Mexico City, August 8, 2023.- Three academics from the ESDAI School of Hospitality, of the Universidad Panamericana, carried out a research with the objective of analyzing the perception that students and professors have about the development of competencies in the online modality, specifically in the Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality and Management of ESDAI, in three semesters of confinement.
Derived from this study, they elaborated the following article Perception on the development of competencies in the online modality during the Covid-19 pandemic, in the Bachelor's degree in Administration and Hospitality, at the Universidad Panamericanacampus Mexicowhich was published in eLearn Magazine.
The research team consisted of Dr. Rosa Adriana Vázquez Gómez, Claudia Galindo Correa and Pedro Pablo Espinosa Martínez.
Research background
The Hospitality Management degree at Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City campus, is based on the development of managerial competencies such as leadership, problem solving, adaptation to change, teamwork, hospitality, among others.
These competencies are necessary due to the characteristics of the service activities that constitute the essence of the hospitality industry and of companies in general.
As a consequence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which broke out at the beginning of 2020, the adaptation of the courses to the online modality was immediate, with the resources available to adapt the sessions remotely.
Thus, through the platforms offered by the university and with the ongoing support of Apollo 21a Panamericana program specialized in didactics and technological resources, the teaching-learning strategies changed to adapt to the new conditions.
Challenges for education
In addition to being a sudden change for female students who had been learning exclusively face-to-face, online methods require not only a high level of self-directed learning, in terms of students' willingness and skills, but also a high level of readiness for technological capability in learning platforms, as noted by UNESCO COVID-19 Education issue notes.
Similarly, the online model represents a challenge for the teaching-learning process of students and teachers. This has tested the effectiveness of digital platforms, so that progress in this modality should be taken as a starting point for the promotion of hybrid education.
It should take advantage of the available information technology resources, as well as implement programs for the evaluation, effectiveness and follow-up of the technology available in higher education institutions.
New strategies and models
It is important to design educational strategies and models that take advantage of the potential and influence of the various digital resources . A hybrid education enriches learning because it takes the best of each of the models for the benefit of students.
Universities face the challenge of designing training and follow-up programs in digital literacy for professors in accordance with the professional and graduate profiles of the different careers and programs, and to strengthen the development of soft skills that represent competitive advantages in the labor market.
Research findings
As already mentioned, the objective of this study was to comparatively analyze the perception of the development of competencies in the online modality, in three semesters of confinement.
This analysis was carried out through the two variables of the TAM Model: perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, as well as the type of technological resources used by students and teachers. Thus, it was found that both groups perceive the accessibility and ease of use of technological tools at a simple level and consider them useful for learning .
They also agree that they always or often use tools for planning, organizing and documenting knowledge, activities and tasks; that teamwork and change management are the skills that have developed the most during the pandemic and that they play a dominant role in digital literacy.
Conclusions
It is due to the above that it is recommended to continue using online platforms to strengthen the competencies that are required and/or demanded in the labor field. This is due to the fact that during the pandemic some companies recognized that cultural exchange and diversity of management styles are the pillar for a more competitive strategy.
These companies used part of their resources in the development of digital platforms and in training employees to do their work remotely, and also opened job opportunities in which the employee can work from home or even from other countries.
The publication of this article is not only a testimony of our university's commitment to academic excellence, but also a recognition of the effort and dedication of our researchers in the pursuit of knowledge.
Read the full article here: https://elearnmag.acm.org/archive.cfm?aid=3597642
Researcher data
Rosa Adriana Vázquez Gómez
Claudia Galindo Correa
Pedro Pablo Espinosa Martínez
