Preparing Tourism, Hospitality and Events graduates to be industry ready: Extending the three-factor model of authentic learning

Kitchen, Eliza; Goh, Edmund; Steriopolous, Effie; Harkison, Tracy; Drake, Colin; Robertson, Martin; Losekoot, Erwin; Waterston, Lynn

Abstract

Authentic learning is a critical pedagogy and curriculum requirement in higher education to better prepare students for future workforce requirements. As such, educators adopt a range of authentic learning tasks such as work-integrated learning, industry reports, and field trips to enable student engagement in current industry issues. Although such actions are practical and have valuable impact on students, there has been little effort to narrow the theoretical gap. The present study addresses this by extending the authentic learning three-factor model (construction of knowledge, disciplined inquiry, and value beyond school) to evaluate the perceptions of educators in THE higher education towards their understanding and embeddedness of authentic elements in their teaching curriculum to better prepare industry-ready graduates. In-depth interviews were conducted with higher education THE academics (n=21) in Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, and Scotland. Thematic analysis using NVivo revealed seven key themes within the authentic learning three-factor model: knowledge co-creation and scaffolding, customising knowledge and experiences, student engagement, educator capability, industry readiness, real-world problems, and meaningful connections. The proposed seven standards necessitate a paradigm shift in curriculum design, syllabus structuring, and student assessment within THE institutions. Emphasising industry-readiness as a core objective, educators must align their teaching approaches with the theoretical findings of this research to better prepare students for real-world challenges.

Citation

Kitchen, E., Goh, E., Steriopolous, E., Harkison, T., Drake, C., Robertson, M., Losekoot, E., & Waterston, L. (online). Preparing Tourism, Hospitality and Events graduates to be industry ready: Extending the three-factor model of authentic learning. Studies in Higher Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2420868

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 21, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Nov 21, 2024
• Deposit Date: Oct 21, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: May 22, 2026
• Print ISSN: 0307-5079
• Electronic ISSN: 1470-174X
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2420868
• Keywords: talent education; real-world application; authentic learning standards; Knobloch; industry-ready