CREATIVE TASK AS A FORM OF FINAL CONTROL FOR FUTURE JOURNALISTS: THE VIEWPOINT OF STUDENTS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the issue of final control for core disciplines in the specialty 061 «Journalism». The survey of more than 100 students of the Department of Journalism in V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University was held. It is presenting the students’ vision of a creative task as a form of verification test or exam. The questions were about the distribu- tion of points for certain types of tasks, features of creative tasks’ preparation, problems of creative tasks’ production in the distance learning setting etc. The survey provided different forms of answers: both option selection and extended comments. Questionnaires were filled out by students of the Bachelor and Master levels, full-time and correspondence courses and by graduates of the Department of Journalism.It was found that the majority of students see the creative task as a mandatory component of the verification test or exam. At the same time, the ideal form of final control is considered to be combined (a presentation of a creative task and a theory test). It was established that journalism students prefer individual production of creative works, although they assume team formats.The main challenges for future journalists in the distance learning setting within the context of creative tasks’ production are highlighted. It was found that after the beginning of the full-scale phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the number of difficulties increased and they became more frequently related to the inner state of students. A search for motivation or inspiration, work under stress, finding topics for materials are most often mentioned problems by respondents. The problems of education organizing by universities have faded into the background compared to the quarantine restrictions’ period caused by the coronavirus pandemic.It was concluded that despite the existing difficulties of the distance learning, students still consider a creative task as a form of final control for core disciplines in the both prepared in advance and done during the exam ways.