Piloting Digital Platforms and Analytics: Lessons from an Online Course

Designing and delivering a new online course

From a teacher’s perspective, launching a new course is always both exciting and humbling. While the content builds on research and previous teaching, translating it into a fully online learning experience for a diverse, non-degree student audience required thoughtful planning.

We aimed to blend theoretical understanding with practical tools. Tools such as Google Analytics, Hootsuite, HubSpot, and Semrush were introduced to give students tangible skills for navigating the digital platform economy. Alongside this, we embedded reflective tasks and career-oriented questions to help learners connect the course themes to their own professional aspirations.

What worked well and what didn’t

Among the course components that worked particularly well, were the self-paced learning materials and real-world examples. These helped students engage with the topic flexibly, regardless of their location or schedule. Additionally, the expectation surveys we conducted at the beginning and end of the course, offered valuable qualitative insights into student goals, prior knowledge, and progression.

However, the pilot also revealed challenges. The most significant issue was confusion between the Open University implementation (entirely online) and the blended/on-campus version of the similar course for degree students.

Another limitation was the difficulty students faced in coordinating group work independently. While group tasks were designed to encourage collaboration and peer learning, the online, asynchronous nature of the course made it challenging for students to organize themselves and follow through consistently. This highlights the need to build more structured support or alternative formats for collaboration in future iterations.

Teaching and learning in a shifting landscape

One of the most memorable aspects of the course was seeing how student interests evolved over time. Many students initially expressed broad or undefined goals, such as becoming entrepreneurs or data analysts, with limited awareness of the tools or roles involved. By the end of the course, those who responded to the post-course survey described more specific career paths like digital marketing analyst or digital marketing consulting, and cited tools such as HubSpot, Hootsuite and Semrush. These insights emerged from a comparison of responses to the pre-course and post-course expectation surveys, which helped illuminate how students’ understanding and aspirations developed over the course timeline.

As a teacher, I was reminded of the need for constant iteration. Designing a course is not a one-time task but a cycle of listening, adjusting and experimenting. The pilot has provided both feedback and inspiration for how the course might evolve in future rounds – especially in better clarifying the Open University format for learners, enhancing collaboration engagement strategies and ensuring that we continue to spotlight tools and themes that reflect current industry digital practices.

Why these themes matter now

Digital platforms and analytics are not just business buzzwords. They are core to how information, influence and innovation circulate in the 21st century. Whether students aim to work in marketing, data analysis or launch their own ventures, understanding how to navigate platform ecosystems and interpret data is crucial.
After pre-course needs assessment and post-course expectation feedback, the responses suggest a modest gain in tool awareness and a more refined understanding of potential career paths.

In a world shaped by algorithms, platform logics and data-driven decision-making, equipping students with both practical tools and critical perspectives is not just timely – it’s necessary.