Professor and School of Journalism associate director Laura Castañeda wrote a research article about online journalism degrees at accredited universities. The article, titled “Disruption and Innovation: Online Learning and Degrees at Accredited Journalism Schools and Programs,” appeared in the Winter 2011 edition of Journalism & Mass Communication Educator. It was based on her 2010 doctoral dissertation at the USC Rossier School of Education. The study examined online journalism courses and degrees at the 113 programs accredited in 2008-2009 by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Through surveys and research, Castañeda concluded that online journalism programs may grow in the future, “and early innovators could carve out new markets of non-traditional students.” “This study sought to fill a gap in the literature about online learning and journalism schools and programs, and provided a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of the current state of online learning within this discipline,” Castañeda wrote in the article’s discussion section. “To be sure, a large community of non-traditional students is already using online learning to meet their educational goals. It is not unreasonable to believe that ‘Digital Natives’ born after 1980, who have already changed the way news is defined, produced, and consumed, also will demand a new way to learn journalism that will incorporate online technologies.” Journalism & Mass Communication Educator