Interdisciplinary Curriculum Design for Journalism and Communication Programs within New Liberal Arts Industry-Academy Institutes

Abstract

Against the dual backdrop of the New Liberal Arts Initiative and the rise of Industry-Academy Institutes, Journalism and Communication programs face the challenge of misalignment between "disciplinary logic" and "industry logic." Focusing on curriculum design and drawing on Constructivist Learning Theory, the T-shaped Competency Model, and the CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) framework, this paper proposes a three-tiered progressive structure: "Platform + Module + Micro-credential." Platform courses (2 credits) solidify digital literacy and design thinking; Module courses (10 credits) embed real-world enterprise projects; Micro-credentials (2 credits) offer flexible skill extension. Two years of pilot implementation show significant improvement in students' transversal competencies. Enterprise satisfaction rose from 78% to 92%, and 35% of student outputs were directly adopted by partner companies. The study addresses four key challenges—disciplinary cultural conflicts, faculty interdisciplinary barriers, fragmented resources, and student cognitive load—through mechanisms like dual mentors (academic/industry), flexible semester scheduling, and diversified assessment. This forms a replicable, plug-and-play lightweight reform paradigm. Limitations include the sample being confined to three Industry-Academy Institutes; future steps involve decomposing the curriculum into granular micro-units and diffusing the model across broader media-related disciplines to build a more open industry-education integration ecosystem.