New Digital Marketing major creates new problems

ALLI WICHERT
GRAPHIC DESIGNER

KATELYN THOMAS
STAFF WRITER

10/28/2024

A new marketing major has left some New Media Studies (NMS) students in a difficult position. Originally, Digital Marketing was a part of the Marketing major, but this major is no longer offered. In light of trying to attract more students, Alma has created a separate Digital Marketing major.

However, the Business Administration department is seeking to move the Digital Marketing major into the Business major due to a lack of professors.

Over the course of the past few years, Alma College was trying to find a professor to specialize in Digital Marketing, but this search failed. Currently, Alma is undergoing a search for a new Marketing professor who would teach a variety of courses pertaining to marketing, including digital marketing.

Some students majoring in NMS and Digital Marketing are enrolled in a Digital Marketing course for this fall. This course is fully asynchronous, which was unexpected to students, and it is being taught by a professor at a partner community college several states away in Nebraska.

Even though Alma staff have been as supportive as they can be, online courses present a new set of challenges for current students that none were expecting to face. Part of the appeal of Alma College is the personability of its courses, but asynchronous learning strips students of this opportunity.

If Alma must continue offering online courses, they should at least explore partnering with a more local community college or university to enhance student experience as much as possible.

“My advisor told me when I first signed up for this class that it would be a new course that they were still waiting to hire a professor for. However, it ended up to be an asynchronous class,” said Morgan Horvath (’26). 

In addition to not knowing that their course would be online, students currently in this course have had a difficult time connecting with their professor, especially when trying to reach her if they need help.

“My experience with the professor of this course feels really non-existent as I have only sent one email to them. I feel more comfortable asking a professor on this campus than the one online,” said Cara Hofstra (’26).

Though the Digital Marketing course has not been perfect, it has provided a great starting point and has paved the way for students and staff to see the future of a potential Marketing program.

The Business Administration office, Communications and the New Media Studies department all share a clear vision of what they want to turn the Marketing program and New Media Studies Program into and how they can prepare students to join the digital world.

They will be working together to bring students a well-rounded education with real-world experience and a variety of tools to thrive in future work environments.

Alma tried their best given the situation they were in, but in the future they should think about how courses and switching majors impact current students.