University Students’ Experience of a Digital Fashion Exhibition: Engagement, Embodiment, and Object-Based Learning

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to understand students’ experiences viewing a digital narrated video tour of a physical fashion exhibition and evaluate its effectiveness using the constructivist learning perspective as it applies to museum learning. Formally written responses to an open-ended qualitative survey from 62 students were analyzed using a transcendental phenomenological approach. The digital tour offered an effective online object-based learning experience that enhanced students’ understanding of the impact of cultural influences on fashion changes and helped them identify changes in fashion design. The digital tour was also engaging and allowed students to construct their own knowledge and take something meaningful from the exhibition, which contributed to its effectiveness. Best practices for designing digital tours of physical fashion exhibitions were developed and included fostering multisensory engagement, providing viewers’ time for observation and reflection, and including multiple views and close-ups of garments.