020/16371

Kuypers, J. A. (2002). Press bias and politics: How the media frame controversial issues. Greenwood Publishing Group.

McCoy, J., Rahman, T., & Somer, M. (2018). Polarization and the global crisis of democracy: Common patterns, dynamics, and pernicious consequences for democratic polities. American Behavioral Scientist, 62(1), 16-42. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764218759576

USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations (2021). Politics polarization & purpose: Global communication report. https://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/cpr-2021-gcr.pdf

USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations (2022). The future of corporate activism: Global communication report. https://images.assettype.com/xchange/2022-05/74481194-edcd- 4168-b932-cdd46f881542/The_Future_of_Corporate_Activism_ Report_2022.pdf

Waymer, D., & VanSlette, S. (2021). Religion matters: explicating religion’s underexamined role in corporate social advocacy (CSA) conceptualization and research. Journal of Public Relations Research, 33(4), 267-283. https://doi.org/10.1080/1062726X.2021.2018694

Wettstein, F., & Baur, D. (2016). “Why should we care about marriage equality?”: Political advocacy as a part of corporate responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 138(2), 199- 213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2631-3

Wiener-Bronner, D. (2023, March 2). #BoycottHersheys spreads on Twitter over Women’s Day campaign. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/02/business/hersheys-international- womens-day

© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: Lee, E. (2024). Social advocacy statement writing for entry-level public relations practitioners. Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(3), 11-24. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4230

Design Crowdsourcing Social Media Campaigns for a Flood-Impacted City

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Editorial Record: This article was originally submitted as an AEJMC Public Relations
Division GIFTs paper, with a February 2023 deadline. Top papers were submitted to
JPRE June 2023, and accepted for publication at that time. Published January 2024.

Author

Sumin Fang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Communication
University of the Fraser Valley
Canada
Email: sumin.fang@ufv.ca

JPRE-9.2-FangDownload

Crowdsourcing has now been widely used as an innovative way to engage publics by public relations practitioners (Park & Kang, 2020; Sommerfeldt et al., 2019). Crowdsourcing refers to the phenomenon that organizations openly seek solutions, feedback, or voting for its challenges and problems from a wide range of audience members on digital platforms, such as social media and organizational websites (Brabham, 2008; Ghezzi et al., 2018; Hossain & Kauranen, 2015; Howe, 2006). 

Overview of the assignment 

This assignment (see Appendix) was assigned when city A, where our university is located, experienced an unprecedented flood in November 2021. Thousands of people had to evacuate, and a total financial loss was over four million dollars. I asked students to design crowdsourcing social media campaigns for local communities and organizations. The goal was to attract traffic to these organizations’ websites, raise public awareness of important social issues caused by this emergency, help with the      sales of the products from impacted farms, solicit solutions to evacuate the farm animals, seek crisis preparation strategies, or elicit solutions to manage floods in the future. Students needed to provide campaign goals, messages and images, justify its launch channels, major stakeholders, and public engagement for the campaigns. 

Student learning goals

1.Understand how and why crowdsourcing campaigns are different from other social media campaigns.

2. Draft crowdsourcing social media campaigns to help local communities attract public attention and aid. 

3. Apply your understanding of audience analysis and the media environment to communications planning and deployment.

4. Describe the flow and distribution of information and communications during a local community’s real-life scenario. 

Rational and Connection to PR Theory and Practice

Crowdsourcing campaigns may be an announcement of a challenge to call for public proposals, a current policy or solution to seek public feedback, an invitation for publics to vote for their favorite option, an interesting contest on social media to engage publics, and a small task to be fulfilled by publics for societal good. 

Public relations educators call for more up-to-date experiential social media training to prepare students for the dynamic digital world and job markets (e.g., Fraustino et al., 2015; Stansberry, 2016). Both research and real-life practices show crowdsourcing has been used for public good, such as stopping drug abuse, promoting health behaviors, and advocating organizational CSR (Ahmad, 2022; Braham, 2015; Conrad et al., 2020; Park & Kang, 2020). Little literature has reported how public relations educators guide students to develop crowdsourcing social media campaigns for local communities in a real-life emergency. 

Evidence of student learning outcomes

Students appreciated this experiential learning opportunity to contribute to the local city creatively. Some students created a Twitter contest to invite new proposals on how the local government could manage future floods. Some invited audiences to participate in a naming contest for animals in the local shelter and newborn calves in the flood-impacted farms. Some social media campaigns called for new recipe ideas to use apples and berries from local organic farms. This assignment helped students to identify and design crowdsourcing campaigns. After this course, some students reported developing engage crowdsourcing campaigns in their internships, which received unprecedented traffic to the organizational accounts. 

Takeaways

I recommend instructors first help students distinguish crowdsourcing and non-crowdsourcing campaigns. Before students design crowdsourcing campaigns, instructors could show a few mixed campaign messages from both types to the students and lead a class discussion. I suggest the following major differences between crowdsourcing and non-crowdsourcing campaigns. 

