Abstract:

Teaching practical and transversal skills is a key component within Tourism Education (TE), not only because of its service-oriented nature, but also due to the fact that most programs include some sort of practical component, ranging from classes and seminars to workshops and work placements (Chandra et al., 2022). On the other hand, with TE being a fairly recent area, particularly in Higher Education, where it has become the object of an ongoing discussion regarding academic and vocational streams, teacher training and development is increasingly being perceived as a challenge, thus creating a need for initiatives that address these issues (George, 2007).

Based on this premise and focusing on the concept of Experiential Learning, this paper aims to outline the design phases of a Toolkit to support educators and practitioners currently working in Tourism Higher Education, highlighting its key areas of application, and reflecting on its potential. In addition to presenting the rationale behind the project, the authors will put forward the different sections of the toolkit, which will include guidelines, expected outcomes, sample lesson plans and a list of annotated resources, as well as overall reflections based on their application. Stemming from an interdisciplinary collaboration from educators currently working on different programs and industry subsectors (i.e., accommodation, catering, travel agencies, tour operators, etc…), this toolkit will integrate contributions from different fields and reflect different educational approaches and activities, including simulation, project-based learning and role-playing activities. As a result, it will reflect hands-on experiences, being consistent with current best-practice and action-based research approaches.

References:
[1] Chandra, S., Ranjan, A., & Chowdhary, N. (2022). Online Hospitality and Tourism Education-Issues and Challenges. Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal, 70(2), 298–316.
[2] George, B. (2007). Should You Reward More Those Teachers Who Participate More? A Study In The Context Of In-Service Tourism Teacher Training Programs.

Keywords:

Experiential Learning, Higher Education, Interdisciplinarity, Toolkit, Tourism Education.