Learntertainment: Evaluation of an Alternative Instructional and Assessment Tool for Tourism and Hospitality
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Abstract
Traditionally, tourism and hospitality educators have relied on lectures in their classrooms; while there has been a gradual shift from teacher-centered (lectures) to student-centered processes for instruction, assessment processes still remain teacher-centered. Testing continues to be the dominant form of assessment. The purpose of this paper is to describe an approach called learntertainment, and how it can be used as an effective, combined teaching-learning and assessment tool in a tourism and hospitality classroom environment. Through a series of semi-structured interviews of college and university faculty, it was found that the subjects believed learntertainment assessment aids the identification of topics that students do not understand, facilitates grading, eliminates subjectivity in evaluation, provides on-the-spot feedback, allows educators to identify students needing further assistance, and identifies tactics for corrective action. Generally, the findings revealed that the methods were effective, stimulating, and challenged students to think and/or question themselves. This study concludes that learntertainment tactics and strategies can be used both as an effective classroom instruction and an alternative form of assessment, and can be used to eliminate some of the stresses and problems associated with classroom tests and examinations, while at the same time improving students’ learning.
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