Fostering Innovation in International Journalism Education with Social Media in Beijing

This paper aims to identify whether a newlyproposed learning mode, which integrates the use of social media, has been an effective method for innovating in journalism education. Based on a quantitative analysis of three consecutive surveys of 139 students who attended a course incorporating WeChat/Weibo, this paper finds that: (1) most students are satisfied with this learning mode, becoming familiar with social media production and interested in topics related to international affairs with professional pride also increased; (2) general interests in this field have not always developed into vocational ones, by which their willingness to pursue related journalist career are subsequently constrained. Future direction of this innovation should be more motivational and practice-centered, by integrating participatory elements from media outlets directly.