I approached the micro teach with the perspective that the other PG Cert. students would be able to engage with this task with no prior knowledge of the subject. They would be able to interpret the activity as fashion consumers. Hereafter my peers are referred to as the ‘students’.

The following slides were presented for the micro teach.

Slide 1: Title Page to Set the Context for the Micro Teach

This is a similar format to how I present my online lecture title slides. Key information: course name, unit name, lecture name, date, name and position of lecturer. For the micro teach I included the faculty Marketing & Branding for context. I could have included the Fashion Business School and UAL logo. Images add visual interest – here a shop front for the brand at the heart of the activity. The image could be credited (it was sourced via creative commons on Unsplash).

Slide 2: The Object: Cartier Love Ring

Introduction to the exercise: 5 minutes.

This slide asks the students to view the web page. It is designed to be simple in its instruction at this stage.

Slide 3: Activity Brief

I tasked the students to interact with the page to discover what interactive digital elements they could see. I used a Padlet to collect the student’s thoughts. I am familiar with Padlet and find it a visually appealing method of displaying student outputs but know from past experience it often functions better if given a password for the students to access it by. I chose a short four letter word relating to the activity. The QR code was included on the slides and I posted the link in the Blackboard Collaborate chat.

Time to do the activity: 5 minutes

Screenshot of the Student Outputs

Time discuss the activity: 10 minutes

Caption: The Padlet is designed in the style of Cartier packaging.

All students attempted to evaluate the interactive elements of the Padlet page. All students located at least one interactive element on the page.

Overall, students discovered the following:

• The ability to see all three colour ways of the ring in 360 degrees as a still image
• Personalised ring option with 3D visualisation of the word/name.
• Augmented reality try-on of the ring.
• The red leather box as the page favicon
• Artificial intelligence powered product recommendations

What Happened in the Session

The discussion surrounding the activity was interesting and in some ways, surprising. I expected that the students would find the level of gamification elements by this luxury brand interesting and entertaining. The page is a current marketing communications example of Holbrook and Hirschman’s Hedonic Experiential Model in action, eliciting feelings of fantasies, feelings, and fun (Holbrook & Hirschman, XXXX).

There was a slightly critical voice from one of the students voiced on the mic about how they hadn’t necessarily considered all the ways in which brands drive purchase.This student a welcome reminder of the Fashion Business School’s place within the wider UAL institution. I have dealt with provocative discussion before and had confidence in my ability to answer any questions and explain that marketing is not just capitalism and commercialisation. Marketing responds to consumer desires.

How the Students Reflected on the Session

Overall the feedback was positive with the students finding the task organised, interesting, eye-opening, and a great example of the technology (please see comments on the screenshots below).

Useful Feedback:

• Tell the students they will need to use a QR code reader (a link was also provided in the chat with the password – see below).
• Ask students if they are comfortable to come on the microphone and/or camera.
• Would like to see a ‘bad’ example of product visualisation in e-commerce.

Conclusion

I conclusion I believe that this activity is a fun and engaging way to learn about experiential digital marketing and the macro trend of personalisation. In the future, I will consider discussing the ethical and sustainable nature of some luxury brands at the outset of the activity. I will integrate the feedback from the students regarding a ‘worst case’ example and checking that students feel comfortable to participate.

The Object Outcome: Wearing the Augmented Reality Ring

Caption: The augmented reality virtual try-on for the Cartier Love ring as directed in the object based learning activity (author’s own).

Review of Practice by Victor Guillen
Course Leader PgCert Academic Practice

Instructions followed by checks. Spoken and written instructions. Active time monitoring (e.g. gives notice of half-way through allocated time, then checks everyone has had enough time, reassures if task not completed).  Use of digital tools (e.g. Padlet) to encourage participation. Checks on wellbeing of participant who is unwell. Use of hand gestures to aid attention. Elaborates on participant comments and links to content of the session (i.e. marketing, branding). Brings participants into conversation through nomination, though be careful not to put people on the spot (inclusivity). Responds to participants’ concerns/comments (e.g. sustainability). Outcome visible in Padlet/chat.