Faculty: Anne Frost

Program Coordinator(s): Anne Frost

Associate Dean: Andrew Scott, Andrew.scott@humber.ca

Course Outline
Academic Year: 2019-2020

Course Name Digital Strategies

Land Acknowledgement
Humber College is located in Adobigok, known as “Place of the Black Alders” in the Ojibwe Anishinaabe language. It is uniquely situated along
GabeKanang Ziibi, the Humber River providing an integral connection for Indigenous peoples between the northern shore of Lake Ontario and the Lake
Simcoe Georgian Bay region. In Honouring the Land, we are walking in the moccasin tracks of our ancestors and leaving our footprints for the future
generations to come.

Faculty Faculty of Media and Creative Arts

Program Arts Administration – Cultural Management

Course Name:
Digital Strategies (ARTC 5001)

Pre-Requisite(s) None

Co-Requisite(s) Fall courses

Pre-Requisite(s) for Winter and summer courses

Equates None
 Restrictions None

Credit Value 3

Total Course Hours 42

Approved by:
Developed By: Anne Frost

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to software packages in common use in arts organizations, covering key functional
areas: marketing, fundraising, planning, finance and administration; and to the resource allocation decision-making
process by which managers determine how to acquire the expertise necessary to carry out these tasks. Through a series
of six modules taught by subject matter experts, students will be introduced to Excel, Quickbooks (accounting), a
customer relationship management/fundraising package to be determined, Adobe Creative Suite 2017 (design/creative),
Asana (project management), SeaMonkey (HTML editing) and WordPress (web design), or equivalent software as
determined by content-expert instructors. Each module will provide an overview of the capabilities of the software and an
opportunity for the students to execute assignments representative of typical arts management tasks.

Course Rationale

Professionals entering the field are expected to bring competency in managing information and communicating their
organization’s message through financial reporting, relationship management, planning, data analysis and reporting, and
effective use of online promotional techniques including website development. Managers are expected to be capable of
evaluating the most efficient and effective way to engage these skills within their organizations: by applying their own
proficiency; by hiring and training proficient staff; by employing consultants and other third-party expertise; or by some
combination of these choices. Skills learned in this foundational course will be used in the Planning, Revenue
Development, Marketing, Social Media and Financial Management courses, as well as in the Capstone Project, Field
Placement and throughout a career.
Program Learning Outcomes Emphasized in this Course:

Develop essential skills related to fiscal planning, management and control

Communicate effectively in both written and spoken business communications

Develop an understanding of the applications of computers in the arts field, including word processing, financial records,
data management, marketing, content management, customer relationship management and social media.

Develop a wide range of basic administrative skills pertaining to human resources management, facilities management,
organizational structure, internal relations and financial management.

Essential Employability Skills Emphasized in this Course:

Communication Skills x
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving x
Interpersonal x
Numeracy x
Information Management x
Personal

Course Format(s)

100% of learning is in classroom, using lectures, computer demonstrations, one-on-one coaching and individual
assignments.
Course Learning Outcomes

1. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages to arts organizations of developing expertise “in-house” versus
outsourcing.
2. Demonstrate an awareness of the options available to managers by identifying competitor products.
3. Discuss factors influencing an arts organization’s evaluation and selection of appropriate CRM (client
relationship management) software for the purposes of fundraising and marketing.
4. Discuss the functionality and application of the array of design and creative tools available within Adobe
Creative Suite 2017.
5. Employ Excel to design spreadsheets at a basic to intermediate level for the purposes of financial planning
and reporting, and list management.
6. Utilize a range of Excel skills including applying formatting; using arithmetic operators to perform calculations
with numbers and cell references, incorporating functions into calculations (SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MAX,
MIN, ROUND, IF), and employing date and time functions. Demonstrate an understanding of the capacity and
conceptual framework of Excel through the application of features such as relative and absolute cell
references, 3D and remote references.
7. Enter accounting transactions in Quickbooks and produce financial statements and supplementary reports
such as trial balances, vendor and customer agings, project reports and the chart of accounts.
8. Use the features of a CRM to create records for individuals, organizations, gifts, campaigns, funds and
appeals. Search for existing records. Illustrate policies and procedures for maintaining consistent salutations
and addressee information and other elements essential to professional list management.
9. Use Adobe Creative Suite 2017, to organize digital content and collections, apply metadata and copyright;
manipulate images using features such as colour correction, cropping, and sizing in Photoshop; create
marketing materials in Illustrator with collateral that has been adjusted in Bridge and Photoshop.
10. Demonstrate understanding of information architecture principals and the importance of organizing online
information, particularly in a public-facing context. Use content management systems by applying the features
of WordPress templates to produce and publish web pages. Solve the design and technical problems
involved in preparing a page to be read by different browsers and mobile devices.
Assessment Weighting

