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- Learning by doing: fostering tourism students’ soft skills through interdisciplinarity and collaborationPublication . Vasconcelos, Sandra; Melo, Carla; Melo, António; Liberato, DáliaHaving a strong affinity and interdependence with a wide range of sectors and industries, tourism is, by nature, an interdisciplinary field. However, despite this realization, there are still different barriers to the development of interdisciplinary research and active collaborative projects within Tourism Higher Education. In addition to these barriers, there is also a disarticulation between tourism curricula and what practitioners perceive as being key skills within the industry. Hence, as the context in which the tourist activity takes place becomes more competitive, resulting in a pressing need for skilled and multifaceted professionals, educational institutions and tourism educators are increasingly being challenged to overcome these barriers and come up with creative projects that can help bridge the gap between academia and the labour market. Aiming to describe an interdisciplinary project focusing on soft skills within different tourism subsectors, this paper will draw on a literature review, project outputs and two questionnaires, as to describe its implementation and overall results. Mostly based on students’ perceptions and determining whether they are aligned with the industry’s current demands and expectations, in addition to a general description, it will crosscut different perspectives, analysing the importance attributed to soft skills by students and prospective employers. Deriving from this analysis and the project’s scope, the authors will also put forward a reflection regarding the impact of the project on not only student’s perceptions regarding soft skills, but also on the affordances of the project to develop transversal competences, making a case for other innovative initiatives. As a result, the final section of the paper will include references to lessons learnt and future research directions.
- Interdisciplinarity in action: developing students’ soft skills through project-based learning and field workPublication . Vasconcelos, Sandra; Melo, Carla; Melo, António; Liberato, DáliaRecently, much due to the growth of the industry, tourism professionals are increasingly being challenged to develop new skills and adapt to dynamic markets, requiring them to be flexible, creative and, particularly after the recent COVID-19 pandemic, resilient. Mirroring these changes, Higher Education Institutions (HEI), and more specifically Tourism Higher Education (THE), are increasingly becoming aware of the need to rethink and further expand their programs, not only to make them more diverse and inclusive, but also meet current demands, particularly concerning the development of tourism graduates’ soft skills. Focusing on a project carried out at the School of Hospitality and Tourism (Vila do Conde, Portugal), this paper aims to describe an innovative interdisciplinary approach that combines academic and technical knowledge with the development of (inter)personal transferable skills, by challenging students to complete a collaborative assignment on different industry subsectors. Involving five different courses and facilitators, this assignment followed a Project-based Approach (PbL), having challenged students to carry out field work to collect stakeholders’ perceptions on what they considered to be the most important soft skills within the industry, most particularly in the Entertainment/Events, Travel Agencies/Tour Operators, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO) and Accommodation subsectors. Framed by a literature review, the data and ensuing analysis were compiled and put forward in a short paper, that was publicly presented and discussed. Working in groups of 3 to 6 members, students conducted a total of 45 interviews, which resulted in 13 short papers, all of which identifying key soft skills and reflecting on how they can be developed. In addition to describing the rationale behind the project and its implementation, this paper will address the affordances and potential of interdisciplinarity in tourism education, not only by reflecting on the project’s outcomes, but also on participants’ expectations and final perceptions. Drawing from two questionnaires and unstructured observation, it is, therefore, expected to further advance recent research in innovative practices in Tourism Education, as well as provide other educators a case study that can support similar initiatives and projects.
- Soft skills in action: developing tourism students skills through interdisciplinarityPublication . Vasconcelos, Sandra; Melo, António; Melo, Carla; Liberato, Dália; Lopes, Maria CarlosTourism research has highlighted the strategic need to identify and assess relevant skills for the sector to ensure organizations’ competitiveness. Describing an interdisciplinary project carried out at the School of Hospitality and Tourism (Polytechnic Institute of Porto), this paper aims to contribute to the ongoing debate on the importance of soft skills in the tourism industry and the role played by higher education institutions and tourism education in promoting their development. Working toward bridging the gap between academia and the labor market, this project covered five different courses and challenged students to write research papers, drawing from interviews with stakeholders from different tourism subsectors. Making use of a collaborative approach, based on complementarity and field work, the project succeeded, exceeding initial expectations and enhancing participants’ teaching and learning experiences. In addition to being aligned with current trends in tourism education, it also provides valuable insights on the affordances and attainability of interdisciplinarity, ultimately informing further joint initiatives within this scope.
- Fostering student agency in tourism education: examples from the Tourism and Hospitality fieldPublication . Vasconcelos, Sandra; Melo, António; Melo, Carla; Mouta, CristinaFocusing on the development of student agency within the scope of tourism education, the following paper outlines different interdisciplinary, student-centred initiatives, briefly describing their design, implementation and assessment and reflecting on how they can enhance student involvement and overall engagement. These initiatives, which include the development of a digital platform (blog), featuring student-generated content, examples of context-based simulated activities and an interdisciplinary project involving two different courses and an external partner (Village Tourism Association), offer an alternative to traditional lectures, relying both on Project-Based Learning (PBL) and group work, as ways of addressing real- world challenges and promoting 21st century skills, particularly flexibility, teamwork and creativity. Furthermore, by involving students in dialogic processes, which required them to look for (rather than just receive) feedback from different sources, at different times, crosscutting it with their personal experiences and contexts, the projects have also promoted accountability and autonomy, moving beyond the scope of specific tasks, and becoming catalysts for skill transferability and hands-on experiential and simulated-based learning. Based on observation, documentary research, content analysis and questionnaires applied to the students, the paper establishes the importance of interdisciplinarity, collaboration and simulation as key components of teaching and learning experiences. Moreover, by sharing what could be considered best practices for tourism education, it also supports and informs practitioners and researchers, leveraging future initiatives.
- Designing a toolkit for tourism educators: from paper to actionPublication . Vasconcelos, Sandra; Melo, Carla; Melo, AntónioTeaching practical and transversal skills is a key component within Tourism Education (TE), not only because of its service-oriented nature, but also due to the fact that most programs include some sort of practical component, ranging from classes and seminars to workshops and work placements (Chandra et al., 2022). On the other hand, with TE being a fairly recent area, particularly in Higher Education, where it has become the object of an ongoing discussion regarding academic and vocational streams, teacher training and development is increasingly being perceived as a challenge, thus creating a need for initiatives that address these issues (George, 2007). Based on this premise and focusing on the concept of Experiential Learning, this paper aims to outline the design phases of a Toolkit to support educators and practitioners currently working in Tourism Higher Education, highlighting its key areas of application, and reflecting on its potential. In addition to presenting the rationale behind the project, the authors will put forward the different sections of the toolkit, which will include guidelines, expected outcomes, sample lesson plans and a list of annotated resources, as well as overall reflections based on their application. Stemming from an interdisciplinary collaboration from educators currently working on different programs and industry subsectors (i.e., accommodation, catering, travel agencies, tour operators, etc…), this toolkit will integrate contributions from different fields and reflect different educational approaches and activities, including simulation, project-based learning and role-playing activities. As a result, it will reflect hands-on experiences, being consistent with current best-practice and action-based research approaches.