  1. Crowdsourcing campaigns invite people to comment or submit their feedback or solutions in the comment section, whereas ordinary campaigns often present themselves in one-way communication, such as announcements. For example, “What are your recipes to create a healthy breakfast with our farm’s organic blueberries? We cannot wait to hear from you.” It is a crowdsourcing campaign because the campaign message encourages the audience to share their recipes publicly on the comment section with everyone. In contrast, “Come to join us for a blueberry tasting festival on November 30” is a non-crowdsourcing campaign because the audience is not expected to take communicative actions immediately. 
  2. Because crowdsourcing campaigns aim to pick the mind of the public, they often appear in the form of questions. Ordinary campaigns usually end with a period. For example, it is a crowdsourcing campaign that uses “What name would you give to this calf born during the flood emergency two weeks ago?” The following campaign is not crowdsourcing because it just states an event without inviting people to initiate communicative behaviors on social media: “We look forward to seeing you at the flood donation event this Friday.” 
  3. Crowdsourcing campaigns usually give out incentives to the participants. Instructors should encourage students to describe the incentives clearly and concisely in the campaign message. Incentives may include social media acknowledgments of the best contributor(s), gift cards, product samples and swags, an on-site tour of the organization, trips for vacations, cash rewards, and so on. The class can discuss which incentives would best fit the campaigns. 

References

Ahmad, J. (2022). Crowdsourcing potential: Developing the right formula for the prevention and intervention strategy against drug abuse in Malaysia. In D. Moss & B. DeSanto (Eds.), Public relations cases: International perspectives (pp. 24-33). Routledge.

Brabham, D. C. (2008). Crowdsourcing as a model for problem solving: An introduction and cases. Convergence, 14(1), 75-90. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856507084420

Brabham, D. C. (2015). Crowdsourcing in the public sector. Georgetown University Press.

Conrad, E. J., Becker, M., Powell, B., & Hall, K. C. (2020). Improving health promotion through the integration of technology, crowdsourcing, and social media. Health promotion practice, 21(2), 228-237. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839918811

Howe, J. (2006). The rise of crowdsourcing. Wired magazine. https://www.wired.com/2006/06/crowds/

Fraustino, J. D., Briones, R., & Janoske, M. (2015). Can every class be a Twitter chat? Cross-institutional collaboration and experiential learning in the social media classroom. Journal of Public Relations Education, 1(1).      http://aejmc.us/jpre/2015/

Ghezzi, A., Gabelloni, D., Martini, A., & Natalicchio, A. (2018). Crowdsourcing: a review and suggestions for future research. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20(2), 343-363. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12135

Hossain, M., & Kauranen, I. (2015). Crowdsourcing: a comprehensive literature review. Strategic Outsourcing: An International Journal, 8(1), 2-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/SO-12-2014-0029

Sommerfeldt, E. J., Yang, A., & Taylor, M. (2019). Public relations channel “repertoires”: Exploring patterns of channel use in practice. Public Relations Review, 45(4), 101796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.101796

Stansberry, K. (2016). Taming the social media data deluge: Using social media research methods in the public relations classroom. In H. S. Noor Al-Deen (Ed.), Social media in the classroom (pp. 75-92). Peter Lang.

Park, Y. E., & Kang, M. (2020). When crowdsourcing in CSR leads to dialogic communication: The effects of trust and distrust. Public Relations Review, 46(1), 101867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.101867

Appendix

Learning outcomes

  1. Understand how and why crowdsourcing campaigns are different from other social media campaigns.
  2. Draft a crowdsourcing social media campaign to help local communities attract public attention and aid. 
  3. Apply your understanding of audience analysis and media environment to communication planning and deployment. 
  4. Describe the flow and distribution of information and communication during a local community’s real-life scenario. 

Introduction to the assignment 

Our city A has entered a state of emergency due to unprecedented floods. We want to apply our skills in public relations to help local businesses and organizations. Based on the lecture on crowdsourcing, please choose one of the following organizations and design a crowdsourcing campaign for them on their social media platforms. 

Crowdsourcing social media campaigns may include the following formats :  a. an announcement of a challenge to call for public proposals, b. a current policy or solution to seek public feedback, c. an invitation for publics to vote for their favorite option, d. a social media contest to engage publics, e. a small task to be fulfilled by publics for societal good (e.g., every participant walks 10,000 on the same day to fight against climate change). 

Goal of the crowdsourcing campaign

As public relations professionals, you want to use such a campaign to help with these flood-impacted communities in the City A. These organizations can be a blueberry, dairy, apple, or ham farm in the city A, an Indigenous community, the Red Cross Society in this city, the Emergency Info, or the City Government of the City A. 

The goal is to attract traffic to these organizations’ websites, raise public awareness of important social issues caused by this emergency, help with the sales of the products from the impacted farms, solicit solutions to evacuate the farm animals, seek crisis preparation strategies, or elicit solutions to manage floods in the future. 

