1Develop audience-appropriate story ideas consistent with Destination Purdue's mission. This requires critical thinking (will a topic actually interest readers and our client) and communication skills (students must articulate to the instructor and others why their stories will work).

2Distinguish the differences between feature and news stories. This requires knowledge (what are the technical differences between these two seminal communication styles).

3Write compelling, newsworthy feature stories. This requires critical thinking (what parts of conversations with sources will appeal to our readers).

4Produce and prepare publication-quality photos. This requires knowledge (how to shoot and prepare an effective photo).

5Demonstrate basic skills in desktop publishing software, design, and layout. This requires knowledge (of basic design principles and publishing software).

6Develop and demonstrate reporting skills that accurately reflect the diversity of the Purdue Agriculture community. This requires ethics (students must ensure that their work is diverse and inclusive) and critical thinking (students must be aware of when their work does not reflect the diversity of the population they serve).

7Demonstrate professionalism and professional "improvisation". This requires ethics (students must learn how to operate as professionals) and critical thinking (students must be able to solve unexpected problems that arise during the process).