Independent education provider Macleay College has launched Australia’s first mobile phone journalism course, Mojo.

The course will form part of Macleay’s journalism degree and diploma, with students learning how to use the iPhone 6 and other smartphone devices to produce multimedia story packages.

The news has been welcomed by the industry, with a Macleay College industry advisory panel – including senior journalists from Australia, the United States and the UK – identifying mobile phone journalism as one of the key roles of the future.

Stephen Davis, head of journalism at Macleay College, said: “It’s a declaration of our confidence in the future of journalism. Students must be trained for the journalism jobs of the future, not the jobs of the past. That’s why Macleay’s new degree and diploma programs are teaching storytelling skills in use by some of the world’s most progressive media outlets, such as our scholarship partner, the not for profit Center for Investigative Reporting in California.”

With consistent innovation in the technology space, smartphone devices are finally high-end enough to produce quality photo, video and audio files. In the new Mojo course, students will explore, experiment and apply the latest apps to produce digital media for broadcast and photojournalism.

The Mojo course will run for 12 weeks each trimester where students will undertake practical assignments to ensure they build the full Mojo skill set: file management, pre and post production techniques, codec design, broadcast design, workflow, shooting/recording techniques, editing and digital publishing.

Students will also experiment with mobile phone apps to produce quality podcasts, radio and video news packages, and video blogs.

Matt De Groot, newsroom manager at Nova FM, agrees with the move into Mojo, stating that: “Mobile journalism is the future of journalism, regardless of which area of reporting you go into.

“Understanding how to report from a scene using mobile, app based, individually operated equipment is what the industry is now expecting from its reporters. Already journalists are adapting and learning how to use this technology in the field.

“For a news organisation, it’s all about creating the most cost effective, versatile newsroom – and Mojo is its next evolution. A candidate who applies for any role, who is specifically Mojo trained, will immediately stand out from the pack.”