FALL 2017 SYLLABUS subject to change with notice Revised Aug 18, 2017 DIGM 3357: Content Strategy and Development

Transcription

1 FALL 2017 SYLLABUS subject to change with notice Revised Aug 18, 2017 DIGM 3357: Content Strategy and Development Instructor: Prof. Monika Alters Phone: Office: 347, Brazos Hall Office Hours: Wed 9:00-11:00AM, Th 12:00-3:00PM, or by Appointment Website: Social Media : Twitter/ Facebook/LinkedIn: Monika J Alters Lecture: SEC Online Lab: SEC Tu 8:30-11:30AM SEC Tu 1:00-4:00PM SEC We 1:00-4:00PM Location: U of H Sugar Land Campus: George Building, RM 218 Course Description: Course Objectives: The course explores branded content strategies across multimedia platforms (social media, web, e-campaigns, and mobile media). Students will be introduced to frameworks and practices on content creation and strategy and analyzing its performance. This course provides a framework for students to navigate the fast changing environment of the web and social media under the lense of content creation. After completion of this course, the student should be able to: 1.) plan and develop a marketing strategy that bring results, 2.) create personas for audience development, 3.) write a positioning statement for a company, 4.) learn how to create an authentic brand story, 5.) produce marketing campaign for social media, 6.) promote, maintain, and iterate company s content, and 7.) track and analyze your content. Required Textbook: 1.) Albee. A Digital Relevance: Developing Marketing Content and Strategies that Drive Results. ISBN:

2 2.) The Content Promotion Manifesto: Getting the Most Out of Your Content Marketing. By Chad Pollitt (Free PDF) Required Resources: Recommended Textbook: Required Digital Storage: Important Information: Facebook: Student Showcase: Course Credit 1.) Beginners Guide to Content Marketing: 2.) No Words Wasted: A guide to Creating Focused Content Sheridan, Marcus They Ask, You Answer. Wiley, New Jersey. ISBN: You will need a Portable Drive or a Flash Drive, for example, for backing up and archiving your files. Don t work directly from your flash drive, as they get corrupted and you might loose all your work. As a student of the University of Houston, information available at will be critical to you in insuring that your academic pursuits meet with success and that you encounter the fewest financial and academic difficulties possible. Please take a few moments to review each of the areas, and become familiar with the resources detailed on the website with regard to: The UH Academic Honesty Policy: the UH Academic Calendar; Students with Disabilities; Religious Holy Day FAQs; Other Information. Uh Emergency: Please like the UH Digital Media Program page to receive notifications about events, jobs, and internships. All Digital Media students are encouraged to post their best work on our site s Student Showcase. Entries can be in any Digital Media field and from any Digital Media course. Please go to click the submit your work link on the left side of the page, complete the Student Showcase Submit Form, and upload your project. Please note that for us to approve your posting, and make it visible on the web, we must have on file for you a UH Content Release Form, which can be downloaded from the Student Showcase Submit Form. This course is divided into lecture/lab and is governed by the University of Houston policy as well as policies of the accrediting bodies. Students should understand that each hour of class credit requires three hours per week: one hour in lecture and two hours personal study/homework. Thus, during a regular semester a three-hour course requires a minimum nine hours per week: three in class and six on your own. Some weeks might require more hours. Grading: Exams: 10% Quizzes: 15% Assignments: 20% Projects: 35% (Project 1: 15%, Project 2: 20%) Presentation: 10% Attendance/Participation: 10% Letter Grades: A A B B B C C C D D 71 D- 70 F: 69 and below 2

