Description

Biggs and Tang’s concept of constructive alignment is a seminal pedagogical framework that stresses the importance of aligning learning outcomes, teaching methods, and assessment strategies to enhance student learning. 

The model emphasises the following: 

1. Integration of Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes should specify what students should know or be able to do by the end of a learning experience. This clarity aids both lecturers in designing their courses and students in understanding what is expected of them (Biggs & Tang, 2011)

2. Active Learning

Students learn effectively when actively involved in the learning process (Osen & Bye, 2018). Instead of passively receiving information, students should engage in activities requiring them to apply, analyse, and evaluate the knowledge they acquire. Biggs and Tang advocate for teaching methods that facilitate this engagement by fostering an environment where students can “do” rather than merely “learn about” concepts (Labak & Blažetić, 2023).

3. Alignment of Teaching Methods and Assessment

Constructive alignment dictates that teaching activities should be designed to align with the learning outcomes directly. 

4. Feedback Mechanisms

Biggs and Tang also highlight the need for feedback in the constructive alignment framework. They suggest that ongoing assessments and formative feedback should be integrated into the learning process. 

5. Reflection and Iteration

Educators are encouraged to continuously reflect on alignment strategies and adapt their teaching and assessment designs based on student feedback and educational outcomes (Colasante et al., 2022). This reflective practice is imperative for maintaining an adaptive and responsive learning environment that can meet students’ evolving needs.

Feelings

I feel reassured that, to some extent, I have already incorporated many of these elements into my teaching practice. I am pleased to study this course to learn more about the academic underpinnings of my teaching practice. 

Evaluation

The main issue in this area is that although I am the unit leader for several units, I have not subsequently been involved in creating the learning outcomes for the assessment briefs I create for the units. Understanding constructive alignment is necessary for progression within the Lecturer role. 

Analysis

While the Biggs and Tang model of constructive alignment is heavily followed among higher education institutions, there are dissenting opinions on learning outcomes. 

Addison (2014) argues that while learning outcomes positively affect quality assurance and standardisation and promote inclusivity, they encourage uniformity, inhibit spontaneity, and downplay student autonomy. Focusing on measurable learning outcomes leads to strategic learning, which is teaching to pass the test rather than deep learning. Lecturers become assessors rather than facilitators of learning. The author considers that learning outcomes cannot adequately capture the emergent nature of creative practice.  

Conclusion

I have understood the fundamentals of the academic position on constructive alignment and can now apply it to my academic practice. The book is a valuable resource that I will continue to refer to and use as inspiration for creating learning outcomes and deeply engaging briefs that motivate students to learn. 

Personal Action Plan

I plan to continue carefully reviewing the learning outcomes of the units I lead to create constructively aligned assessment briefs. I will offer my involvement in creating these outcomes.

References

Addison, N. (2014) ‘Doubting learning outcomes in higher education contexts: From performativity towards emergence and negotiation’, International Journal of Art & Design Education, 33(3), pp. 313–325. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12063

Biggs, J. and Tang, C. (2009) Teaching for Quality Learning at University (Third Edition). Maidenhead, Berkshire: Society for Research Into Higher Education and Open University Press, McGraw-Hill Education . Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing . 1st edn. Oxford, Oxfordshire: The Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, Oxford Brookes.

Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing . 1st edn. Oxford, Oxfordshire: The Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, Oxford Brookes. 

Contextual Background

The onsite postgraduate fashion marketing courses at LCF have many international students, with a high percentage coming from countries such as China and India. We have students with differing physical and mental abilities. Most of the students are in their early twenties. We have some issues with language skills. 

There is even more diversity for the MA Strategic Fashion Marketing Online cohort, with students worldwide studying via distance learning and some more mature students. We have encountered issues such as workload with students trying to balance work and study. Some students prefer an online environment due to neurodiversity. Those with family commitments also like the online environment as it can be more flexible. 

Evaluation

Map out your current strategies for meeting the needs of your students, and evaluate the effectiveness of your approach(es).

