THE-ICE members address internships and education in the ‘new normal’

THE-ICE members address internships and education in the ‘new normal’

More than 60 representatives from 19 institutions in 8 countries attended THE-ICE Webinar Series 14: Supporting Students in the ‘New Normal’ Era – evolving strategies for internship, teaching and learning. On Wednesday 16th June 2021, six (6) guest presentersfrom THE-ICE member network, including the first student presenter of THE-ICE Webinar Series, joined THE-ICE CEO Dr Craig Thompson to discuss the evolving strategies institutions are employing to support their students and adapt internships, learning and teaching in the ‘new normal’:

  • Ms Violeta Salonen, Senior Lecturer in Experience Management & Design, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland.
  • Dr Atty Gezzez Giezi G Granado, Dean of the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines.
  • Ms Elina Sperth, Account Manager Placement Office, Hotelschool The Hague, Netherlands.
  • Ms Jolanda Tufilli, Third-year Student, Hotelschool The Hague, Netherlands.
  • Dr Joy Sheelah Baraero-Era, Dean of the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, Far Eastern University, Philippines.
  • Mr Dennis Petersen, Instructor Hospitality, Breda University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands.

Through the presentations and discussion, several key themes emerged:

  • Alternatives to a traditional internship
  • Evolving strategies for teaching online
  • Evolving strategies for learning online
  • Alternative assessment for practical education
  • Student support and wellbeing

Within these areas, the following key takeaways were highlighted:

Alternatives to a traditional internship

  • Academic alternative, comprising academic coursework, desk analysis, and/or an industry capstone programme, potentially with a research output.
  • Virtual entrepreneurial internship with partner entrepreneurs/mentors.
  • Virtual internship with industry partners (traditional internship format, executed online).
  • Internship with a virtual training provider (conducted through an external training provider, and often attracting additional costs for the students).
  • Virtual consultancy internship – teams of students acted as virtual consultants for hands-on projects, providing direct value to industry partners while also expanding their professional skills and network. In this format, students completed a range of assignments spanning corporate social responsibility, event management, business development, guest experience, and more.
  • Feedback, assessment, and evaluation are important aspects of any internship, whether in-person or digital.
  • Alumni networks can be an excellent resource, allowing institutions to connect with new industry partners and/or entrepreneurs.

Evolving strategies for teaching online

  • At most institutions, teaching and learning was moved online at short notice, and Zoom fatigue quickly set in for both students and teachers despite initial enthusiasm.
  • Group teaching and discussions.
  • Industry speakers and guest lectures.
  • Creating tour videos to introduce students to the practical education facilities, even when they are not able to learn in these spaces due to the pandemic.
  • Institutions are reconsidering what is offered in their curriculum, but also how it is offered to students.

Evolving strategies for learning online

  • Individual, paired, and group activities.
  • Collaborative research.
  • Watching documentaries and engaging in debate.
  • Virtual tours from industry partners of their facilities.
  • Participating in online competitions, creating teams with students from different courses and stages of their degree.
  • Mixed online learning, combining synchronous and asynchronous learning.
  • Total analog learning, for students who have low to no internet connectivity in their homes. I this scenario, the complete course module and manual was sent to students’ homes on a USB drive, to be returned once they had completed the course.

Alternative assessment for practical education

  • Auditing module, in which hospitality students acted as their own guests and wrote a review of their experiences.
  • Self-reflective videos created by students over the course of a module or unit, rather than incorporating reflection only in the final report.
  • Creating quizzes and designing online/digital activities for their peers.

Student support and wellbeing

  • Students and teachers working together to develop the best solutions for student support.
  • Assignment of a “buddy” at the beginning of a course, to provide study and personal peer support.

The recording of the webinar can be accessed here.

For information about upcoming webinars in THE-ICE COVID-19 webinar series, click here.