OTC enrich curricula with Overseas Virtual Exchange Project
MUSCAT: Oman Tourism College (OTC) and its partner the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) have teamed up with the Emirates Academy in Dubai to enrich their curricula through an overseas virtual exchange project supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the US Department of State and administered by the Aspen Institute. The project is based on the COIL (collaborative online international learning) framework for education through peer-to-peer engagement.
Advancing students’ learning journey with the so-called “Three Countries; One Classroom” project, OTC’s dynamic sessions delivered presentations by senior lecturers, as well as direct interactions with students in the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates. Following visits by American undergraduates to OTC earlier this year, the college outlined the importance of crosscultural engagement for aspiring tourism professionals in Oman.
Dr Abdulkarim Al Mughairi, Dean of OTC, said, “We received an exceptional response from students when first trialing this mode of delivery with UNL earlier in 2018, consequently we included it as an integral part of our delivery of the ongoing Hotel Operation Management module. OTC’s engagement with partnering institution UNL and others abroad continues to grow and has become frequent based on students’ demand for regular contact with their peers overseas. It was not just the social element however; the education value of these dynamic sessions is nothing short of apparent to all and thus meets our goal of enhance educational delivery for students.”
Now enriched with interactive learning sessions, OTC’s Hotel Operation Management module provides an overview of the structure and the functional components of a hotel, as well as its relationship with interrelated facilities, partners, and vendors. It further introduces students to various operating principles, techniques, and approaches for management within the hotel and hospitality industry.
After presenting on a local tourism asset to her COIL virtual exchange classmates, OTC’s Sara Al Jabry said, “I have enjoyed seeing this new teaching technique implemented as it has helped us to understand the development of tourism in different parts of the world. The style of interactivity with fellow students helps to diversify how we engage educational resources, which is important in comparison with the out-dated and more regimental classroom approach.”
Her colleague Sami Al Shedani, commented, “All of the sessions have been valuable in terms of sharing knowledge with other students, both local and international, because having the ability to ask questions and build relationships with peers overseas helps us to understand a great deal more than just tourism and helps us to refine our communication and presentation skills whilst learning from alternate perspective.”
To create an exciting learning environment conducive of academic attainment, students from multiple programmes were scheduled for live interactions with their peers abroad. Introductory presentations saw the formation of new relationships with fellow students, as well as others building upon established relations that began during UNL’s visit to Oman Tourism College earlier this year.
The “Three Countries; One Classroom” project is part of the larger UNL Global Virtual Project supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the US Department of State and administered by the Aspen Institute. Additional funding is provided by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.