The unit is part of the Masters of International Hotel Management at BMIHMS at TUA, these first year students are assessed to ensure that upon completion of this unit, students are able to demonstrate in the appropriate context, the ability to understand the learning subject outcomes. The assessments are outline below:
| Assessment Type | When Assessed | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
| Individual Report on the literature (2,000 words) | Week 6 | 40% | a, c, d, e |
| Group Presentation (15 minutes) | Week 9 | 20% | a, b, c, d, e, f |
| Group Project to enhance guest experience (5,000 words + infographics) | Week 10 | 40% | a, b, c, d, e, f |
The first assessment in HGE401, requires students to write a 2,000 word business report, which must include a minimum of (8) eight academic sources. I have found that many students struggle with the self-directed element of research, and are often lost without being told exactly what to write, as that is what they seem accustomed to. This results in many students struggling with academic research and writing, resulting in poor grades, and plagiarism or contract cheating cases.
Having taught this unit for nearly two years, students consistently struggle with this shift in academic expectations, and this often relates to varying cultural backgrounds and previous educational experiences.
The planned teaching innovation is very much focused around increasing students understanding of academic research, writing and understanding of the content. Using the collaborative learning strategy Think-Pair-Share, which has students work together to solve a problem or answer a question. The technique requires students to think about the topic or answer individually, and then share their thoughts and ideas with their peers.
The objective of the classroom action research was to ascertain that, if by integrating collaborative learning and fostering peer support, and having students actively being involved in the learning process (Laal & Ghodsi, 2012), that it would encourage effective research skills, to improve the quality of the assessments.
References:
Laal, M., & Ghodsi, S. (2012). Benefits of collaborative learning. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 486-490. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.091