Requirements of the assignment

In your submission, please include the following information. 

  1. Introduction to your organization. 
  2. The goal of your campaign.
  3. Campaign message, image(s), and captions. 
  4. Which social media platform(s) would you use, and why? For example, Facebook,            Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and so on. Choose one or more and give your reasons.
  5. Who will be the stakeholders of your campaign message? Please apply knowledge from the previous lecture on stakeholders to your analysis.
  6. Why do you think your campaign is a crowdsourcing campaign? Why do you think your campaign will attract many people to participate? Please explain your campaign rationale. 

Grading criteria 

  • You present a strong rationale for the crowdsourcing campaign and warrant public engagement to achieve the crowdsourcing goal. 
  • Your campaign generates persuasive and practical implications during the current flood emergency. 
  • Your campaign demonstrates a good fit with the organization.
  • Each part in your submission is consistent with the other. For example, your campaign message reflects your rationale appropriately. Your analysis of stakeholders is consistent with your campaign message. 

© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: Fang, Sumin. (2024). Design Crowdsourcing Social Media Campaigns for a Flood-Impacted City. Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(2), 91-99. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4084

APA Style: The Game

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Editorial Record: This article was originally submitted as an AEJMC Public Relations
Division GIFTs paper, with a February 2023 deadline. Top papers were submitted to
JPRE June 2023, and accepted for publication at that time. Published January 2024.

Author

Lindsey A. Sherrill, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Business Communication
Management and Marketing
University of North Alabama
Alabama, USA
Email: lsherrill2@una.edu

JPRE-9.2-SherrrillDownload

Overview of the Assignment:

This assignment gamifies the often tedious and boring—for both teachers and learners—process of enforcing and practicing writing style standards. The instructions and examples in this document are for teaching APA style, though the game could be adapted for Associated Press style, MLA, Chicago, etc. This assignment can also be adapted for synchronous online classes.

Learning writing style standards is a necessary but tedious part of training students to write appropriately. By making practice fun and collaborative through gamification, students are more likely to engage with the material (Sailer & Homner, 2020) and retain knowledge beyond the exercise.

Student Learning Goals:

Students leave the activity having practiced and enforced elements and rules of a writing style, including 1) knowing how to find answers to style questions and 2) how to apply the rules to various audiences and situations. 

Connections to Practice/Theory:

Using appropriate style for the audience and situation is a vital part of professionalism for writers. This exercise can be adapted to using Associated Press style, a vital tool for PR practitioners in getting their releases published, as well as for practicing APA or other writing styles necessary for students pursuing graduate school or research opportunities.

Evidence of Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Students report, both anecdotally and in evaluations, that this is the best day of class.
  • 2022 Assurance of Learning data for the course showed that over 2/3 of students met or exceeded expectations for using citations and other style elements appropriately at the end of this course.

Implementation/How to Play:

  • Students are divided into teams of roughly 3-6 students (in my classroom, students work in project teams assigned earlier in the semester). Each team is given markers, and either assigned a section of the white board or given a poster-sized Post-It sheet on the wall. Teams are spread around the room to allow each team room to discuss and write independently. 
  • Students are encouraged to use style guides, class handouts, or online resources to find answers, but must do so within the time limit.
  • Questions are divided into two groups, “Short Answer” (1 point) questions and “On the Board” (1-5 point) questions.
  • The Short Answer questions are played via Kahoot! software. These questions involve quick multiple-choice answers, and the top 3 teams (or students, if played individually) at the end of the Kahoot! section receive bonus points at the end of the game. Depending on the size of the class, the Short Answer section can be played as teams or as individual students.
  • For the On the Board section, questions related to the chosen style are projected via a PowerPoint presentation at the front of the classroom (see Appendix). Some of these questions include a bonus “short answer” component. For bonus questions, teams are allowed to raise hands or “buzz in” to respond. If the first team misses a short answer question, another team may answer and “steal” the point. For On the Board questions, all teams may receive points, including partial credit. Points are awarded based on number of mistakes—5 points for no mistakes, 4 points for a single mistake, etc. In order to maximize the number of questions possible in a class period, I usually allow 1-5 minutes per On the Board question, depending on the complexity of the answer.
  • Scoring will depend on class and room size. For small classes, I usually circulate the room and discuss each team’s responses and award points. For larger classes or rooms, I project the correct answer on the board and have students self-score–I have found that they are much harder on themselves than I am!
  • At the end of the class period, each team keeps however many points they have earned as extra credit points for the class, and I award the top team(s) an additional prize (university branded swag, candy, fun pens, etc.).

Reference

Sailer, M., & Homner, L. (2020). The gamification of learning: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review 32(1), 77-112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09498-w.

