Water works

Today we had a seminar about bottled water for MKT1001. The first run-through was dire. Used the running order on Grant's email - started with the history of the market, moving forwards to the Mahalo video finishing with One Water video. I did ALL the talking. This group is often uncommunicative but this session seemed punctuated by long periods where everyone just stared at their shoes. Only a couple of people actually volunteered information. Very tedious.

I have to repeat the session with my 5pm group (always there grudgingly as they hate the slot). I was initially dreading doing the topic with them, but when I arrived I was delighted to see a larger than usual crowd.

On the spur of the moment I decided to run the Mahalo video first to introduce the topic. I followed it up with a discussion about their own current purchasing behaviour and then brought the history in. They were very communicative and it went fine. Still fairly quick - we were done in 40 minutes, but it felt OK, like we had covered some good ground. Also they were happy since on this dark snowy night they were done a little early. I was happy too!

Why so different? There are definitely some more lively personalities in the second group.

Feedback

Got some nice feedback from the students who were representing the student voice at the PGCTHE. I asked some of them how it went and they told me that they'd said some nice stuff about how I change the seminars to suit their mood/energy, and that I was really good with the technology. It meant a lot.

Don't know who they said it to - it certainly didn't seem to come out in the PGCTHE except that generally the passion and enthusiasm of the team was commended, so I can only hope that I contributed to that.

Hope that kind of makes up for the howler that I let get through; namely my MKT3017 reading list only had 1 book on it. What an idiot.

Sixth Form & Milking the Mystery

BE in Business

Today I had two talks to deliver to groups of Sixth form students on the subject of marketing - as a career choice and University subject. I ditched the previous deck I had used - because it was unbearably dull.

Instead I went with a prezi - reaction was good and I enjoyed it. Need to get a new clicker though - I've lost mine.

Making the Most of the Mystery Shop

Looking over my lesson plan I realised I had intended to make the mystery shop last 2 weeks - one week of planning and one week of execution. Swapped it over to free up a lecture slot for the PSR rehearsal... which left me with an empty week.

Ultimately it might work out for the best - I have decided to do a 2-stage debrief on the activity; I'm going to have a go at doing a breakout activity in the big lecture - not sure how it will work but I'm going to deconstruct the mystery shopper experience in that session. Then in the seminar sessions we're going to look at the output from a researcher point of view. This will be the first time they've had a chance to look at some real data and start to turn it into meaning. Took me over an hour to get the data sheets printed out on A3 for the seminar. It's a real nuisance that the printer has gone. Quite excited to be attempting something different. Need to give some thought to whether breakout groups in the lecture theatre need to be orchestrated any differently.

Secret Squirrel

In preparation for next week's focus groups I went out with my camera this morning...

Asked permission in the Co-op ... some jobsworth said it needed to be agreed at head office :?

So I went to Asda and just sneaked around photographing the aisles. Have never seen so many shop floor staff in my entire life - thousands of them.

Anyway got the shots I needed, put them into portrait A3 powerpoint presentations, saved as pdfs and got them printed out in colour. I spray mounted them onto 4 foam boards - double sided to use as stimulus material. So the teams will have a choice of doing beer/cider, squash/fruit juice, condiments/cook in sauce, flour/household cleaner. The boards look fab - very pleased.

Focus Group / Internationals

Focus Group Plan

Got my mojo back - finally cracked the logistics of my focus group exercise for MKT1023.

Each student will be assigned to a group/topic for planning purposes. I'm going to photograph a category in the supermarket and blow it up on foamboard - that way they will start with similar materials and I don't have to buy a load of stuff out of my own pocket. If they decide to buy stuff as stimuli that's up to them.

I'll ask each group to investigate the biggest brand personalities in the category I've given them.

Each group has about 40 man hours to figure out their methodology, recording equipment etc. Think I will give them a checklist though.

