Content Strategy (TCC6710)

Transcription

1 Content Strategy (TCC6710) Northeastern University College of Professional Studies (CPS) Spring 2016 (Full Term) Instructors: Danielle Gobert Cooley Class Dates: 4/11/16 7/2/16 Address: Web Site: Course Prerequisites There are no prerequisites; however an interest in content creation and development, information architecture, and user experience is helpful. Required Textbooks Content Strategy for the Web (2 nd Edition) Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach, New Riders Publishers, ISBN: The Elements of Content Strategy Erin Kissane, A Book Apart Publishers, ISBN: Recommended Textbooks The Digital Crown: Winning at Content on the Web Ahava Leibtag, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, ISBN: Note: Many of the readings in this course include relevant academic articles particularly recent research in the field. These readings are located within Blackboard > Course Material > Week [X] > Readings. Please note that some articles are direct links to the article within a database accessible through Northeastern University's Library system, some are PDF and some are HTML. Your myneu login information will be required for accessing the library information. You can obtain information at Additional information is available at Course Description Examines the emerging discipline of content strategy and its critical role and impact on design, creation, distribution, and governance of an organization's content. Explores a variety of issues relating to the life cycle of an organization's content, including strategy, audits, the role of legacy content, content migration, and content management systems (CMS). Reviews the role that staff, technical resources, and constraints play within content strategy, and discusses the future role of content strategy within a variety of organizations. Course Outcomes and Methodology Upon the completion of this course, you will have an understanding of the basics of content strategy and how that is an overall part of the overall user experience in how organizations plan for, audit, develop, and govern their entire content collection. This course combines discussion, posted lectures, homework, several projects, and a capstone of a final project. There are no tests or quizzes; rather the final project will be a culmination your work through the term. Each week you will be expected to do the following: 1. Review the week s learning objectives 1

2 2. Complete all assigned readings 3. Complete lecture materials for the week 4. Participate in the Discussion Board 5. Complete and submit all assignments by their due dates Participation/Discussion Board Participation is a portion of your overall grade and lively questions and discussion are expected throughout each week of the course. Note that I post two questions per week in the Discussion Board. Each week I expect, at a minimum, each student to do the following: Post one primary response to each question that I post in the Discussion Board. The response must be a thoughtful and thorough response to my primary question. I also require each student to reply to another student as a follow up to (each) primary question posted. Each week I require a total of four responses/postings by each student in the Discussion Board: two responses to the two primary questions and two responses to another student s postings. Reply to each question by the specified deadline. Discussion board posts are closed after the deadline, and you will not be able to post a response after that time. Note that the final week (Week 12) has a compressed timeline and does not follow the pattern of Weeks I expect replies to each other to be respectful, thoughtful, and polite. Posts do not come across with the tone you get from traditional classroom discussion. Think carefully before you respond. Refer to the Discussion Board Rubric Overview document (within the Discussion Board sections) for a complete understanding of the requirements and expectations of class participation for this course. Since class participation is 25% of your final grade, get involved in discussions early and often. For this class, you can obtain 2 points per week (each question and responses are worth 1 point) in the discussion board as part of your class participation grade -- so use this option to maximize your grade and discuss the question with other students. Please note I will be reviewing posts regularly but short of a direct question or someone acting inappropriate in the Discussion Board, I do not generally impede the flow of student conversation. I prefer to let students discuss the specific topic without professorial interruption. At the end of each question period, I will write and post a wrap up reflection post and then answer any outstanding questions. Office Hours I am available via throughout the term to discuss assignments, readings, or anything else regarding the class or topic. s to d.cooley@neu.edu will get a response within 2 business days (usually far less). is absolutely the best and fastest way to communicate with me. I m also available via chat by appointment. Submission of Work Submit homework assignments through Blackboard instead of sending them via . Once your assignment is graded, you will be able to view the grade and associated comments through Blackboard. Homework is due at 11:59 PM Sunday [Boston time] at the ends of weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, and 9. The final project is due Friday July 1, 2016 at 6:00 pm [Boston time]. When an assignment includes page requirements or limits, a page is considered a double-spaced page of no more than a 12-size font with an expectation of an 11-point font such as Tahoma. Papers should have standard one-inch margins on each side. Please include your name on each page and a cover page with your name, date, class number, and homework assignment number and this page is not included in the page count. For easier homework identification, always submit your homework with your last name underscored with the homework number: for example: smith_hw1.pdf. 2

