This document outlines the structure and requirements for a term 1 media audiences project course. Students will work collaboratively on empirical research projects provided by the BBC Research & Development department. They will conduct literature reviews, collect and analyze data, and present findings. Assessment includes progress and final presentations, as well as an individual report. The seminar tasks students with forming project groups, choosing topics, and setting up online workspaces to facilitate collaboration.

1. Technology, Audiences &
Globalisation
Week 1
Dept. of Languages, Information & Communications
Manchester Metropolitan University

2. Today’s class
• 10am-1pm
• Lecture, followed by seminar in MRL
• Introduction to Term 1
• Programme
• Assessment
• Seminar: Start work on projects

3. Term 1 – Media audiences & Media
users
• BBC R&D collaboration
• Students undertake own audience research group
project
• Based on BBC R&D project topics
• Conduct literature review & empirical research
• Test the BBC media behaviour model
• Assessment (50%): Progress presentation, individual
report and final presentation at student conference
• Tutors: Magda Bober & Ellie Shember-Critchely

4. Term 2
• Tutors: Adi Kuntsman & Deirdre Hynes
• Lecture topics: Communities, technology &
participation in a global context
• Assessment: Seen Exam (50%)

5. BBC Research
& Development
www.bbc.co.uk/rd
www.bbc.co.uk/rd/blog

6. Skills
You will be developing:
•Team working skills
•Practical research experience
•Analytical skills
•Presentation skills
•Report writing
•Working with industry partner
Key jobs skills and practice run
for portfolio research projects
Student quote:
“It gave me a great insight
into the media industry.
My presentation skills
have also improved and
after the discussion we
had with the BBC staff
who watched us, I feel that
I can go on to be a far
more capable
researcher.”

7. Year 3: Your role has changed
• From learners
• To co-researchers and co-creators of knowledge
• Researching developments at the cutting edge of digital
communications
• Contributing to Knowledge Exchange with industry
See academic outputs:
• Conference paper “People, Media and Behaviour: Insights from
the MMU InfoComms-BBC R&D Collaboration”
• Journal article “Twitter and TV Events: An exploration of how to
use social media in student-led research”

8. Assessment Arrangements
Term 1 – Media Audiences Project
•Progress presentation (group mark, 5%) – Week 7
•Individual report (individual mark, 25%) – Week 12
•Final presentation (group mark*, 20%) – Week 12
* incl. peer marking element
Term 2
•Seen Exam (individual mark, worth 50%), based on
Term 2 topics

9. Learning outcomes
By the end of this term students will be able to:
•Appraise the key theoretical concepts and current
debates relating to the study of media audiences and
media users
•Apply these perspectives in a practical project of their
own

10. Group project
• Groups of 4 students, topics given by BBC
• Research tasks:
• Literature review
• Identifying statistical data from external sources
• Integrating the BBC model
• Research design (only qualitative methods, no surveys;
participants should be aged 18+)
• Empirical data collection, including pilot
• Data analysis
• Group work in seminar and outside of class
• Mahara group websites and forums (see Moodle link)

11. Conference venue:
The Shed

12. From ‘passive mass’ to
interactive ‘produsers’
Changed view of media audiences:
•Media effects: what do the media do to
people?
•Media as powerful, audiences as passive
and vulnerable
•Media uses: what do people do with the
media?
•Audiences as more active and selective,
creative and powerful

13. BBC R&D project topics
1. Brands, Celebrities and the BBC: Perception of value from
the License Fee
2. Exploring the Audience Age Gap
3. Ethnic Minorities, TV and the BBC
4. Ecologies of Devices
5. Getting TVs Online: Smart TVs and Equivalent Technologies
6. Transmedia narratives
7. Create This
8. The Quantified Self as a Storytelling Self
9. Object-Based Broadcasting and Personalised Content

14. Project process
WK1-3 - Form
group, decide
topic, formulate
aims + objectives,
conduct/write
literature review,
integrate BBC
model, source
statistical data,
construct research
design
WK 4-6 – Conduct
pilot research, write
up early results,
create/upload
presentation
WK7 – Present
progress
WK8-9 – Analyse +
write up
data/findings
WK10-11 - Write
up conclusion +
relate back to BBC
Model. Write
individual report +
group presentation
WK12 - Upload
report via
Moodle/Turnitin.
Add report to
Mahara site with
presentation.
Present at
conference.

15. Seminar: Group tasks for this week
• Form a group of 4 students and report group members to tutor
• Creative thinking exercise to help choose topic and generate
ideas
• Formulate a strategy to resolve group conflict (tutors will only
intervene if this is stated in your strategy)
• Click on the Mahara link in Moodle, an invitation to join a group
will be emailed to you – you need to accept
• Post an update on the above on the Mahara group site/forum
(once set up)