Contextual Background 

This case study refers to an area of opportunity that I have been working on as part of a self-initiated project for the Fashion Business School. There appears to be considerable content replication across units and courses within the postgraduate fashion marketing degrees, with lecture content siloed between departments. 

Evaluation 

I became aware that many seminal theories, models, and frameworks are covered every year, and it would benefit the students to have a series of revision videos so that the institution does not need to direct students to external content sources. From a staffing perspective, having a library of owned content on seminal models that can be integrated into various units makes sense in terms of time and cost efficiency. I have created a library of 51 theory videos covering consumer behaviour, innovation, marketing communications and branding topics. 

Moving forwards 

The institution would benefit from evaluating replicated content between different units. More generally, a centralised system of slides and video content relating to various topics would significantly streamline content delivery across courses and units. Curriculum content could be integrated into seminal components yearly, allowing for current and topical industry updates. 

UAL’s strategy is focused on online growth, and these owned content assets will generate a return on investment. Integrating short-form video learning content into online and offline learning contexts in higher education can significantly enhance student engagement and learning outcomes by catering to various learning styles and providing flexible access to course materials (Macdonald, 2017). 

A popular strategy is the flipped classroom, where students engage with short instructional videos before attending face-to-face sessions. This approach shifts content delivery to the asynchronous space, freeing up in-class time for more dynamic, interactive learning. Activities such as group discussions, problem-solving tasks, or hands-on applications can reinforce key concepts introduced in the videos (Sanches, 2022). By front-loading content delivery, lecturers can focus classroom time on deepening understanding through collaborative work and practical exercises (Masrom et al., 2023), ultimately enhancing student participation and comprehension.

Hybrid learning, which blends online and in-person components, offers further opportunities to embed short-form video content meaningfully into the curriculum. In this model, videos provide a flexible foundation for learning, complemented by traditional lectures, workshops, and experiential tasks. Studies have found that thoughtfully designed hybrid structures can boost student motivation, self-directed learning, and overall attitudes toward learning (Lin et al., 2024). 

I have shared my initial theory library with my line manager and another colleague working across the MBA who has utilised it when short of time, integrating these asynchronous assets where relevant. The next step would be to have a meeting more formally to discuss how these assets could be integrated across other courses and units. Faculty experts in specific topics could be encouraged to record short-form video content to capture this knowledge and make it available to the broadest possible student audience across online and on-campus delivery points.

I have also started to create asynchronous sources such as guides to primary research for the on-campus students and will continue to explore how blended learning can enhance student experience and engagement.

References

Lin, W., Yuan, D., Guo, J., Zhou, D., Hu, H., & Zhang, M. (2024). Differentiated effects and impact paths of online and offline hybrid teaching models for theoretical and practical public administration courses. Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Internet Technology and Educational Informatization, ITEI 2023, November 24–. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.24-11-2023.2343622

MacDonald, J. (2017) Blended learning and online tutoring: Planning learner support and activity design. Milton: Taylor & Francis. 

Masrom, S., Rahman, R. A., Baharun, N., Rohani, S. R. S., & Rahman, A. S. A. (2023). Machine learning with task-technology fit theory factors for predicting students’ adoption in video-based learning. Bulletin of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, 12(3), 1666-1673. https://doi.org/10.11591/eei.v12i3.5037

Sanches, T. (2022). Improving academic and professional engagement in higher education online students through video-making: school librarians on the screen. EDULEARN Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2022.0140