Journal

1 October 2025 – First in-person PGCert session
Today I attended my first i

n-person PGCert session, and it was a genuinely refreshing experience. Seeing my colleagues’ faces for the first time helped me feel part of a learning community rather than just an online cohort. During the session, we used LEGO as a tool for creativity and learning. Although I had often heard of LEGO Serious Play, it was the first time I had actually tried it myself. I realised how rarely I express ideas through manual activity, as my work is mostly intellectual. Yet, building with LEGO alongside my peers gave me a positive sense of connection and discovery, it allowed me to conceptualise ideas in a way that felt both unusual and surprisingly effective.
We also discussed some key topics from the programme, such as the PSF 2023, EDI, self-reflection, design activities, SoTL research, and

our personal education philosophies, which I had already started developing. Finally, I became aware of how valuable journaling can be. Although I have practised it sporadically in the past, I have never done it consistently. I now see it as a meaningful tool to define and pursue my professional goals with a more personal and reflective approach.

1 October 2025

As I begin my PGCert in Higher Education, I have identified two main objectives that I want to focus on throughout the course.

To gain a deeper understanding of the British higher education system, since I have taught for many years in another country.
To enhance inclusivity within my teaching practice.

These two goals feel closely connected. I see the first as a way to understand the structure, principles, and expectations of the UK academic environment, and the second as a way to adapt my teaching to the diverse needs of students within it.

Coming from a different higher education system, I expect the PGCert to help me explore the pedagogical foundations that underpin British university teaching – especially ideas such as student-centred learning, reflective practice, and constructive alignment. I hope this will allow me to design lessons and assessments with greater coherence and purpose, ensuring that my teaching reflects both academic standards and my own professional identity.

The second goal, focused on inclusivity, feels more personal. Having taught students from very different cultural, linguistic, and professional backgrounds, I have become increasingly aware of how diversity shapes learning experiences. Through the PGCert, I want to learn new ways to anticipate barriers and to design activities that allow every student to engage and participate fully. I am also interested in exploring how inclusivity can go beyond accessibility, becoming a creative force that enriches classroom dialogue and strengthens learning for everyone.

I see this journey as both a professional and personal transformation. I hope the PGCert will not only give me a clearer understanding of British higher education, but also help me become a more reflective and adaptable educator — one who can connect systems, people, and perspectives in meaningful ways.

3 October 2025 – my first peer observation feedback
Yesterday I received the feedback from my first peer observation, conducted by Cristina during my MSc Strategic Marketing lecture. Reading her comments made me feel genuinely pleased and slightly flattered because she described me as approachable, engaging, and clearly knowledgeable in my subject area. I was particularly happy that she appreciated my effort to learn students’ names, use a clicker to move freely, and speak slowly to ensure comprehension. These are all aspects I have been consciously developing to foster inclusivity and connection in class.
At the same time, I also reflected on the constructive points she raised. Cristina noted that engagement was mainly concentrated among a few students at the front, while those at the back were less involved. She suggested incorporating an icebreaker at the beginning and introducing earlier breaks to maintain energy levels. She also mentioned that forming groups randomly rather than letting students self-select could prevent isolation, especially in the first sessions. I found this feedback very useful, and I plan to apply these suggestions straightaway in my next lessons. I will design a short interactive activity at the start, include a mid-point break to sustain attention, and structure group work more intentionally. Overall, the observation left me encouraged and motivated to refine my practice. It felt like an important step forward in my teaching development within the PGCert journey.

7 October 2025 – Organising SoTL research sources

Today I spent time reorganising the items from the SoTL research project I have been working on with my triad, Chichi and Maryam. It was rewarding to see how different perspectives and sensitivities emerged, even though we are all exploring the same overarching theme of education. Maryam and I naturally focused more on business education, as it aligns with our discipline, but I also became deeply interested in several papers, videos, and online materials about innovation in teaching and learning, critical thinking, and the use of AI in knowledge transmission. I suggested a categorisation of the sources we had collected, almost like a conceptual map, to make our research more structured and easier to present. We discussed it together and agreed on how to display the material in tomorrow’s session. This collaborative process felt stimulating and reminded me how valuable it is to exchange ideas with colleagues from different backgrounds. it broadens the way I think about teaching and how I might approach my own practice in the future.

8 October 2025 – PGCert lesson

In yesterday’s session, we experimented with a new mediation technique called Ketso. It is a creative method for building individual or collective mind maps through the use of leaf-shaped surfaces on which concepts can be written and later erased. The leaves can also be moved around, allowing participants to visualise relationships between ideas and reorganise their thinking dynamically.

I found the method quite interesting, especially in terms of its tactile and interactive nature, which encourages active participation and reflection. However, on a personal note, I still tend to prefer Post-it notes, as they feel more flexible and intuitive for quick idea generation. That said, Ketso is undoubtedly a more sustainable option, since it eliminates paper waste and can be reused multiple times, a valuable consideration for environmentally responsible teaching.

During the session, we also created a collective glossary, where each participant added key terms related to education and training. This practice proved very useful, as it fostered shared understanding and collaborative knowledge building. It also reflected Wenger’s concept of communities of practice (1998), since meaning was co-constructed through dialogue and participation.

