What Types of Experiential Learning Activities Can Engage Hospitality Students in China?

Abstract

Hospitality higher education traditionally seems to focus more on disseminating knowledge and conducting research. There are criticisms on undergraduate students who have little understanding on how to apply the knowledge learnt from classrooms and what practical skills to obtain upon graduation. This issue is debated and discussed among hospitality academics in the Chinese Mainland. As the use of experiential learning is increasingly recognized to be beneficial in engaging students, hospitality schools in China started to introduce this teaching method in hospitality education which aims to promote vocation-oriented education. Hence, the current study aims to identify currently how experiential learning is implemented to effectively engage hospitality students in China.