Syllabus for SOM-702

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL MEDIA 


COURSE DESCRIPTION

Social media is the number one activity on the web. About half of all in-person retail purchases were first researched online (Forrester 2010), 30% of young mothers tweet 10 to 20 times per day (Nielson 2011), and YouTube is one of the largest search engines in the world.  This activity has tremendous implications for how business will be conducted in the future.

Introduction to Social Media examines and analyzes the social media space from a business perspective. The course will introduce the space and teach you the strategies and tactics for social media management and marketing. You will learn best practices and key communities to be involved in social media for business as well as an overview of what policies, rules and regulations practitioners must keep in mind.

The course will also explore the various niche community spaces where online marketing is moving to next. Finally, the course will cover the various measuring tools for social media and how to overcome the core challenges when implementing social media in a corporation.

You will establish a strong professional social media presence and your coursework for Introduction to Social Media will culminate in the production of a social media plan for a business of your choosing.

COURSE TOPICS

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the University’s textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Required Textbook

ISBN-13: 978-0470638842

COURSE STRUCTURE

Introduction to Social Media is a three-credit online course, consisting of eight modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below:

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums (two of which will be conducted synchronously), complete assignments, and complete a final project. Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.  See below for details.

Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.

Discussion Forums

In addition to an ungraded discussion forum where you will introduce yourself to your mentor and classmates, you are required to take part in six graded discussion forums.

 Assignments

You are required to complete four assignments. These assignments include selecting a topic for your final project, setting-up and using a Twitter account, researching niche and word of mouth marketing campaigns, and researching and selecting measurement tools for use in your final project.  For complete details of these assignments consult the individual course modules .

Assignment Rubric

Synchronous Events

You are required to participate in two synchronous events during Modules 3 and 5 of the semester. The synchronous events will be held in Edison Live!, our virtual meeting space. To access the event, click the Collaboration Space link in the Edison Live! section of the course site a few minutes before the designated time. Use the following link for directions and helpful videos about how to use the Edison Live! tool in Moodle. Your mentor will work with the class to propose a time that works best and accommodates the majority.

 Final Project

You are required to produce and submit a final project in the form of a social media plan (SMP).  Your social media plan will focus on the things to consider when integrating social media into a company’s marketing strategy.  Your final project will be completed in stages over the course of the semester and involves producing an outline of your SMP that is worth 15% of your final grade.  For complete details regarding your project and what is required, see the Final Project area of the course Website.

 

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

A

=

93–100

B

=

83–87

A–

=

90–92

C

=

73–82

B+

=

88–89

F

=

Below 73

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Thomas Edison State University is committed to maintaining academic quality, excellence, and honesty. The University expects all members of its community to share the commitment to academic integrity, an essential component of a quality academic experience.

Students at Thomas Edison State University are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

All members of the University community are responsible for reviewing the Academic Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog and online at www.tesu.edu.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State University expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the University insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty can take the following forms:

Plagiarism

Thomas Edison State University is committed to helping students understand the seriousness of plagiarism, which is defined as using the work and ideas of others without proper citation. The University takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing are subject to discipline under the academic code of conduct policy.

If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, or without identifying it as a direct quote, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > “Citing Sources.”)

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else’s. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.

For examples of unintentional plagiarism, advice on when to quote and when to paraphrase, and information about writing assistance and originality report checking, click the links provided below.

Examples of Unintentional Plagiarism

When to Quote and When to Paraphrase

Writing Assistance at Smarthinking

Originality Report Checking at Turnitin

Disciplinary Process for Plagiarism

Acts of both intentional and unintentional plagiarism violate the Academic Code of Conduct.

If an incident of plagiarism is an isolated minor oversight or an obvious result of ignorance of proper citation requirements, the mentor may handle the matter as a learning exercise. Appropriate consequences may include the completion of tutorials, assignment rewrites, or any other reasonable learning tool in addition to a lower grade for the assignment or course. The mentor will notify the student and appropriate dean of the consequence by e-mail.

If the plagiarism appears intentional and/or is more than an isolated incident, the mentor will refer the matter to the appropriate dean, who will gather information about the violation(s) from the mentor and student, as necessary. The dean will review the matter and notify the student in writing of the specifics of the charge and the sanction to be imposed.

Possible sanctions include:

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