Description
COM3706/2/2026
INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES ON PORTFOLIO
ASSIGNMENT 03: THE EXAMINATION PORTFOLIO
This tutorial letter contains the guidelines for Assignment 03. The examination portfolio (second
semester) also appears on the COM3706 myModules page (Assessment 03).
Important notice
In this module, we use Turnitin to detect similarities between assignments/portfolios and other
sources around the world. This means that you will continue to submit your assignments via
myUnisa. Turnitin, which is integrated with myUnisa, will generate a report showing the similarity
index. It is able to detect similarities from internet sources, AI tools, and previously submitted
assignments or portfolios. Do not share/compare your assignment with anyone because you do
not know what they will do with it. When the similarity scores are too high, we will investigate your
portfolio. If our investigation confirms that you cheated or plagiarised, your case will be referred
to the disciplinary office. Read the announcement on the myModules site for more information
about Turnitin.
Note that you will not be penalised if your Assignment 01 has similarities with your
Assignment 03 – portfolio (Turnitin normally excludes similarities in the same module,
same year and same semester).
Turnitin limits the number of submissions to three. We suggest that you submit your first version
48 hours before the deadline in order to have a chance to review your Turnitin scores and to make
changes before the cut-off time.
If it is the first time that you submit an assignment or a portfolio for a module with the Turnitin
plugin, you will be prompted to accept the Turnitin End-User License Agreement (EULA). This
is a once-off process. If you ignore or refuse to accept the Turnitin EULA message, your
assignment or portfolio will not be processed by Turnitin. Unfortunately, we will not mark an
assignment or portfolio that has not been processed by Turnitin.
All assignments must be typed. If an assignment is typed, Turnitin will be able to read the
content of the assignment. Only MS Word documents or PDFs that have been converted from
MS Word will be accepted. Unfortunately, we do not accept handwritten or scanned assignments.
If your assignment is handwritten or scanned, it will be returned to you with a zero mark.
Additional suggested reading for literature and theory:
Open Rubric
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Kotzé, K. 2012. The depiction of Julius Malema in the South African press. Global Media
Journal – African Edition, 6(2), 231–262.
Prinsloo, J. 2014. Examining the relationship between the news media and the ANC: A case study
of Nkandla coverage. Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies, 35(2), 23–39.
Siebörger, I. and Adendorff, R. 2022. “Eye on the big prize!”: Iconizing the Democratic Alliance in
the Daily Sun. Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus, 66(1), 47–86.
Tyali, S.M. 2017. Public perceptions of the media as a political actor in South Africa: Regarding
the Mail & Guardian. Journal of African Media Studies, 9(3), 547–562.
Wasserman, H., Chuma, W. and Bosch, T. 2018. Print media coverage of service delivery
protests in South Africa: A content analysis. African Studies, 77(1), 145–156.
PLEASE NOTE
You must complete and submit the examination portfolio (Assignment 03) on
or before 27 October 2026 (23:00).
Make sure that you answer the questions in ALL the sections of Assignment 03,
including the self-assessment and self-reflection sections. See Tutorial Letter
CMNALLE/301/2024 for guidelines on the technical presentation of your
examination/portfolio assignment.
Topic: A topic that mentions the name of the community radio station should be included.
1 (15
words)
1. INTRODUCTION
5 (150 words)
Read the feedback on Assignment 01 in this tutorial letter to learn how to write an introduction.
2. RESEARCH PROBLEM STATEMENT
5 (100 words)
Read the feedback on Assignment 01 in this tutorial letter to learn how to write a research problem
statement. Also, visit the COM3706 myModules page (Announcements tab) to view the recorded class
that dealt with the research problem statement.
3. SUBPROBLEMS
5 (select five subproblems)
You will have to select five subproblems out of the seven that we gave you. Since the main problem
is already given (A social media analysis study to understand how your selected community radio
engages its audience on social media), in assignment 1 you were expected to break the main issue
into two sub-problems.
Choose carefully from the sub-problems below, as this will form part of your data presentation
and analysis section at a later stage. We gave you the subproblems because many students
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Selected subproblems that did not align with the main research problem. Also, visit the COM3706
myModules page (Announcements tab) to view a recorded class that dealt with subproblems.
