PROJECT TITLE :

Revising a Content-Management Course for a Content Strategy World

ABSTRACT:

Background: This teaching case describes the evolution of a course on content strategy aimed toward advanced undergraduates and graduate students in the digital and skilled writing programs at Michigan State University. The course has more matured three major shifts to reflect corresponding shifts in focus among skilled and technical communicators: from developing content for the World Wide Web (original focus) to single sourcing; from single-sourcing to Enterprise Content Management Systems (ECMS), and from ECMS to content strategy. The case primarily focuses on the foremost recent shift. Research queries: How will a course on content strategy be useful to both advanced undergraduates making ready to enter the work market in business and graduate students interested in learning theories in technical communication? In flip, how will a course on content strategy replicate current practices in business whereas maintaining grounding for the course in educational analysis? Situating the case: Three emerging themes relevant to teaching content strategy emerge in the literature. The first is that the role of the content strategist as an Editor-in-Chief, who creates a repeatable system for coming up with and managing all aspects of a web site [1, 2, 3]. The second is the need to develop ways for addressing stakeholders, especially purchasers and users, whose goals are to be told a lot of concerning why they ought to invest in a company and its broader vision. The third is adapting content for reuse, that involves planning content which will be simply accessed through numerous platforms and formats. How the case was studied: This can be an expertise report by the four college members who, together, have taught every section of the course within the last fifteen years. 2 of the instructors additionally participated in the course as students. Concerning the case: The most recent version of the course is a one-term course that teaches theory and best practices for managing dynamic and distributed internet content, whereas additionally in- orporating assignments that facilitate students apply content ways with real purchasers. It addressed these issues with the previous version that focused on content management by collaborating with business practitioners to assist students perceive the $64000-world implications of developing strategies for and creating internet content with clients and organizations. It specifically addresses three themes identified from the literature—emphasizing the role of the content strategist as an Editor-in-Chief, differentiating the needs of purchasers and users, and planning for reuse. Course assignments embody a landscape analysis of content-management systems and strategies utilized by varied firms, designing content templates for specific purchasers, and developing a content strategy for a client selected by student teams. Key problems to deal with when developing the most recent version of the course included making a course that was useful to graduate and undergraduate students attending to enter content strategy professions, developing a balance between theory and follow in course readings and assignments, and revising a course to replicate current trade demands for skills in content strategy. Results: Anecdotal evidence from students is that the course was successful and acts as a defacto capstone for the program. Through their course evaluations and unsolicited follow-up emails, students exiting the most recent version of this course became valuable assets who help organizations develop massive-image methods for adaptable content to be shared through varied platforms. Conclusion: A course on content strategy that includes current industry perspectives helps graduate and undergraduate skilled writing students become more adequately prepared for his or her future professions working with organizations.