Building community and emphasising learning beyond the classroom.

Leith, Craig; Ironside, Rachael

Abstract

Due to the lengthy (and ongoing) disruption caused by COVID-19, the Tourism, Hospitality and Events teaching team recognised the need to rebuild and foster a greater sense of community within the subject area. Furthermore, the blog was seen as a way to illustrate the value of learning and understanding of the industry out-with the classroom. Initial discussion resulted in a Senior Lecturer leading on the development and content population of the "T.H.E. News" blogsite. Since September 2021, staff and students have contributed a range of articles to the site, including personal viewpoints, book reviews, details on student study trips and details of staff research interests. Linked to the blog, there have also been five "Curiosity Events" led by the teaching team, with a focus on their own areas of research and industry interests. Seven months into the initiative, it is now possible to review the level of engagement with the site, and to seek feedback in order to best plan its future direction.

Citation

LEITH, C. and IRONSIDE, R. 2022. Building community and emphasising learning beyond the classroom. Presented at the 2022 RGU annual learning and teaching conference (RGU LTC 2022): enhancing for impact, 21 October 2022, Aberdeen, UK.

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: 2022 RGU annual learning and teaching conference (RGU LTC 2022): enhancing for impact
• Start Date: Oct 21, 2022
• Deposit Date: Mar 3, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 3, 2023
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Tourism students; Hospitality students; Event management students; Educational blogs; Higher education and industry
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1898809
• Related Public URLs: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1839941 (Full Proceedings)