Finally, we developed a Padlet board where we listed examples of teaching and training activities, discussing whether each one was capable of differentiating learners’ needs or not. This exercise was particularly engaging, as it encouraged critical reflection on inclusive teaching practices and on how differentiation can be achieved through careful design rather than after-the-fact adaptation.

Overall, the session was stimulating both conceptually and practically. It reminded me how collaborative tools, whether physical like Ketso or digital like Padlet, can serve as powerful mediators of learning when thoughtfully integrated into pedagogical practice.

15 October 2025

Today’s session included several engaging activities. Among them, we used Post-it notes to build shared concepts step by step first individually, then in pairs (by exchanging ideas with a peer), and finally in groups, where we placed our Post-its on the wall and discussed them collectively. This gradual process from individual reflection to collaborative synthesis worked well to visualise how ideas evolve through interaction.

We also discussed the concept of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which I found particularly rich and thought-provoking. What stood out most to me was that UDL is fundamentally about removing barriers for each learner, and these barriers can take many forms, even physical, such as architectural obstacles that limit access to learning spaces.

Reflecting on my own teaching experience, I realised that the principles of UDL have often guided my practice, sometimes consciously and other times more intuitively. Teaching marketing to diverse groups of students (different in origin, experience, and English proficiency) has shown me that flexibility is essential to ensure equitable access to learning.

From the start, I have tried to offer multiple means of representation. When explaining concepts such as market segmentation or brand positioning, I combined text, videos, visual examples, and open discussions. While this made lessons more dynamic, it also helped students who struggled with English as a second language, as visuals and case studies often bridged linguistic gaps. I also provided printed slides or simplified materials for those without laptops or who preferred handwriting. This small accommodation proved very effective in maintaining focus and reducing the digital divide within the classroom.

In terms of action and expression, I noticed that some students felt intimidated by public speaking or writing long texts in English. To support them, I introduced varied forms of participation: short group tasks, shared presentations, mind maps, and even small graphic exercises to visualise marketing strategies. This allowed each student to contribute according to their strengths, without feeling excluded or disadvantaged by their language level.

Engagement was also a key element. I have always aimed to create an environment where students feel safe to experiment and express ideas, even imperfectly. I often began lessons with examples drawn from their own experiences, local advertising campaigns, brands from their home countries, or everyday consumer situations, to build cultural bridges and encourage participation.

Looking back, I realise that UDL has not been merely a theoretical framework, but a practical and adaptive mindset in my teaching. My aim has consistently been to reduce all forms of barriers (linguistic, technological, and cognitive) so that each learner can find their own way to understand and experience marketing. In hindsight, this is precisely the essence of UDL: anticipating diversity and transforming it into the strength of the learning process.

22 October 2025

Today’s session focused on the principles of diversified, relevant, and creative learning design. During the lesson, I applied these principles to a draft lesson plan based on the VRIO model, using it as a framework to explore how teaching activities can connect theory with practice.

From the point of view of relevance, the lesson plan appeared well aligned with three dimensions: students’ background knowledge (they would complete the A3 sheets manually, promoting a sense of ownership and engagement), the module learning outcomes and assessment, and the industry relevance of the VRIO model, which is widely applied in strategic analysis.

In terms of creativity, the plan encouraged students to express ideas freely and visually, through manual writing, sketches, colours, and diagrams on their group A3 sheets. This creative process was further supported by a peer review activity, where students commented on the work of other groups, enhancing collaboration and critical reflection.

Regarding diversification, I recognised that I could expand this aspect by adding an individual sub-activity at the beginning or end of the session, giving students an opportunity for personal reflection. I also considered the potential of using a digital feedback tool such as Padlet or Mentimeter to gather individual inputs in a more inclusive way.

Overall, the session allowed me to translate abstract pedagogical principles into a practical and reflective teaching design. The process helped me visualise how diversified, relevant, and creative approaches can coexist within the same learning experience, making it more engaging, student-centred, and applicable to real-world contexts.

7 November – Group presentation assessment for my students

On 30 October, the first summative assessment for my module took place. It was a group consultancy presentation, designed as a professional pitch in which students assumed the role of consultants analysing a designated business case. The purpose of the task was to critically assess the factors shaping an organisation’s strategy within a dynamic and evolving global business environment, and to illustrate how these factors influence its strategic positioning, competitive advantage, and long-term success.

The task required groups to select a business case, which could focus on a specific campaign, a product line, or the organisation as a whole, and to receive formal approval before proceeding. The presentation needed to be grounded in data, evidence, and real-world examples, and had to address three core elements. First, an overview of the business and its context, including a clear introduction to the company, its industry, and its strategic positioning. Second, an evaluation of the dynamic environment, drawing on the 7Ps and supported by relevant data. Third, the identification of strategic implications, examining how environmental changes affect the company’s position and highlighting areas where adjustments might be required. Students could also use SWOT or TOWS analysis to reinforce their arguments.

