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Dr Xuan Huy Nguyen

Expert Insights

Xuan Huy Nguyen, Associate Professor in Marketing, recently won the ‘Teaching to Disrupt’ category at The Education Awards 2023. This award, for which Huy was nominated by his students, recognises teaching staff who dare to be different in their approach. We caught up with Huy to understand more about his teaching methods and find out what he has learned from his students.

Congratulations on winning the Teaching to Disrupt award.

Thank you very much. The Teaching to Disrupt award means a great deal to me. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who nominated me, with a special thank you to Prof Steven McGuire [Executive Dean] and Prof Michael Beverland [Head of Department] for their brilliant support throughout my time at the University of Sussex.

What is your approach to teaching?

The Teaching to Disrupt award highlights my approach to teaching in all my modules, in which I strongly encourage students to think in an entrepreneurial way. I ask every student to bring their own experiences to the table, discussing the most topical issues in marketing for businesses of all sizes, such as start-ups, medium-sized firms, and well-established firms, across a wide range of markets from UK, USA, India, Brazil, and so on.

I facilitate their decision-making process to give students the best chance at building their own successful start-ups after graduating. In addition, I also provide my students with many opportunities to test their ideas in the classroom before launching their start-ups in the future which gives them a safe space to be bold and make mistakes if needs be.

What impact do your teaching methods have on the student learning experience?

My teaching methods have been received very well across many different programs, online and in-person, such as MSc Strategic Marketing, MSc Marketing and Consumer Psychology, MSc International Management, and MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

I have received many thank you notes from my students by email, in person, and on social media. To me, all those thank you notes truly mean as much as the Teaching to Disrupt award I have just won. I’m glad I’m having a positive impact on my students.

Have your teaching methods evolved over the time you’ve been teaching marketing?

I update my teaching methods based on the modules and the group of students I have each year so yes, they do evolve. I strongly emphasize the relevance of my module content. I incorporate and discuss businesses the students can relate to in my modules.

Using IKEA as an example, not only do I discuss the IKEA business model, but the business model of IKEA specifically in the Indian market. It is of utmost importance to me that my students have very positive learning experience.

What have you learnt from your students?

I have learnt so much from my students. In my modules they demonstrate a great deal of diversity in the way they think about marketing and businesses, so I learn from their perspectives each time I teach a new group. The diversity is what I really appreciate when in discussion with my students.

I always encourage students to share their own, unique experiences and perspectives when we discuss a topic in my modules.  Therefore, not only me, but all students benefit from hearing about the wide range of experiences from the group. I am so pleased that we have created such a strong learning community in my modules.

Find out more about the Department of Strategy and Marketing.

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