Online and Remote Learning

Search engine marketing (SEM) helps companies know whether and how their marketing dollars are meeting business objectives. This course will teach you how to use SEM to improve business performance and make sure your organization gets in front of today's online audience. You'll learn how to incorporate online advertising into an overall digital strategy and how to study best practices for online success. Learn about organic and paid searches, display and social media advertising, web analytics and optimizing SEM budgets. Understand SEM fundamentals, including keywords and competitive research. Understand Google's algorithm and recent changes to it.Create and manage an online advertising campaign.Develop landing pages and website experiences that drive leads or sales. Use web analytics to measure the performance of your initiatives.

A website is only of value if users can find it. In this five-week micro course, you’ll learn how to research and identify the keywords your audience uses in Google searches. You’ll examine how Google ranks websites and how to position yours, so it’s found more easily. Working with case studies, you’ll develop practical marketing strategies and a stronger approach to search engine optimization. You’ll emerge with fresh ideas and a strong foundation in how to get your website noticed. Within 4-6 weeks of successfully completing this course, you will receive your micro-credential indicating achievement of the outlined learning outcomes and competencies/skills. Micro-credentials are tamper proof, verifiable, blockchain-based and 100% digital. They can be shared on social media, including LinkedIn and Facebook, embedded in websites or downloaded as PDFs. By the end of this micro course, you'll be able to: Perform both SEO keyword and competitive research to best compete in a crowded market. Understand how Google ranks websites and how to position yours to increase your chances of ranking. Develop an influencer & media outreach strategy to improve your Off-Page SEO (i.e., how authoritative and credible Google views you). Competencies/skills developed in this micro course include: Search Engine Optimization Influencer and Media Outreach Content Marketing Strategy

If you want to increase your organization’s pay-per-click (PPC) revenues, this micro course is for you. You’ll delve into real case studies across both B2B and B2C companies and learn the tactics and strategies that drive growth in predictable ways. You’ll identify high-value keywords that get your Google ads noticed and explore paid social media strategies that cover the entire customer journey. You’ll learn to write persuasive ad copy and optimize your website and landing pages to convert visitors into customers. Within 4-6 weeks of successfully completing this course, you will receive your micro-credential indicating achievement of the outlined learning outcomes and competencies/skills. Micro-credentials are tamper proof, verifiable, blockchain-based and 100% digital. They can be shared on social media, including LinkedIn and Facebook, embedded in websites or downloaded as PDFs. By the end of this micro course, you'll be able to: Perform both PPC keyword and competitive research to best compete in a crowded market. Build and manage Google Ads campaigns, including structuring campaigns, optimizing bids, and writing persuasive ad copy. Build and manage Display and Social Media campaigns, including targeting the right audience with the right creative messaging. Maximize the paid traffic you’re driving to your website through conversion optimization. Competencies/skills developed in this micro course include: Google Ads Campaign Management Display and Social Media Campaigns Conversion Optimization High Performance Ad Copy

With social media becoming the number-one online activity, a monumental shift in marketing is underway. Successful businesses and entrepreneurs no longer control information and brand - consumers and their conversations do. In this course, you'll learn about the social media landscape and new and emerging platforms. You'll learn how to make a social media plan, the best practices to engage your audiences and manage your community and how to measure the success of your campaign. Research and develop a social media marketing strategy. Know which social networking platforms to include in your mix. Build and moderate online communities. Develop content calendars for original and user-generated content. Monitor social media conversations, mentions and buzz.

Get ready to boost efficiency and agility in your organization through adoption and use of cloud systems. In this course, you’ll learn to develop and execute cloud strategies that align capabilities and investments with the digital future. You’ll explore ways to connect with influencers and achieve near-term objectives and longer-term goals. Through case studies, group work and video interviews with Canada’s thought leaders, you’ll learn to apply best practices of cloud/hybrid IT within any public or private-sector organization – including yours. Identify key steps in building cloud/hybrid IT capabilities in two dimensions: technology and process/strategy Understand what is important in defining the current state of your organizational cloud/hybrid IT strategy, and pinpointing areas needing additional attention Define attainable next steps in your cloud/hybrid strategy: what can be done, why it should be achieved, and how best to approach the challenges ahead Assess long-term objectives, with an eye towards optimizing near-term investments and activities Capture a complete perspective on current and future state cloud/hybrid benefits, objectives and initiatives, in a format that enables you to successfully communicate your strategy to senior executives in all parts of your organization    

This course shows you how to interpret and navigate ongoing changes to search and social media and adopt a strategic approach to your digital communications management to achieve your business goals. By starting a written blog, vlog or podcast, learners will get first-hand experience setting a business objective, identifying their target audience, and publishing content to a weekly schedule. Modules will cover current applications, tools and best practices related to researching your topic and audience, using AI to plan your communications strategy, effective content distribution using the PESO model, and measuring your results with Google Analytics. Sessions include lectures, discussions, practical instruction, group projects and online analysis. Take a strategic and ethical approach to digital communications management Integrate multimodal generative AI tools into your content planning and creation Craft content that demonstrates experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness (or #EEAT- Google’s latest ranking factor) Apply advances in AI and search engine optimization (SEO) to build brand awareness Measure, evaluate and adjust your communications strategies and tactics Effective community management legal, ethical and privacy issues. Build relationships, communities, and a culture of trust.

