Kent State University - School of Journalism and Mass Communication

relations practitioners. These include blogging, creating podcasts and e-newsletters for companies, and using social media Web sites.

The course is now required for all public relations majors.

Ewing said they discussed the course content with professionals in the field.

"When we talked to PR professionals, some of whom had 20 or more years of experience, they wished they could take the class because they wanted to learn these skills," Ewing said.

Stefanie Moore, who is team-teaching the class this semester with Ewing, said the Web is simply another tool public relations practitioners can use to build relationships and communicate messages to an audience.

Katy Zupan, a graduate student who took the class as part of her master's program in public relations, agreed.

"I think it's beneficial to learn so many new social media techniques and tactics because that's the way the academic and professional worlds are heading," she said.

Ewing said the course still focuses on basic public relations practices: identifying the audience and crafting a message suited for that particular audience.

'When we talked to

PR professionals . . .

they wished they could

take the class because

they wanted to learn

these skills'

Michele Ewing,

JMC faculty member

Students learn to decipher when online tools are useful for achieving that end.

Part of the course content is offered online. Students log on to receive and complete assignments for some of the class meetings, while other days are spent in the classroom.

Ewing said employers have taken notice of the students' assignments.

"Students in the class are required to keep a blog. [See Related Links at left] Some students have sent the link to employers on their resumes, and the employer identified students through their blog and asked them to come in for an interview based on the content of their blog," she said.

"You can't have a greater success story than that."