8 Chapter 8: The One With Trouble in Paradise
Angela Lyrette and Marc Brennan
Be Our Guest: A case study class gets an expert polish
Professor Marc Brennan delivers the full checklist of Experiential Learning (EL) in the final level of the Hospitality – Hotel & Restaurant Operations Management program. Responding to feedback from the Program Advisory Committee (PAC), Brennan and his colleague Matthew Moore created a set of fun capstone case studies focusing on concepts of interpersonal communication, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and leadership. Adding a level of responsibility, they assign groups to lead the rest of the class in a discussion and analysis of the case. For realistic complexity, students must draw on current and previous courses to solve the various issues presented in the case. The assessment aligns with the overarching Vocational Learning Outcomes (VLO) of the program.
Classroom Assessment and Activity Design Ideas
Marc and Matt cowrote the case studies based on their own work experience, and from conversations with Program Advisory Committee (PAC) members and employer partners. Each week, for the final few weeks of the course, student groups present the case and lead the class discussion. The group deliverable is a 1-2 page summary with the lead group’s final case recommendation/s and rationale.
- Unless oral presentations are frequent and mandatory in their future workplaces, consider making the presentation optional, allowing teams to volunteer a single or pair of presenters, or have small groups present to small groups instead of to the whole class. Consider accepting alternate forms of delivery or a graduated support for practice and performance using the guidelines provided by Centre for Applied Special Technology (CAST) Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Have student groups create their own rubric for their presentation. Adapt as necessary to meet stated course learning requirements (CLRs)
- Direct eye contact, fluent speech, and calm body language are not the only indicators of professional business communication. Culture, comfort, and spectrum conditions add variables to presentation styles. Grading for process aligned with project goals over product allows all students to demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes.
If the assignment wasn’t exciting enough, Marc invited Eva Desesquelles, Senior Manager, Benefits, Health & Safety, of the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario, to sit in on one of the presentations to share her perspective and wealth of experience. The case, titled “Trouble in Housekeeping Paradise”, led to lively discussions about inter-cultural and inter-generational cooperation, union relations, teamwork, and root problems vs. operational problems.
Eva engaged the class with insightful questions and comments, thoughtfully sharing her tips on adapting her communication style to suit her audience. She said:
“Positively and openly discussing how Human Resources supports and guides all teams in the workplace created a dynamic and individualized learning opportunity for the students. Additionally, Fairmont Château Laurier has always been committed to building and maintaining strong connections with hospitality schools in the region. This provides students with an excellent opportunity to prepare confidently for their next professional chapter and allows us to potentially meet future employees.”
Leadership Skills Transferable to the Workplace
Eva’s team is very diverse, from culture, to age, to experience. She likens the team to ‘everyone in the same boat with a different paddle”. Students benefit from practice working in multi-cultural, multi-generational teams to prepare for working with colleagues and clients.
- Have students practice rewriting a standard message for a variety of audiences
- Select and assign students to groups to diversify membership, skills, and interests
- Address bias in class promptly and authentically
The students ‘experts’ presenting and the student audience enjoyed having Eva on hand to answer their questions. The were particularly interested in her advice and experience, dividing their attention between the expert group and her. Marc noticed “Ah-ha” moments real-time as students connected their course work with the case study solutions and suggested strategies. In the hospitality industry, customer service and leadership skills are transferable from classroom experience and group work.
Image Credit: MonstreDélicat CC-BY-SA-4.0
