University of Technology Sydney

52682 Digital Media Metrics

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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Communication: Digital and Social Media
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks

There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 54061 Digital Media: Marketing, Metrics and Data AND 58337 Engagement, Participation, Gamification

Description

This subject responds to the digital media industry's growing emphasis and reliance on data and metrics to better segment, target and understand audiences. Students learn the foundations of social media metrics, and engage with social media data to consider aspects of digital engagement, how this is measured, and the benefits and limitations in doing so. In exploring social media metrics, students explore the ethical and equity issues resulting from measuring, analysing and using digital traces. Within a critical approach to working with social media data, students develop skills in data collection, analysis, and visualisation.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

a. Collect, analyse and report on data
b. Engage with key theoretical approaches to data and metrics
c. Produce professional materials for effective communication
d. Develop awareness of practical and ethical issues of social media metrics
e. Communicate effectively with peers

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:

  • Act in a professional manner appropriate to communication industries (1.1)
  • Apply theoretically informed understandings of communication industries to independent and collaborative projects across a range of media (1.2)
  • Employ appropriate research and inquiry skills to independently gather, organise and analyse information across diverse platforms (2.1)
  • Act as reflexive critical thinkers and innovative creative practitioners who evaluate their own and others' work (2.2)
  • Analyse and act ethically in the personal, political and professional contexts of civil society (5.1)
  • Exemplify effective and appropriate communication in different communication industry contexts (6.1)
  • Utilise digital literacy and production skills across a range of media (6.2)

Teaching and learning strategies

Teaching strategies promote interactive, collaborative learning with a ‘learning by doing’ approach to foster exploration extending beyond the classroom. The weekly program includes lectures, tutorials with structured learning and groupwork exercises, data collection and analysis workshops, and drop-in sessions for tutor consultation. Students expand upon weekly themes and readings to convey the theories and concepts of digital communication technologies and social media in social media communication industries. Formative feedback is provided in the lead up to Assessment 2.

Content (topics)

Students explore the consequences of, and issues surrounding, digital data and social media metrics. Digital communication concepts and topics explored include: big data; datafication; dataism; predictive analytics; sentiment analysis; data privacy; data ethics and security; digital infrastructures; digital surveillance; and data sovereignty. Students investigate how social media data is collected, prepared, analysed, interpreted and used in professional environments, including social media marketing roles.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Personal data mapping and visualisation

Objective(s):

a, b and d

Type: Project
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 30%
Length:

800 words

Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Clarity of written expression 20 d 6.1
Engagement with key literature 25 b 2.1
Analytical approach 30 a 2.1
Coherence of data visualisation 15 d 6.2
Accuracy of referencing 10 d 6.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Peer reviews

Objective(s):

b and e

Type: Exercises
Groupwork: Group, individually assessed
Weight: 20%
Length:

No prescribed length

Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Engage critically with student work 40 b 1.1
Provide constructive, useful, feedback 40 e 2.2
Use of appropriate tone 20 e 6.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 3: Social media metrics report and reflection

Objective(s):

b, c and d

Type: Report
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 50%
Length:

1200 words

Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Report writing style and clarity 20 c 6.1
Analytical approach & data literacy 30 b 1.2
Appropriateness of data visualisation 15 c 6.2
Reflection on process 20 d 2.2
Reflection on data ethics 15 d 5.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Minimum requirements

Attendance at classes is essential in this subject. Classes are based on a collaborative approach that involves workshopping and interchange of ideas with other students and the tutor to build capacities towards meeting the subject learning objectives. A roll will be taken at each class. Students who have more than two absences from class will be refused marking of their final assessment (see Rule 3.8). Students who fail to attend the Week 11 workshop (where A2 is completed) without approval of their absence will receive 0% for their A2.