The book Mindset by the esteemed Stanford psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck (Dweck, 2007) was transformative for my personal development and career and has allowed me to succeed in various fields. Based on her career as an academic researcher, the book’s power of applications in resilience, academic achievement, and mental health saw it become a global bestseller.

While I am mindful of creating a safe learning space where students feel comfortable answering, perhaps the accessibility of the content can be improved. 

From a practical perspective, I communicate with the course leaders for the postgraduate fashion marketing courses, who share details of students with independent support agreements with the student’s permission. 

Moving forwards

To effectively consider and address students’ diverse needs, university lecturers must adopt a multifaceted approach that incorporates understanding psychological frameworks, fostering an inclusive classroom environment, and employing differentiated instructional strategies.

The concept of a growth mindset posits that individuals can develop their abilities and intelligence through effort, learning, and persistence, as opposed to a fixed mindset, which holds that these qualities are static and unchangeable. This distinction sets the stage for creating an atmosphere where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth rather than failures (Kutasi, 2023). The concept has particular application for students from less privileged backgrounds who may have a fixed mindset due to external pressures (Claro, 2016).

Research shows that incorporating autonomy-supportive behaviours into teaching practices can address diverse students’ needs (Brandišauskienė et al., 2022). The paper shows that when teachers provide choices in learning activities and support students to become self-regulated learners, they cater to differences in motivation and self-efficacy. 

These practices are rooted in Ryan and Deci’s Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), which posits that autonomy, relatedness, and competence are key elements in human personality and motivation. 

Within my unit assessment briefs, meaningful choice is offered through the ability to select a brand to study for the assessment. There is also some flexibility in terms of research design, and the strategy output itself is open to interpretation and creativity. The unit could take the idea of the creative artefact further. I would like to explore the possibility of offering the students different formats for presentation outside of a standard 3,000-word marketing plan.

References

Claro, S., Paunesku, D. and Dweck, C.S. (2016) ‘Growth mindset tempers the effects of poverty on academic achievement’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(31), pp. 8664–8668. doi:10.1073/pnas.1608207113.

Dweck, C. (2007) Mindset. New York: Random House .

Kutasi, R. (2023) ‘Cultivating a classroom culture of growth: Nurture the power of a growth mindset’, Acta Marisiensis. Philologia, 5(1), pp. 1–12. doi:10.2478/amph-2023-0090.Ryan,

R.M. and Deci, E.L. (2000) ‘Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being.’, American Psychologist, 55(1), pp. 68–78. doi:10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.68.

Contextual Background

A key challenge for teaching cross-course units for on-site postgraduate fashion marketing is the limited time we spend with each student individually during tutorials due to the high student-to-staff ratio. Individual tutorials are often 15 minutes long, which feels rushed when reviewing complex ideas and lengthy student projects. 

Evaluation

My current strategy is to request that students come with questions ready and prepared for their tutorial and focus on the areas they need the most help with to get the most out of their 15-minute slot. However, it would be preferential for the tutor to allocate time to their workload planners before the tutorial to read, review, and make feedback notes for the student. On the recent unit feedback form for Consumer Insights for Communication, the lowest score overall was for how students considered the usefulness of their formative assessment. As the unit leader moving forward, this will be a key objective. 

Moving forwards 

Other units at MA cross-course units have the same issue. Ideally, I would like to double the time spent per student by allowing the tutor time to review work ahead of tutorials. However, this will have staff implications and require review with the Programme Director. 

Self-assessment, peer assessment, and group assessments offer solutions. In self-assessment, students assess their work using established criteria. For peer assessment, students assess each other’s work multiply to ensure consistency, often anonymously. Group assessments involve assessing group work by tutors, group members, or peers. Race considers self-and peer assessment to foster autonomous and lifelong learning (Race, 2001). The paper concludes that engaging students in assessment taps into the five pillars of successful learning: 

1. Intrinsic motivation
2. Extrinsic motivation
3. Learning by doing
4. Learning through feedback
5. Making sense of learning

Race notes that involving students in assessment transforms them from passive receivers into active participants in their learning journey (ibid).  

