Point TV employs students in professional work

A new initiative in the communication and theatre department will benefit PLNU and the community by providing video services to showcase innovative teaching and local businesses.

Together students, with the help of Alan Hueth, the communication professor running the initiative, will produce two types of projects: short feature stories on faculty who are creatively using technology to enhance learning and promotional videos for departments on campus and local businesses.

The main goal of the initiative, Point TV Professionals, is to extend the high-level students production services of Point TV to on and off-campus entities, while engaging in professional client-oriented work.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to gain experience and build resumes and also get paid to do so,” said Hueth.

Eight features will be centered on what teachers are doing with technology in the classrooms and online. Provost and Chief Academic Officer Kerry Fulcher, is looking forward to the program.

“We were looking for short videos that can highlight innovative pedagogy and technology use by faculty members,” said Fulcher. “This will help pique the interests of colleagues and potentially lead them to seek further exploration and training for how they might be able to use similar techniques in their own classroom teaching.”

Fulcher said he’s always willing to invest time and money into professional development for faculty and into highlighting their good work.

Many local entities have already reached out to Hueth.

“I’ve gotten quite a few phone calls and emails from local businesses who have seen student’s work and have requested specialized projects from them,” Hueth said.

Students will also produce videos to promote and inform people about the different PLNU departments and the programs within them.

Point TV station manager Caleb Daniels will be one of the students who writes and produces material for the program. He said the initiative is a good opportunity to get more eyes on student projects.

“I’m really looking forward to increasing our presence in the community while also increasing viewership,” Daniels said. “By producing these videos, our reach will expand to a wider audience.”

Selected students working on this program’s videos will be paid. Point TV will be accepting donations from the departments and other clients to pay for film projects and Point TV operations.

The first faculty technology feature story is expected to be out mid-semester. This pilot will become a template for future shows.

“There has been a strong push in this direction for a while so I’m excited that we’re finally moving forward,” said Hueth.