The Student Experience

Focus and Themes of Special Interest Group

This SIG provides a forum through which interested tourism and hospitality members can progress the debate on a number of student focused areas. These areas broadly include research and discussion on what is taught, how it is taught and by who, how it is learnt, how the learning is put to work and what outcomes should be expected from higher education tourism and hospitality programmes. The focus of the SIG will be the advancement of the discourse in the areas of teaching and learning and the understanding the contemporary student, from their desire for higher education through to the world of work that is waiting for them. Areas for discourse include:

Teaching practice, curriculum (generic v specific content, theory versus practical, work integrated learning, graduate attributes etc), Assessment, Diversity of tourism and hospitality education experiences in the marketplace vs homogenization of the tourism curriculum, Are our curriculum models working?, Teaching and learning, Soft skill development for all students, Skills (technical and soft) vs content, Development of communities of practice, Industry engagement

International student experience, Positive and negative effects on teaching and learning, What are the expectations of our students?, Transition from high school to university (First year experience), and from university to the workplace, Generation Y and their learning preferences, employment characteristics/preferences, Retention, Masters and doctoral student experience, Supervision for Honours and Masters projects as well as MPhil and PhD degrees, Experience with industry partners in their research projects.

Key Outcomes for Members

This SIG will allow CAUTHE members with a passion for teaching and learning, to share and test ideas, have an outlet for their research, learn from the experiences of their peers and to be a stakeholder in the advancement of best practice in Tourism and Hospitality education in Australia.

Key Activities for 2010

Student Experience SIG Forum

Theme: “Fostering Collaborative And Innovative Industry?Academe Educational Alliances”
Date: Friday, 8 October, 2010
Location: Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia
Organisers: Lisa Ruhanen, Elizabeth Roberts and Noel Scot

Past Activities

Meeting at CAUTHE 2009

Members met to discuss and confirm the focus and key outcomes of the SIG.

Special Journal issue

The main initiative in 2009 was a special issue of the Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management on the “Student Experience” edited by Ruhanen, L. Scott, N. Benckenndorf, P. and Roberts, E. This issue contains seven papers listed below:

Deconstructing the Student Experience: A Conceptual Framework Authors: Pierre Benckendorff, Lisa Ruhanen and Noel Scott
All Wired Up But Not Plugged in: An Evaluation of Tourism and Leisure Marketing Students' Expectations and Experiences of Lecture Podcasting Authors: Dale Sanders and Megan LeClus
Evaluating Wikis as an Assessment Tool for Developing Collaboration and Knowledge Management Skills Authors: Pierre Benckendorff
With The Simpsons as Tour Guides: How Popular Culture Sources can Enhance the Student Experience in a University Tourism Unit Author: Johan R. Edelheim
Two Perspectives on Event Management Employment: Student and Employer Insights Into the Skills Required to Get the Job Done! Authors: Olga Junek, Leonie Lockstone and Judith Mair
Mind the Gap: Aligning Learning and Graduate Outcomes Through Industry Partnerships Authors: Elizabeth Roberts
Tourism and Hospitality Research Student Experiences: How to Achieve Quality, Inclusivity and Belongingness Authors: Gayle Jennings, Ulrike Kachel, Sandra Kensbock and Mary-Anne Smith

SIG Co-ordinators

Dr Noel Scott noel.scott@uq.edu.au
Stuart Wiggins swiggins@billyblue.com.au
Lisa Ruhanen l.ruhanen@uq.edu.au