Assignment Support

Spent much of Friday giving individual assignment support sessions to the international students on MKT3017. The French students were pretty good - although the standard of English was mixed. A couple of the Chinese students were far more upsetting really. Long had not started, and though rather uncommunicative, slowly revealed that he was in a state of despair, very nearly in tears at the daunting prospect of having to write an assignment. Another Chinese girl came to see me and her English was so non existent that I don't actually think she understood anything I said. I asked her about 5 times 'is this your only assignment/do you have any other assignments?' I put the question every way I could think of - she simply didn't understand at all. I felt so sorry for her.

Strange day

Today we had the PSR dress rehearsal. After the briefing yesterday I was feeling fine about it but when it started, the questions were actually really intimidating and a lot of them I would not have been at all confident answering. I had nothing to say.

So I finally answered a question about how research was influencing practice - and talked about work we were doing with industry and bringing back into the classroom. There was kind of stony silence and then it became apparent that they had been wanting an example of academic research so I felt a bit of an idiot. Added to this, Deborah had a follow up question about the validity/usefulness of doing something like that. Sally answered it thankfully but it wrecked my confidence a bit. I didn't say anything else after that.

Also in the PSR dress rehearsal D brought up a perceived issue (he claimed it was bound to come up at the PSR as it had been raised by a student rep) complaining that all the Nile sites looked different and were used for different things. P was dismissive but I read it as an attack on the work I have been doing on Nile. D is well known for throwing grenades at this type of occasion but I was surprised that my project was the target.

I was set an objective in my PDR of encouraging a differentiation policy on the Nile sites. I know that I have been successful in doing this. Practically the only member of staff who has shown no interest in adopting any of the changes was D. I think he probably has his nose out of joint as this may have previously been his perceived area of expertise.

I must consider how to proceed. Having thought about it, my current inclination is to be direct and ask his views and try to find out what he has heard. His ego may be restored if I am suitably deferential. I have no interest in battling with him. I actually think he's really good.

Anyway net net, the PSR dress rehearsal was crap for me for those two reasons and now I'm dreading the real thing.

Peer Observations

So finally found a fairly good form on line for Peer Observation - adapted it somewhat and sent versions off to Gil and Sally for them to fill in for my lectures on Friday and Monday respectively.

So now I wait. Am fairly apprehensive. The section headings on the form alone made me feel pretty inadequate. Think I am a bit a of a good news junkie and wondering how good I am at taking criticism. Rubbish probably. Think I just want to hear that I am an educational genius straight out of the box, which is plainly unrealistic!

Handshake

Enjoyed MKT2020 lecture today about informational interviewing - did another prezi - really simple one this time. I also used just a couple of video clips - the one I really like is this one:

Decided to show this instead of the 'grown up' alternatives - if this little boy can do it... so can they.

Scrapheap Challenge

Today I did the Scrapheap Challenge activity with Gil's third year CRM students. I was surprised to discover most of my MKT3017 students in the group - so lots of familiar faces.

We moved all of the chairs to the sides, divided the room into four quadrants with tape, shared out the people and dumped a huge pile of toys at the end of the room. I explained the concept of scrapheap challenge - they were to use the toys as metaphors for the elements of a loyalty programme. I also told them that this was an activity I had done with employees of a loyalty marketing agency.

In relays they had to run back and forth to scavenge from the heap. They then had 20 minutes to build their machine.

Gil had been really up for this activity but revealed she was a bit apprehensive as we started - concerned that the students would not take part or seem to think the activity was too far outside their comfort zone. As they started coming into the room they were quieter than usual - stunned by the scene that awaited them!

As soon as they had received their brief, a good proportion of the students leaped into action - keen to grab the best items from the scrapheap. So much mayhem broke out that we had to stop them and start again with new rules. This broke the ice - by now there was a real buzz in the room.

Once they had grabbed what they wanted, they got down to business and started discussing their machines. There were some fascinating dynamics in the room. There was one group consisting almost entirely of international students - we were initially concerned but actually they sat in a tidy circle and applied themselves brilliantly to the task - led by the French students.