3 Lecture Modules: Quizzes : Exams: Lab Assignments: Projects: When you the instructor, please include course number and lab time in the Subject Line and Your name. (eg., DIGM 3357 Tues 8-11, Your Name... ). s that don t include the correct subject line might not be answered. Online Modules will be posted on Blackboard every FRIDAY. Students should become well familiar with a given lecture prior to coming to the lab. The online lecture material will be crucial in completing your lab work effectively and effectively. You will have a quiz on Blackboard each week over assigned book chapters and course content. Quizzes will be assigned on Friday and due on Wednesday. There will be two exams given a midterm and a final. The midterm will cover all module material covered up to the exam, including the quizzes. The final will cover all module material covered after the midterm. During each lab meeting, the professor will give students a specific assignment to complete. Lab Assignments will be due either at the end of the given lab or a week from the assigned date, depending on the amount of work. There will be two group projects assigned by the instructor during the semester to in-depth assess students skill level and knowledge of the discussed topic. Projects due dates are listed in the schedule. Detailed instructions would be given at a later date. Project 1: Personas Develop 2-3 personas for social media by interviewing 5-10 potential buyers. Project 2: Content Marketing Based on personas, develop a content marketing campaign for social media. Teams: Prof. Alters will choose a leader for each group based on their GPA. The leader will have a week to decide if he or she would like to remain in their leadership position. If not, the team must elect another leader. The remaining students will provide each leader with his or her resume and a draft, based upon the documented skills of each class member, which will be used to assign students to groups. Each team will develop a Team Contract that will serve as a basis for individual expectations and responsibilities. A copy of the contract will be kept on file in Prof. Alters s office. There should be 4 members to a team, unless otherwise decided and approved by the professor. Presentations: Each team will be required to give a formal presentation to the class, instructor, and possible client. All team members must take an active role in the presentation. You are encouraged to take this presentation very seriously. As a professional, you should dress and act the part. You should use some type of presentation software. The presentation should take no more than 15 minutes. 3

4 Use clear and concise organization that only includes pertinent facts. Do not bore your audience with trivial information. To conclude, clearly define what the benefits will be to your client and try to sell benefits not a package. Remember, you are trying to sell a proposal, which, as you know, will provide substantial revenue to your company. Web Browser: Work Submission: Do not use Chrome for any portion of this course. If you do, you will get answers wrong on quizzes and exams or have issues submitting your test. Since you have been told not to use this browser, your professor will have no sympathy for you when you get poor grades on your exam. Work will be due via Blackboard, unless otherwise specified. It Is Your Responsibility To Make Sure Your Work Has Been Submitted Correctly! Attendance/Participation: Regular and punctual attendance is required of each student. Be on time for labs! There will be a grade penalty for each unexcused absence. After three unexcused absences the student might either be dropped from the course or his/her grade might be negatively affected. In addition to the University s policy, it is the instructor s decision as to what will constitute an excused absence based on academic and professional growth opportunities outside the class. If there is any question as to the nature of the absence, the student should seek out the instructor prior to the absence. Excused Absences are defined as follows: Illness with a doctor s note Participation in a university function with a note from the advisor Death in the family with appropriate documentation Students should not only attend each lab regularly and punctually, they should also come the lab prepared. As such, students should review the online content and be familiar with the lecture prior to each lab session. Lab Policies: Open Lab: The use of the Digital Media Laboratory is a privilege afforded to those who pay Incidental Fees to maintain the lab and respect it and its contents. Please adhere to the following rules: No cell phone use No disruptive behavior No profanity/ obscenity /vulgarity No talking unless the instructor asks a question Computers are provided for your use. No laptops will be allowed. Do not use the printer unless the instructor asks you to print a project. You are able to check out graphic tablets for the time you are in the lab (including open lab) with a proper UH ID. No food or drinks will be allowed in the lab. You may leave them on the table in the hallway. Clean up after yourself. Students who require additional lab time in order to complete their work can attend any open lab, which is scheduled by DIGM lab managers. 4