Appendix:

APA Style Kahoot! Short Answer Example:

A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated with medium confidence

A screenshot of a video game Description automatically generated with medium confidence

On the Board Long Answer Examples:

On the Board Bonus Point Examples:A picture containing text, screenshot, font Description automatically generated

© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: Sherrill, Lindsey A. (2024). APA Style: The Game. Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(2), 68-74. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4064

Mastering the Art of Brand Storytelling

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Editorial Record: This article was originally submitted as an AEJMC Public Relations
Division GIFTs paper, with a February 2023 deadline. Top papers were submitted to
JPRE June 2023, and accepted for publication at that time. Published January 2024.

Author

Nicole O’Donnell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
Washington State University
Washington, USA
Email: nicole.odonnell@wsu.edu

JPRE-9.2-ODonnellDownload

Overview of the Assignment

This assignment serves as an introduction to brand storytelling. Research suggests that storytelling is an essential tool for public relations professionals as stories can entertain, emotionally arouse, inform, and persuade audiences (Kent, 2015; McKee, & Gerace, 2018). However, students’ experiences with storytelling are often personal rather than strategic. For this assignment, I ask students to interview the leader or founder of a local nonprofit organization, business, or school club and use the information they gather to develop a compelling story. Students are instructed that the story should be written in a concise and accessible format that could easily be added to the client’s “about us” website or used in a backgrounder or other client communications.

Rationale

Nonprofit, small, or local organizations often lack the budget for professional communication services. When teaching service-learning classes, my students frequently identify opportunities for our community partners to have an improved web presence and share organizational stories with the public in meaningful and engaging formats. In our media-saturated environment, it is important for a brand to authentically communicate its unique points of difference (Pereira, 2019). Storytelling allows a brand to communicate its mission, vision, and values in ways that resonate with target audiences. 

Student Learning Goals:

  • Develop an understanding of effective brand storytelling and its potential to persuade, inform, entertain, and engage audiences.
  • Build confidence communicating with professionals in the field and practicing in-depth interview techniques.
  • Practice summarizing information and writing strategically for a public audience. 
  • Demonstrate the ability to write a compelling brand story based on interview data.
  • Create a professional work sample that highlights mastery of brand storytelling.

Connection to Public Relations Practice 

The USC Annenberg Global Communication Report (2017) identified digital storytelling as one of the most important future skills for marketing and public relations professionals. Furthermore, research suggests that authentic narratives drive brand perceptions and stakeholder engagement (Li & Feng, 2021). As such, this project is a unique way for students to enhance their career readiness and hone essential skills. 

This assignment is innovative because it provides students with the opportunity to establish their voices as strategic writers, develop their storytelling skills, and build their confidence speaking with business leaders. Additionally, the work that students produce for this assignment can be shared with the client and can also be added to the student’s professional portfolio. 

Assessment: 

Students are assessed based on creativity, narrative structure, organization, convention and style, and mechanics. In addition to turning in a written assignment, I ask students to create a five-minute presentation for the class to share their stories. These presentations also include experiential-learning reflection prompts in which students discuss their interview experiences.

Appendix

Assignment Description

Every organization has a story to tell, and learning how to tell that story effectively is an essential skill for public relations professionals. In this assignment, you will interview the leader or founder of a local nonprofit organization, business, or school club and use the information you gather to develop a compelling story. By conducting this interview, you will gain a deeper understanding of the organization’s culture, mission, and values, and learn how to translate that information to a broader public. 

Please conduct this interview via phone, Zoom, or in person. The interview should last around 20 minutes. Please ask for the interviewee’s permission to record the interview and use the attached email script and questionnaire as guides. Once you’ve conducted the interview, create a profile of the organization, as if you were writing an “about us” page for its website. Consider what answers stood out to you as interesting or unexpected, and how this story is unique or innovative. Your profile should be well-organized, grammatically correct, and visually engaging, with photos and quotes as appropriate to tell the organization’s story.

Additional Logistics:

Before scheduling your interview, please inform your professor about the individual you intend to interview within a week’s time. This step is crucial to ensure there are no duplicates and to respect the interviewee’s time. If you are contacting a business that you do not have a personal connection with, please consider using a version of the attached email script.

Example Email: 

Dear [Business Leader’s Name],

My name is [Your Name], and I am a student at [X university]. I am currently working on a school project that aims to capture the unique stories of local organizations, exploring their history, culture, values, and visions for the future. Your organization has always stood out to me as one that embodies the spirit and innovation of our community.

Given your role in shaping [Organization’s Name], I am interested in conducting a 20-minute phone or in-person interview with you for this assignment.  I will use the attached questionnaire as a guide during our conversation. Following the interview, I will craft an “about us” page for a website based on your responses. Your organization can use this if you choose to share your story.

If you’re willing to participate, please let me know a date and time that works best for you in the coming weeks. I will also be notifying my professor about the potential interview to ensure no duplicate efforts from my peers. Any resulting story I write will not be published or shared publicly without your explicit consent. Additionally, once the story is written, I will share a copy with you. 

