Teaching undergraduate marketing students using 'hot seating through puppetry': An exploratory study

Changes in preferred methods of learning among many students in recent years have challenged educators to introduce more interactive and experiential teaching methods. 'Hot seating' - where a person, such as an invited subject expert is interviewed by an audience - is a well-established interactive method of learning, but is often limited by availability of willing and suitable interviewees. In this exploratory study, university business undergraduates were required to interact with a lecturer-operated puppet representing a corporate client interviewee in a simulated sales presentation. Reflective diaries were used to gain insights into students' perceptions of this teaching technique. Results suggest that students: (i) gained practical business skills; (ii) were exposed to commercial responsibilities and (iii) assimilated relevant academic theory. Benefits and limitations of 'hot seating through puppetry' and its possible contribution to teaching and learning in a variety of contexts are discussed, together with suggestions for further research.