Course Description

Please be aware that this course was developed by LDSBC faculty in partnership with BYU-Idaho curriculum designers. The course follows the LDSBC Learning Pattern and aligns with the outcomes of the LDSBC campus course. This online course is being offered by BYU-Idaho with a qualified BYU-Idaho instructor. The course functionality and your student experience should be much the same as you would expect in any other course; however, you will see references to both LDSBC and BYU-Idaho throughout the course.

Good data analysis can make or break a company. Data should drive innovation, pricing, resources, and even culture. In this course, you will learn how to capture the right data and then know what to do with it. You will learn how to use both free and paid tools to capture and analyze data from various online platforms. The value of data and analytics is that you are much better positioned to make the right decisions; this class will give you a life-long standout skill.

Prerequisites

SMM 105; FIN 101

Required Materials

All week materials are contained in the course, or are obtained through free website accounts (see below). You will be provided with links to the materials and informed when to create the pertinent accounts. The information below is solely for informational purposes; please do not set up social media accounts until you are instructed to do so in the week materials.

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is a suite of applications dedicated to word processing, data spreadsheets, presentations, and annotation/note-taking. You will be using this tool extensively (particularly Excel and Word) to complete and submit assignments. Students should download the latest version of Microsoft Word (if they do not already have this program), before they begin the course, onto their local computer for writing assignments.

If you are an LDSBC student, access the link above and log in with your LDSBC email address and password. You may then download and install Microsoft Office 2013 to your computer.

If you are a BYU-Idaho student, visit the University Store's Technology Downloads page. Follow the instructions to download the suite. Scroll down on that page to access Help & Tutorials, as needed.

Facebook

Facebook is a social media platform aimed at sharing and receiving various forms of content (text, photos, videos). It allows users to communicate via shared interests, groups, events, relationships, etc. It also allows businesses to share and advertise content to attract customers to their respective brands. If you do not currently have an account, you will want to create one by going to Facebook.com. You will be expected to do this as part of the course setup activity in Week 01.

If you have questions or concerns about how to use Facebook, please contact your instructor immediately. In addition, you may also refer to the Facebook Help Center for questions related to creating/managing your account. To access this support, go to Facebook Help.

In addition to using Facebook for the purposes of this course, you also use it as a means to share information and communicate with others. Your instructor will add you to a private Facebook group created for this section of SMM 150. Use the group page to ask questions of your instructor (or other classmates). The Facebook group will replace the Questions & Conversations boards in the course. Remember to set an example of respectful communication to foster a positive learning environment.

Twitter

Twitter is a social media platform commonly utilized by individuals, businesses, and social media influencers for sharing short, mostly text-based, posts/tweets with followers. You will create a Twitter account, if you do not currently have one, you will want to create one by going to Twitter.com. You will be expected to do this in the Course Setup activity of Week 01 of the course. You will utilize this tool mostly in Week 03, mostly for the purpose of analyzing data.

If you have questions or concerns about how to use Twitter, please contact your instructor immediately. In addition, you may also refer to the Twitter Help Center for questions related to creating/managing your account. To access this support, go to Twitter Support.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform used by professionals across industries. It is recognized as the main social platform for building professional networks for job development/acquisition purposes. It is used mainly to build companyand personal profiles to promote skills, brands, and job experience to other professional networks. Interactions commonly involve endorsing skills, sharing and following company posts as well as industry influencers. You will create a LinkedIn account, if you do not currently have one, in the Course Setup activity of Week 01 of the course. You will utilize this tool mostly in Week 06 to review how the platform collects data. To create an account, go to LinkedIn.com.

If you have questions or concerns about how to use LinkedIn, please contact your instructor immediately. In addition, you may also refer to the LinkedIn Help Center for questions related to creating/managing your account. To access this support, go to LinkedIn Help.

