Since 2016, Ann Verlinden has been a researcher at the center of expertise for Sustainable Business and Digital Innovation. Within the Digital Storytelling research line, she focuses on research into new narrative forms.
The power of stories has always fascinated me and has become the common thread throughout my career as a journalist, reporter, teacher and researcher. Bringing stories close to people is a challenge and certainly not always easy in these info-toxic times. Media and communication professionals are therefore looking for new storytelling formats that appeal to a young, broad and diverse audience. Within the Digital Storytelling research line, I particularly like to focus on researching these new narrative forms.
I took my first steps within Thomas More Research in 2015 with a study of the media needs of prisoners in Leuven-Central. With the project TRACES (Together Reaching Audiences) - supported by Creative Europe - we went in search of new narrative forms in and outside the museum together with European museums. And in 2021 I completed an investigation into the journalist of tomorrow. (Who is the journalist of tomorrow? From omniscient narrator to open-minded explorer. De Journalist, December 2021) I am currently participating in the research project Untapped, in which we investigate, among other things, how Artificial Intelligence can improve the work of journalists and other creators of stories. strengthen.
Like many other researchers, I combine my work as a researcher with teaching at the Media School on Campus De Ham, in my case the Journalism programme. Conceiving, creating and publishing stories together with young people is extremely enriching and provides a lot of insight into the world of young people and the way they do storytelling. Through various (media) projects and courses - such as Storylab, Nieuwslab and Digital Creative Skills - we also bring together students, teachers, researchers and the professional field.
Van opleiding ben ik germaniste en theaterwetenschapper. Ik werkte ruim vijftien jaar als journalist en reportagemaker voor verschillende zenders en uitgevers: achtereenvolgens RTV, ROB-tv, VTM (Telefacts en Nieuws), VRT (Radio 1) en WPG Uitgevers (productiehuis Santeboetiek). Vanuit een sterke interesse voor alles wat met onderwijs en de ontwikkeling van jongeren te maken heeft schreef ik in 2017 ook het boek ‘Studeren is voor Strevers. Hoe ons onderwijs talent verspilt.’ (Manteau, 2017)