Jim Novo Award - 2019 Winners

The Digital Analytics Association (DAA) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Continuing Studies are pleased to announce that Michele Strano and Jeremy McCarron have earned the 2019 Jim Novo Award of Academic Excellence.

Michele Strano

Michele Strano is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Bridgewater College in Virginia, USA. She holds a Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA and her research has focused on the use of technology to create, display and manage a sense of personal identity. Strano teaches course in digital media theory and research methods. She enrolled in the UBC/DAA Award of Achievement in Digital Analytics program to further develop her ability to mentor students in Bridgewater College’s newly-developed Master of Arts in Digital Media Strategy.

“The UBC/DAA program gave me the opportunity to interact with professionals in the analytics field, rather than simply learning from a book,” Strano said. “This experience is invaluable to me as I design learning experiences for the next generation of digital communication strategists.”

Strano explains that many of her students will not work directly as data analysts. Thus, the program’s emphasis on strategy and high-order critical analysis was particularly valuable. “As the UBC/DAA program emphasized repeatedly, stakeholders across an organization need to understand how to use analytics to improve communication strategy and make educated decisions about how to allocate resources.”
 

Jeremy McCarron

Jeremy McCarron is a Digital Design & Marketing Consultant at Trickfilm Entertainment Inc. “The UBC/DAA program was very rewarding, and I'm super-excited to have received the 2019 Jim Novo Award. After a lengthy career in animation production management, I switched gears to launch my own business providing strategy and digital marketing services for small and medium sized enterprises. It was immediately clear that analytics would play a key role in my success (the details are in the data!). After some research, it was clear that the Digital Analytics program offered through UBC was the best option for me, with the optimal level of executive level content and practical application. The program's comprehensive curriculum and the flexibility of the online learning environment was a perfect combination, too, as it allowed me to achieve a world-class education while balancing work, travel, and family. I really enjoyed the online discussions with classmates, and I was impressed by the level of instruction and mentorship by the course facilitators. I apply the knowledge and skills gained in the UBC/DAA course in my business daily, and my customers are grateful!”

About the Jim Novo Award

Launched in 2007, the Jim Novo Award of Academic Excellence honors Jim's dedication, knowledge and extensive volunteer time applied towards creation of the UBC/DAA Award of Achievement in Digital Analytics program. Jim is the education director of the Digital Analytics Association, and a customer analysis consultant with a 25 year track record of generating exceptional returns on customer marketing program investments.

About the UBC/DAA Award of Achievement in Digital Analytics

First launched in 2005 by the University of British Columbia Continuing Studies, the UBC/DAA Award of Achievement in Digital Analytics is comprised of four 100% online courses designed to teach students how to create and manage a digital analytics program to drive measureable business improvement within their organizations. To date, the program has graduated over 1,000 students from 40 countries around the world and was recently awarded the 2014 UPCEA Outstanding Program Award: Non-Credit recognizing excellence in achievement.