5 The open lab times are posted at Late Assignments: No late work will be accepted! If your work is not submitted within the 10 minutes of the lab time (unless due at the end of the lab), it will be considered late and it won t be graded! Missed Classes: Expectations: Extra credit: Academic Honesty: Adds/Drops: Incompletes: Classroom Cleanliness: Americans with Disabilities Act: UH CAPS Statement: If you are absent on the due date, the assignment will still be late and not accepted. You must make arrangements to accommodate your absence whether excused or unexcused. Don t your work! ed work will be automatically deleted and not graded. Students in this course are expected to be capable and motivated professionals. No such student should be content with a grade less than B. Please provide the attention, motivation and effort necessary to reach this grade expectation. Minimum effort = minimum grade Maximum effort = maximum grade Overall course extra credit may be earned through participation in the University of Houston chapter of the Graphic Communications Education Association (GCEAUH). Students who join GCEAUH and attend a minimum of three association meetings will earn three points extra credit on their final grades. GCEAUH officers will receive five points of extra credit on their final grades. Cheating, plagiarism, and any other dishonest conduct will not be tolerated and appropriate action will be taken. Please refer to the student handbook for more information. Please see the UH website for more information: Please refer to the University s Undergraduate Catalog and the Schedule of Classes for the appropriate add/drop dates and procedures. An incomplete grade will only be issued if the student is maintaining an acceptable level of achievement and cannot, due to some factor beyond his/ her control, complete one or more major assignment. If a student wishes an incomplete, he/she must explain the situation to the instructor in advance and make specific arrangements to complete the missing work no later than one year from the date the grade is given. You will be expected to maintain a clean lab. The instructor will ask for your assistance when appropriate. Any student who may be in need of additional help under the ADA guidelines should contact the instructor directly after the first class meeting. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) can help students who are having difficulties managing stress, adjusting to college, or feeling sad and hopeless. You can reach CAPS ( by calling during and after business hours for routine appointments or if you or someone you know 5

6 is in crisis. No appointment is necessary for the Let s Talk program, a drop-in consultation service at convenient locations and hours around campus. Graduate/Professional Colleges: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) can help students who are having difficulties managing stress, adjusting to the demands of a professional program, or feeling sad and hopeless. You can reach CAPS ( by calling during and after business hours for routine appointments or if you or someone you know is in crisis. No appointment is necessary for the Let s Talk program, a drop-in consultation service at convenient locations and hours around campus. UH Sugar Land: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) can help students who are having difficulties managing stress, adjusting to college, or feeling sad and hopeless. You can reach CAPS ( by calling during and after business hours for routine appointments or if you or someone you know is in crisis. No appointment is necessary for the Let s Talk program, a drop-in consultation service at convenient locations and hours around campus. and Online Students: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) can help students who are having difficulties managing stress, adjusting to college, or feeling sad and hopeless. You can reach CAPS ( by calling during and after business hours for routine appointments or if you or someone you know is in crisis. No appointment is necessary for the Let s Talk program, a drop-in consultation service at convenient locations and hours around campus. and 6

7 FALL 2017, DIGM 3357 COURSE SCHEDULE WEEK LECTURE (BLACKBOARD) TOPIC BOOK READING LAB ASSIGN 1 08/21 Course Overview and Introduction ---- Assignment 1 Social Media Influence 2 08/28 Content Strategy and Content Marketing Digital Relevance, Section 1, Assignment 2 Irrelevance Chapters /04 Developing Content Strategy Digital Relevance, Chapter 5 Assignment 3 Brand And Celebrity Profile 4 09/11 Content Strategy: Personas Digital Relevance, Assignment 4 Consumer Target Chapters 6-8, Content Strategy: Brand Story ---- PROJECT 1 PERSONAS 09/ / /02 Content Strategy: Marketing Funnel, Building a Team Digital Relevance, Chapters 9-12 DUE: PROJECT 1 Deliverable 1 MIDTERM ---- DUE: PROJECT 1 Deliverable /09 Content Ideation and Creation Digital Relevance, Chapters /16 Promotion Digital Relevance, Chapters The Content Promotion Manifesto 10 10/23 Digital Relevance, Section 7, Tracking Chapters /30 Iteration, Maintenance, and Growth Digital Relevance, Section 7, Chapters / / / /27 16 FINAL EXAM 12/08 DUE: PROJECT 1 Assignment 5 Content Creation Assignment 6 Influencers Assignment 7 Analytics PROJECT 2 CONTENT MARKETING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA Project DUE: PROJECT 2 Deliverable 1 Project DUE: PROJECT 2 Deliverable 2 Thanksgiving Holiday Presentations ---- DUE: PROJECT 2