3 Submit all homework in PDF format unless stated otherwise; otherwise I will not accept the homework. Grading The following is the grading scheme for this class: 25% -- Class Participation (Discussion Board) 10% -- Homework Assignment 1 (Due at end of week 1 4/17/16 at 11:59 pm [Boston time]) 5% -- Homework Assignment 2 (Due at end of week 2 4/24/16 at 11:59 pm [Boston time]) 10% -- Homework Assignment 3 (Due at end of week 4 5/8/16 at 11:59 pm [Boston time]) 10% -- Homework Assignment 4 (Due at end of week 6 5/22/16 at 11:59 pm [Boston time]) 20% -- Homework Assignment 5 (Due at end of week 9 6/12/16 at 11:59 pm [Boston time]) 20% -- Final Project (Due Friday 7/1/16 at 6:00 pm [Boston time]) Each week builds upon the previous week, and failure to participate in discussion and complete homework assignments is strongly discouraged and will be reflected in your grade as per the posted rubrics. Please note that I have struck a balance within this homework between giving you details on what I expect and sometimes leaving requirements to be ambiguous/open to interpretation in certain instances. This is intended both to encourage your own original thinking and to emulate a realistic work environment in which you will rarely if ever receive all the information needed before proceeding with project work. I expect to see highquality work that showcases your graduate-level critical thinking skills. I always encourage questions but remember sometimes I am setting up assignments to encourage everyone to think and interpret what they have learned and apply that to the specific assignment. Excepting the final project, all homework is due at 11:59 pm Sundays (Boston time). See the Submission of Work section above for further details. You have been given sufficient notice and time to complete all assignments, and late homework will not be accepted. Final course grading ranges are listed below: Alphabetical Numerical Final Grade A A B B B Alphabetical Numerical Final Grade C C C F Below

4 Assignments DRAFT Homework Assignment 1 Content Strategy Reaction Paper From what you have learned in the course books, class lectures, and other readings so far, write a description of how you define content strategy and what you believe content strategy entails. Focus on what, if anything, has changed your mind on how you define content strategy since starting the class. Please include a description of one organization that you believe has a strong content strategy and one organization that you believe is lacking a coherent content strategy. Please use examples or references from the readings to bolster your position. This should be a 3-page maximum assignment. Homework Assignment 2 Editing Existing Content Using the document provided in the assignments folder (Extracts from DEEP 2012 White Paper Before and After Mapping), take this reading and streamline it in a way to make it easier to read. You can do this by chunking the information into groups, rewriting it with less text, or any other ways you believe is suitable to make it easier to scan and read quickly. There is no correct answer here I am mostly interested in seeing how you each streamline and edit documents for ease of reading and use. Note: this was a specific document from a company called Information Mapping Canada. This company has a particular method they used called Information Mapping (which was used in the US years ago but the company no longer exists; however, the company s philosophy was similar to many methods used to write Web copy today). Once your homework is done, I will post the way that Information Mapping Canada recommends chunking this document but that is their distinctive way they chunk documentation and not the only method to make this document clear and easy to read. Homework Assignment 3 Content Strategy Proposal (What site and Why) Propose a Web site that you would like to work on to analyze and improve the content strategy. This can be a work-related site or a site that you are interested in exploring further. The site (or subsection of a site) should be approximately 100 pages. Describe the following information in this document: Name of the Web site Discuss why you chose this Web site Discuss the business goals for conducting the study Rough number of Web sites pages on the Web site (if known) Any additional or known relevant issues (to date) Please include the known issues you believe exist regarding content strategy deficiencies Choose wisely. This is the Web site you will be working with for the remainder of the homework assignments and term! This should be a 3-page maximum assignment. Homework Assignment 4 Develop a Content Strategy Plan Build out your content strategy plan as you would propose to analyze and improve the content strategy of the Web site organization. Assume this will be the document you, as the Content Strategist for the organization, will send to your management team detailing your vision for improving content strategy for the organization and specifically how you plan to implement it over the next year. (There are a number of templates online. Feel free to start with one that best suits your site and its needs. Cite your sources.) Homework Assignment 5 Audit Current Content (including create inventory) Complete an audit/inventory of the Web site you have chosen and been working with to date. Per Halvorson s definitions, you may choose a quantitative inventory, a qualitative audit (best practices), or a qualitative audit (strategic assessment). Feel free to perform a mix of the type of audit(s) applicable for your particular organization, even if it is a mixture of several types. Be sure to include an assessment of the value of each content element. By creating this inventory of content, it will allow you to make recommendations of how to make the overall content more consistent, manageable, and focused on the needs of users. (There are a number of templates online. Feel free to start with one that best suits your site and its needs. Cite your sources.) 4

