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Course Outline

CMN276 Social Media Communication

Course Coordinator:Karen Sutherland (ksutherl@usc.edu.au) School:School of Business and Creative Industries

2024Semester 1

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

 Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Online

 Online You can do this course without coming onto campus.

Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

This course offers a critical understanding of the ways social media communication affects political, business and socio-cultural spheres. The course explores social media communication from differing perspectives including debates on truth, power, ethics and control, examination of personal/professional branding, risk management and social media research. This course provides students with opportunities to practically apply theory by developing of blogs and vlogs, undertaking social media content analysis to write a journal-style article and participation in an online professional community.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled face to face workshops. 2hrs Week 1 10 times
Online
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled online workshops (Recorded). 2hrs Week 1 10 times

Course Topics

  1. Understanding our Digital World.
  2. Social Media: Ethics, Control and Regulation.
  3. Building a Personal Brand.
  4. Internet Media: Multiplatform Journalism and Citizen Journalism.
  5. Risk, Issues and Crisis Management.
  6. Social Media Customer Service and Relationship Management.
  7. Influencer Marketing.
  8. Social Media Health Campaigns.
  9. Researching Social Media: Content Analysis.
  10. Researching Social Media: Big Data, Netnography, Monitoring and Measurement.
  11. Citizen Activism and Culture Jamming.
  12. Using Social Media to Inspire.

What level is this course?

200 Level (Developing)

Building on and expanding the scope of introductory knowledge and skills, developing breadth or depth and applying knowledge and skills in a new context. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally, undertaken in the second or third full-time year of an undergraduate programs.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming...
1 To understand, narrate and debate key public issues through creative and responsible online construction and discussion. Creative and critical thinker
2 To engage in critical argumentation on the ethical, political and cultural impact of social networking sites on individuals and communities. Knowledgeable
Ethical
3 To learn methods of researching the Internet and develop skills in interpreting social media data. Empowered
4 To develop collaborative learning skills. Empowered

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

Not applicable

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

You will receive feedback on the blogging component of Task 1 in the Week 4 tutorial and/or Zoom session.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece Individual 45% 
750 word blog with embedded 1 -2 minute YouTube vlog.
 Week 8 Online Submission
All 2 Written Piece Individual 40% 
1800 words
 Week 13 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Written Piece Individual 15% 
Weeks 1-13; At least one post and one interaction with another student's post per week.
 Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) Online Submission
All - Assessment Task 1:WordPress/YouTube Blogging/Vlogging Project
Goal: 
This assessment requires you to set up your own personal blog using WordPress and YouTube channel. You will write a blog post exploring different aspects of, and attempting to spark discussion about, one of the lecture topics from the semester. The post will also incorporate a vlog (video blog) with you discussing the topic and providing additional information. The post (and vlog) must relate to the same lecture topic, investigating a different angle in each piece.
Product: Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece
Format: 
The blog post must contain:
- A succinct and relevant headline
- An image (captioned with its source)
- A professional yet conversational tone
- In-text links to three different, relevant online sources
- References if citing offline sources
- Encouragement to readers to continue discussion

The 1-2-minute vlog (embedded in the blog post) must contain:
- Additional information on the chosen topic conveyed in a conversational piece-to-camera by the student 
- Quality production skills (clearly audible sound, appropriate lighting and composition).
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Competent demonstration of Content Management System (WordPress) and YouTube.
 3 4
2 
Clear communication using blogging writing and vlogging style to explore chosen topic
 1 2 3
3 
Adherence to the assigned format
 3
4 
Evidence of research and content curation
 1 3
5 
Assessment criteria are mapped to the course learning outcomes.
 1 2 3 4
All - Assessment Task 2:Social Media Research Project.
Goal: 
You will be required to carry out a content analysis of a public campaign or a specific public post on social networking sites and present an individual written piece in the style of a research journal article in week 13.
Product: Written Piece
Format: 
You will develop a research question and use the research method of content analysis to examine a social media campaign or the comments generated from a controversial social media post. You will submit individual written research piece in the style of a research journal article, 1800 words in length using the preferred Harvard referencing style. This task is weighted at 40% and due in Week 13.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Quality of questions posed
 3
2 
Appropriate research method
 3
3 
Use of literature
 1 2
4 
Analysis of findings
 2 3
5 
Recommendations and or implications
 1 2 3
6 
Clear communication
 1 2 3
All - Assessment Task 3:Yammer Community Participation
Goal: 
This task is designed to encourage your active participation in an online community using Yammer, a social media tool for internal communication within large organisations.
Product: Written Piece
Format: 
From Weeks 1 -13 you will be required to post at least once per week about the lecture topic or reading for that particular week. Posts can involve sharing a relevant article or video or starting a conversation. The focus will be on you making a valuable and relevant contribution to the community each week. You will also be required to interact, at least once, with another student's post for the week by posting a relevant comment to participate in the discussion.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Competency in using social media platform (Yammer)
 1 3
2 
Community participation: At least one post and one comment on another student’s post per week from weeks 1-13.
 1 2 3 4
3 
Relevancy of contribution
 1 2 3 4

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

There are no required/recommended resources for this course.

Specific requirements

Students enrolled in this course will need access to:A reliable internet connectionA computer (https://usc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1371)A Smartphone with:a reliable internet connection video and photo capabilities

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation.  It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline.  This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person.  You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin.  This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:

The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%
The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct.

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: 
- 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. 
- 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. 
- A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.

SafeUniSC

UniSC is committed to a culture of respect and providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community. For immediate assistance on campus contact SafeUniSC by phone: 07 5430 1168 or using the SafeZone app. For general enquires contact the SafeUniSC team by phone 07 5456 3864 or email safe@usc.edu.au.

The SafeUniSC Specialist Service is a Student Wellbeing service that provides free and confidential support to students who may have experienced or observed behaviour that could cause fear, offence or trauma. To contact the service call 07 5430 1226 or email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au.

Study help

For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.

If you require additional assistance, the Learning Advisers are trained professionals who are ready to help you develop a wide range of academic skills. Visit the Learning Advisers web page for more information, or contact Student Central for further assistance: +61 7 5430 2890 or studentcentral@usc.edu.au.

Wellbeing Services

Student Wellbeing provide free and confidential counselling on a wide range of personal, academic, social and psychological matters, to foster positive mental health and wellbeing for your academic success.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 1226.

AccessAbility Services

Ability Advisers ensure equal access to all aspects of university life. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability or who is considered frail and aged, AccessAbility Services can provide access to appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email AccessAbility@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 2890.

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

  • In person:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
    • UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
    • UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
    • UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
    • UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
    • UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
  • Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
  • Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au
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