Blogging, podcasting, social networks, wikis, web conferencing and broadcasting, and mobile messaging have become integrated means of expressing and sharing our thoughts. Students in this course will delve into these and other new technologies, developing an appreciation of their usefulness, their best applications, and their overall utility in a variety of settings. They assess and discuss a variety of topics related to social media, such as how to harness it to create demand for products, reach the intended audience, and broadcast ideals and values. Students in this course have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and ability to build a social media strategy as well as a professional website incorporating social media.

Technology and new media continue to evolve, primarily due to interest coupled with newfound capabilities derived from 21st-century know-how. With this invitation to create, students apply their understanding of new media as a set of effective tools in the practice of communications to design a conceptual prototype appropriate to enhancing mass communications. Students learn to test, refine, and appraise their product, taking into account visual components, audience information, and user feedback. They also discuss topics of new media design with their peers and reflect on its implications in modern business.

Digital storytelling drives the internet and communication. Writers tell stories on every blog, website, and social media post in the ever-expanding online, mobile environment. User-generated content, citizen journalists, vloggers, and influencers increasingly drive views and capture audiences. Students study the hallmarks of effective digital writing, including clear, concise language and ease of reading across multiple platforms and programs. Digital writing strategies and techniques are key, modern workplace skills, and this course provides engaging, real-world opportunities for students to develop their soft skill set.

This course equips students with practical tools and strategies to generate, refine, and apply creative ideas to real-world organizational challenges. Drawing on principles from critical thinking, personal creativity, team-based innovation, and contemporary approaches to problem solving, students will reconnect with their own creative capacity and apply techniques such as mind mapping, brainstorming, and provocation to develop innovative solutions. Students will also examine the dynamics of creative teams, explore organizational structures that support innovation, and analyze how disruptive technologies reshape industries, gaining hands-on experience with methods that translate creativity into meaningful workplace impact. Upon successful completion of this course, students have the opportunity to earn a workplace certificate in creativity and innovation.