They had no problem with was using the items as metaphors - there were some inspired interpretations - snakes and rats as the competition, and a one legged fairy as a customer services rep. We also got some great understanding - data security, promotions, rewards, customer retention, value chain, viruses, communication strategy, data segmentation.

I was so pleased with how it went. Perhaps most pleased watching them down on the floor on their hand and knees debating the components. There were a couple of students that didn't engage or seemed uncomfortable but the majority went for it.

Everyone did a one minute show & tell at the end and we took team photos which I'll post on Nile.Gil was pleased and relieved. She said the experience had given her insight into how far outside the box she could take the students.

Peer Cheer

Mystery Shopping

I've created a 'field study' activity for next week; 4 mystery shopping assignments that the students have to go out and do, in pubs, coffee shops, clothes shops and supermarkets. I also put together a quick Googlesite with four pages of on-line data capture forms. I embedded this into the Nile site for the module. This way I'll be able to see who has completed the activity and also build up a database to play with.

Gil takes 2 of my seminars on the MKT2003. I showed her the on-line bit and the briefs - as she has to go through it in seminar - I was really blown away by her reaction. She wanted to use it for her services module, said I should use it in my PGCTHE, said I should bring it up in my PDP with Mark and that she would too... said we should be adopting it for the distance learning module. It seemed to really hit a nerve with her. Probably the first bit of my inventing that was properly 'serious'.

No teaching hooray!

For the first time in a million years I had no teaching today. For once I have all of this week's lecture content written.

Scrapheap Challenge

I managed to scavenge a bin bag full of the kids toys to act as metaphors for database, rewards, recruitment, retention etc. - the component parts of a loyalty programme. Looking forward to going into Gil's CRM lecture on Friday to run a Scrapheap Challenge. I managed to find a great powerpoint digital countdown clock to put up on screen while they do it too - another idea from Doreen's powerpoint training session.

I know Gil is looking forward to this session but keeps joking that she hopes Peter doesn't see all the boxes of toys. I'm not sure how seriously to take it... from what I know of Peter, I think he'd love it...

Peer Observations

Gil and Sally have agreed to do peer observations for my PGCTHE.

Pulling teeth

Today I had to teach the Harley Davidson case study 4 times for MKT1002. The first two times were pretty good.

The third time, one of the students asked to leave with 10 mins to go - to go to an MCT - which it turned out most of them had to go to... I'd finished most of the material but it was OK.

The final session was painful. I started by asking how they did with their last week's self directed study. Seemed most hadn't done it. They were whiney - I later went through the brief and there was nothing difficult about it at all. They were uncommunicative, vacant - only about 6 contributing well.

Near the end, I twigged: they had just had a multiple choice test for MKT1001. It had finished them off. Wonder if I could have done anything differently. I think probably not.

Mother of Invention

Yet again, necessity forces me to venture into new territory.

My MKT2003 lecture clashes with all 3 preparatory briefings ahead of the very important Periodic Subject Review. I was concerned that as a newbie, missing all of the dress rehearsals was a bad idea. Peter agreed and instructed me to find a plan to get out of the lecture next week.

I had already planned to have these students (finally) do some practical activity. The feedback from last week illustrated that they are tiring of theory - and I don't blame them. I pulled this forward a week and also managed to get hold of the Marketing Director of Retail Eyes again - we spoke briefly in the summer.

Since I hadn't heard from him, I thought he wasn't interested, and was hoping to just get copies of some research assignments for my students to have a go with. I was delighted when he offered to come and do a talk as well.

So now, not only do I have a field activity for the students to do on the week I need to be at the PSR event, but also have a guest speaker to boot. A result!

Mile wide, inch thick

Just a reflection that the observation made by Di at the last PGCTHE session that you can teach material a mile wide and only an inch thick, or cover less ground in more depth has stayed with me. I must have the confidence to cover less, but be more thorough.

