Primary evidence

A few years ago, the Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, where I am an Instructional Assistant Professor, decided to revise the curriculum. The process entails proposing the curriculum changes to the university and then obtaining all the additional approvals. When modifying the curriculum, the faculty on the committee agreed to add a data analytics track. I was a member of the data analytics track subcommittee. The committee decided to have one course on data analytics and modeling and two project management courses. One of the project management courses would focus on theoretical applications. The second course would have the students plan and execute a project with an industry partner. 

Once the curriculum was approved, I was asked to be the instructor for the first project management course, and subsequently, somebody else would teach the implementation course. As often happens within a college, there are changes in scheduling, and there was no one to teach the second course. Therefore, I taught and designed both courses. 

The infographic above highlights the process for the course design and implementation. First, there was a proposal; then, I developed the syllabus, designed the course to match the objectives from the syllabus, and finally, feedback and revision. In each of my classes, students are requested to provide feedback mid-semester. If necessary, modifications are then made to the course based on the responses. 

The following is evidence for learning design is based on HRMA 4370  Project Development and Management in the Hospitality Industry. The course was taught in the Fall of 2021; due to faculty availability, it was on my course load for Spring 2022.  Therefore, it provided the opportunity to use the feedback from the first offering to modify the course for the second. 

During the middle of the semester, students were asked to complete a survey on the course content, delivery, and learning experience (the knowledge they had gained). The results from the first and second time the courses delivered are presented below.  Microsoft Office Forms was used to provide the survey, and the responses were anonymous. 

The Fall 2021 course had five students of record as the pre-requisite for the course was only offered for the first time in Spring 2021. Students could enroll in the first course as an elective because many were not under the new curriculum. Due to the small class size, the feedback in the middle of the semester was an informal class conversation. 

In the spring 2022 course, there were eight students. Projections for Fall 2022 are that there will be 20 students enrolled in the course as the impact of the new curriculum takes hold.