Hospitalite

Abstract

Studying the tourism and hospitality industry is considered important due to the fact that it is a vital industry in the service sector. Tourism education has been a widely studied area and so is the tourism curriculum assessment, an important tool in measuring the effectiveness of the curriculum in student learning and competency. The purpose of this study is to assess the components of the SDCA Tourism Management curriculum and the competencies that graduates must possess in preparation for their employment. The perceptions of the senior Tourism Management students of St. Dominic College of Asia were analyzed with the use of an online survey questionnaire. The current Tourism Management curriculum of 2012-2013 being used was compared with Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 30, series 2006 of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). The aim of the order is to shift from a supply-driven curriculum to a market-driven curriculum in terms of content and structure. This is to be adopted in order to be more responsive to the needs of the industry, since the new curriculum emphasizes skills and competencies instead of just managerial theory and is scheduled in such a way as to provide a larger amount of focused options for the students in terms of career paths. The data were gathered through the descriptive method of research using survey as the major technique. The data included questions about the current SDCA Tourism Management curriculum compared with the standards and polices on the course descriptions of a B.S. Tourism Management program stated in the CHED CMO. The data gathered were subjected to statistical analysis such as percentage and weighted mean. Findings showed that a majority of the respondents have developed an intermediate to advanced level of competency in their generic skills, personal qualities, business core, and major tourism subjects. They have agreed that the eleven Tourism-related courses as well as the four practicum-related courses were relevant to their level of competency. Only the course “Wellness and Spa Management” was either agreeable or not agreeable. Formulating a workable tourism market plan as a competency requirement in the respondents’ practicum in Hotel/Airlines resulted in an intermediate rate, in comparison to the other four competencies where they had an advanced level of competency. A majority of the respondents have agreed that the quality of education in SDCA’s Tourism Management program is above average because the Tourism Management curriculum was relevant and had provided work-related learning opportunities. Also, a majority of the respondents somewhat agreed that they had received great education from the SDCA Tourism Management program. Recommendations include applying this research to a larger sample size and to students in different schools to test the robustness of the research model. Including more respondent demographics such as tourism educators and tourism graduates employed in the tourism industry are also recommended because their work experience would provide valuable information to strengthen and enrich the Tourism Management program. There must be a systematic and continuous appraisal and re-evaluation of the Tourism Management program, which identifies the major areas of concern that need enrichment, to ensure the graduates are competent in the industry. The current SDCA Tourism Management curriculum has a total of 193/10 units from first to fourth year as compared to the 136 units required by CHED. However, the required professional subjects such as Resort Management, Environmental Conservation for Tourism, and Heritage Tourism were not offered in the curriculum. These were replaced with 12 tourism-related subjects with a total of 36 units. Further study should be made to validate their relevance in terms of CHED requirements and their effectiveness in developing a graduating student’s level of competency in the industry. The SDCA Academic Assessment Review and Evaluation Form for each subject/course should be re-evaluated to attune it to the needs of the students and the school. In terms of components and level of competency, a comparative study of the Tourism Management curriculum of state universities and private schools within Cavite may be done. Also, an evaluation of the different industry partners (Travel agency/Hotel/Airlines) that provide practicum/on-the-job training may also be considered to know up to what extent the training enhances the learning experience of students. Lastly, a proposal on the revision of the current SDCA Tourism Management Curriculum AY 2012-13 is strongly recommended based on the results of the study.

Keywords: Curriculum, assessment, competency, tourism management.