Thank you for considering this request. Your insights and experiences would be invaluable to my project and my understanding of the work [Organization’s Name] is doing.

Interview Script: 

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I’m excited to learn more about your organization and its history. Before we begin, I just wanted to confirm, is it okay if I record our conversation so that I can refer back to it later? Thanks again for meeting with me. Could you please introduce yourself and tell me a bit about your role within the organization? 

History 

  • Can you tell me about how you first became involved with the organization?
  • Do you know where your organization’s name came from? Is there a story there?
  • What was the organization’s first product or service?
  • What inspired the founders to start the organization?
  • What gaps or needs in the market did they seek to address?
  • From your perspective, how has the organization changed over time, and what events have shaped its development?

Values

  • Can you describe the organization’s culture and working environment?
  • What values or guiding principles have been important to the organization, and how have these been reflected in its actions and decisions?
  • Are there any traditions or rituals that the organization holds dear?
  • How does the organization view its relationship with its customers?

Challenges & Accomplishments

  • What have been some of the biggest challenges the organization has faced, and how were they overcome?
  • Were there any pivotal moments or turning points in the organization’s history?
  • What has been the organization’s proudest achievement to date?
  • How has the organization contributed to the broader community and industry?

Future Aspirations 

  • Where do you see the organization in the next 10 years?
  • What are the organization’s current goals, and how are these being pursued?
  • What long-term impact does the organization hope to have on its industry or the world?
  • What do you hope the future will hold for the organization?

Thank the interviewee for meeting with you and provide them with follow-up information.

References

Kent, M. L. (2015). The power of storytelling in public relations: Introducing the 20 master plots. Public Relations Review, 41(4), 480-489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2015.05.011

Li, X. L., & Feng, J. (2021). Empowerment or disempowerment: Exploring stakeholder engagement in nation branding through a mixed method approach to social network analysis. Public Relations Review, 47(3), 102024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2021.102024

McKee, R., & Gerace, T. (2018). Storynomics: Story-driven marketing in the post-advertising world. Hachette UK.

Pereira, G. (2019). Brand storytelling: A three-dimensional perspective. Journal of Brand Strategy, 8(2), 146-159. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.henrystewartpublications.com/sites/default/files/JBS8.2BrandstorytellingAthreedimensionalperspective.pdf

USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. (2017). Global Communications Report.     https://annenberg.usc.edu/sites/default/files/KOS_2017_GCP_April6.pdf

© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: O’Donnell, Nicole. (2024). Mastering the Art of Brand Story Telling. Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(2), 83-90. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4034

Challenging AI in the PR Classroom

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Editorial Record: This article was originally submitted as an AEJMC Public Relations
Division GIFTs paper, with a February 2023 deadline. Top papers were submitted to
JPRE June 2023, and accepted for publication at that time. Published January 2024.

Author

Erika J. Schneider, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Public Relations
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Syracuse University
New York, USA
Email: eschne03@syr.edu

JPRE-9.2-SchneiderDownload

Overview of the Assignment, Including the Rationale

The adoption of artificial intelligence has changed the public relations practice. AI is a technical development that has been praised in PR for its functionality and efficiency, such as by allowing professionals to automate and perform mundane tasks (e.g., Panda et al., 2019). Considering the projected growth in the employment of PR specialists, which is predicted to be 8% from 2021 to 2031, it is critical for PR educators to prepare students for the needs of the profession (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; 2023). Krishna et al.’s (2020) survey of PR professionals found that senior managers, who may have more insight into the profession, considered new technology like AI to be more important for incoming communicators to have skills or expertise in, relative to middle managers. More recently, AI systems, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s BERT, and Microsoft’s Bing Chat, have advanced ways that professionals develop content (Larkin, 2023), although with limitations (OpenAI, 2023a). In preparing students for the profession, this activity encourages the discussion of the benefits and limitations of AI in PR writing.

In this exercise, students are asked to discuss the utility of artificial intelligence in public relations and evaluate an AI-assisted news release. Begin with a demonstration of how AI follows instructions in a prompt by inputting the following prompt in an AI system, such as chat.openai.com: “Who are the most successful PR professionals in history?” When providing this prompt in ChatGPT in February 2023, the following names were listed: Edward Bernays, Ivy Lee, Daniel J. Edelman, Betsy Plank, and Harold Burson (OpenAI, 2023b). Outputs vary each time the same question is asked. Share the results of the output with students and discuss who is represented and omitted on the list. If there are concerns regarding a lack of inclusive results, such as in the case where the output is dominated by a specific demographic group, there is an opportunity to discuss how the platforms reproduce bias while limiting the visibility and recognition of underrepresented communities.

