Teachapalooza VI Show and Share:

Crisis! Zombie Apocalypse Exercise for MCO Students

Purpose depends on the course or courses– Journalism students in MCO 2345 and MCO 3320:

• To practice real-time journalism; gathering, producing and editing content

• To work with public relations practitioners • To work with a team to direct and edit content creation• To keep a community updated on a live event as it unfolds• To ascertain the difference between fact and rumor

– Public relations students in MCO 4346:• To work with a team to implement a crisis plan in real-time• To work with media to disseminate appropriate and timely

information• To practice working with a team to gather information during a crisis• To ascertain the difference between fact and rumor

Overview and purpose

Exercise ExpectationsNews coverage—

a website that contains news stories and multimedia elements created by MCO 3320 Digital Design and Editing and MCO 2345 Integrated Media Reporting classes

Crisis communication—

a website from the perspective of the institution created by MCO 4346 Public Relations Campaigns and Programs class

News Coverage

• https://fauxrambler.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/rambler-staff-injured-by-zombies/

Student journalists attended press conferences throughout the event and covered the event live. Above is a photo of the final press conference where Zombie Task Force Leader Michael Brown explains how the zombies were contained.

Crisis Communications• https://crisiscommunicationmco4346.wordpress.com/

Public relations students hosted press conferences throughout the event and kept the campus community updated.

Debrief from pros

Photo left: Marjorie Herrera-Lewis, former reporter, Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Photo above: At the lunch debrief with, far right to left, Bill Lawrence of Lawrence and Associates, Marysol Gonzalez, Univision; Rebecca Aguilar, freelance reporter; and Alice Rios, formerly of KRLD radio. Additional comments from DrendaWitt, formerly of JPS Health, rounded out the pro debriefing.

Debrief from students

• Podcasts from MCO 2345 and MCO 4346

• Individual podcasts could be 2 minutes or less

• Interview style podcasts could be 3 minutes or less

• Counted as a daily grade

• Used to assist in planning for Fall 2016

Grading

• An all or nothing grade—you did it or you didn’t

• Added grade (all or none) for a podcast of their analysis of the event

• Upsides: Fun; entertaining for participants and the pros who assisted

• Downsides: Lots of preparation to create; something always happens; making sure everyone is adequately prepared prior to event can be challenging (something always happens)

Tips• Start early; very time-consuming to plan

• Get your administration on board

• Touch base with everyone frequently

• Plan your student training/classes leading up to the event to get students prepared

• Create little “practice” sessions prior to event

• Enlist lots of help from across campus

• Be flexible

Presentation at: slideshare.net/klcolley

Day of the event: Dr. Eddy Lynton and Dr. Cary Adkinson

Criminal justice and sociology professors who provided the Zombie Task Force.