Developing Action Research in the Classroom: Undergraduate students' adoption of assessment

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Author(s)
Reid, Sacha
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2006
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The proliferation of event management subjects/courses offered at tertiary level in Australia and overseas has grown dramatically over the last 10 years. Of the 27 universities offering tourism and hospitality education within Australia approximately 93% of these (25) are offering at least one subject focusing on event management. Additionally, 37% (10) of universities are offering specific programs majoring in event management. However, the theoretical nature of university education is often perceived by the industry as lacking a practical edge and focus. There is a need to address this imbalance, particularly as ...
View more >The proliferation of event management subjects/courses offered at tertiary level in Australia and overseas has grown dramatically over the last 10 years. Of the 27 universities offering tourism and hospitality education within Australia approximately 93% of these (25) are offering at least one subject focusing on event management. Additionally, 37% (10) of universities are offering specific programs majoring in event management. However, the theoretical nature of university education is often perceived by the industry as lacking a practical edge and focus. There is a need to address this imbalance, particularly as universities are aiming to provide 'job ready graduates'. This paper reports on the implementation of assessment which focuses on experiential and deep learning outcomes over a six month period in 2004. The research was designed using an action research approach consisting of three phases. This paper discusses the results of the first two phases of this approach. Findings indicate that assessment which is designed to incorporate theory combined with industry experiences was perceived by students as adding value to their learning experience. The use of experiential design in assessment also contributed to enhancing the networks between the university as a tertiary institute, the events industry and students. Therefore, designing assessment which contains experiential learning objectives has the potential of enhancing students learning, maintaining industry links and developing future professional event practitioners.
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View more >The proliferation of event management subjects/courses offered at tertiary level in Australia and overseas has grown dramatically over the last 10 years. Of the 27 universities offering tourism and hospitality education within Australia approximately 93% of these (25) are offering at least one subject focusing on event management. Additionally, 37% (10) of universities are offering specific programs majoring in event management. However, the theoretical nature of university education is often perceived by the industry as lacking a practical edge and focus. There is a need to address this imbalance, particularly as universities are aiming to provide 'job ready graduates'. This paper reports on the implementation of assessment which focuses on experiential and deep learning outcomes over a six month period in 2004. The research was designed using an action research approach consisting of three phases. This paper discusses the results of the first two phases of this approach. Findings indicate that assessment which is designed to incorporate theory combined with industry experiences was perceived by students as adding value to their learning experience. The use of experiential design in assessment also contributed to enhancing the networks between the university as a tertiary institute, the events industry and students. Therefore, designing assessment which contains experiential learning objectives has the potential of enhancing students learning, maintaining industry links and developing future professional event practitioners.
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Conference Title
CAUTHE 2006: To the City and Beyond...
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Copyright Statement
© 2006 CAUTHE. This is the author-manuscript version of this paper. Posted here with permission of the copyright owner for your personal use only. No further distribution permitted. Use hypertext link to access the conference organiser's website.
Subject
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services not elsewhere classified