Assessment Weight
Excel - Students will create a spreadsheet in Excel. Choice of assignments tiered to student experience levels. 25%
Quickbooks accounting - Assignment based on sample books provided with the software demonstrating 30%
proficiency at accessing accounting report information.
Information architecture - Students will complete an assignment organizing a prepared information set - pass/fail 5%
based on completion of the exercise
Customer Relationship Management software tbc – in-class assignment based on skills required to create a 5%
database and produce reports – pass/fail based on completion of the exercise
Asana project management software – in-class assignment working with project content from Planning class – 5%
pass/fail based on completion of the exercise
Adobe Creative Cloud 2017 - Students will manipulate an image, and create a simple design, demonstrating ability to use 30%
design tools to achieve required effects.
Total 100%

Modules of Study

Module and topic Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) Resources Assessments

Module 1: Excel (2 weeks)
Module 2: Quickbooks online (3
weeks)
Module 3: Information
architecture for websites (1
week)
Module 4: Customer
Relationship Management (2
weeks)
Module 5: Asana (2 weeks)
Module 6: Adobe (4 weeks)
2, 5, 6 Materials provided by instructor Excel assignment – 25% (CLOs 2, 5, 6)
1, 2, 7 Materials provided by instructor QBO assignment – 30% (CLOs 1, 2, 7)
1, 2, 10 Materials provided by instructor Information architecture assignment – 5%
(CLOs 1, 2, 10)
1, 2, 3, 8 Materials provided by instructor CRM assignment – 5% (CLOs 1, 2, 3, 8)
1, 2 Materials provided by instructor Asana assignment – 5% (CLOs 1, 2)
1, 2, 4, 9 Materials provided by instructor Adobe assignment – 30% (CLOs 1, 2, 4, 9)
Required Resources, Tools and/or Equipment:

Materials provided by instructor

Supplemental Resources:

Additional resources may be introduced when useful to the course content or student experience.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

Students who have prior learning in the material of this course may be eligible for a course credit in recognition of their prior learning. The following
table indicates the method that is used to assess prior learning for this course, or it indicates that such an assessment is not available. Students must
apply for consideration for a prior learning assessment through the Office of the Registrar, and there is usually a fee associated with the application.

Not Available
Portfolio Challenge Exam Skills Test Interview Other (Specify)
For PLAR

Policies and Procedures

It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of their obligations under Humber Policies and Procedures.

Academic Regulations
It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the College Academic Regulations. The Academic Regulations apply to all applicants to Humber and all
current students enrolled in any program or course offered by Humber, in any location. Information about academic appeals is found in the Academic
Regulations.
Accessible Learning Services
Humber strives to create a welcoming environment for all students where equity, diversity and inclusion are paramount. Accessible Learning Services
facilitates equal access for students with disabilities by coordinating academic accommodations and services. Staff in Accessible Learning Services are
available by appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate accommodations. If you require academic
accommodations, contact:
Accessible Learning Services: http://www.humber.ca/student-life/swac/accessible-learning
North Campus: (416) 675-6622 X5090
Lakeshore Campus: (416) 675-6622 X3331

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is essentially honesty in all academic endeavors. Academic integrity requires that students avoid all forms of academic misconduct
or dishonesty, including plagiarism, cheating on tests or exams or any misrepresentation of academic accomplishment.

Disclaimer
While every effort is made by the professor/faculty to cover all material listed in the outline, the order, content, and/or evaluation may change in the
event of special circumstances (e.g. time constraints due to inclement weather, sickness, college closure, technology/equipment problems or changes,
etc.). In any such case, students will be given appropriate notification.

Copyright
Copyright is the exclusive legal right given to a creator to reproduce, publish, sell or distribute his/her work. All members of the Humber community are
required to comply with Canadian copyright law which governs the reproduction, use and distribution of copyrighted materials. This means that the
copying, use and distribution of copyright- protected materials, regardless of format, is subject to certain limits and restrictions. For example,
photocopying or scanning an entire textbook is not allowed, nor is distributing a scanned book.

See the Humber Libraries website (http://library.humber.ca) for additional information regarding copyright and for details on allowable limits.