From Industry to Academia
Hello! I am Heather Riddell, and I am an Associate Professor at the University of West Florida.
After attending Clemson University for my master’s degree, I started my career in public relations. I worked in community outreach, event planning, internal communication, web content, and social media management.
As I progressed through my professional career, I saw an increase in the importance of digital media. I was lucky enough to pursue a Ph.D. in digital media, where I combined my work experience, passion for teaching, and curiosity about digital media and society.
Today, I am building coursework that seeks to create academically solid courses that effectively train students for a digital career.
Courses Created for the Social Media Communication Certificate
Fundamentals of Social Media Communication
This course provides students with an introduction to the history, theory, technology, and uses of social media.
Students will consider the role of individual choice, social influence, and technological influence and how these perspectives can be seen in social media communication.
Social Media Content Development
The emphasis of this course is on the production of professional
communication for organizational social media accounts.
Students will analyze each social media platform for communication effectiveness and identify the message, voice, and customer service opportunities.
Students will gain the skills needed to produce each aspect of social media communication, including messages, graphics, profile content, and videos.
Social Management
This course explores the day-to-day operations of a social media communication team.
Students will learn how to create overarching strategies and content calendars, obtain and interpret social media analytics, and be able to write metric reports for senior management.
Additional time will be spent on budgeting, workflow procedures, working cross-departmentally, and managing special initiatives.