Based on the research scenario, the following subproblems were identified. These subproblems
relate to the main research problem.
– What is the statistical presentation of audience engagement on your selected social media
page of a community radio
1
?
– What does the community radio use social media
2
for?
– How does the audience respond to the social media posts of community radio?
– What type of language is used on the social media page of the community radio?
– What topics are mostly represented on the social media pages of your selected community
radio?
– What type of content engages audience on social media page for community radio?
– Does the community radio use social media optimally?
3
4. LITERATURE REVIEW
10 (300 words)
Read the feedback on Assignment 01 in this tutorial letter to learn how to write the literature review. In
addition, visit the COM3706 myModules page (Announcements tab) to view the recorded class that dealt
with the literature review.
The literature review should be written in an essay format.
Additional Suggested Readings:
Bonini, T., 2014. Doing radio in the age of Facebook. The Radio Journal–International Studies in
Broadcast & Audio Media, 12(1-2), pp.73-87.
Gjoni, E., 2017. From passive viewers to content generators: Audience role on TV
programs
and Online Media. Journalism and mass communications, 9(2), pp.63- 77.
Guo, M., 2018. How television viewers use social media to engage with programming: The social
engagement scale development and validation. Journal of Broadcasting &
Electronic
Media, 62(2), pp.195-214.
Pilitsidou, Z., Tsigilis, N. and Kalliris, G., 2019. Radio Stations and Audience Communication:
Social Media Utilization and Listeners Interaction. Issues in
Social Science, 7, p.23.
5. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
5 (200 words)
Read the feedback on Assignment 01 in this tutorial letter to learn how to write a theoretical framework.
Also, visit the COM3706 myModules page (Announcements tab) to view the recorded class that dealt with
2
Always mention the name of your selected community radio station.
3
Always mention the name of your selected social media platform.
COM3706/2/2026
the theoretical framework.
Reading Tips: Read the works of seminal authors such as Manuel Castells, Jan van Dijk or Marshall
McLuhan.
Note: No sources consulted in text = No marks.
6 RESEARCH DESIGN
12 (360 words)
Check the feedback on Assignment 01 to learn how to write a research design. Also, visit the COM3706
myModules page (Announcements tab) to view the recorded class that dealt with the research design.
7 PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS
28 (720 words)
Now that you have submitted your Assignment 01 (proposal), you are expected to collect and analyse data
and to present the findings.
In this section, you are expected to present and analyse your qualitative data in a written format.
Your quantitative data should be presented in numerical form, that is, in tables and graphs. Your
presentation and analysis of the data should be linked to your main research problem and
subproblems. Whilst presenting your data, you will be expected to attach evidence of data
collection as an addendum. Attach some screenshots of interesting social media posts from your
community radio station to demonstrate what is happening on your selected social media page.
Due to the ethical principle of confidentiality and privacy, you need to hide the names of social
media participants. Also attach the coding table as an addendum. Please refer to your prescribed
book for guidelines on coding.
The following topics should be covered in your analysis. You need to select the five topics that
matches your five subproblem. You will lose marks if your topic of analysis do not match your
subproblems. Go back to the feedback on assignment to select the subproblems that matches your
topic of analysis.
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7.1 To present the statistical analysis of how audience engages social media
page of the
community radio
For instance, you will look how often the station post on social media; how many followers they
have on their page; how long did they take to post 50 statuses, what is the average number of
comments, retweets/sharing or likes/reactions; and what are the most popular or less popular
posts? Present your findings in graphs or charts and do the analysis. Attach a screenshot of
evidence as addendum.
7.2 How the community radio use social media
4
?
To describe whether the community radio use social media page for programme updates, news,
sports, announcements/information, photos, videos, live streaming, quizzes etc.
Describe what you see on the social media page. Attach a screenshot of some evidence as
addendum.
5
7.3 How the audiences respond to the social media posts of community radio?
To determine whether the audiences respond to the posted content, positively, negatively or
neutrally. What do you think cause the audience to respond in that specific way? Attach a
screenshot of some evidence as addendum.
