How FASS 202 Helped Me Excel At My Co-op

By Kirsten Rose

In early 2020 I decided to enroll myself in a microcredit course, FASS 202: Social Media for Work and Play, for the summer semester. I believed the course could be a quick and easy way to earn another credit towards my degree. However, I had no idea how much this course would prepare me for my first Co-op semester in the following fall.

One skill that I learned from FASS 202 was how to maintain brand consistency. When creating a brand’s social media presence on various platforms it is important to be consistent in its appearance. This can include using the same colours, fonts, logos, and slogans which help followers better remember your brand and creates a very professional look. During my Co-op I was able to use my knowledge on brand consistency when creating and sharing content for my company on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

One project that I worked on during FASS 202 was a group project involving online research, video production, and public speaking. My group discussed cancel culture due to its large online presence in the past few years and its affects on people's mental health. We conducted online research to learn more about this topic and put together an informative video of our findings which we presented during the last lecture of the semester. From this project I was able to gain valuable online research, video production, and public speaking skills which I applied to my Co-op semester. I also learned how to thrive in an online group environment which was very beneficial as my Co-op semester was entirely online.

Another project that I completed in FASS 202 was the creation of a social media calendar. These types of calendars outline what days and times various online content pieces should be shared, as well as on what platforms. Often, social media calendars also include captions to go along with the posts and popular hashtags that will attract more views. By learning about and creating a social media calendar in FASS 202, I was extra prepared to put together a 12-month one during my Co-op.

I am really thankful that I chose to take FASS 202 in the summer of 2020. Although it is a microcredit course, I feel that it has been very valuable in terms of preparing me for my first Co-op and helping me succeed. In fact, I would say it has been one of my favourite courses that I have taken at SFU. I would strongly recommend this course to any other Communications students who are interested in social media, marketing, or graphic design. As well, FASS offers other microcredit courses that can appeal to students of any major, go check them out!