Conversely, research shows that students highly value their personal one-to-one tutorials, citing them as motivating and emotionally supportive (Brooks, 2008). They had mixed feelings about group tutorials, considering them generic at times. That said, Brooks believes that peer feedback models can foster a sense of community and reflection. The article makes a case for quality over quantity of feedback (ibid). 

Blended learning is a further option. I am familiar with synchronous and asynchronous lesson delivery through MA Strategic Fashion Marketing Online. I have already begun integrating elements such as my theory revision video library as assets into multiple course and unit content delivery. Research indicates that students generally prefer a variety of synchronous and asynchronous formats, appreciating the autonomy of e-learning opportunities (Padmavathi et al., 2021). By designing courses incorporating online discussions, recorded lectures, and digital resources, lecturers can cater to diverse learning preferences while optimising their contact hours. This relates to case study one, which discusses how autonomy can be a key driver of motivation, rooted in Self-Determination Theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000). 

In conclusion, I will reevaluate formative assessment methods based on peer feedback. Integrating a combination of blended learning techniques can maximise contact time when facing the challenge of teaching large cohort sizes. Furthermore, a wider variety of low, middle, and high-stakes assessment points (Russell, 2010) across the postgraduate fashion marketing courses at LCF would provide variety for the students and ease workload bottlenecks. 

References 

Brooks, K. (2008) ‘“Could do better?”: Students’ critique of written feedback’. University of the West of England, Bristol. [Accessed March 2025].

Race, P. (2001). A Briefing on Self, Peer and Group Assessment. LTSN Generic Centre Assessment Series No. 9.

Ryan, R.M. and Deci, E.L. (2000) ‘Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being.’, American Psychologist, 55(1), pp. 68–78. doi:10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.68. 

Russell, M. (2010) Assessment Patterns: a review of the possible consequences. University of Hertfordshire: ESCAPE project.

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

MA Strategic Fashion Marketing Online 24/25 
Branding & Communications
Week 21: Brand Growth

 Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: 

https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=82967&section=9

Please click ‘Complete the interactive lesson’ 

Size of student group: Asynchronous interactive lesson. Cohort size approx. 25. 

Observer: Dr Rachel Marsden 

Observee: Hannah Kane 

Note: This record is solely for exchanging developmental feedback between colleagues. Its reflective aspect informs PgCert and Fellowship assessment, but it is not an official evaluation of teaching and is not intended for other internal or legal applications such as probation or disciplinary action.

Part One

What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?

This is an interactive lesson featuring short form video explanations, as well as sections of text to read about key concepts and theories relating to brand growth. 

I create the content and the Digital Learning team build the lesson in Moodle. 

How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?

I am the Unit Leader for Branding and Communications which started at the beginning of Block 2. 

What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?

By the end of the lesson, students should understand: 

• Category and line extensions
• Cobrand alliances
• Product-market growth selection (the Ansoff Matrix). 
• Adaptation versus standarisation of global brands 
• The country-of-origin effect 

What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?

• The students are directed to add examples of line/category extensions and cobrand alliances to the unit Padlet ahead of the live workshop. 

• Each section has a short interactive quiz which asks the students to check their understanding as part of the feedback loop. 

• A seminal journal article is linked to, and the students have been asked to complete a short true/false quiz afterwards. 

Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern? No. 

How will students be informed of the observation/review? Not applicable, no students will be observed.  

What would you particularly like feedback on? Is the flow of lesson content suitably engaging, interesting and clearly explained, and are the quizzes effective in allowing students to understand if they are clear about the concepts. On the final page of videos, we edited and reused video material from a previous year another team member to streamline the unit production of new videos (the concepts remain relevant today). How does the student perceive the reused content? 

How will feedback be exchanged? 

Written if possible, or we can arrange a short Teams call if you would prefer to give it verbally. 