7.4 The type of language used on social media page of the community radio.
Find out which of the official languages are used on the social media page. Does the radio station
use the same language on air and social media? Describe the language dynamics. In addition, you
can also investigate whether the language used is persuasive, emotive, formal, informal, or
humorous. Attach a screenshot of some evidence as addendum.
7.5 The topics/themes that are mostly represented on the social media pages of your
selected community radio.
You will need identify the topics/themes that are mostly represented on the social media pages
through some statistical analysis. Attach a screenshot of some evidence as addendum.
7.6 The content that engages audience the most on the social media page of your selected
radio station.
You will have to identify which content engages the audience most. Compare between news,
sports, programme update, questions, community engagement, opinion polls or quizzes. Present
in graph or chart and perform some analysis. Attach a screenshot of some evidence as addendum.
7.7 To investigate if your selected community radio uses social media optimally.
You could determine if the community radio use social media to the best of their ability or there is
something that can be done to improve i.e. updating after a long time, poor grammar, not
responding to people questions etc. Attach a screenshot of some evidence as addendum.
1
Addendum 1 was included in Assignment 01 (Attach some screenshots of interesting social media posts from your
community radio station to demonstrate what is happening on your selected social media page).
4
Ensure that you mention the type of social media that you analysed.
5
Ensure that you mention the name of your selected community radio.
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8 DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS
5 (150 words)
You need to indicate if the findings of the results agree/disagree with the literature review and the network
society theoretical assumptions, point out that there is an agreement/disagreement between the research
findings and the theoretical assumptions. Also, indicate if the research achieved its objectives.
9 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
3 (90 words)
What are the limitations of the study? What would you like to recommend for future studies
(recommendations)? Were there any limitations to the study?
10 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
7 (210 words)
As a researcher, you have to demonstrate that you understand the Unisa Policy on Research Ethics. We
have attached the Unisa Policy on Research Ethics for more information about the university’s stance on
ethical research (see Additional Resources). The prescribed book also has a section on research ethics.
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Do the following:
• Explain your understanding of research ethics.
• Select the two most relevant basic principles of research and indicate how your research will adhere
to them. Read Part 2, Section 1.2, of the Unisa Policy on Research Ethics to learn about the 10
basic principles of research ethics.
• Attach the ethics class approval as an addendum to show that the research received this approval.
Go to the Additional Resources tab to download the ethics class approval.
Note: Students are expected to attach the research ethics approval as Addendum 6 (for 2 marks).
11 Conclusion
5 (150 words)
Conclude your research project with a brief paragraph. In other words, briefly remind your readers of what
was discussed in the previous sections of the portfolio and your research findings. See the feedback on
Assignment 01 to learn how to write a conclusion.
TECHNICAL PRESENTATION
5
Third-year students are expected to submit logically structured assignments that adhere to the principles
of technical presentation provided in Tutorial Letter CMNALLE/301/2024.
The importance of correct technical presentation cannot be overemphasised.
PLEASE NOTE
If you lost marks because of the technical presentation of assignments that you submitted
during the semester, make sure that the technical presentation of your examination portfolio is
correct before submitting it.
The following problems are often encountered with the technical presentation of assignments:
● Assignments are not properly structured because there are no headings or subheadings.
● Assignments do not have a table of contents, or the table of contents was compiled
incorrectly.
● A list of sources consulted is not included, it is incomplete (for example internet sources, the
prescribed book and the study guide are not cited) or it does not follow the correct style.
● Sources are not cited in the text.
● The correct referencing technique was not used. There is a specific way to reference internet
articles or news articles that are used as examples in an assignment. These sources should
be listed correctly in the list of sources consulted.
COM3706/2/2026
● Assignments contain numerous spelling and grammatical errors.
● The work is untidy.
● the spelling does not adhere to British (UK English) conventions.
Note: Remember that whenever you use a source, you must reference it both in the text and in
the list of sources consulted. This also applies to references to the study guide. As a third-year
student, you should be able to interpret and apply the supporting theory and to engage with it
critically; it is not enough to merely regurgitate the information in the prescribed book or suggested
reading material. You must be aware of the work of the seminal theorists associated with each
concept or term, and be able to discuss it critically.
