Eric Ringham, MPR commentary editor, and Toni Randolph, award-winning MPR journalist and editor for New Audiences, were guests in Rashné Jehangir and Na’im Madyun’s PsTL 1525W First Year Inquiry course. Jehangir and Madyun, associate professors in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, are co-teaching their sections of FYI with a thematic focus on Stories as Game Changers. Students are using iPads to film mini-documentaries around three themes: the American Dream, Home and Place, and Critical Moments in the Twin Cities.
The collaboration with MPR and the Ringham and Randolph visit provided students with the opportunity to gain insights about shaping a narrative, interviewing participants, and to have questions answered about their individual documentary topics. The mini-documentary assignment seeks to use iPad technology to invite students to explore critical issues in Twin Cities communities.