Student Recommendation COM 3317: Social Media Strategies

In signing up for Dr. Perreault's Social Media Strategies class this past semester I was unsure of what to expect, but on paper it seemed to be the most interesting communications elective offered. I can say confidently now that I am so happy I chose it. Not only was Dr. Perreault one of the most effective and knowledgable professors I have had in my academic tenure at Appalachian, but the rigor of the course has provided me with increased knowledge in social media strategy. The course provided me with certifications in Hootsuite, Google Analytics and HTML coding as well as a newfound set of social media skills to use in my future career. I have also gained insight from credible resources in the field via Skype and classroom visits that Dr. Perreault set up. I also created my own blog that I was able to create content for throughout the semester and build social media strategy within it. Without this class and my capstone, I wouldn't have created something like this (at least prior to graduation), but having it has opened so many doors for me already and I continue to further its development. I have also learned and practiced how to implement social strategy through a Social Media Plan I created for a nearby racquet club to provide my portfolio with credible hands-on experience. Along with the creation of my blog, this was one of the most helpful aspect of the course, as we were able to work on it throughout the year (simultaneously to learning about social media as a whole and strategies to implement) and as a way to automatically implement our Hootsuite, Google Analytics and HTML coding certifications. Dr. Perreault was completing her dissertation alongside teaching the course this semester, but she did so without compromising her teachings to our class. She was available each day during office hours and prompt email responses. Overall, this course was engaging and rigorous, but fully worth the time and effort put in. Dr. Perreault was incredibly helpful throughout, not only with her own classwork but also with resume building, career recommendations and opportunities and more. She made a point to be present and available for her students when they needed on a personable level. I would highly recommend her for this course and other courses, as I know her insight and discipline reaches beyond social media strategy.