YouTube

YouTube is the largest video sharing and viewing platform in the world. It is commonly utilized in social media marketing to share videos on company and personal YouTube channels. Because of the popularity of video marketing, YouTube is widely used for attracting customers to brands and engaging them fairly quickly. You will create a YouTube account, and channel, if you do not already have one by going to YouTube.com. You will be expected to complete this in the Course Setup activity in Week 01 of the course. You will use this resource intermittently for the purposes of analyzing content.

If you have questions or concerns about how to use YouTube, please contact your instructor immediately. YouTube and Google also provide training as needed. If students need help in creating/managing a YouTube account, or in more technical aspects of managing their YouTube channels, they may go to these two resources. (1) Google Support center: Google Support, and (2) YouTube Help: YouTube Help.

Instagram

Instagram is an online mobile photo/video sharing, social network. It acts mainly as a tool for users to share photos and videos with other users and followers. You will create an Instagram account and download the mobile application. If you do not currently have one by going to Instagram.com. You will be expected to do this in the Course Setup activity of Week 01 of the course. You will utilize this tool at various stages of the course, mostly for the purpose of analyzing posts.

If you have questions or concerns about how to use Instagram, contact your instructor immediately. Instagram also provides training as needed. If you need additional help in creating/managing an account, you may go to Instagram Help.

Tableau

Tableau is a business intelligence and data visualization platform. To use Tableau, visit Tableau.com and download the free version of Tableau for students.You will be asked to submit your name, email address, zip code, and school (you can simply select LDS Business College in the drop-down menu for schools).In addition, you will be asked to submit a photo of documentation (such as a student ID) showing you are a student. To do this, you'll need to take a picture of your school-issued ID card. Save it to a local computer and upload it when prompted to do so.You should receive a verification email after about 24 hours letting you know you now have access to Tableau on up to two devices for one year. If you are still a student at the end of the year, you can renew your license.

Snapchat

Snapchat is a mobile messaging app that allows users to send images and videos to their contacts. These messages self-destruct within a matter of seconds. You will create a Snapchat account if you do not currently have one by going to Snapchat.com. You will be expected to do this in the Course Setup activity of Week 01 of the course. You will utilize this tool minimally in the course, mostly for the purpose of comparing data across social media platforms.

If you have questions or concerns about how to use Snapchat, please contact your instructor immediately. In addition, you may also refer to the Snapchat Support for questions related to managing/using your account. To access this support, go to Snapchat Support.

Required Technology

Learning Outcomes

LDSBC cultivates a nurturing environment where practical skills are learned and discipleship is strengthened.

There are three types of learning outcomes, guiding curriculum, and authentic learning experiences at LDSBC. Students demonstrate the 1) College-Wide Outcomes, 2) Program Competency Outcomes, and 3) Course-Specific Outcomes through the Learning Pattern as they Prepare, Teach One Another, Ponder, and Prove their knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Through this process, all LDSBC graduates are prepared to contribute in their homes, communities, the Lord’s church, and in future employment.

LDSBC College - Wide Outcomes

  1. Confirm personal testimony in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
  2. Collaborate with others using interpersonal skills in an honest, ethical, and Christ-like manner.
  3. Communicate effectively using written and verbal presentation principles.
  4. Construct new knowledge using technology and information resource tools.
  5. Comprehend and think critically to solve problems.
  6. Cultivate a strong, professional work ethic and lifelong learning opportunities.

Social Media Marketing Program Competency Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate the ability to manage the social media marketing departments of small to mid-sized companies.
  2. Strategically develop marketing campaigns based on a company’s vision, goals, target market, research, analytics, budget, and scope.
  3. Create a highly-engaged social community of empowered brand advocates.
  4. Maneuver current tools, platforms, and data centers to optimize research, reach, revenues, referrals, and retention.
  5. Prove the return on investment (ROI) of campaigns and marketing initiatives.
  6. Create relevant and engaging content in the form of copy, pictures, videos, infographics, etc.
  7. Assess their own understanding of marketing principles, strategies, and tactics—and how to apply them to real life situations.
  8. Establish and analyze the various learning resources that will help their knowledge remain current with the changing technologies, best practices, and trends.