After discussing representation, enter the following prompt: “Write a news release in AP style.” Ask students to evaluate the AI-assisted news release based on the quality of the content and structure (Ashcroft, 1994), and AP style (AP Stylebook, 2022). Appendix A provides an evaluation tool that has been adapted to the context of this activity. When providing this prompt in ChatGPT in February 2023 (Figure 1), the output did not adhere to AP style and the content and structure of the news release did not meet Ashcroft’s (1994) guidelines; however, outputs vary each time the prompt is entered. After students have an opportunity to evaluate the release, invite them to share observations, corrections, and recommendations. In addition to practicing copy editing, students develop a deeper understanding of how to incorporate AI tools in PR, question potentially problematic repeated bias, and consider the importance of PR professionals’ intervention to address outputs from machine-based systems.

Figure 1. Example of an AI-assisted news release from ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2023c).

Connection to Public Relations Practice and/or Theory

There are risks and benefits to public relations professionals embracing the diffusion of AI technologies. While the benefits include efficiency in automating tasks, the risks, such as concerns regarding privacy and inaccuracies, and long-term societal impacts of AI are less understood (Wilson & Van Der Velden, 2022). Within PR research, the ethical implications of AI’s disruption in PR practices have been considered, such as transparency in AI-assisted communication (e.g., Bourne, 2019). 

As tools are adopted into PR practices, there is value in exposing students to relevant tools and skill sets. This in-class exercise applied ChatGPT, but other AI systems may be utilized in this activity. Machine learning and AI platforms and services evolve with new technologies, access, and user preferences. Although the interface may vary, the foundational concepts are applicable across technologies and the understanding of functions is transferable.

Student Learning Goals

1. Understand the benefits and assumptions of AI-assisted communication.

2. Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of PR writing in AI-assisted communication.

Evidence of Learning Outcomes/Assessment

This in-class activity appeals to students in PR courses. Applying this technology in classrooms has been found to motivate and engage students, which is a driver of learning (Haggerty & Davis, 2019). Per feedback on this assignment, students were excited to gain experience with AI and appreciated the assessment of best practices of PR writing. Generally, the students shared that they were familiar with AI but had not questioned or evaluated AI responses to PR writing prompts prior to this assignment, which changed their perspective of its utility. When asked to share their observations and recommendations, students gained confidence in their writing and critical thinking skills. When students discussed deficiencies in the AI-assisted news release, they also recognized the importance of gaining PR expertise to navigate future technological developments.

References

Ashcroft, L. S. (1994). Effective press releases. Library Management, 15(8), 24-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/01435129410071372

The Associated Press. (2022). The AP Stylebook: 56th edition. The Associated Press.

Bourne, C. (2019). AI cheerleaders: Public relations, neoliberalism and artificial intelligence. Public Relations Inquiry, 8(2), 109-125. https://doi.org/10.1177/2046147X19835250

Haggerty, R., & Davis, L. E. (2019, July 11). Can chatbots teach copy editing? A comparison of student reporters’ copy editing performance when using a chatbot style guide and a traditional stylebook [Research paper]. World Journalism Education Congress 2019, Paris.  http://www.wjec.paris/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/WJEC_proceedings_V2_Final.pdf

Larkin, E. (2023). ‘A starting point for creativity:’ How PR pros are testing ChatGPT. PR Week. https://www.prweek.com/article/1810757/a-starting-point-creativity-pr-pros-testing-chatgpt

OpenAI. (2023a). ChatGPT: Optimizing language models for dialogue.      https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/

OpenAI. (2023b, February 12). [ChatGPT response to a prompt about the most successful PR professionals in history.] https://chat.openai.com/

Panda, G., Upadhyay, A. K., & Khandelwal, K. (2019). Artificial intelligence: A strategic disruption in public relations. Journal of Creative Communications, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/0973258619866585.

Krishna, A., Wright, D. K., & Kotcher, R. L. (2020). Curriculum rebuilding in public relations: Understanding what early career, mid-career, and senior PR/communications professionals expect from PR graduates. Journal of Public Relations Education, 6(1), 33-57. https://aejmc.us/jpre/2020/01/21/curriculum-rebuilding-inpublic-relations-understanding-what-early-career-mid-career-andsenior-pr-communications-professionals-expect-from-pr-graduates/

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). Public relations specialists: Job outlook, 2021-31. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/public-relations-specialists.htmWilson, C., & Van Der Velden, M. (2022). Sustainable AI: An integrated model to guide public sector decision-making. Technology in Society, 68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.101926

Appendix A

Evaluation tool

Evaluate AP style using the AP Stylebook (2023), and the content and structure of the news release using Ashcroft’s (1994) adapted guidelines. The guideline for evaluating the news release is in the right column, and students may provide evaluations of the guideline to be discussed in the right column.

