The literature on PR pedagogy that informs my teaching activities and assignments as well as guides my philosophy in PR instruction center on preparing students for three important "worlds":
- the professional world
- the technological world
- the global world
What follows is a summary of some of the research that has lead me to these three foci, and what it has to do with setting students up for success beyond the classroom.

The professional world
The practice and the classroom are two entirely different places. While professors can prepare students with the best texts, the strongest theory, and the foundations of public relations, there are some things that can only be learned outside of the classroom. For this reason, activities involving the use of real clients and contact with professionals have a lot to offer for students of public realtions. Aldoory & Wrigley (2000) found that students ranked the use of real clients in class assignments highly. Further, clients enjoyed working with students, that their expectations were either met or surpassed, and that they would recommend the experience of working with students to others.

Johnson and Sallot’s (2006) “gatekeeper assignment” requires students to visit a newsroom and interview a journalist about working with PR practitioners, providing students with a look into the practitioner-journalist relationship. Survey data indicated that this assignment was seen as very valuable to former students, since an interview with a journalist in the newsroom is a rare event for practitioners. By using their student status, future practitioners were able to have an experience not possible either in the classroom or in the practice of PR.

The technological world
As digital media play more and more of a central role in daily life, practitioners will be expected to understand and utilize these media to reach client’s important constituencies. Argenti (2006) found that technology has had a variety of impacts on corporate communication, including control of information dissemination, the nature of audiences, and the accessibility of company employees. He suggests that educators utilize technology to access more in-depth information about companies than was previously readily available, enhancing both classroom teaching and research.

Not only is it expected that PR practitioners will be able to utilize these technologies, but further, they will be expected to innovate. Gower & Cho (2001) explore the use of technology in public relations, and suggest that educators teach students about both current and potential uses of technology in the field. They suggest that practitioners may not have the skills to realize the potential impact of new technologies, and that education about the Internet in the context of PR will enable students to use new technology to their advantage.

The global world
PR practitioners today are facing an increasingly global world. Practitioners are also being called on to work on multi-national PR campaigns for global companies. In order to stay competitive, future practitioners must be prepared to work in a global environment, even if they never leave their home town in their practice.

George (2003) suggests strategies for teaching international public relations, arguing that in an increasingly global environment, even practitioners operating in one country face culturally diverse constituencies. A number of scholars have argued for curricular changes that incorporate international public relations, preparing students to work in an international and culturally diverse mediascape (Bardhan, 2003; Taylor, 2001). These changes can either be made by adding a course in international public relations, of by incorporating or “internationalizing” existing courses through the addition of assignments that address the global nature of PR.

conclusion: real worlds
I refer to these three elements as “real worlds” because beyond the classroom, these are three of the main variables that new practitioners face. While we know that these are three of the main challenges for new practitioners, it must also be understood that what students learn throughout their education will have changed by the time they graduate. For this reason, future practitioners should be prepared for change rather than specific changes, for applying theory to new and different situations, and for maintaining high professional standards and ethics in practice no matter what medium their message is in. The real world is changing faster and faster, and we must prepare students to be leaders and innovators of those changes.

References

Aldoory, L. & Wrigley, B. (2000). Exploring the use of real clients in the PR campaigns course. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 54(4), 47-58.

Argenti, P. (2006, July). How Technology Has Influenced the Field of Corporate Communication. Journal of Business & Technical Communication, 20(3), 357-370. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from Communication & Mass Media Complete database.

Bardhan, N. (2003). Creating spaces for international and multi-(inter)cultural perspectives in undergraduate public relations education. Communication Education, 52(2), 164 – 172.

George, A. M. (2003). Teaching culture: The challenges and opportunities of international public relations. Business Communication Quarterly, 66(2), 97-113.

Gower, K. & Cho, J. (2001). Use of the Internet in the public relations curriculum. Journalism &Mass Communication Educator, 56(2), 81-92.

Johnson, E. A. & Sallot, L. M. (2006, summer). The gatekeeper interview assignment: Teaching public relations students how to write for the news media and to conduct media relations effectively. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 61(2), 165-178.

Taylor, M. (2001, Spring). Internationalizing the public relations curriculum. Public Relations Review, 27(1), 73. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from Academic Search Premier database.