Learn how the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia provided students with the opportunity to develop a social media strategy and content for a real client as part of their course work.

1. I n c r e a s i n g S o c i a l M e d i a
P r o f i c i e n c y & G r a d u a t e
E m p l o y a b i l i t y T h r o u g h W o r k
I n t e g r a t e d L e a r n i n g ( W I L )
Dr Karen Sutherland, School of Communication and Creative Industries

2. Background
Responsiveness to Need
Strategic Alignment
Steps Involved
Benefits
Key Take-Aways
Next Steps
Inthispresentation:

3. B A C K G R O U N D
CMN204 Social Media: Content Curation and Creation student
cohort (2017: 47 | 2018, 75)
Each student is matched with a local business or non-profit
organisation.
Students work with their clients to develop: a social media
strategy and five pieces of content to support the achievement
of two goals nominated by the client.

4. RESPONSIVENESS
TO NEED
(Sensis, 2017)

5. RESPONSIVENESS
TO NEED
(Sensis, 2017)

6. "91% of undergraduates
believed that social
media proficiency was
beneficial for their
professional
development, but felt
under-prepared."
(Sutherland & Ho, 2017)

7. “...business principles in
social media, social
creativity and writing
capacities,” are the most
sought after social media
skills from graduates.
(Kim & Freberg, 2017).

8. RESPONSIVENESS
TO NEED
On the Sunshine Coast:
2017: 52 organisations registered within 2.5 days
2018: 83 organisations registered within 3 days

9. RESPONSIVENESS
TO NEED
Course content addressed the key social media skills identified
by industry and,
Provided students the opportunity to build confidence and
practical experience using social media in a professional context
as part of their coursework.

10. S T R A T E G I C
A L I G N M E N T
Strategic Priority 1. The University will increase student enrolments
and improve student success:
Focus on initiatives and support to enhance student
engagement and maximise student success.
Develop and support strategic, innovative and distinctive
curricula.

11. S T R A T E G I C
A L I G N M E N T
Strategic Priority 6. The University will strengthen engagement
with its communities:
Embed community engagement effectively throughout the
University’s activities.
Develop productive partnerships and networks with industry,
government, philanthropists and international partners.

12. Steps Involved
Preparation
Launch
Regular Communication
Allocation
Follow Up
Distribution

13. S T E P S I N V O L V E D
Preparation: Online registration form, brief blog post.
Launch: Share on social media (LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook) .
Regular Communication: MailChimp before and after each stage
Allocation: Client Lucky Dip or Choose Your Own Adventure
Follow Up: With clients and students
Distribution: Final thank you email to client with strategy and content

14. B E N E F I T S
Students:
Practical experience to include on their CV.
Content for their portfolios to show prospective employers.
Some gained freelance social media work.

15. B E N E F I T S
Industry Partners:
A free social media strategy.
Five pieces of social media content to use at their discretion.
USC
Strengthened industry relationships.
Database of clients for other WIL projects.

17. "Karen, thank you so much for
sending through the Social Media
Strategy over the weekend! It is really
fantastic and we will be using this for
sure."
Claire Gilmore
The Autism Treehouse

18. K E Y T A K E W A Y S
Beorganisedfromthebeginningandstayorganised
Communicateclearlyandspecificallytoclientsandstudents
Useyournetworkstogetthewordout
Bepreparedtofollowupwithbothgroups
Expectandplanforsomedropoutsfrombothgroups

19. Next Steps
Students submit content this week
Exploratory Grant:
504 Industry Professionals
70 students
USC Social Media Networking Event
Same process applied to:
CMN308 Social Media: Monitoring and
Measurement
CMN309 Transmedia Storytelling
Campaigns

20. T H A N K Y O U
&
Q U E S T I O N S

21. References
Kim, C. and Freberg, K. (2017), The State of Social Media Curriculum: Exploring
Professional Expectations of Pedagogy and Practices to Equip the Next Generation of
Professionals. Journal of Public Relations Education. Retrieved from:
http://aejmc.us/jpre/2016/12/14/the-state-of-social-media-curriculum-exploring-
professional-expectations-of-pedagogy-and-practices-to-equip-the-next-
generation-of-professionals/ (accessed 18 July, 2017).
Sensis (2017), The 2017 Sensis Social Media Report. Retrieved from:
https://www.sensis.com.au/asset/PDFdirectory/Sensis_Social_Media_Report_201
7-Chapter-1.pdf (accessed 18 July, 2017).
Sutherland, K. and Ho, S. (2017), Undergraduate Perceptions of Social Media
Proficiency and Graduate Employability - A Pilot Study. Higher Education, Skills and
Work-Based Learning, https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-02-2017-0018