I consulted for a private, Grade 4-12 girls’ school as the capstone project of my M.Ed. in Learning Design and Technologies from Arizona State University. Working with the Director of Technology and Digital Product Manager, we identified a need for social media management training for students running school-affiliated Instagram accounts (sports, clubs, extracurriculars) to mitigate risks associated with branding.
Students were allowed to run school-affiliated social media accounts but did not receive any training regarding the organization’s social media policies, general citizenship guidelines or best practices for social media marketing.
Increases in student-created social media accounts for school-affiliated activities (clubs, sports teams, extracurricular) created a risk of inappropriate and inconsistent school branding.
An interactive eLearning course, developed in Articulate Rise, on the school’s social media policies and the fundamentals of social media brand marketing. Content explored the risks of inappropriate branding and trained students to become brand ambassadors for the school.
Learners showcased course mastery through developing an industry-caliber, social media pitch deck with sample Instagram content ready to be implemented upon review.
A Cognitive Apprenticeship model was used as the framework for course design to virtually guide learners through replicating the behavior of the Digital Product Manager. Learners showcased their growth through developing artifacts in Instagram, Flipgrid and Microsoft Word based on project-based learning principles. Learners and the Digital Product Manager formed a community of practice to facilitate instructor oversight, creative exchange and learner feedback.
At the start of each module, learners are introduced to the content that will be covered, the tasks they will be asked to complete and the learning objectives that will measure their success.
Content is delivered through a series of audio and video instruction. Interactive knowledge checks such as multiple-choice quizzes, drag-and-drop elements, multimedia content creation and reflection videos are used to allow learners to apply their knowledge and receive feedback.
Throughout the course, learners will adopt the role of a new social media manager in a series of story-based scenarios. They will demonstrate their learning by making decisions and completing the tasks outlined in each scenario.
