TEACHING EYE-TRACKING AND FACIAL EXPRESSION ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY IN AN ONLINE MARKETING RESEARCH CLASS

ABSTRACT Technology continues to change and improve the marketing profession. Marketing research technologies such as eye-tracking and facial expression analysis allow marketers to gain more insights into consumer behaviors. Recently, these technologies have become more affordable and applicable in the classroom learning environment. A very recent addition to these technologies is the ability to collect eye-tracking and facial expression data remotely through a compliant user’s webcam. This paper illustrates how marketing educators can incorporate eye-tracking and facial expression analysis technology into an online marketing research class. The teaching effectiveness results show that this 4-week online project using the remote technology helps students improve their learning and become more ready for future careers. The online experiential project using these technologies allows marketing educators to switch from face-to-face instruction to an online format while still maintaining the same quality of instruction and level of engagement.