Part Two

Thank you for sharing the content and Moodle page specific to ‘Week 21: Brand Growth’ for review. On first look, I really like the informal subtitles – ‘What you need to prepare’ and ‘What we’ll do together’ – this wording more gently, yet clearly, invite participants to engage with the learning materials (asynchronously and synchronously). It seems to soften the edges of instruction – what do you think? There might be a bulb icon error above the ‘Start the Lesson’ button as it would not load for me – do double check this. Also, ‘Start the Lesson’ could be clearer in that it is the next step to complete after engaging with the 2 readings and 1 recording – perhaps it is as simple as making the colour of the ‘Start the Lesson’ button darker? A suggested timeframe could be stated as to how long the asynchronous learning materials – the interactive lesson – will take to complete. I’d give an approximate window for this as there is a lot of varied learning materials and activities as part of the lesson, which are great to see. I wanted to know from the get-go what was ahead – could there be a page at the start of the lesson to outline this?

At the top of the Moodle page, the instructions (Please focus on the core text rather than the case studies if short of time) for the required readings are lost below the references and could be easily missed – I wasn’t sure where to locate the case studies. Also are these references formatted in the academic style required for the unit (e.g. Harvard referencing)? Perhaps state the instructions first – in bold? – to make them standout. For accessibility, is a written transcript or captions available for the ‘Episode 34’ on Soundcloud (as far as I can see unavailable on their platform)? These sources seem to reflect a commitment to decolonising pedagogy and curriculum – has this been a conscious choice in the selection of learning materials? Take a look at the relevant Academic Enhancement Resources from UAL here in case of interest. An additional reading is stated in the ‘Maintaining Brands: Reinforcement’ section that is on top of the 2 readings and recordings introduced at the start. I’d either make this transparent from the beginning/ state up front, or state as optional. As it’s a 23 x A4 page reading does this need to be factored into the time it might take to complete as a preparation activity? 

Jumping into the ‘Brand Lifecycles’ section and your micro lecture, your tone is clear and wording well-paced, with closed captions and different playback speeds available for accessibility, also available to download/ further engagement via Panopto. In thinking about digital equity and the digital devices participants use to engage with Moodle and content, I’d imagine some of the slide text might be too small to view. I had to make the presentation full screen on my 13” laptop to read information clearly. As there is an increase in mobile learning/ mobile devices as the main device in learning, this might be an area to research/ for future consideration.

Images/ visuals shared as part of presentations often lack captions/ copyright as to where they have been sourced. There is a missed opportunity to set an example to participants here and consider the role of intellectual property. I wonder if the Academic Support Online course ‘From idea to industry: valuing your creative rights’ might be of interest to you and your colleagues, and your participants? Also, there is no reference list provided either until later in the lesson (specific to the ‘Brand Extensions’ section with welcomed hyperlinks). I realise this might impact the clear and simple aesthetic of the slides; instead, could these be provided in a separate area on Moodle at the end of Week 21 asynchronous content? 

Introductions and/ or written content varies across the lesson pages, however, the content is well-selected and ordered – I certainly learned a lot from this experience. I don’t think the reused legacy video is a problem (perhaps be transparent with/ invite feedback from participants about this?). It is a brilliant idea to embed short multiple-choice quizzes and a Padlet activity (with 15 responses) to reinforce, test and share learning from the micro lectures, reading and wider content. These examples of active blended learning approaches, and technology enhanced learning, further encourage student engagement. By comparison, I’m interested to know whether their level of engagement is reflected in the live workshop (e.g. how many have engaged with the lesson and the Padlet)? Are participants familiar with completing quizzes and using Padlet and are they aware these are formative exercises (not grade bearing and more for self-assessment)? For some of the quizzes – specifically ‘Maintaining Brands: Reinforcement’ – the order of True and False are flipped. This might be intentional to challenge participants, but the inconsistency could also be confusing for some.

Overall, your resources make me think about accessibility, where I can see the ‘Accessibility score’ on your Moodle page are “perfect” (this seems an interesting ranking system I’d like to know more about). The links below provide some pointers on readable fonts, headings, structures, colours, layout and more, and creating accessible digital content and documents, that might be of interest:

• Dyslexia friendly style guide (there is also a PDF guide here).
• Create accessible digital content
• Creating accessible documents

I wonder if (some of) the above might serve as an opportunity and give agency to open up conversations within your team about developing online lessons and content? Feel free to select/ choose areas to respond to in ‘Part Three’ of the ROT form below (rather than responding to it all) and I hope it’s been helpful. Great to gain insight into your world of teaching and learning Hannah.