GuidelineStudent Evaluation
Use of AP style
Is the release clearly headed with “Press Release” or “News Release” in large, bold letters?
Does the release display the name of the organization?
Does the release display an address for the organization?
Does the release display information to contact the organization?
Does the release contain an embargo or date of release?
Does the release contain a bolded headline that could catch the eye of an editor? Is it written in present tense, not too gimmicky or puzzling, and indicate the nature of the story in as interesting a way as possible?
Does the opening paragraph include information on the what, the who, the where, the why and the when, in such a way as to make as much impact as possible?
Does the release tell the facts and put them in descending order of importance?
Does the release contain a quotation that provides additional interest and is it given by someone who has authority to speak on the matter?
Does the release contain no more than three quotes?
Does the release contain vigorous language to convey vitality?
Is the end of the release recognized by the word “ENDS” or another indication (e.g., ###)?

© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: Schneider, Erika J. (2024). Challenging AI in the PR Classroom. Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(2), 60-67. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4052

ChatGPT in the Classroom: Using the Latest Technology to Explore Innovation and Ethics

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Editorial Record:

This article was originally submitted as an AEJMC Public Relations
Division GIFTs paper, with a February 2023 deadline. Top papers were submitted to
JPRE June 2023, and accepted for publication at that time. Published January 2024.

Authors

Kelly Bruhn, Ph.D., APR
Associate Dean
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Drake University
Iowa, USA
Email: kelly.bruhn@drake.edu

Amy McCoy
Asst. Professor of Strategic Political Communication and Public Relations
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Drake University
Iowa, USA
Email: amy.mccoy@drake.edu

Chris Snider
Associate Professor
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Drake University
Iowa, USA
Email: chris.snider@drake.edu

Ryan Stoldt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Drake University
Iowa, USA
Email: ryan.stoldt@drake.edu

Jennifer Wilson
Fisher-Stelter Chair of Magazine and Brand Media Studies
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Drake University
Iowa, USA
Email: jennifer.wilson@drake.edu

JPRE-9.2-Bruhn_McCoy_Snider_Stoldt_WilsonDownload

Overview of the Assignment, Including the Rationale

Using ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched in November 2022, a group of faculty members facilitated an in-class exercise across six different courses that included administering a pre-test to assess students’ confidence in evaluating and testing new technology tools and innovations, reviewing current news featuring the tool, previewing a creative execution using the tool, and evaluating the tool individually. The session ended with a post-test to reassess the same factors listed above, as well as a discussion of the ethical considerations communicators must make when evaluating new digital technologies and innovations. This exercise reinforced the important role communicators have in critically evaluating new tools—a practice they must master for long-term success.

Student Learning Goals and Connection to Public Relations Practice And/Or Theory

Aligning with the college’s core values, this in-class exercise is designed to help students “apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communication professions in which they work,” “demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity,” “take ownership of their own academic experience,” and “cope and thrive in the workplace.” This exercise aligns with the Commission on Public Relations Education’s call for embedding ethics within coursework while also improving communicators’ abilities “to move, be nimble and adaptable” (Prsaweb, 2023 p. 11). 

Evidence of Learning Outcomes/Assessment

Ninety-four students participated in this exercise across six courses. Some key findings:

  • When comparing pre- and post-test responses, average scores improved slightly across each factor. Student averages were lowest when answering “I consider myself an innovator.” (Pre-test: 6.3 avg; Post-Test 6.4 avg.). Every other question averaged between 7.1 and 7.8.
  • Scores varied widely when students were asked if they keep up with tech trends, with responses ranging from 2 to 10.
  • When asked to share their ethical considerations regarding digital technology, student responses on the post-tests were much more robust than their initial responses. Each class enjoyed a rich discussion of ethics to conclude the exercise, and topics ranged from copyright and attribution concerns to misinformation dissemination to worry about future job security.
  • Using a scale of 1 (Completely Disagree) to 10 (Completely Agree), students responded with an average of 4 for their proposed use of ChatGPT or other AI tools at work vs. an average of 2.9 using those same tools at school.

Two students’ post-test responses summarized many students’ feelings by saying, “AI can be used as a tool, but not as a replacement,” and “I think AI will be a useful tool for many professions. Right now, AI can’t replicate the complexity of the human mind, but it is a useful tool for idea generation.”

References

Prsaweb. (2023, September 15). Fast forward: Foundations and Future State. Educators and Practitioners – Commission on Public Relations Education. Commission on Public Relations Education -. http://www.commissionpred.org/commission-reports/fast-forward-foundations-future-state-educators-practitioners/

Appendix A

Overview of the In-Class Exercise

  • Administer and Collect Pre-Tests (Appendix B)
  • Show NBC Nightly News Report from 12/22/22 on artificial intelligence (Appendix D)
  • Show ChatGPT in Action via the Ryan Reynolds Mint Mobile ad (Appendix D)
  • Share highlights from NPR’s story featuring a student who created a ChatGPT detector (Appendix D)
  • Showcase the ChatGPT toll at https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt – Important Note: Load it up early to avoid ‘at capacity’ messages. Ask students to think about how they might use this tool in their careers. Here are two examples:
    • “Please write five headlines for an animal rescue organization.”
    • “Write a one-page press release announcing a new event design to raise money to help children with cancer.”
  • Give students 5-10 minutes to play with the tool. Again, ask them to think about how they might use this tool in their careers.
  • Administer and Collect Post-Tests (Appendix B)
  • Whole-Class Discussion About Ethics of the Tool
  • You may also consider administering an additional two-question, anonymous survey asking if they plan to use the tool at work or at school. (Appendix C)

Appendix B

Pre- and Post-Test – Evaluating Technology Tools         

Name: ________________________ Major(s): ___________________________________

I try to keep up with technology trends.