Feeling the love for MKT3017

The Lecture

So I have spent most of the last week planning strategies for dealing with the whisperers in my multinational MKT3017 and generally feeling a bit crap about the job I've been doing on that module.

I had my plan - printed out the mugshots and greeted a few of the 'talkers' by name on the way in. I had run out of time a bit prepping the lecture and didn't put as much interaction in as I hoped, but I did find a couple of short video clips, and also did the thing where I asked them to show their lecture notes to their neighbour (challenging how much they were writing down).

Last week a student asked me something about the GE Model for Business Strategy - I didn't know the answer. This week I had checked it out and I went through that first. I think they were surprised.

It was really different this week. I don't know whether my delivery was better or they were still mindful of the bollocking I gave them last week

but they were with me the whole time and actually it went very well. The four French friends did start up talking at one point but I pounced on them, asked them if there was a problem, and they said not, and shut up. James and Eugene sat up on the back row and I expected them to mess about but they didn't.

Feedback

So all this week I've been getting the students to give anonymous feedback on post-it notes. Before the Friday lecture I almost didn't do it with

them - am SOOO glad I did. I couldn't believe the feedback they gave me, particularly in view of how I was feeling about the module.

The feedback reinforced the issue we'd had the previous week with talkers... but otherwise, just way better than I expected, even from the international students.

Yay!

I noted that several of the students said how much they liked participating in the virtual seminar... which reminded me to check the discussion boards....

Virtual Seminar

I set up the virtual discussion boards in Nile last week. When I checked them on Tuesday there was hardly any activity and what was there was a bit crap. I was disappointed, but sent out a note telling them that if they didn't have a go we wouldn't be doing it again. I kind of forgot about it.

After the feedback I went and had a look - and actually there was loads of new activity - from international students as well. Not many people appeared to have read the book but there was certainly some intelligent debate and analysis. I was so pleased! I went through and made positive comments on a lot of the posts this afternoon. I'll feed back on it in lecture next week. This group has gone from my zeros to my heroes in one day!

Post-it notes of joy

I collected feedback from a couple more seminar groups today and my big 2nd year lecture. It was a bit scary but very very helpful.

I got some great feedback feedback - specifically about the slide designs, pace, clarity and the entertaining nature of the activities. Games and videos in particular were big hits. Areas for improvement included dealing with people talking in class with more authority, speaking louder, and giving more thinking time.

Feedback & PGCTHE 2

Seminar Feedback

I ran a seminar for Tomorrow's Consumer today - I had adapted spooky bingo to be a revision game, which worked really well - although it didn't really last long enough.

At the end of the session I asked for some informal feedback - said that since I wouldn't be seeing them again until next term I wanted them to tell me what to start doing, stop doing etc.

Some helpful feedback here - some nice positive comments, but also a couple I can use to improve - speaking louder in the lecture theatre and dealing with people talking... something I'm reviewing as a critical incident at the moment.

Think I will repeat this in the other seminars & lectures this week. It's a bit scary though.

A student also came up to me at the end and asked why I no longer took his Thursday afternoon MKT1001 seminar. He said he didn't want to be mean, but the new lecturer didn't seem to have a handle on it. I explained how I'd been allocated different hours now, and that he should give her a chance as she was new. I was secretly flattered though.

PGCTHE 2

Had an enjoyable second PGCTHE session. We sat in the same groups as last time so I feel like I'm starting to get to know the others a bit. We covered assessment, levels of learning and understanding.

We then reviewed the critical incidents we had prepared. I worked in a group with Francis and Mike and a psychology lecturer whose name I didn't know. I shared the French Whispering situation (since it is unresolved) I really got a lot out of it - Francis was particularly insightful, and I think everyone agreed that I needed to speak to them and try and understand why the were talking - high likelihood that language may be at the heart of it. I now feel more confident in my strategy for Friday.

