Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use Fink’s (2013) taxonomy of significant learning in a retail marketing class to help rural, price-sensitive students develop empathy toward high-end urban customers while becoming self-directed learners.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a 16-week pilot course, students developed a gaming prototype and learned about the challenges of targeting those from a higher socioeconomic status.

Findings

Results indicate that educators using Fisk’s taxonomy of significant learning might be able to positively influence the empathy that individuals on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum might feel toward higher-end customers. In addition, qualitative data reflects how a majority of students acknowledged empathy as their weakness but data also reveals how students plan to become continuous learners to improve their empathy in the future.

Originality/value

This paper has two key contributions. First, it shows how using a creative style of teaching within a marketing classroom can influence a key characteristic that buyers would need to successfully engage with higher-end clients. Second, it uses a new technique (gaming) in which to do so.

中文翻译：

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通过重要学习的分类法增强学生的同理心

目的

本文的目的是在零售营销课程中使用芬克（Fink）（2013）的重要学习分类法，以帮助价格敏感的农村学生在成为自主学习者的同时，对高端城市顾客产生同理心。

设计/方法/方法

学生使用为期16周的试验课程，开发了游戏原型，并了解了针对具有较高社会经济地位的人群的挑战。

发现

结果表明，使用Fisk的重要学习分类法的教育者可能能够积极影响社会经济领域较低端的人们可能对高端客户的共鸣感。此外，定性数据反映了大多数学生如何将同情心视为自己的弱点，但数据也揭示了学生如何计划成为持续学习者，以改善他们的同情心。

创意/价值

本文有两个主要贡献。首先，它显示了如何在营销教室中采用创新的教学方式会如何影响购买者成功与高端客户互动所需的关键特征。其次，它采用了一种新技术（游戏）。