Completely                                                                                                       Completely

Agree                                                                                                                     Disagree

    10           9            8           7           6           5           4              3            2                      1

I feel confident in my ability to develop content for online audiences.

Completely                                                                                                       Completely

Agree                                                                                                                     Disagree

    10           9            8           7           6           5           4              3            2                      1

I enjoy testing new digital tools.

Completely                                                                                                       Completely

Agree                                                                                                                     Disagree

    10           9            8           7           6           5           4              3            2                      1

I consider myself an innovator.

Completely                                                                                                       Completely

Agree                                                                                                                     Disagree

    10           9            8           7           6           5           4              3            2                      1

I am comfortable evaluating new digital tools or technologies.

Completely                                                                                                       Completely

Agree                                                                                                                     Disagree

    10           9            8           7           6           5           4              3            2                      1

Please indicate on the line below the percentage of time each day you estimate you will use each of the following in your future career. For example, you may answer 10% on one tool and 55% on another tool. If you don’t anticipate using the tool, you may answer 0%. Please share additional technology/digital tools you anticipate using and the associated percentages in the “Other” option below.

_______  Social Media                                    

_______  Search Engine Optimization

_______  Data Analysis Tools

_______  Mobile App Creation/Maintenance

_______  Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality

_______  Artificial Intelligence

_______  Other (please specify) _________________________________________

Please share your ethical considerations regarding digital technology. 

Appendix C

Sample Anonymous Post-Module Survey

I plan to use ChatGPT or other AI tools to complete future assignments at work.

Completely                                                                                                       Completely

Agree                                                                                                                     Disagree

    10           9            8           7           6           5           4              3            2                      1

I plan to use ChatGPT or other AI tools to complete future assignments at school.

Completely                                                                                                       Completely

Agree                                                                                                                     Disagree

    10           9            8           7           6           5           4              3            2                      1

Anything else to add?

Appendix D – Resource List for Instructor Background

Bowman, E. (2023, January 9). A college student created an app that can tell whether Ai wrote an essay. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/01/09/1147549845/gptzero-ai-chatgpt-edward-tian-plagiarism&nbsp;

Caplan, J. (2023, January 19). Wonder tools 7 ways to use CHATGPT. Substack. https://wondertools.substack.com/p/chatgpt&nbsp;

Gecker, J., & Brien, M. O. (2023, January 31). Cheaters beware: Chatgpt maker releases AI Detection Tool. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/technology-education-colleges-and-universities-france-a0ab654549de387316404a7be019116b&nbsp;

Gans, J. (2023, January 25). Nearly 30 percent of professionals say they have used chatgpt at work. The Hill. https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3821400-nearly-30-percent-of-professionals-say-they-have-used-chatgpt-at-work/&nbsp;

Kim, S. (2023, February 1). How to detect openai’s CHATGPT output. Medium. https://medium.com/geekculture/how-to-detect-if-an-essay-was-generated-by-openais-chatgpt-58bb8adc8461&nbsp;

Hoffman, L., & Albergotti, R. (2023, January 10). Microsoft eyes $10 billion bet on CHATGPT. Semafor. https://www.semafor.com/article/01/09/2023/microsoft-eyes-10-billion-bet-on-chatgpt&nbsp;

Mogg, T. (2023, January 19). Investigation exposes murkier side of AI chatbot, chatgpt. Digital Trends. https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/investigation-exposes-murkier-side-of-ai-chatbot-industry/&nbsp;

NBCUniversal News Group. (2023, September 27). New AI technology chatgpt raising questions about human creativity. NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/new-ai-technology-chatgpt-raising-questions-about-human-creativity-158542405830&nbsp;

Townsend, C. (2023, January 7). CHATGPT essays and more: How teachers and schools are dealing with ai writing. Mashable. https://mashable.com/article/chatgpt-ai-essays-classroom-materials-teachers-react&nbsp;

Warren, T. (2023, January 23). Microsoft extends OpenAI partnership in a “multibillion dollar investment.” The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/23/23567448/microsoft-openai-partnership-extension-ai&nbsp;

Reynolds, R. YouTube. (2023, January 10). Chatgpt writes a mint mobile ad. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eHjifELI-k&nbsp;

© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: Bruhn, K., McCoy, A., Snider, C., Stoldt, R., and Wilson, J. (2024). ChatGPT in the Classroom: Using the Latest Technology to Explore Innovation and Ethics. Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(2), 75-82. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4014