In early September, I wrote about the FDOC (first day of class) for my McMaster social media course. And now – 14 weeks later – we had our final session. And before I start marking (it feels like an arduous task), I thought I’d share a few observations.

First off, I’ve had a great time meeting and getting to know the students; watching (and hopefully helping) them learn to make their way around social networks and seeing how their voices emerged. I’m happy to report that most of them want to continue their blogs. In case you’re interested, here’s a class list.

It’s been a truly rewarding and humbling experience. I met the father of one of my students at Tim’s before class. He’s a former teacher and remarked that teaching is like being on stage except you’re throwing away 20 per cent of the script. That’s a great description.

Here are a few things I learned:

  • It takes a lot of time to prepare – I spent between four and five hours each week getting the lecture ready, managing the Ning class site and keeping up with reading and trends.
  • Terry Flynn was right. I can see why he said you need to teach a course three times to fine tune all the details. Overall I was pleased, but there are some things, notably the course outline and assignments, that I would adapt.
  • If possible, the textbook for a social media course should be in a digital format – so it can be updated frequently with new tools and relevant case studies. There’s an opportunity for someone.
  • Because it takes time to build relationships, readership and trust, I wonder if this should be a full-year course.
  • I’m not used to being the marker as opposed to the markee. I guess I will be soon.

Well, now it’s time to stop procrastinating and start reading the blogs and Wiki assignments and doing some serious grading.

Congratulations to all the students. Thanks for making it easy for me to get up early every Saturday morning and drive to Hamilton. Thanks also for making me want do it again!

About Martin Waxman


Martin Waxman, MCM, is a digital communications strategist. He conducts AI research, leads digital and social media training workshops and speaks at events across North America. He's co-founder of two PR agencies, president of a consultancy and has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. Martin is a LinkedIn Learning instructor, teaches digital strategy and social media at McMaster University, the Schulich School of Business, University of Toronto SCS and Seneca College. He's a member of the Institute for Public Relations Digital Media Research Center and a past-chair of PRSA Counselors Academy. He has a Master of Communications Management (MCM) from McMaster-Syracuse Universities.