Abstract:

Academic staff who are willing to participate in an Erasmus+ programme Experience, either in the Teaching or Training formats, will have to be prepared to meet several challenges. First and foremost, the language barrier, as differences in linguistic codes can translate into communication difficulties or even insurmountable obstacles hindering international cooperation (which also points to the relevance of English as lingua franca and of instruction). Then come cultural habits and/or norms, which will clearly influence teaching approaches, methodologies and syllabus contents with resulting disparities between different countries and nationalities. This, in turn, means that educators will have to be particularly attentive to the host institution’s classroom dynamics and students’ expectations given that they may be so distinct as to hinder even well-planned and established teaching styles.
The authors, who lecture at a Higher Education Institution with undergraduate and master's programmes in Tourism and Hospitality (thus dealing with skills and teaching of knowledge related to a specific trade), will describe a recent Erasmus experience in an otherwise similar educational institution (also located in Europe), but with policy and regulatory differences implicating the need for adjustments in the recognition of students’ qualifications, as well as distinct funding opportunities, class size, existing infrastructures and educational resources. The lecturers delivered presentations on two different areas of knowledge, revenue management (in hospitality) and intercultural communication (in tourism) in two different educational programmes: the Higher National Diploma in Food & Beverage Management and the Bachelor in International Hospitality Management (Hons), respectively. Even though the topics had been agreed upon prior to the visit, there had been no reference to the qualification framework of each of the programmes, which meant that the teaching methodologies and student engagement methods had to be altered on short notice, so that students would not feel overwhelmed or disenfranchised.
Despite some initial administrative constraints and miscommunication, our participation in the Erasmus+ programme was quite positive, with a strong emphasis on the need adapt to unexpected circumstances, as well as how relevant it is to keep an open mind about cultural differences and the way they may influence academic performance. There were also several opportunities to discuss good teaching and organisational practices with the host institution academic staff, who also shared very valuable insights we aim to use in our own institution. It was proof that with invested stakeholders such experiences will not only improve educational outputs but also contribute decisively to the personal and professional growth of academic staff.

Keywords:

Best practices, cultural and linguistic adaptation, Erasmus+ teaching programme, European higher education.