Meeting Market Needs with Curriculum Transformation
When academic institutions adapt programs and instructional methods to meet employer expectations for job-ready skills, workers and employers win.
Sandra Sjoberg, associate dean at Western Governors University, recently discussed in the series CampusTalks with Coursera for Campus strategies for incorporating in-demand skills into curriculum and degree programs, including a successful model for supporting students and creating pathways to opportunity through a digital marketing master’s degree program with embedded Google certificates.
Alongside Scott Shireman, global head of Coursera for Campus, Sjoberg, who is certified in digital marketing by the American Marketing Association and the Digital Marketing Institute, explored:
- Considerations and potential challenges of designing degree programs with embedded certifications;
- The power of experiential learning in fostering real-world capabilities and readiness among students; and
- Collaborating with industry leaders and online learning providers to identify resource gaps and add certifications across domains.
Listen to the practical strategies for connecting curriculum to career.
The master’s degree in marketing with a digital marketing specialization and master’s degree in marketing with a marketing analytics specialization within the WGU College of Business are built with four industry partnerships – Google, HubSpot, Online Marketing Certified Professional, and Digital Analytics Association – creating additional pathways to opportunity for students along the way to earning their degree.
“These programs are industry-aligned, teach industry demanded skills and provide a setting where students can apply their marketing skills,” Sjoberg said. “Fostering real-world capabilities and readiness, students learn in-demand skills that enhance student marketability and return on investment.”
