PowerPoint presentation of UHI presentation to North Eastern University Summer School in Experiential Education, at Martha's Vineyard, USA (2008)

1. MARTHA’S VINEYARD
SUMMER INSTITUTE
Plan for Advancing
Experiential Learning
Rhiannon Tinsley
Rob Macpherson

2. What does Scotland mean to you?
TARTAN?
THISTLES?
SCOTTIES?
MOUNTAINS?
Or even whisky
and shortbread?
?

3. All aspects of:
Highland Tourism and Hospitality...
Rob’s brief (The “faculty viewpoint”):
To investigate how best to incorporate and embed co-op
education within a newly designed Tourism & Hospitality
degree – to the benefit of UHI students, Highland employers and,
potentially, a wider professional and academic community
Rhiannon’s brief (The “administration viewpoint”):
To explore the potential applications and models of experiential
learning to progress institutional strategic aims in terms of:
• teaching, learning and assessment strategy
• curriculum strategy

4. Institutional Profile
• 1 institution; 14 colleges
• 100+ learning centres
• covers 50,000 sq km
• 7,000 students (5,000 fte)
• strategic aim: double numbers by 2015
•150+ programmes (ugr & pgt)
• Arts & Humanities; Business;
Health; Science & Technology
• 58% aged 21 or over
• 52% part time
• 54:46 female:male
• 86% students local from Highlands
• £30m turnover p.a.
• awarded university-level
degree granting powers 2008

5. Revelations
• we are two countries separated by a common
language – terminology very different
• experiential learning comes in many flavours –
not all available in Mad Martha’s
• we are not absolute beginners – our institution is
already engaged in differing aspects of experiential
learning across a range of its subject disciplines
• while we came with a willingness to learn, we also
had much to contribute
• at home, we will not be starting a revolution, more
seeking an evolution in existing practice

6. Our Learning Journey
• Our new Tourism and Hospitality degree embedding experiential
learning, and starting from a fresh sheet of paper, can be a pioneer
programme, indicative of wider possibilities within the institution
• In planning the implementation of this new degree – what Rob came
here to plan – there were levels of institutional complexity that we
need not detain you with here (see next slides)
• The value of the Institute was that we both realised that we needed
to spend more time considering the larger questions (Rhiannon’s
brief) rather than the specific questions (Rob’s brief) as, in some
ways, the latter would be easier to accomplish than initially
perceived
• There is a P.R. job to be done at home – but there are
new colleagues, friends and institutions (WACE) to help
us on our journey

7. Tourism & Hospitality
degree with co-op
Stakeholders
Students
Faculty
Employers
Professional Bodies
External Funders
(government/Europe)
Institution (UHI corporate)
The “Academy”
Issues
Quality of academic leadership
UHI Academic processes
New UHI status
Lack of awareness of co-op concept
Academic credibility of tourism
“Slave labour” perception
Vested interests
Context
Perceived local economic needs (15%)
International dimension - $4bn p.a.
Industry trends in the context of economic
uncertainty
Government policy
Skills agenda
Niches
Highland tourism
Heritage/ancestral/family tourism
Eco-/environmental tourism
Short breaks
Events tourism
Outdoor adventure tourism
Golf tourism
Food/whisky tourism
Format
Co-op “embedded”
3 year programme (extending to 4
eventually?)
Model – 3; 1+2; 2+1?
Exit routes – generic vs specialised?
Local vs global focus?
Tourism vs hospitality balance
Credit value for co-op
Content
Programme balance
Programme aims
Learning outcomes
Core skills
“Graduateness”

8. • To develop a degree-level programme in Tourism and Hospitality that integrates work-based learning
through to delivery
GOAL (or, more properly, Rob’s goal)
NEEDS
• Attractive to students
• Meets employers needs
• Is financially viable and sustainable
• Meets institutional requirements for programmes
• Meets a variety of nationally agreed standards (occasionally non-complementary)
OBJECTIVES
• Develop a prototype action plan (out of this Institute) for programme development with alternative models
• Facilitate faculty discussion around the potential outcomes of this action plan – to encourage buy-in
• Consolidate agreements into a revised action plan
• Advocate the revised action plan to and through appropriate institutional bodies
• Implement agreed action plan, once institutional approval has been achieved
QUALIFICATIONS, ASSUMPTIONS AND CAVEATS
• Senior management buy-in and support already in place, and assumed to continue
• Resources for programme development already agreed, delivered and assumed to continue
• An appropriate and qualified academic leader can be secured for the project
• Institutional strategic aspirations override individual academic partner agendas

9. S W
O T
Starting with a blank page
Funding in place
Identified institutional strategic priority
Evidence of market demand
Alignment with national skills agenda
Alignment with employability agenda
“Anecdotal” evidence of employer demand
Starting with a blank page
Lack of faculty
Level of staff qualification/experience
Low morale/confidence
Academic credibility of co-op model within UK
Academic credibility of discipline
Minimal pre-existing collaboration between
tourism and hospitality faculty
Develop an innovative Learning, Teaching
and Assessment model
Potential to recruit strong student numbers
Strengthen links to employers
Develop international collaboration
Pioneer model to others (internal & external)
Build on existing “Ex Ed” programmes
(that we didn’t know we had)
To market our programmes more effectively
Competition from other institutions
Internal agenda/priority conflicts
Staff resource and time availability
Unable to appoint appropriate academic leader
Key personnel changes
Historic lack of student numbers in pre-existing
programmes
Timescale pressure to meet funding requirements
Unable to secure sufficient high-quality co-op
opportunities

10. TRANSFORMATION
At some point over the weekend – possibly while
eating baked cod in The Black Dog Tavern – and like
all good Ex Ed students, we had a transformational
experience
We realised that we did not have to “sweat the small
stuff” – and that Rob’s brief could be easily
accomplished within the existing parameters of UHI,
its validation processes and its QA and QE systems

11. So........
Instead, we felt we should “sweat the big stuff” and
share with you part of the Gnome of Rhiannon’s brief...
GOAL (or, more properly, Rhiannon’s goal)
• To explore the potential applications and models of experiential learning to
progress institutional strategic aims in terms of:
• teaching, learning and assessment strategy
• curriculum strategy
NEEDS
• To continue to develop programmes that are attractive to students
• To align potential Experiential Education programme with TLA and curricular
strategies and with institutional strategic, faculty & network development plans
• As part of institutional strategy, to continue to best meet employers’ needs
• To ensure programmes are financially viable and sustainable
• To ensure institutional QA and QE expectations are met
• To ensure institutional requirements for validation of programmes are satisfied
• To ensure programmes meet nationally agreed standards

12. The Plan
• Return to UK 
• Evaluate what we have learned from the Institute 
- by 31 July 2008 (but, really, continuously)
• Convene potential early adopter groups 
- by 30 September 2008 (using Rob’s HoTLS network as an example)
• Advocate potential Ex Ed applications to 
(internal) friends, foes and fence sitters
- by 30 November 2008

13. The Plan (2)
• Consider how best to engage external friends and 
supporters and seek mutual alignment of needs/goals
- by 31 December 2008
• Consider MVSI abroad initiative 
- by ????????
• Consolidate & further our Ex Ed experience
• Actively champion Ex Ed solutions to future curriculum
challenges
• And – who knows – possibly return to another Institute!

14. Questions/Comments?