I can't believe that PFR&P is over! When I first started this course in September, Dec. 19 seemed so far off. Now I can believe how quickly the time flew. PFR&P was one of the most intense courses I ever took. We did so much work, that the class felt more like a public relations academy.
The class was so rigorous that I couldn't resist coining a slogan patterned after the old Schafer beer commercial. "PFR&P is the once course to take take when you're taking more than one." Nothing could be closer to the truth. Between the blog, assignements, curveball, and final project, you felt you were taking five courses. You know what, I may not have wanted all of that drudgery. However, it's wasn't a question of what I wanted. It was a question of what I needed.
That's to say, I needed to be more prepared for the real PR world. I may have had experience as a newspaper reporter, but the PR realm is different. Journalism is writing articles, but PR involves so much more; planning, social media, 11th-hour crises, close teamwork, and so much more. You really need a course like PFR&P to break you into that kind of atmosphere.
The bottom line is becoming proficient at PR requires baptism by fire. I rather be introduced to that here in academia than on the job where the stakes are much higher.
And PFR&P greatly boosted my readiness for real world PR. I got experience doing powerpoints, giving a guest lecture, crowdsourcing, and final presentation. I acquired a much better understanding of the strategic communications. I received pratice handling last minute complications. This is all great to know when heading out into the more turbulent waters of the PR profession.
To me, the most valuable lesson was the emphasis on the fine print. I'm really thankful that Professor Chandler stressed that so much. Although I didn't always follow the fine print, I gradually understood that I needed to make meeting that requirement a priority. And my concern for satisfying that obligation grew. By the end of the course, I was no longer making major fine print errors. And that alone makes me feel more confident for a PR position.
And let's not forget all this was done online. That's a feather in every student's cap. Learning via the Internet is a challenge. Unlike traditonal education, you worry how many technological roadblocks you are going to encounter. Classmates Josi and Maya are painfully aware of this through their repeated struggles with technical difficulties througout the course.
The fickleness of online connections weighed on my mind during the final PR presentation. This held true especially given the episode I encountered just before showtime. My computer was giving me trouble as I tried over and over to send the powerpoint to Eric. Although I cleared that hurdle, I couldn't help wondering what would happen as I was doing my presentation.
All in all, the good of PFR&P is all the insights the course offered about PR. Having finished the class, I now see that this offering is a must for anyone going into the field. I wouldn't recommened entering the field without it, because you'll simply be too ill equipped and overwhelmed. And that's the last thing you want in a profession with multiple players and ever breaking developments. You need a solid understanding of PR.
The bad of PFR&P is that online line medium deprives you of the chance of meeting with the professor and classmates in person. Although you can learn over the Internet, you don't have the opportunity to sit with others in the flesh and chat, whether immediately after class or in a cafe. I wouldn't say you lose the academic experience over this, but it's not the same face to face. Fact is, being there in person beats the computer regarding getting to know someone.
The ugly of PFR&P is the stress and tension goes with territory. For example, the curveball assigments which make you wonder, "How am I going to tackle this?" I' m talking about the anxiety which runs through your veins when a PR workgroup meeting falls through because a member can't make it. I mean the aggravation that arises when just when you think you have a grip on the fine print, you find you missed it.
There were moments when I though this class was a pain in the derriere. Looking back, I'm glad I went through all those tough moments, because it hardened my coping ability. And that's vital to succeed at any PR job, where the pressure is on
As for improvements, I would make PFR&P a two-semester course. I would devote the first term for covering all the course's PR. The second term would be dedicated to the final PR plan and presentation. The advantages are as follows:
1. The students will have all the tools and mastered concepts they need before starting the project. As such, they'd have the wherewithal to launch right into the undertaking. They wouldn't have to worry about other competing PFR&P matters. This means they can apply their undivided attention to the final PR plan.
2. The semester timeframe would permit the class to do a more detailed scenario. After all, they wouldn't be tied down with other course responsibilities You could have them work from mock RFP proposals to reflect real world conditions. You can have them hash out budget lines for each tactic. You can even have PR plan presentations followed by feedback sessions with role play clients.
And perhaps you can have a real PR agency to volunteer its time to view and critique the final PR plan presentations. After all, there's nothing like getting reviewd by the real McCoy.
3. A semester long PR project could be done as a special academic internship with a real PR agency. In other words, the agency, not the professor, would be running this course segment. This would permit students to learn from the pros. This would probably cost more tuitionwise but would provide valuable PR learning experience.
So, that's what I really think about PFR&P. I wonder what other classmates have to say about the class. I eagerly await their posts.
