The Benefits of Active Study

The concept of ‘active study’ is of vital importance when one is in the process of forging a career. It cannot be denied that there is only so much that a text book or lecture can provide. These forms of teaching equip you with the knowledge of the specific subject, but knowledge without the ability of application, is worthless.
Problem based learning (PBL) as well as case-based learning (CBL) is without a doubt the optimal method through which to encourage students to study and ‘actively’ learn in a way that suits their specific personality. This is a practice that is used across many disciplines such as anthropology, which is not directly related to hotel management, but it is the stud of interpreting and analyzing human behavior, which is a pre-requisite of the hospitality course.

It needs to be understood that learning never ends; we are constantly subject to new experiences that form as our capabilities and the overarching epistemology of the world, no matter how subtle, consciously or unconsciously wheels through us for all of our days.

Universities, while they provide an excellent education, are guilty of a focus that is too narrow for application once the student has graduated. For example, a test or exam only asks questions in which you are required to apply the knowledge to that specific subject, there is no negative aspect to this at all, but the ‘real world’ demands a diverse range of practical skills through which they may approach and forward a career and this is where problem-based learning has the upper hand.

According to Bloom’s taxonomy, the highest forms of questions that can be asked are those that require evaluation, analysis or creation and PBL provides the students with questions at this level, which will serve them well once they have graduated.

Hotel schools in South Africa will have a choice of specialisations from which students may choose. The knowledge and work ethic that they have acquired through problem-based learning will pay off during this next step. Through the various specialisations, students may find exactly the career of which they were dreaming.

The concept of “active study” needs to be implemented in all institutions, even in courses that wouldn’t necessarily give it consideration; you learn far more dealing with the subject matter, hands –on, rather than in a dusty textbook.

Through this, an international hospitality management degree will give graduates the edge that they need to be successful in their career.

Original Source: Smaak Hospitality