COVID-19 and tourism and hospitality education in South Korea : A focus on online learning improvements in higher education

University students’ perception to online class delivery methods during the COVID-19 pandemic: A focus on hospitality education in Korea and Malaysia

“…Within the tourism industry, the virus is expected to have long-lasting effects that is estimated to change the sector forever. Kaushal and Srivastava (2021) mention that education in tourism and hospitality is related to the tourism industry, as the education of students it dependent on ‘real-world’ sessions, and are thus affected more significantly by the virus ( Choi et al, 2020 ). Additionally, Gössling et al (2020) notes that “hospitality businesses are expected to make considerable changes to their operations in the wake of a COVID-19”, as these organizations are continuously required to ensure employees' and customers' health and safety, and enhance customers' willingness to patronize businesses in the future.…”

“…These interruptions to the learning process may potentially create major levels of ineffectiveness in the quality of education. Recently Choi et al (2020) measured the satisfaction levels experienced by tourism and hospitality students with their online learning involvements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their findings suggested that online learning and student satisfaction was complimented by diversification in the curriculum, and the ability of the university to quickly understand the needs of students when deciding on an online delivery method which had little to no disruptions.…”

“…Nonetheless, a review of previous studies shows a lack of consistency ( Wang & Hu, 2019 ) in students' performance and the level of satisfaction ( Jowsey et al, 2020 ) experienced by students when making a comparison between traditional and online instruction, as the approaches to online learning remains localized, based on the country in question (Lim et al, 2008). Therefore, with a framework developed through current literature ( Choi et al, 2020 ; Hodges et al, 2020 ; Jowsey et al, 2020 ; O'Connor, 2021 ), this study places a greater focus on student perceptions towards online education based on the integration of the delivery method incorporated.…”

“…It was during this period that the impressions of online class learning received much attention. For example, Choi, Kim, and Robb (2020) , while assessing online learning improvements in Korean students during the pandemic, found that diversification in the teaching curriculum implemented by educators, led to greater levels of learner satisfaction in their online courses. Demuyakor (2020) , in a study of Ghanaian students studying in China found that online learning programs were supported by the majority of students.…”

“…With a focus on higher education during the current pandemic, research in the discipline of hotel, travel, and tourism education have gained traction ( O'Connor, 2021 ). While the pandemic has influenced the learning practices of many university courses and majors ( Bao, 2020 ), the field of tourism and hospitality education has been particularly affected due to the nature of the courses; which have always required students to conduct a certain amount of offline work to gain practical experience in the field of tourism ( Choi et al, 2020 ). Thus, this study introduces a nascent topic in the study on COVID-19 and education by considering the perspectives of learners in the field of tourism and hospitality as these individuals consider the impact online classes are having on their overall learning experiences.…”