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.