Using Digital Competencies to Build Student Portfolios
Submission Type
20-minute Presentation
Abstract
Students will be expected to already be proficient in data management and preservation, data analysis and presentation, and critical thinking, and so it is our responsibility as educators to provide them with opportunities to not only develop these competencies but to develop their portfolios to show future employers that they have these competencies. The purpose of this presentation will be to describe the way I have incorporated this into the curriculum of multiple classes and internships.
Start Date
7-20-2020 2:00 PM
End Date
7-20-2020 2:15 PM
Description
My presentation will describe a process for building and applying digital competencies in a business context in order to build student portfolios. A major requirement of most digital marketing jobs is to be proficient in Google Analytics. That is, students will be expected to already be proficient in data management and preservation, data analysis and presentation, and critical thinking, and so it is our responsibility as educators to provide them with opportunities to not only develop these competencies but to develop their portfolios to show future employers that they have these competencies. The purpose of this presentation will be to describe the way I have incorporated this into the curriculum of multiple classes and internships.
Google Analytics certification is free, but many students don’t understand its importance to obtaining and being successful in their jobs after graduation. In my classes, I either require or offer extra credit to students who earn the certification, which takes about 3 hours to complete the training and an hour to take the accompanied exam. After completing this certification, students analyze data for local non-profits with the goal of giving actionable recommendations by using the skills they learned in the certification. Students often write up reports and/or give presentations to representatives of the non-profits as well, which gives them a tangible product to show future employers when they are on the job market.
In addition to the data analytics project, students reflect on their decisions by writing at least two blog posts over the course of the semester. The first blog post is an intention post, where they create three personal learning objectives for assignment as well as tactics for accomplishing those objectives. The second post is a reflection post where they had to reflect on whether they accomplished their learning objectives described in the intention post.
During the presentation, I will describe the assignments and process in more detail as well as give examples of deliverables (e.g., blog posts, reports). Additionally, I will discuss the dynamic process of developing digital competencies and discuss their experiences with the process. Session participants will gain an understanding of one method for developing digital competencies and how to provide students with portfolio building opportunities
Using Digital Competencies to Build Student Portfolios
Students will be expected to already be proficient in data management and preservation, data analysis and presentation, and critical thinking, and so it is our responsibility as educators to provide them with opportunities to not only develop these competencies but to develop their portfolios to show future employers that they have these competencies. The purpose of this presentation will be to describe the way I have incorporated this into the curriculum of multiple classes and internships.