SELF-ASSESSMENT AND SELF-REFLECTION
5 (150 words)
It is crucial that you engage critically with the arguments of seminal theorists. It is also important
to be critical of your own work; therefore, you must carry out critical self-assessment and selfreflection.
If
you
do
self-assessment
and
self-reflection
in
a
timely
manner,
you
will
be
able
to
address
some
of
the
shortcomings
in
your
work
and
improve
your
work
before
submitting
it.
There
are
no correct or incorrect answers for the self-assessment and self-reflection sections. Apart
from the advantages of a critical attitude, completing these sections of the portfolio assignment
will ensure that you earn five marks for each section.
Over the years, some students submitted self-assessment and self-reflection sections that were
too brief and not sufficiently detailed. Some students even left these sections out and lost the five
marks they might have earned. You are expected to write a minimum of 150 words for selfassessment
and self-reflection. No marks will be awarded by simply cutting and pasting
information for self-assessment and self-reflection that you submitted previously for other
modules. The self-assessment and self-reflection should be unique for each portfolio. It is a
violation of academic integrity if students submit a self-assessment and self-reflection that has
been submitted by another student.
ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR ASSIGNMENT 03: THE
EXAMINATION PORTFOLIO
Study the prescribed book and study guide to complete this activity. We have provided additional
examples, detailed explanations and a variety of activities in the study guide to help you grasp
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the foundation of the work. We advise you to write in your own words and provide detailed
answers. Note that, for five marks, your answer should contain a minimum of 150 words.
Ensure that you do not copy information verbatim from the prescribed book, the study guide, the
tutorial letter or any other source. Turnitin is able to flag portfolios that have a high similarity index.
When referring to a source, you have to paraphrase the information to show that you understand
the content. Even when paraphrasing, however, you still have to acknowledge the sources that
you consulted in the text and in the list of sources consulted. Where you quoted directly from a
source, you had to use quotation marks. Copying information verbatim without using quotation
marks will be regarded as plagiarism. Excessive use of quotes is also problematic. See Tutorial
Letter CMNALLE/301/2024 to learn how to cite sources correctly.
Refer to the feedback on Assignment 01 to see how to write the introduction, research problem
statement or main issue, subproblems, literature review, theoretical framework, and data
collection methods and techniques.
Preparing your portfolio for submission
Once you have finished your selected activities, you have to prepare your portfolio for submission.
The following points should help you in compiling your examination portfolio correctly.
1. Make sure that you provide a table of contents and a list of sources consulted, and that
both are placed with the activities. Add any addenda at the end of the activities, after the
list of sources consulted. All the articles that we request you to attach should be added as
addenda.
2. Add a cover page to the front of your activities. Include details such as your student
number, the module code, the semester and the year.
3. Submit your portfolio electronically via myUnisa; you have to save your activities and the
addenda as one file.
4. The declaration is NO longer compulsory because students are expected to accept the
honesty declaration during the submission process. You will not be able to submit your
portfolio without accepting the honesty declaration. Please read the honesty declaration
carefully because it is a binding contract between you and the university.
5. Before you submit, make sure that your cover page, table of contents, list of sources
consulted and addenda are all included in a single file. Do not upload files in a zipped
format. Submit the entire portfolio as one document. If you submit more than one file,
COM3706/2/2026
only the first file will be accepted. All other files will be discarded. The system will give
you only three opportunities to submit your examination portfolio; therefore, you need to
verify that the examination portfolio is correct and complete before you submit it. We will
not be held liable for any incomplete or incorrect portfolio that you submit. Online
assignments are accepted in PDF and MS Word. Do not exit the submission window until
the final screen appears that states your assignment has been submitted successfully. You
need to take a screenshot of the confirmation page as proof that you submitted your
assignment.
IN CLOSING
We wish you all the best in your studies for this module. We hope that you will enjoy the learning
material and complete the module successfully. We also hope that you will do well and that you
will learn a lot from it.
If you have any queries, please contact us at any time. We are here to assist you. You may
contact any of your lecturers by using the details provided in this tutorial letter.
SOURCE CONSULTED
Du Plooy, G.M. 2009. Communication research: Techniques, methods and applications.
Claremont: Juta.
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