Abstract

• This project aims to create a structured co-curriculum that facilitates students’ experiential learning and alumni’s engagement in teaching & learning (T&L) at the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM or the School). The co-curriculum includes three independent and correlated modules linked to different major required courses (or T&L programs), featuring different learning activities, and targeting different student cohorts. The three modules adopt the same structure but can be implemented along separate timelines systematically and regularly.


• Each module involves a contest that requires students to design, analysis, plan, and implement a learning activity. Module 1 features a study tour design contest mainly targeting Year-1 students (as participants). Module 2 features a cross-cultural learning event contest mainly targeting Year-2 students. Module 3 features an alumni interview video contest mainly targeting Year-3 and Year-4 students. In each module, students need to form teams and submit proposals. The winning team then needs to implement their plan in the real world.


• All modules are structured to connect real-world learning activities with the SHTM sharepoint site. Sharepoint serves as a secure online platform for the School, current students, and alumni to launch learning events, submit proposals, share information, collaborate on team tasks, collect feedback, and store deliverable outputs in various formats (text, image, audio, and video).

Brief write-up

Project objectives

The project includes three independent but correlated modules linked to different courses or T&L programmes, featuring different learning activities, and targeting different student cohorts and aiming to improve experiential learning, on-campus integration of international students, and alumni relationships.

Activities, process and outcomes

In Module 1, students from all years of study were invited to design a 7-day study trip to Sydney or Brisbane, Australia. Participants presented their itinerary and budget proposals in front of a judging panel of two SHTM faculty members and an executive from Tourism Australia. The winning proposal was implemented in May 2018. In Module 2, local and international students voluntarily formed teams and organized the “International Day” F&B event featuring food from different cultures that facilitates cross-cultural learning. In Module 3, we organized an event for School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) alumni to share their entrepreneurship stories. Module 1 and 2 both adopted a student-centered learning design, aimed to increase student engagement in T&L and improve students’ abilities to apply textbook theories/concepts to real-world event planning and execution. Module 3 can be developed into an established element in our career co-curriculum.

Deliverables and evaluation

The course documents (learning assessment tasks, guidelines, rubrics) and multi-media outputs (student-made and professionally produced photos and videos) can be shared online. We have received positive feedback from students and alumni. Students’ reflection reports and group projects also demonstrate high student satisfaction and improved learning outcomes.

Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices

The SHTM student sharepoint site has been improved over the project period with more features that encourage interactions among the School, the current students, and the alumni. The modules are highly structured and can be adaptable to other disciplines. The project outcomes align with the University-wide themes of global citizenship and social enterprisingness, innovation and design, and internationalization at home. The student-centered learning activities have been adopted in other T&L areas at our school. For example, we are reviewing our internship programme and adding more project-based internships that allow students to conduct problem-solving projects.