Online classes at Goodwin College of Professional Studies are robust — filled with readings, discussions, lectures and assignments geared to engage students. Throughout each week, you will participate in lively and informative discussions led by your professor.

Below is a sample week in our first course: Communications for Professionals (PRST 501). Here, you'll see the variety of reading assignments hands-on learning, lectures, and collaborative discussions that you can expect from each online course in the Master of Science in Professional Studies program.

Overview

This week, we will look at the benefits and complications of communicating in a digital world. We will begin with a historical perspective, then delve into how companies use social media and the best practices for social media. Finally, we will look at the content creation for websites and generally examine design (not how-to, but rather what works and what doesn't.

Read

Canavor: Chapters 11 & 12

Lectures

Parts 1-4 (Available as a powerpoint, audio lecture, or written lecture). Watch part one of this week's lesson below

Weekly Discussion

Using both Facebook and Twitter, pick at least two posts as follows:

• An example of a post that demonstrates excellent branding, customer service, or customer engagement.
• An example of a post that is poorly written, doesn't function well, or is in poor taste, etc.

Post both examples (images) on the discussion board with a 1-paragraph comment about why you chose each one. Respond to the initial post of each one of your peers.

Assignment

Pick a company and look at its website and at least two social media posts (posts must be from different social media platforms) to analyze the company's use of social media as a means of communication. You will want to examine efficacy, consistency, branding, customer service opportunities, etc. Rank the company on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 signaling complete failure). Justify your ratings using specific examples.

It is assumed you will embed images in your paper; therefore, your paper should be between 4 and 5 pages (double-spaced), but not longer than 6.