Although the technical structure of the assessment has remained consistent across semesters, I noticed an important pattern during my first term at Ravensbourne. Students tended to choose the same group of high profile global brands, such as Amazon, Apple or Nike, both for this presentation and for the final report in Week 12. While these companies offer an abundance of publicly available information, this tendency often resulted in a form of conformity that, in my view, limited the richness of peer learning within the cohort. Familiar brands reduced the incentive to search for in depth evidence and made it harder for students to develop more robust research and analytical skills, simply because the cases required less investigative effort.

Moreover, I observed that working on multinational corporations with operations in dozens or even hundreds of countries can be counterproductive. Students have access to an overwhelming quantity of resources, yet they often struggle to select, filter, and cross reference the most relevant data for the assignment brief. The breadth of material can obscure the depth required for a strong consultancy analysis.

For these reasons, this semester I encouraged groups to work with smaller companies, and in some cases startups, which offer a much clearer strategic focus and a more manageable scope of information. Given the international nature of the cohort, I also invited students to draw on case studies from their home countries, which introduced valuable elements of diversity in both preparation and presentation. The results were encouraging. Students exercised more genuine research skills and, when analysing frameworks such as the marketing mix, some were able to connect organisational practices to the cultural context of their country of origin. This enriched class discussions and enhanced the overall learning environment.

I intend to continue promoting this approach in future semesters, as it seems to support deeper learning, stronger inclusivity, and more meaningful analytical engagement.

11 November 2025 – The late enrolment challenges and solutions

On 5 November I took part in a PGCert session that covered several key areas: a peer discussion of ‘wins’ and ‘challenges’ following our triad tutorials, a check-in on our planned activities and upcoming observations, an e-portfolio peer review, guidance on locating resources on the VLE, and a clarification of the requirements for the final written rationale.

During the ‘wins and challenges’ phase, which we carried out not only with our triad but also with other colleagues on the programme, a number of interesting issues emerged. When it was my turn to share a tricky situation, I focused on a recurring challenge I sometimes encounter in my modules. In some cases, because of late enrolment, I end up delivering a Week 4 session to a class where around 90 percent of students are “old” and about 10 percent are “new”, having just joined the cohort. This becomes even more complex when the first summative assessment, usually a group presentation in my modules, falls in Week 6. New students effectively have only two weeks to catch up with the content delivered so far, integrate socially within the cohort, and form groups for the assessment.

I asked my colleagues for their views on how to approach this issue and several useful solutions were proposed. First, extending the assessment deadline by a couple of weeks could give all students more realistic preparation time. Second, and perhaps the most inventive idea, suggested by my colleague Christopher, was to create a system of mentors (existing students) and mentees (new arrivals). This would allow new students to catch up on the core content, while mentors would have the opportunity to consolidate their learning without the pressure of a formal assessment. Importantly, this mentoring activity could also serve as evidence for CPD, as it involves developing professional skills through peer support. A third suggestion was to use the arrival of new students as a pedagogical opportunity to collectively revisit the core content in one or two sessions, with guided facilitation from the lecturer.

I found these solutions, particularly Christopher’s mentoring idea, genuinely insightful. They illustrate how a potential problem can be reframed as an opportunity for innovation in teaching practice. I believe they will help me enhance inclusivity and strengthen the overall learning environment in future cohorts.

#10
17 November 2025

As I have been developing the website for my PGCert e-portfolio, I decided to use WordPress, a platform I know well and have worked with for many years. When my tutor, Virna Rossi, first reviewed the site, she said that the overall structure was strong, but she also offered two pieces of feedback that prompted meaningful reflection. Given my background as a consultant and my long-standing interest in user experience and web accessibility, I tend to pay careful attention to how websites function for different users. However, Virna made me notice two important aspects I had overlooked.

First, she suggested that it would be useful to display second-level pages and links directly in the menu, so that users can immediately see the specific content housed within each main section. This would enhance navigation clarity and reduce the number of clicks required to access key information. Second, she highlighted that the high contrast between dark text and a very light background could be uncomfortable for some users, depending on their visual processing needs. Although this is a standard design choice in many websites, it is not always the most accessible.

In response, over the past few days I have refined the site structure. I redesigned the menu to make subsections explicitly visible, which already improves navigability. Additionally, I installed a plugin called OneTap, a freemium tool that includes 29 accessibility modules that users can activate directly while browsing. These features allow visitors to adjust text size, cursor style, colour schemes, filters, and various reading aids. The plugin also offers five ready-made accessibility profiles, such as Blind Mode, Vision Impaired Mode, and ADHD Friendly Mode, which make the site more inclusive for a wider range of learners and users. Installation was straightforward and the result is highly satisfying.

This experience made me reflect on how my dual professionalism as a consultant and lecturer is evolving. Typically, my consultancy background informs my teaching, especially when I bring real case studies into the classroom. In this situation, however, the opposite occurred: my teaching practice and PGCert engagement influenced the way I approached a professional task. It is a reminder that the flow of knowledge and skills between my roles is not unidirectional, and that educational values such as inclusivity, accessibility, and learner-centred design are now shaping my work as a consultant as much as my academic practice.