We also had a look at a couple of portfolios. I didn't think they were presented in a way that was particularly easy to understand. Di clarified some important points about the relationship between the literature and the incidents. Mike also mentioned that he's also doing an e-portfolio, and is using the learning outcomes to direct the content of his critical incidents. This seemed like something worth considering - as a checklist if not as content headings. Christine and Damien were interested in getting some help with E-Portfolios - I have set up a session to show them Googlesite.

Narrow Escape

Nearly had a nightmare scenario today teaching the 5-6pm seminar on MKT1001

This seminar is timetabled for Room 204 in the Senate building - which has only recently been turned into a classroom. For the first few weeks the activity was a game, discussion or case study and instead of using the classroom, we used the comfortable seating area outside - a relaxed yet private space for discussion.

For the last 3 weeks though, I needed to use the PC/Projector. The first week there was a mobile projector and laptop, projecting onto a damaged whiteboard, and the projector had lost it's red pin so showed everything with a green hue. The second week, someone had also written on the whiteboard and not cleaned it (there was no eraser, I had to go and get toilet paper to try and clean it up) the projector still shone green, I rang IT support beforehand... they couldn't fix the colour problem.

This week I was due to run a mock test ahead of this group's Multi Choice Test next week. I had a powerpoint presentation with just the answers on, and also a folder with the register, and the question paper.

I arrived 15 minutes early. When I walked in I saw that the laptop was unplugged and there was a spaghetti of cables on the table, also the projector and OHP were jumbled up at the front - looked like a dumping ground. I also noted that an IAW had been installed. As it was nearly 5pm and IT finishes at 5, I called the helpdesk, concerned that it was not connected. The Tech arrived and we established that the new lectern had not been networked in, so I could not get at the test (on the central directory). At this point I also noticed that I had picked up the wrong file and did not have the register or the test with me!

This was a really bad situation. The students were all waiting. If they didn't get their mock test they might be disadvantaged in their MCT. If I went back to Cottesbrooke I would have wasted another 20 minutes.. I called Gil and Grant to try and get them to email the test to my iPhone, hoping I could read the questions off it.

Luckily the Tech managed wire up the lectern, I managed to log on, and figured out I could hack my Uni mail account via the internet. I managed to open the document and quickly save a version without the answers showing and used this with the students.

They never knew how close they were to a screw up and the session went well.

Lessons learned: - when traipsing over to Senate or the Mobiles be ABSOLUTELY SURE that I have the right materials with me, also hard copies and any vital files on memory stick.

Upside: so relieved I was able to think straight enough to log on to the email over internet.

Storytelling & bad manners

I reviewed my lecture slides ahead of MKT1013 Tomorrow's Consumer - my second big guest lecture on this module. This week's topic: Marketing and Morality.

I remembered that last week, my slides had run out and I'd had to spin it out a bit. I also noted from reading Phil Race last week that I shouldn't rely on stand & deliver just because it was a lecture. I spent 40 minutes YouTubing and googling for something to show or a 'moral maze' type activity. Nothing sprang out.

In the end I decided to go with an anecdote from working at Carlson - the story about how the Carlson family forbade trade with firms trading alcohol, cigarettes or gambling... and how we knowingly traded with Diageo and Party Poker and changed the names on the accounts.

I asked them to vote on a) the family's right to set rules about ethics b) the MD's decision to do trade with Diageo c) the account handlers agreement to work on the account d) whether they would have rung the ethics hotline and blown the whistle.

The whole audience was really engaged during this section, really good participation and attention. I felt very relaxed telling the story - knew it inside out and was able to go quite slowly as they hung on my words. Reminded me of the power of a story well told. No slides for that bit!

I finished after 45 minutes but the session felt really well balanced.

This week I had cleared the back row that caused me problems - actually the ones that had been so disruptive last week sat on the second last row this week and were talking again for some of the lecture. I stared them out a couple of times. If I was taking this class again I would speak to them individually - it's infuriating that you can have 150 people listening intently to what you are saying and 4 people talking among themselves. This indicates to me that it CAN'T be my content or my delivery, otherwise I'd have more of an issue. Just so rude...