Part Three

Thank you, Rachel, for your review of practice. The following points have been elicited from your feedback.

Overall this review will serve as a springboard for conversations with the Digital Learning team who build these lessons. I will work on improving the slide design and image credits.

Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: Presentation Brief

Size of student group: 25

Observer: Hannah Kane

Observee: Maria Charalampous

Note: This record is solely for exchanging developmental feedback between colleagues. Its reflective aspect informs PgCert and Fellowship assessment, but it is not an official evaluation of teaching and is not intended for other internal or legal applications such as probation or disciplinary action.

Part One

Observee to complete in brief and send to observer prior to the observation or review:

What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?

This a resource given to the students to help them understand and break down the Assessment Brief for a Year 1 Block 2 unit. The assessment for this unit includes the creation and team presentation of a new product proposal, followed by questions from tutors that can span the entirety of the unit.

How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?

I am the Year Leader for Year 1, have taught the cohort in extend during Block 1 and I am also the Unit Leader for the unit that this assessment is part of. 

What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?

What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?

The students need to produce and present in teams a new product proposal.

Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?

Not specifically

How will students be informed of the observation/review?

N/A

What would you particularly like feedback on?

All feedback welcomed!

How will feedback be exchanged?

Via this form/email

Part Two

The brief is introduced well with clear instructions about where to find the unit resources and how Teams will be used for communication within the project teams. 

Component 1 is clearly explained and then each element covered in detail. 

Very good flow of text – giving the performance ingredients a separate page breaks up the presentation well.  Good signposting to the weeks where the extra information can be found– these could potentially be hyperlinked to make it easy for the students to navigate. 

There are some slight inconsistencies with font sizes for headings and main body text across the slides, and in places e.g. p10 the title would benefit from more space as it is very close to the first bullet point. Unifying the design layout could make the slides even more cohesive. 

Overall, the slides are extremely clear and informational even for a person unfamiliar with the course content. I had to Google ‘NPD’ but perhaps this is a familiar acronym for the MSc students. 

The brief comes across as an exciting project with room for creative input as well as academic research. 

MA Strategic Fashion Marketing Online (Distance Learning) 24/25 
Unit: Branding & Communications
Week 22: Introduction to Marketing Communications

Live seminar, Monday March 17^th

Observer: Maria Charalampous

Observee: Hannah Kane 

Note: This record is solely for exchanging developmental feedback between colleagues. Its reflective aspect informs PgCert and Fellowship assessment, but it is not an official evaluation of teaching and is not intended for other internal or legal applications such as probation or disciplinary action.

The following slides were presented for the online seminar.

Part One

What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?

This live seminar corresponds with the Week 22 asynchronous interactive lesson on Introduction to Marketing Communications and Primary Research Methods.

How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?

I am the Unit Leader for Branding and Communications which started at the beginning of Block 2 year 24/25. 

What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?

1. Understand, choose, and explain the different kinds of media typologies and marketing communications elements.
2. Understand primary research methods for this unit so students can design and plan their primary research element, before analysing and applying findings to a branding and communications strategy.

What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?

1. The students are invited to participate in a live quiz.
2. For the second part of the session, students are arranged into breakout rooms and asked to ideate research questions in response to an industry scenario or problem.

Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern? No. 

How will students be informed of the observation/review? I have sent  a Teams message, Moodle announcement, and will let them know at the beginning of the session.

What would you particularly like feedback on? All general feedback appreciated. 

How will feedback be exchanged?

Written if possible, or we can arrange a short Teams call if you would prefer to give it verbally. 

Part Two

Well structured session, it seemed that the students had completed the offline learning before joining the online session and were engaged and asking questions.

