A case study in PR writing: Professionals and academics collaborate to produce career-ready students

In early fall 2005, professors in public relations studies developed a rubric for teaching and assessing news-release writing in the foundational writing course in the PR Studies curriculum. As teaching tools, rubrics tend to clarify assignments and help students reach objectives. As a grading tool, a rubric provides a fair, reliable way to assess student performance. Developing the rubric called for input from both academics and professionals, and Chicago offers a broad community richly populated with public relations practitioners who have experience working with students. Here, Allen presents a case study in PR writing.