Getting a taxi, ordering food, sending a document — there’s little in life today that has not been touched by some form of technological development. What was referred to in the 1090s as the “information superhighway” has now pervaded the way we do so many things, and that certainly includes the business of teaching and learning.
Hybrid teaching models have existed since the early 2000s and were seen as an effective ‘bridge’ in increasingly modern times with the possibilities of flexible hours, zero geographical constraints and independent learning. The pandemic forced universities to harness these practical positives to an even greater degree but also begged the question of what a truly digitalised education system could bring: new ways of presenting content and pedagogical practices, exciting disruption towards competitive strategies and a true widening of the offer.
Getting digital right
Any form of digital transformation in universities must be education-driven, student-centric and tailor-made. There’s no point installing elaborate systems that scream novelty-factor and fancy gadgetry if they are not serving a direct pedagogical purpose and teachers find them hard to use. A good digitalisation programme will enhance and complement existing methods, NOT totally take over. Furthermore, one size does not fit all. Universities have to ask what educational goals need to be met and how technology can best support these outcomes. Importantly, teaching faculty must be upskilled and this takes both time and money.
In hospitality management
This is a special subject area where it is essential for the theoretical to meet the practical. The latter is intrinsically tied to the transmission of soft skills and hands-on learning, (despite the rise of robots and contactless, the human touch will always remain an integral part of hospitality). In the wake of COVID-19, it would be easy to think that courses like the Practical Arts should be cast aside but the secret of any successful digital programme is knowing what to keep and what to disrupt.
Face-to-face traditional classroom methods for practice can sit next to digitalised remote systems for theory. For example, courses in Housekeeping have recently harnessed Virtual Reality to allow students to study remotely what is usually be a very hands-on subject. The results are interesting: many students claim they pick up more details and insights from the online lessons, which they can then better apply to real-life practice sessions.
Gamification, videos, podcasts and Virtual Reality are just some of the transformational digital tools that have recently been used to great effect in hospitality education. Where, on the one hand, there’s risk of student alienation due to detachment from the physical classroom; on the other, there’s an increased student participation that speaks to the modern-day learner. This newly presented content is at once playful, interactive, educational and, above all, student-centric. For those who are working while studying, having access to pre-recorded lessons and the choice of synchronous and/or asynchronous learning is a game changer.
Students today have new expectations and different needs. The young are especially tech savvy and, in order to match their learning evolution, the education sector must be ready to accept and fine-tune the massively challenging yet creative disruption at play.
The future
In truth, hospitality education has never felt so exciting, as it sits on the cusp of upholding the best in the tried and tested traditions alongside cutting-edge digital technologies. Digital systems need to be pedagogically-driven to enhance learning outcomes, often taking time, effort and cost to get right. But there is no doubt that the future of educational possibilities has made a quantum leap thanks to these technological developments ushered in by the pandemic.
A student graduating today from a hospitality university should have many feathers in their cap: emotional intelligence, transferable soft skills, a keen sense of customer service and a sharp business know-how. They will be able to pivot and adapt within the changing face of hospitality because of how they were educated and trained in the subject.
The writer is Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO, EHL Group
