Fit for Purpose: placing the PLE at
the centre of marketing education
Lisa Harris and Paul Harrigan
University of Southampton
Presentation for 2nd International PLE Conference,
Southampton, July 2011
Author Information
Paul Harrigan @drpaulharrigan
Lisa Harris @lisaharris
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Lecturer in Marketing
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Programme Director for the
BSc in International Marketing
Teaches Digital Marketing at the
University of Southampton
•
Research on impact of technology on
marketing curriculum
Programme Director for the MSc in
Digital Marketing.
•
Qualified e-tutor for the University of
Liverpool online MBA.
•
Currently developing workshops
encouraging the growth of digital
presence for career or business
development.
•
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Current research project investigating
use of Web 2.0 (e.g. social networks,
blogs, web analytics) technologies on
customer relationships in marketing
Background
• At Southampton our research focuses on:
– how developments in technology are driving new
marketing theory and practice
– how marketing education should respond to these
changes
• This paper evaluates how marketing education
should develop both appropriate curriculum content
and the supportive personal learning environments
(PLEs) made possible by developments in technology
• Slides and full paper can be accessed via my blog
The PLE Spectrum
• PLEs can be conceptualised in terms of:
1) the technology choices available to individuals to help
them manage their learning
2) the features of the study programme which help to
formalise this approach
3) the technological infrastructure provided by the
university as a whole (ie providing adequate wifi, secure
web access etc)
4) the culture changes that are required for staff to
operate effectively within this environment
Southampton PLE Initiatives
• Undergraduate Digital Marketing module – development of online
communities by student groups using blogs, Twitter, YouTube and
Facebook (from 2008, assessed by oral presentation)
• Digital Presence Workshops for staff and students from 2009
• Student blogs to support personal tutor/tutee relationship from 2009
• Integration of PLE into Introduction to Marketing and Digital Marketing
Communications modules from Sept 2010
– Blog, Delicious, Netvibes
The PLE for marketing students
• Assessed blog posts: reflections on the learning
process, reinforced with face to face meetings
• Continual assessment and feedback throughout
module (online and offline)
• Students encouraged to find relevant online
materials and report back to the group
• Live tweeting in class, with remote participants
• Encouragement to use online bookmarking and
sharing tools
Challenges
• *Very* variable levels of digital skills amongst
students
• Variable levels of staff ‘buy in’
• Entrenched expectations of a ‘traditional’
learning experience. They were not used to:
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reading or critiquing each others’ work
making their work publically available online
‘thinking across’ modules
building up assignment work from the start of a
module rather than at last minute.com
PLE Success stories
• Some students volunteered to present their
work to the whole group
• For examples of students who have really
embraced the approach, see Natasha’s blog
and Maria’s blog.
• Student experiences through the whole
programme: student course summary