Redressing the balance: Inverted hierarchies in the tourism classroom

Abstract

The research evaluates a collaborative case study to co-create the curriculum for a tourism undergraduate module. In three course design team (CDT) meetings, students selected and discussed topics and learning styles. Qualitative analysis revealed that the students involved strove to be independent learners. They favoured active learning styles and 'non-vocational' aspects of tourism. However, university bureaucracy represents a block in the design process. The paper concludes by advocating a more equal relationship between students and tutors. This involves a shift in power relations, inverting traditional hierarchies in which teachers act as gatekeepers of knowledge and students are passive recipients.

Flipping the Technical and Vocational Classroom for Increased Instructional Outcomes

“…For instance, in a survey consisting 120 tutees and 7 tutors, the tutees' average ratings were 6.97 ± 1.93 (from 1=unsatisfactory to 10=excellent). Furthermore, in an action research involving 2 lecturers and varying number of students at each and every interval (2 or 3 or 4), flipped students were seen enjoying the active learning component of the flipped classroom model (Pappalepore & Farrell, 2017). In a questionnaire survey by Hao (2016) with 84 undergraduates studying Information Technology and Education (79.1% females and 20.9% males), 60% of the students reported that they preferred the flipped instructional pedagogy than the traditional lecture method.…”

“…Peer instruction eliminates the monotonous banking of knowledge experienced in an instructor-centered learning space. Most authors reported that the flipped classroom model allowed students to watch videos at own time, own pace, pause, rewind, fast forward videos as they please (Braun, Ritter, & Vasko, 2014;Pappalepore & Farrell, 2017;Roach, 2014). However flipped students were found to study longer before attending class [Effect size (ES)=0.146, P=0.056] and less time after class [ES = -0152, p=0.047] (He et al, 2016).…”