Course Specific Outcomes

  1. Adopt an attitude of data appreciation.
  2. Use various free and paid digital marketing tools.
  3. Discover the risks of how data can actually take you in the wrong direction.
  4. Apply the entire process of data analysis, from planning, gathering data, cleaning data, analyzing data, reporting your insights, and developing recommendations.
  5. Build case studies, proposals, and presentations, based on data.
  6. Comprehend and synthesize data trends and the global effects of big-data.

Learning Patterns

This course functions upon the LDSBC Learning Pattern, including the principles of Prepare, Teach One Another, Ponder, and Prove.

Prepare

You are expected to complete your prepare activities early in the week by study and by faith.

(Note: Depending on the week, there may be multiple Readings/Quiz activities—each with a different due date. Each Reading/Quiz activity will be due at different times to help you manage your time. E.g. Beginning-of-week, Mid-week, or End-of-week).

Teach One Another

You are expected to use charity and respect as you increase your capacity to learn by teaching one another.

Ponder

You are expected to ponder ways to apply course concepts.

You will be asked to ponder at various times throughout the course. The main emphasis on Ponder occurs in the Ponder and Discuss activities. Before participating in the discussion, you will review what you have learned and consider how to apply that learning.

Prove

You are expected to prove your level of mastery of the course outcomes by completing course assignments.

Grading Policies

The minimum grade you can earn in this course without needing to repeat the course is a "C." Your grade will be determined by dividing the number of points you earn by the total points possible.

Grading Scale

Letter Grade Percentage Range
A 100% –94%
A- 93%–90%
B+ 89%–87%
B 86%–84%
B- 83%–80%
C+ 79%–77%
C 76%–74%
C- 73%–70%
D+ 69%–67%
D 66%–64%
D- 63%–60%
F <60%

The BYU-Idaho grading system describes each letter grade as follows:

Grading Components

Learning Activities Points
Prepare: A few small assignments in Week 01 (W01), recurring Readings and Quiz in each week. These are usually auto-graded by the computer. Typically worth 30 points each. 335
Teach One Another: Recurring Case Study Analysis and Ponder and Discuss discussions in each week. Grade evaluated by instructor. Case Study Analysis discussions are typically worth 10 points each. Ponder and Discuss discussions are typically worth 10 points each. 230
Prove: Recurring Weekly Project assignments and Reflection: Final Thoughts activities. Grade evaluated by instructor. Weekly Projects are typically worth 30 points each. Reflection: Final Thoughts are typically worth 15 points each. 620

Course Policies

Late Work

Credit Hours and Study Time

LDSBC and BYU-Idaho measure academic credit in credit hours. In accordance with federal regulation, a credit hour at the college is the amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that reasonably approximates not less than three hours of student work for each credit. Therefore, you can expect to spend at least nine hours per week to study and complete your coursework. This time estimate represents the average student who is appropriately prepared; more time may be required to achieve excellence.

Copyright

The course materials used in this class may be protected by copyright laws. You are expected to make a good-faith effort to respect the rights of copyright holders. If you disregard the policy, you may be in violation of the Church Education System Honor Code, you may place yourself at risk for possible legal action, and you may incur personal liability.

University Policies

Refer to the University Policies page in the Resource module of the course for full details regarding the BYU-Idaho Honor Code, BYU-Idaho Disability Services, sexual harassment, complaints, and grievances policies.

Official college messages to all students will be sent through University/School email accounts. Students are responsible for all information received through their LDSBC or BYUI email account. Students are expected to regularly check their LDSBC or BYUI email accounts for official information from the college and their course instructors. This policy is to ensure that important communication is received in a timely and consistent manner.

Disclaimers

The instructor reserves the right to change any part of this syllabus at any time during the semester in order to adapt to changing course needs. If there is a discrepancy between this syllabus and I-Learn, consider the I-Learn information to be correct.