Experiential learning in hospitality education through a service-learning project

Abstract

The importance of experiential learning in hospitality and tourism education is widely noted. Effective learning can only be achieved by well-guided practice in the real world. Learning by doing is widely manifested in the hotel and tourism programs of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In this study, we explored the role of the service-learning subject in hospitality education. Through analyzing students’ reflective journals, we found that, of all learning outcomes, teamwork and leadership had the highest number of reflections, followed by (a) developing cultural sensitivity and (b) identifying, defining, and resolving relevant problems. This real-life service-learning subject is highly valuable to students because it provides students with unique learning opportunities that are scarce in traditional classrooms.