| dc.description.abstract | With shrinking newsrooms and dynamic media landscapes, the onus of journalism programs is to deliver graduates with work-ready practical skills. Like in other countries, Rwandan media training institutions continue to leverage work-based learning experiences to bridge practical skills gaps evident among students as they transition to the workplace. However, in an online-driven marketplace, there is paucity of research on the role of such work-based learning in developing students’ self-efficacy for the professional online skills. To address this research gap, this study explores how mass communication students perceive work-based learning and its relationship with their self-efficacy for online journalism work. Survey data was gathered from a sample of 143 students systematically drawn from universities. These universities were selected as the only ones offering mass communication programs in Rwanda as at the time of the study. Descriptive results showed that the respondents considered themselves highly efficacious in the different online journalism skills being measured. The students’ industry experiences, digital class-based practicums and contacts with professionals were found to have positive and significant correlation with their efficacy for online journalism skills. The null hypothesis was disconfirmed by the regression analysis results which indicated a significant 27.8% contribution of work-integrated learning experiences in explaining the students’ online journalism efficacy beliefs. The findings of this study not only contributes to better understanding of the role of digital skills exposure through field experience in promoting the work-readiness of the future professionals, but also points to the urgency of integrating such experiences in online skills training. | en_US |