5 DRAFT This is a time-consuming exercise. Please plan accordingly. Final Project Content Strategy Evaluation Results & Recommendations Your final project will be a compilation of all the learning completed over the course. Based on your previous homework, you will complete a presentation based on what you have uncovered in the discovery, research, and auditing portions of the content strategy of the Web site you have a been working on this term. The final project must include the following components: Final Presentation (in a slide deck [PowerPoint/Keynote] saved to PDF) report of the content strategy evaluation results Appendix Raw notes of any/all documents used to complete this evaluation, including any evaluation or audit information from previous homework assignments. Overall I expect the presentation to be slides/pages (feel free to use the notes section if that is required). This page count does not include the information in the appendix. The final report should include the following: Executive Summary Goals of this evaluation Business or organizational rationale of why these updates are needed List of the main content strategy issues uncovered in the evaluations Severity and ranking of the content strategy issues uncovered in testing Recommendations Conclusion I have one additional requirement create and post a video of 3-5 minutes in length and include a link in the final report to this video (posting on You Tube is the easiest, but you can post it anywhere you choose). I expect this short video to be a quick, concise overview of what you evaluated, issues uncovered, and recommendations for improvement all based on the results of the evaluation. Think of this portion of the assignment as when you are given a few minutes with the company CEO and have to tell her/him the issues you encountered while evaluating the content strategy of the Web site so it needs to be both high level and concise. Please remember another primary goal of this project is that it is a culmination of all your work and information that you learned this term; so, I expect this work is worthy of a work sample portfolio piece for you. The final project is due Friday, 12/18/15 at 6 pm [Boston time]. Note: Please compress all final project files and submit through Blackboard as ONE compressed/zip file. Weekly Schedule Week Dates Topic Assignments 1 4/11-4/17 Why Content Strategy matters Business goals, audience, stakeholders, technology, and current publishing workflow Halvorson: Before we Begin, Reality: Chapters 1-3. Kissane: Chapter 1. Homework 1 due 4/17/16 at 11:59 pm [Boston time] 2 4/18-4/24 Evaluating the site Halvorson: Discovery: Chapters

6 DRAFT Kissane: Chapter 2. Homework 2 due 11:59pm [Boston time] Kissane: Chapter 3 & Conclusion. 3 4/25-5/1 Auditing the site Read posted articles within Week 3 4 5/2-5/8 Developing a strategy (including channels) Continue work on Homework 3. Halvorson: Strategy: Chapters 7-9. Homework 3 due 11:59pm [Boston time]. 5 5/9-5/15 IA, navigation, and templates Read posted articles within Week 4 Continue work on Homework /16-5/22 Writing content for the web (including microcopy) mobile, and Style Guides/Design Patterns Read posted articles within Week 6 Homework 4 due 11:59pm [Boston time]. 7 5/23-5/29 CMSs and Taxonomies 8 5/30-6/5 Social media Read posted articles within Week 7 Continue work on Homework 5. Read posted articles within Week 8 Continue work on Homework /6-6/12 Validating Your Work 6

7 DRAFT (Testing & Evaluating) Halvorson: Success: Chapters Homework 5 due 11:59pm [Boston time]. 10 6/13-6/19 Content Sources and Publishing Calendars Read posted articles within Week 10 Continue work on final project. 11 6/20-6/26 Governance Read posted articles within Week 11 Continue work on final project. 12 6/27-7/2 Advocating Content Strategy & the future of Content Strategy Kissane: Bonus Track Read posted articles within Week 12 FINAL PROJECT Final Project due Friday 6 pm [Boston time] Academic Honesty and Integrity The University views academic dishonesty as one of the most serious offenses that a student can commit while in college and imposes appropriate punitive sanctions on violators. Here are some examples of academic dishonesty. While this is not an all-inclusive list, I hope this will help you to understand some of the things instructors look for. The following is excerpted from the University s policy on academic integrity; the complete policy is available in the Student Handbook. The Student Handbook is available on the CPS Student Resources page > Policies and Forms. Cheating intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids in an academic exercise Fabrication intentional and unauthorized falsification, misrepresentation, or invention of any data, or citation in an academic exercise Plagiarism intentionally representing the words, ideas, or data of another as one s own in any academic exercise without providing proper citation Unauthorized collaboration instances when students submit individual academic works that are substantially similar to one another; while several students may have the same source material, the analysis, interpretation, and reporting of the data must be each individual s independent work. 7

8 DRAFT Participation in academically dishonest activities any action taken by a student with the intent of gaining an unfair advantage Facilitating academic dishonesty intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to violate any provision of this policy For more information on Academic Integrity, including examples, please refer to the Student Handbook, pages Finally, if in doubt, cite it, cite it, cite it! Northeastern Online Policies and Procedures For comprehensive information please go to Northeastern Online Copyright Statement Northeastern Online is a registered trademark of Northeastern University. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. This course material is copyrighted and all rights are reserved by Northeastern Online. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the express prior written permission of Northeastern Online. Copyright 2015 by Northeastern Online All Rights Reserved 8