April 1 2025

OTTAWA, ON – ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University’s Bachelor of Media Production and Design (BMPD) MPAD: 4000 Capstone Project is a year-long experiential learning course that allows MPAD students to practice and demonstrate the skills and tools learned in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program.

Students have worked with community organizations and partners to produce multimedia projects and expand their digital and media storytelling skills. Working with community and industry partners, students developed a digital media product that tells a story about the partner organization. During this academic year, students brainstormed, ideated, and planned projects that fulfilled their partner’s needs and executed these projects by the end of the winter term for their final exhibition. The projects showcase student’s skills in areas like app design, video, graphic design, AR storytelling, and website development.

One of the student groups is working with the ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ Wellness Centre to build a mental health app titled, Raven’s Wellnest. Student Maryam says, “Our goal with this app is to give students a space where wellness and productivity work hand in hand. We know university life can be overwhelming, so we’re creating a tool that not only helps students stay organized, but also prioritizes their mental health — because you can’t thrive academically if you’re not taking care of yourself first. Our app is designed to be that gentle support, right in your pocket.”

Another group of students is working on a digital archive of the watching territory exhibition in Dunton Tower and enhancing the archive through Augmented Reality (AR) in partnership with surveillART: care-laboratory for disruptive exhibitionism. Students in this group have said, “Our main goal with our capstone project is to expand the artworks beyond the confines of the exhibition, breaking through spatial boundaries to exist beyond its walls.”

In partnership with Re: Climate, students created a campaign called ‘Sustainabull,’ reflected on their work: “Through a social media campaign and two documentaries, we set out to educate, spread awareness, and empower people to spot greenwashing and challenge deceptive marketing.”.Ěý

The exhibition title, Gateways: to the future, was chosen by the students in the class, to represent the fact that the exhibition is a gateway for students as they complete the BMPD program and head towards their future.

Dr. StĂ©fy McKnight, the instructor of MPAD 4000 says “This year we have a constellation of projects that look at pressing political and social issues such as decolonization, climate change, community arts advocacy, equity in journalism, hate, and the polycrisis. I am so proud of our students and their ability to tell these stories in ethical, care-full, and interactive ways. They should be very proud of the work they’ve done and what they have accomplished over the last eight months. I can’t wait to see where they are heading next!”.Ěý

Students exhibiting work are:Ěý

The exhibition will be held in Richcraft Hall, on ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University campus.

Date: April 10^th, 2025, at 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Location: Richcraft Hall Room 4114 and 4115, ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6

For more information, contact Hailey David, a featured group member.

Dr. Carly Dybka is the most recent graduate from ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´’s PhD program in Communication.

The Communication and Media Studies program is proud to congratulate Dr. Carly Dybka, who graduated with her PhD in Communication in June. Dybka’s dissertation research, which focused on social media monitoring by branches of the Government of Canada, contributes to an important field of study that is both under-researched and relevant to the current moment.

Dybka, who works for Justice Canada as a Director of Communications, examined how federal government communications branches monitor social media to understand how issues are being discussed by the public, as well as the monitoring tools they use in service of this goal. “Carly’s dissertation offers unique and valuable insight into the practice of social media monitoring by the Government of Canada,” said Dr. Mary Francoli (Associate Professor, Communication and Media Studies), who served as Dybka’s PhD supervisor.

In addition to exploring what kind of public is constructed through this monitoring, Dybka’s research investigated how the nature of communications branches themselves have shaped social media monitoring in terms of their priorities and their handling of the large and small data they use.

“The work of government communications branches is generally under-studied in both public administration and communication,” Dybka said. “As a new function, social media monitoring introduces unprecedented opportunities and challenges for these branches in understanding the public environment.” She wanted to use the dissertation to bring their social media monitoring to light and unpack everything from the epistemological underpinnings of the activity to how day-to-day practices shape a biased understanding of the public. Francoli noted that “among other things, [Dybka’s research] points to the need for more rigorous privacy consideration, strategic planning, and training.”

Dr. Dybka receiving her diploma onstage at her convocation ceremony on June 18, 2020.

Dybka’s dissertation reflects tendencies for government to rely on private sector solutions to advance priorities in the digital and data space. ĚýShe clarified that “this reliance has in part been created by changing trends in governance dating back several decades. Government is now trying to take on more functions in-house, but without the tools and range of expertise needed for them to fully achieve their objectives. Supplementing those gaps with private sector solutions also allows the industry to shape perceptions around social media monitoring, its privacy implications, and its value.”

During her PhD studies and research, Dybka worked as a contract instructor in the Faculty of Public Affairs, both for Communication and Media Studies and for the Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management (PAPM). She was also the SJC’s 2022 Public Servant in Residence. In addition to her ongoing work associated with the Faculty of Public Affairs, she plans to continue collaborating with Government colleagues to improve awareness and practices of communications branches in using social media data.

On Dec. 3, 2015, all the videos were screened in The 69 Second Film Festival. Ěý

Critical response was provided by four jury members:Ěý

• Jeremy O’Neill, Emmy-award winning animator and storyboard artist (Arthur, The Croods)
• Maya Shoucair, communications manager at MediaSmarts, the national digital literacy organization
• Sacha Hebbert, composer, music producer, actor and film producer with Symphonic Filmworks
• Liam Mooney, founder and CEO of Jackpine Digital Design Studio. ĚýĚý

Here is a sampling of some of the best of the 69 Second Films, as selected by the jury and the members of the JOUR1000 class.

‘Twas the Night Before Elections
By Taylor Retter and Kayleen Sawatzky

Because I’m AĚýFeminist
By Jane Skrypnek and Shanice Pereira

The Cup Song
By Gregory Guevara and Reina Cowan

Homelessness
By Ryan Curley and Kennedy Harvey

Keep the Lights On
By Alexander Behne and Maria Rey Manjarrez

Looking Through the Eyes of International Students
By Elsa Guo and Samantha Ferguson

Netflix and Chill
By Hunza Chaudhary and Daanish Rehman

The Friendship Bench
By Jasmine Moreau and Meagan Casalino