LCCC decides it’s time for a social media course
Katherine Lovelidge | Writer
It’s 2022. The times are changing rapidly and so is the course selection at Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC).
A new addition to the LCCC course catalog, Social Media Strategies (CMN110), is the perfect adaptation to the whirlwind age of technology.
Social Media Strategies covers a variety of topics including ethics, privacy, evaluating social media efforts, developing a social media strategy, content creation, and audience analysis.
Originally worried the class may not have enough interest to run, instructor Professor Jessie Heimann was relieved when the class quickly surpassed the 10-student threshold, allowing the course to begin this spring semester.
“I think it’s because it’s so relevant,” Heimann said. “And also, the job market. We are seeing more and more postings for jobs in social media–social media specialists… social media managers, directors of social media.”
Jill Yapsuga, Content Developer & Social Media Specialist College Relations at LCCC, can vouch for the importance of social media in today’s modern world.
“Now with the pandemic, people aren’t going anywhere, so I think being able to experience things through social media has just increased even more and being able to show things that people haven’t been able to go and experience themselves, just due to the limitations of COVID, has shown that [social media] has definitely grown.”
Practical experience does not come without just that: practice.
As part of the course, students are required to complete training on Hootsuite, a platform that allows people and businesses to post and engage on social media through a singular medium.
Students also regularly interact on Twitter.
In a weekly assignment, appropriately named “Weekly Tweets”, students post news or updates as they pertain to the field of social media and hashtag their posts with “ProfHeimann2022”. This creates an online forum where students practice using social media.
Heimann also notes that it forces students to condense their message into “bite-size” pieces, a skill which she notes has been utilized time and time again in her career in public relations.
Heimann says it also helps to bridge the gap between the students on Zoom and in-person.
Paige Bauer, a student in Social Media Strategies, agrees.
“I think it’s interesting to connect all of us on social media. We are all [here] for different reasons. Some of us have businesses, some are just there for fun,” said Bauer.
Whether you are interested in growing your personal or professional brand or pursuing a career in social media, reach out to your advisor to learn more and register for next semester’s course.
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