In this micro course you’ll learn how to apply a strategic lens to all digital communications, and how it relates to building brand awareness and achieving business success. To start, you’ll learn how to formally define a business objective, then identify your target audience. Next, you’ll explore how to test the viability of that objective by performing a SWOT analysis and researching the competition. You'll emerge with a solid business case for serving your target audience with strategic and helpful content marketing, and curated stories, published consistently across your owned and social media properties. Within 4-6 weeks of successfully completing this course, you will receive your micro-credential indicating achievement of the outlined learning outcomes and competencies/skills. Micro-credentials are tamper proof, verifiable, blockchain-based and 100% digital. They can be shared on social media, including LinkedIn and Facebook, embedded in websites or downloaded as PDFs. By the end of this micro course, you'll be able to: Define a digital communications and social media strategy Identify a target audience Formulate a SMART Objective Assess the value of research and perform a SWOT analysis Use Generative AI tools to complement audience research and SWOT analysis Explain the business case for content marketing and content curation for building brand awareness Competencies/skills developed in this micro course include: Digital Communications Goal Setting Goal Analysis Content Marketing Content Curation AI Research

Ready to apply a strategic and measurable approach to your content marketing? This micro course teaches you how to decide which content marketing formats — written blogs, vlogs, or podcasts — best serve the needs of your target audience, and how to plan and build a content calendar. To ensure your stories reach their intended audience, you’ll learn the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) and current best practices for distributing content across paid, earned, shared, and owned media channels (PESO Model). By the end of this micro course, you’ll be able to determine which content marketing performs the best for specific audiences and identify actionable insights from basic metrics. Within 4-6 weeks of successfully completing this course, you will receive your micro-credential indicating achievement of the outlined learning outcomes and competencies/skills. Micro-credentials are tamper proof, verifiable, blockchain-based and 100% digital. They can be shared on social media, including LinkedIn and Facebook, embedded in websites or downloaded as PDFs. By the end of this micro course, you'll be able to: Assess different content marketing formats: written, video, audio Build a content calendar Apply on-page and off-page Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Categorize distribution tactics according to the PESO Model (Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned) Analyze basic metrics to assess your website and social media performance Assess how Generative AI tools can complement keyword research, calendar building, content creation and on/off-page SEO Competencies/skills developed in this micro course include: Calendar Planning Content Distribution Search Engine Optimization Video Storytelling Data Analysis AI Research

Take your skills to the next level with this course, the last in the Digital Strategy & Communications Management certificate. Building on what you learned in the first two courses, you'll examine emerging trends that affect marketing communications; strategies for long-term community building; ways to create creative, goal-oriented content; integrating paid, earned and owned media and analytics; and handling crisis communications. And in a real-time role playing scenario, you'll experience what it's like to be in the middle of an online crisis by developing an actionable strategy and plan to restore an organization's reputation. Look closely at emerging social media trends and their impact on marketing, communications and trust. Identify emerging issues and strategically manage real-time crisis situations. Develop creative, measurable and relevant digital and social media plans and strategies. Blend paid, earned and shared media into a communications program. Know how to protect and restore an organization's reputation should a crisis arise.

This online introductory course covers both the pharmacokinetic and pharmaco-dynamic principles of pharmacology. It is intended for individuals, including professionals, who wish or require a course to expand their understanding of this important medical discipline. The course consists of over 50 hours of illustrated and narrated lectures, as well as vignettes that apply this knowledge to relevant clinical settings. See website for details. This course is offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine.  A broader understanding of principles that govern the fate of drugs in the body (pharmacokinetics) and exert their effects (pharmacodynamics) The ability to apply and integrate this information to understand clinical use and clinical limitations of drugs Understand what is considered a drug and how drugs may be found in nature or created by man - Understand how the physiochemical structure of a compound can alter how it is absorbed, distributed and cleared by the body Appreciate how the route of administration is designed to take into account both the drug's physiochemical properties and the body's physiology to ensure that therapeutic concentrations reach targeted sites of action Describe how physiological processes (protein binding, ionization) can change a drug's kinetic profile in the body (i.e. absorption and distribution) Recognize how properties of a compound can alter its bioavailability (plasma concentration) and how this relates to a drug's measure of clinical effectiveness Understand and explain how drugs are biotransformed and eliminated by the body, focusing on both renal and hepatic clearance Understand and explain the different enzymatic processes that are involved in drug metabolism, especially in the liver, and how drug metabolism may alter route of administration, dosing and clinical effectiveness Apply pharmacokinetic principles (absorption, distribution, clearance) to better understand drug dosing - Describe different classes of drugs in relationship to their mechanism of action Understand how drug effectiveness and potency are measured, clinically and in the laboratory setting Recognize the diversity of drug targets found within the body Through example drugs, recognize and understand how specific drug-target interactions can alter physiology Through examples appreciate the use of drugs in the clinical setting Identify and understand how a drug can elicit an unwanted or adverse effects Appreciate and understand how drug interactions, genetics and stage of life (i.e. pregnancy, aging) contribute to modulating clinical outcomes Extend recognition of drug use in society, outside of the therapeutic context Communicate a better understanding of how drugs work in the body