Many ‘real life’ examples were shared by Hannah, which seemed to help the students consolidate the key learning outcomes for this session. It was great seeing you seamlessly merge theoretical models of marketing communications with the examples and your knowledge of the industry to give detailed explanations and answers to the students’ questions. The students also felt comfortable to answer questions even if they weren’t sure it was the correct answer. Hannah would always ask why they think that was correct, and if incorrect, she gently guided them to find the correct answer themselves based on their knowledge.

Part Three

I acknowledge the positive review of practice by Maria Charalampous and will continue to merge theoretical models with industry examples. In my classes I aim to create a safe learning space where students feel comfortable to engage even if they are unsure. 

Description 

The article, written by Carol Becker, Dean of Columbia University School of the Arts since 2007, traces the increasing integration of arts and culture into the World Economic Forum (WEF) held annually at Davos, a Swiss town in the Alps. Over time, the forum’s corporate and political nature transformed into a space where artists interpreted and shaped global conversations on social, environmental, and ethical issues.

The 2013 hiring of Nico Daswani as Head of Arts and Culture was pivotal. Highlights included art installations and exhibitions such as Aerocenes by Tomás Saraceno and the Access+Ability exhibition on inclusive design. 

Becker considers art to have become a great strength of the World Economic Forum as a medium for interpreting global issues and providing dialogue and new visionary perspectives. 

Feelings 

I was interested in reading this article because it surprised me that art has not always been integral to discussions of politics, science, and the economy. Overall, it engaged my curiosity in the subject further.

Evaluation 

Overall, this article fits my academic practice in the fashion business school at the London College of Fashion. I teach strategies in fashion marketing and branding. I was the first postgraduate fashion marketing unit leader to initiate the inclusion of creative outputs in some of the business marketing development plans. From my perspective, the Fashion Business School is an ‘economic forum’ that could often benefit from further artistic and visionary interpretation. 

Analysis 

“We believe the world needs creativity”.  UAL 

I was reminded of the UAL strategy, emphasising that the world needs creativity (UAL, 2025). This corresponds with Becker’s evaluation of Davos and the World Economic Forum, where she also considers that art will be at the very heart of change in the future of world leadership. 

Although we have historically incorporated written strategic marketing development plans in the postgraduate fashion marketing units, until my addition of a creative artefact element to Marketing Communications in 2023, there was no visual element requirement other than the graphic design of the project itself as a component of the realisation assessment criteria. 

The idea that art can serve as ethical education refers back as far as the work of Aristotle, who wrote Poetics in 330 BC. Similarly, in her book The Human Condition, political philosopher Hannah Arendt discusses the “space of appearance” where humans engage with each other and create discourse around political issues. 

Conclusion 

Engaging with this reading has allowed me to reflect, using the Gibbs Reflective Model (Gibbs 1988) on the balance of art and business. 

Personal Action Plan

For future assessment briefs, I will continue to consider how to integrate theoretical business knowledge with visually creative outputs. The conversation has already begun within the Marketing and Branding faculty about how to differentiate the unit briefs and create new ways of assessing the traditionally academic postgraduate marketing course. The next stage would be to meet the unit leaders for the postgraduate fashion marketing courses to discuss the various output methods. 

References

Aristotle (1996) Poetics. London: Penguin Books Ltd. 

Biggs, J. and Tang, C. (2009) Teaching for Quality Learning at University (Third Edition). Maidenhead, Berkshire: Society for Research Into Higher Education and Open University Press, McGraw-Hill Education . 

For the air, for the climate in the name of eco-social justice (no date) Aerocene. Available at: https://aerocene.org/ (Accessed: 24 March 2025). 

Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing . 1st edn. Oxford, Oxfordshire: The Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, Oxford Brookes. 

Hinkel, L. (no date) ‘Aerocene’ soars at the 47th World Economic Forum, MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Available at: https://news.mit.edu/2017/aerocene-soars-at-wef-davos-0209 (Accessed: 24 March 2025). 

Nico Daswani (no date) Advisory Board for the Arts. Available at: https://www.advisoryboardarts.com/nico-daswani (Accessed: 24 March 2025). 

UAL (2025) Our Strategy 2022-2032, University of the Arts London. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/strategy-and-governance/strategy (Accessed: 24 March 2025). 

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.