Is online learning effective for practice-based tourism courses? A constructive learning approach

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to 1) measure the effectiveness of online learning in practise-based tourism courses, 2) identify the factors that influence the effectiveness of online learning and 3) propose strategies to encourage tourism students to adopt constructive learning in online learning environments. Methodology/Design/Approach – A qualitative methodology was used to analyse data from students participating in an online course entitled “Field Study in Tourism”. Students were surveyed after completing the teaching semester and asked to give their opinions and comments on the effectiveness of online learning. A total of 32 students gave their opinions on the effectiveness of online learning. The authors used applications for online communication during online learning, such as Google Classroom, Zoom and WhatsApp. Findings – The results show that students have very different assessments of the effectiveness of online learning, with most students stating that online learning is less effective for practiseorientated tourism courses. For most students, learning is very efficient when it is applied directly in practise after learning the theory. They should be able to analyse what is happening in the field through direct observation. The students mentioned various factors (e.g. internet access, economic aspects, family support and the environment) that influence the success of online learning. Originality of the research – The findings are in line with constructivist theory, which assumes that a combination of factors relating to learners, environmental factors and teachers are responsible for achieving the goals of constructivist learning. The paper extends our knowledge of constructivist (online) learning by discussing both TLE (teacher, learner, environment) and institution-based models that need to be developed in order to effectively apply and utilise the educational benefits of constructivist learning theory and make online learning appropriate for practise-based tourism courses.