module specification

This Professional Practice module will enhance the students’ understanding of what it means to be a business professional within the Tourism and Travel Industry. This module will support the preparation for their future career by encouraging them to develop, put into practice and evidence the skills and behaviours that employers want to see.

The ‘Professional Practice’ approach ensures that as a developing professional the students understand how to learn effectively and efficiently either in the workplace or in a simulated context. They also learn how to use all the resources available to reflect on their progress. This module involves planning, conducting and reflecting on their own ‘performance episodes*’ and a more general reflection on their overall professional development to date. The written reports and reflections become part of their growth and productivity E-portfolio** which they will maintain throughout their programme.

In addition, they will have the opportunity to test, review and evidence their skills development via the on-line resources provided throughout the programme, which support the general skills required by employers. As such this module aims to,

1. Build understanding of the expected workplace knowledge, skills, competencies and attitudes so that they become intrinsic performance and growth motivators.

2. Ensure the adoption of skills, attitudes and behaviours that improve self-awareness to aid reflective practice.

*A performance episode is defined as an initiative that the students take, made up of tasks, which develops their skills, and which involves both selecting knowledge from the programme and interacting with others. It must be measurable so that they are able to reflect on their professional skills development.

** The growth and productivity E-portfolio is a digital internet-based tool within which they can store all evidence of their work, feedback from stakeholders, their reflections and their Individual Development Plan (IDP). It allows them to share their journey with others and to organise elements of it to help them progress further.

N/A

• Knowledge, skills and behaviour assessment LO1
• Work context analysis LO2, LO3
• Learning processes and Learning trajectories as vital to career WBL LO2
• The nature of professional knowledge LO2, LO3
• Using knowledge in practice LO1, LO2
• Reflective practice LO1, LO3

Seminar Schedule will examine the following topic areas specific to the Tourism industry:

Introduction to the graduate recruitment context and career expectation vs. reality (bridging the information gap on careers information)

‘A day in the life of…’ entry level careers day

Developing a personalised CPD/ The graduate recruitment and selection process

Preparing for Management/Transition to leadership in a tourism industry context

Workplace Mental Health (including pilot stress and fatigue, effect of flexible / smart working, managing a remote workforce, cultural and human factors as they relate to tourism, and the decline of traditional work space & potential loneliness)

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving (incl decision making and analysis)

Collaboration and Teamwork

Communication Skills (verbal, written, question – right time / right person)

Creativity and innovation using curiosity (aka thinking outside the box)

Transition from University to work (facebook/Instagram culture, attention spans and task completion expectations, transitioning from similar peer group to diverse workforce)

How to succeed at applications within the tourism industry

How to succeed at CV writing within the tourism industry

How to succeed at Interviewing within the tourism industry

Planning your career/Career Coaching (Alumni from Industry guest lectures)

Delivery of the module will consist of lectures and contextual seminars. The module will be student centred. Students will be encouraged to reflect and discuss in addition to module materials including newspapers, textbooks and on-line sources to identify aspects relevant to their areas of study.

Sessions will provide the opportunity for the whole class to come together and to interact with the lecturer who will provide the theories and help to expedite the student’s professional development.

 On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

LO1: Recognize, review and reflect upon the skills, behaviours and attitudes needed to perform current and/or future roles within the profession,

LO2: Demonstrate an ability to self-organise and communicate information clearly and effectively.

LO3: Identify the use of stakeholder feedback and self-review as a source of reflection and further learning and challenges.

The assessment strategy is based on transparency between staff and students on the basis on which academic judgements are made. Briefings at the beginning of the module, every assignment brief and every feedback sheet will include the grading schedule, which contains detailed descriptors on how student achievement of specified learning outcomes translates into grades.

Students will receive formative feedback, together with summative feedback at designated points. Students will be offered the opportunity to discuss the formative feedback in class. This helps prepare students for the first summative assignment.

Ongoing in-class and in-person feedback will provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of the subject and the necessary skills to demonstrate, good academic practice. The students will be able to demonstrate the extent to which they have achieved the intended learning outcomes.

This module is assessed through the completion of E-portfolio which will act as the scaffolding of professional performance episode reflection.

E-portfolio will include Individual Learning Plan and benchmarking of performance episode against Level 4 knowledge, skills, behaviours, personal effectiveness and competence outcome.

Performance episode reflective practice report (1500 words) will be based on the E-portfolio.
- to include in the appendices supporting evidence of actual completion of tasks associated with performance episode and the original varied feedback from a variety of relevant sources that is referred to in the reflective practice report.

Textbooks:

Core Texts:

Armstrong, M. (2017) How to be an Even Better Manager: A Complete A-Z of Proven Techniques and Essential Skills. 10th edn, London: Kogan Page.

Bolton, G. (2018) Reflective Practice; Writing and Professional Development. 5th edn. London: Sage.                                             

Other Texts:

Durrant, A., Rhodes, G. and Young, D. (2011) Getting started with university-level work based learning. UK: Middlesex University Press.
 
Owen, J. (2017) The Mindset of Success: Accelerate Your Career from Good Manager to Great Leader. 2nd edn. London: Kogan Page.

Journals:

Journal of Higher Education, Skills and Work based Learning
Journal of Management Learning
Journal of Management Learning

Tourism and Travel Related research and journals:

Annals of Tourism Research
International Journal of Tourism Research
Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing
Journal of Travel Research
Tourism Management
Travel and Tourism Analyst

Academic and Professional Articles:

Raelin, J.A. (1997) ‘A model of work-based learning’, Organization Science, 8(6), pp.563-578.

Journal of Higher Education, Skills and Work based Learning
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/heswbl

Journal of Management Learning
mlq.sagepub.com/

Academy of Management Learning and Education
http://aom.org/Publications/AMLE/Academy-of-Management-Learning---Education.aspx

Websites: to be provided in class/Weblearn

Electronic Databases: to be provided in class/Weblearn

Social Media Source: to be provided in class/Weblearn