IM Mumbai ––– Guiding tutors and reviewing briefs: how can remote classes make students more engaged and listened.
01. THE PROBLEM
In 2021/22 the Fashion design team at Istituto Marangoni Mumbai asked me to create weekly appointments dedicated to highlighting creativity, sustainability and Indian handicraft for tutors and students.
My past experience in London campus as Unit Leader and Deputy gave me the opportunity to look more into the structure of the course alongside the knowledge of teaching specific subjects.
02. THE SPECIFIC SOLUTION
Through weekly appointment with the team of tutors I have lead the observation of problems finding solution, creating objectives to meet with them in order to meet the criteria’s asked.
An example was the issue with students not engaging properly with the hybrid classes. After looking at the different aspects of the issue and the student experience a couple of solutions were then found: creating a playful atmosphere in class where students could feel confident showing up, ice breaker games for new students, changing the structure of the lesson plan as the attention span decreases online making it more dynamic and entertaining, making students interact with each other much more so that the “real class” vibe could be renewed and they could feel more at ease.
The tutors applied the solution improving the engagement the students had with the subjects benefiting both parts.
Alongside my main task, I also had the opportunity to engage with the Y1 and Y2 students. I created a masterclass on “Inspiration, design and plagiarism” online where I guided them through the process of understanding the designer’s identity reflected on the garments they design, different types of fashion and how much can be exploited out of one idea. The idea of plagiarism, laws and ethics was also covered.
The aim was to show students how important it is to develop their identity through the process of education rather than relying on external inspirations. Explanations alongside quick exercises kept the students engaged and interested.
03. THE OUTCOME
After this experience, the team and student’s had eventually a different perspective on the previous structures and, most importantly, felt more engaged thanks to the work done together.