Training Journalists Across The Pacific

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABCID)

Overview

Delivering high-quality journalism training across the Indo-Pacific requires more than strong content—it demands a learning experience that works across countries, cultures, languages, devices, and connectivity constraints.

Foundations of Journalism is ABC International Development’s flagship journalism training program, developed in close collaboration with media organisations and associations across the Indo-Pacific, and delivered in partnership with mylearningspace as the learning platform and Learning Experience Design partner.

The program was created with support from ABC International Development’s Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS), the Papua New Guinea Media Development Initiative (MDI), and the Media Education for Development and Information Access (MEDIA) platform, funded under the Australian Government’s Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Strategy.

Together, these partnerships enabled ABC International Development to design and deliver an accessible, sustainable, and locally led training program that strengthens journalism capability across countries including Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and beyond—while ensuring the program could scale across languages, organisations, and connectivity environments.

"Foundations of Journalism shows what’s possible when world-class content is paired with learning design that works across languages, cultures, devices, and connectivity constraints".

Peta Bulsara, Co-Designer and Project Manager, Foundations of Journalism, ABC International Development

Bringing Learning To The Digital Age

ABCID developed high-quality journalism content authored by leading practitioners in Word documents. To achieve meaningful scale and impact, this content needed to be transformed into a mobile-first, low-bandwidth, multilingual learning experience that could be accessed online or offline and measured for impact.

Key challenges included:

Media organisations across the Indo-Pacific face persistent and interconnected challenges:

Limited time and capacity to train journalists while maintaining daily newsroom operations.
High staff turnover and varying levels of formal journalism education.
Inconsistent or costly internet access.
Heavy reliance on mobile devices rather than desktop computers.
The need for training that is locally relevant while maintaining consistent professional standards.

Partnering with Premium Partner mylearningspace

mylearningspace partnered with ABCID to provide both the learning platform and the Learning Experience Design expertise required to transform their vision into reality.

The Foundations of Journalism program is delivered through a streamlined Moodle Workplace site, to support large-scale, multi-country professional learning programs.

Key platform capabilities include:

A centralised Program structure and automation, allowing learners to be enrolled once to gain access to all 29 learning modules.
Seamless learner progression and completion tracking across the entire Program.
Automated reporting to support program oversight, analysis, and evaluation.
Digital badges awarded to participants upon successful completion.

Learning Experience Design (LXD)

Bringing Content to Life

ABCID authored the journalism content, while mylearningspace applied Learning Experience Design to transform static documents into interactive, engaging online learning.

Using a combination of Articulate Rise 360 and Moodle Workplace, mylearningspace:

Converted Word-based content into interactive, media-rich modules.
Designed learning that supports short, focused interactions suited to busy newsrooms.
Ensured the experience worked effectively on mobile phones, recognising that many learners access training exclusively via mobile devices.
Structured content to support self-paced learning alongside on-the-job practice.

The design approach balanced pedagogical rigour with practical constraints—ensuring the learning was engaging, usable, and relevant in real-world newsroom environments.

Multilingual Delivery and Local Accessibility

Regionally Consistent and Locally Accessible

Foundations of Journalism was designed to be both regionally consistent and locally accessible.

mylearningspace supported ABCID by:

Configuring the Moodle site to support multiple interface languages.
Managing and deploying translated content across modules, including Bahasa Indonesian, Pijin, Samoan, Tetun, and Tongan.
Ensuring learners could engage with both the platform and learning content in their local language, improving comprehension, confidence, and inclusion.

This multilingual capability has been central to the program’s strong uptake across diverse media organisations.

Offline Access and Mobile Learning

To address this, mylearningspace:

Provided premium hosting with access to the Moodle Workplace mobile app
Enabled learners to download courses once and complete modules offline
Designed modules to perform reliably in low-bandwidth conditions

This ensured journalists could continue learning regardless of location, connectivity, or data costs—an essential factor in many Indo-Pacific contexts.

Data, Insights, and Impact Measurement

Beyond delivery, the program was designed to generate meaningful insights.

mylearningspace configured the Moodle Workplace site to:

Customise user profiles to capture key demographic information
Deploy pre- and post-program surveys to measure shifts in skills, confidence, and professional practice
Enable automated reporting, providing ABCID with clear visibility of participation, progress, and outcomes across countries and partners

These capabilities support continuous improvement and evidence-based reporting to stakeholders and funders.

results and impact

The Foundations of Journalism program has now been delivered to journalists across multiple Indo-Pacific countries, supporting:

Improved story structure, fact-checking, and ethical decision-making
Increased confidence among early-career and mid-career journalists
More consistent newsroom standards and shared professional language
Stronger, more resilient media organisations operating in challenging environments

Participants who successfully complete the program receive a digital badge, recognising their achievement and supporting professional credibility within their organisations and beyond.

A Shared Vision, Delivered at Scale

Foundations of Journalism is a clear example of what can be achieved when strong content, thoughtful service design, and robust learning technology are aligned.

ABC International Development brought deep regional expertise and a clear vision for strengthening journalism across the Indo-Pacific. mylearningspace combined a streamlined Moodle Workplace platform and with Learning Experience Design to transform that vision into a scalable, inclusive, and award-winning digital learning experience.

Together, the partnership has delivered a program that not only teaches journalism—but strengthens the foundations of independent, ethical media across the region

Find out more about ABCID’s Gold Award in Service Design here.

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