Under School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events (SHTE), the Bachelor of International Hospitality Management (BIHM), Taylor's University (TU) First Year students had the Global Collaborative Classroom experience for two modules - Hospitality Management & Leadership and Accommodation Management with St. Dominic College, Philippines and PES University, India .
14 Bachelor Degree students from St. Dominic College, Philippines collaborated with 16 Taylor's BIHM students for the Accommodation Management module. They worked together on an assignment and were peer evaluated by the lecturers. The eight (8) global collaborative classroom sessions had the students working on group discussions virtually and learning the various practical lessons in the housekeeping department. The students worked in established groups throughout the semester while lecturers provided direction and feedback on learning concepts and performance.
Likewise for the 15 Bachelor Degree students from PES University, India collaborated with 22 Taylor's BIHM students for the Hospitality Management & Leadership module. They were given a group assignment on “Identifying Sustainable Green Practices in the Hospitality Industry” where they had to interview hoteliers and present their findings.
The students gained greater insights and were extremely delighted to be part of this Global Collaborative Classroom. The learning was significant for the students and the global classroom collaboration was imperative in creating the overall positive experience for the students and faculty. The experience is perceived as more of “add-on” by the students and their reflections as mentioned are a testament to this eventful project.
Student reflections: “Talking about the practical class, a lot of things and ideas came up like the concept and difference in various policies, procedures, and practices in housekeeping class”. “…I believe it was extremely beneficial in terms of gaining a different perspective development of higher-level thinking, oral communication, and self-management. It also had a great interaction with them and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, become more social, and experience a different culture that I would not have otherwise had the opportunity to experience.
