If students do not learn anything of long-term worth, increasing graduation and educational success rates will be in vain.
By focusing so much on graduation rates and levels of attainment, policymakers are overlooking worrisome indicators that the quality of knowledge students get in hospitality colleges has decreased in recent decades and may continue to do so in the future. The gap is even more worrisome with the growth of online learning platforms that are providing courses that are closer to the industries.
To make things easier for them, we’ve put together a list of signs of quality learning that are extremely relevant for the hotel management institutes. While top hospitality colleges have set high standards, a majority of hotel management institutes fall behind in ensuring the education and career success of graduating students.
1. Increasing the quality of graduate education
Graduate programs at universities and hospitality colleges must be restructured to better preparation of aspiring academics for teaching.
Even a few decades ago, the vast majority of new graduates in the better hospitality institutions found jobs in big hospitality chains. As a result, many hotel management graduates could easily become hotel managers or get senior management roles within 10 years of graduating.
It is important to know what exactly quality education is. It must involve cultivating social skills, and promoting continual learning and skill-based learning.
Have a look at the image below by Limbd.
With more colleges and greater marketing, the focus has shifted from quality learning to marketing. The focus has also shifted from great jobs to quick internships. More thorough preparation is essential, and it should increase as the relevant knowledge grows.
However, with all of the talking done in hospitality college circles about preparing hospitality students for careers in diverse fields. One has to wonder why hotel management colleges spend time preparing candidates for entirely different areas that are not in focus today in the hospitality industry.
A greater focus on Information technology and transferable skills must be incorporated into programs for a higher quality of education.
The process of improving education involves various steps as mentioned in the image below. However, the crucial step is to introspect, work on feedback and incorporate changes based on hospitality trends and best practices.
2. Putting together a Quality Group of teaching staff
The expansion of professors who are hired not for the short term or per lecture but are employed on a 12-month basis or for a longer-term period to teach fundamental undergraduate courses has sown the seeds of such a transformation.
A lot of hospitality colleges in developed countries like Switzerland, the USA, the UK and Australia take pride in the quality of teaching staff. Developing countries need to follow the same. A lot of good quality hospitality institutions in countries like India have started to focus on high-quality teaching staff. This does increase the overall cost and fee but is worth it.
In addition, because they are primarily involved in teaching jobs, they may be more willing to try out better and new ways of teaching methodologies if they are encouraged to do so. Getting people from the hospitality industry with great academic acumen would be crucial to see continuous improvement in hospitality education.
3. The undergraduate program is being rethought
The traditional divide into specialization fields, general education, and electives leaves students with insufficient time to pursue all the goals that academics consider vital for an overall college education.
This three-part structure, along with its emphasis on major and embracing requirements in distribution and large electives, was developed by engineering colleges to serve the intentions of research faculty rather than to meet the multiple goals of a successful undergraduate education. This doesn’t serve the purpose of skills-focused education like hospitality. A lot of theoretical papers need to be removed and more practical stuff should find its place in the curriculum.
Colleges should also consider allowing members of the administrative staff who are heavily involved in campus life, such as deans of student affairs and admissions directors, to participate in some significant ways.
Conclusion-
These were some of the quality learning methods for hotel management students.
Considering these points, the students can understand the learning methodology and prepare well to ace the hospitality campus placements.
