Integrating Social and Traditional Media in the Client Project

Abstract

Based on a client project assigned to students in two undergraduate business classes, this article argues that social media learning is best done in a context that mixes social media with more traditional kinds of media. Ideally, this approach will involve teams of students who are working on different aspects of a larger client project. This integrated setup has several benefits: It enhances the students' understanding of social media within a real context, it complements more traditional communication methods, and it reveals the communicative aspects of key business functions.

Social Media in Technical Communication

“…Technical communication scholars also have examined social media in relation to other domains including crisis communication (Potts, 2011;Potts, Seitzinger, Jones, & Harrison, 2011), service learning (Kimme Hea, 2011), client projects (Melton & Hicks, 2011), collaborative bookmarking (Stolley, 2009), and a range of pedagogical domains (see themed sections on social media in the December 2011 and March 2012 issues of Business Communication Quarterly). Still, others in the field have examined social media outlining its potential deployments for technical communication practitioners (Maggiani, 2009(Maggiani, , 2011Singleton & Meloncon, 2011) and in writing classrooms (Kaufer, Gunawardena, Tan, & Cheek, 2011;Maranto & Barton, 2010;Vie, 2008).…”

Media Use in Virtual Teams of Varying Levels of Coordination

“…Yet while hundreds of studies exist about virtual teamwork, nearly all examine only the use of traditional technologies, such as email and instant messaging. A variety of articles explain the value of using social media and more recently developed collaboration tools in team settings (e.g., Carmichael, 2011; Melton & Hicks, 2011; Young & Hinesly, 2014). Yet scant empirical research has examined the use of social media, meeting tools, and other collaboration tools, such as Google Docs, to facilitate more effective virtual teamwork (Gilson, Maynard, Young, Vartiainen, & Hakonen, 2015).…”

Enhancing Student Learning Through Scaffolded Client Projects

“…The literature on CPs in the writing classroom generally takes two approaches: Scholars tend to describe the benefits students accrue from engaging in these projects (see Addams, Woodbury, Allred, & Addams, 2010; Blakeslee, 2001; Cooke & Williams, 2004; Crews & North, 2008; Crews & Stitt-Gohdes, 2012; McEachern, 2001; Melton & Hicks, 2011; Willerton, 2013), and scholars tend to discuss the pitfalls instructors encounter when implementing projects (see Lopez & Lee, 2005; Matthews & Zimmerman, 1999; Wojahn, Dyke, Riley, Hensel, & Brown, 2001). For instance, Addams et al (2010) described benefits to students in terms of increased motivation.…”