Students from Tomas Bata University on visit at UNYP

On March 7th and 8th 2013,  a group of students from Tomas Bata University (TBU) in Zlín visited UNYP. The visit was part of a reciprocal exchange between the faculty of Multimedia and Marketing Communication at TBU, and UNYP’s department of Communication and Mass Media. UNYP’s Communication department was represented by students from the !Commclash student club, which is comprised of students eager to reach out and engage with the local community on communication-related issues.

The idea for the exchange was developed by Dr. Olga Jurášková and Dr. Todd Nesbitt, the respective chairs of the media studies departments at TBU and UNYP. “The idea was to connect our two departments, and allow our students to compare our approaches, outlooks, and philosophies concerning communication and media studies, aiming to broaden horizons,” Nesbitt said. On both exchanges, the students visited classes, debated with professors and students, visited cultural events, media sights, and a local pub. At UNYP, TBU students visited the International Marketing class as well as a Public Speaking class. A highlight of the trip was a visit to Czech Television (ČT) on the day of the inauguration of the new president, Miloš Zeman. Students were able to experience the atmosphere in the news room on one of the most frantic news days of the decade, as well as make a special visit to ČT’s brand new and renowned new media department, where they were given insight into the comprehensive transformation of the broadcaster to a more interactive, audience-centred organization. In a presentation and Q&A session, students debated with members of the department about the transformation of the news experience, and the public broadcaster’s philosophy and strategy to remain relevant for viewers.

Jurášková and Nesbitt hope to expand the realm of the exchange to encompass more activities of their departments. “We wanted to start with the students and see their response to interacting with each other, since everything begins and ends with them,” Nesbitt says. “From the beginning however, we have hoped to build on this initial stage, and try and incorporate more academic and research aspects involving students and faculty. From working on advertising campaign competitions to research projects, we hope this is only the first step in a more permanent educational partnership.”