Personalised learning is the key trend that will shape the future of hospitality education across the globe

nPersonalized learning is the best way for educational institutions to respond to the rising interest in enhancing student experience.

International student mobility is one of the outcomes of globalization. According to the edition of Education at a Glance by OECD (2016), more than four million students were enrolled in higher education outside their home countries in 2015 and the number of international students has been steadily growing since 1975.

By removing borders and limits between countries, globalization creates a population of global nomads, mobile workers moving around urban and interurban environments. This international mobility also affects the student body.

With its exceptional living standards, Switzerland is among the best place to study. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index (2019), Switzerland ranks first on education.

The country has the capability to attract talents from abroad mainly due to its high regard for dual vocational and educational training system.

At Glion Institute of Higher Education, internationalization is part of our DNA. with 100 nationalities among our student body.

Students are interested in studying abroad mainly because it provides them with better employment prospects but also connections worldwide, student experiences and endless learning alternatives. From London to Shanghai, they can craft their own path.

PERSONALIZATION IS A TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS

Personalization is about addressing the strengths and needs of individual learners. It is about student-centricity.

With technological advancement, it becomes easier to monitor student progress by ensuring that each of their academic, emotional, and physical needs and potential are understood and fulfilled.

As the time spent online has doubled since 2006 but level of unhappiness has also increased due to the lack of offline interactions, it is critical for institutions to grasp this growing pattern and use technology as a means to complete offline learning methods without replacing them.

Based on a study by the journal of Social Psychology for Education (2016), “self- determination theory suggests that students are more intrinsically motivated when teachers support their basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness” and teachers who have a certain level of autonomy at work are more likely to support the students’ needs for autonomy.

At Glion Institute of Higher Education, we ensure that each student gets a tailored education through a ratio of 1 teacher for 15 students in a practical environment in which they focus on techniques, gestures and 20 in Academic environment.

Teachers receive a curriculum to follow but they are flexible in the way they communicate information with students. The goal is to teach in a mentoring way, learning from the best specialists and experts in the world in their field. This transmission of knowledge approach improves the motivation and performance of both teachers and students.

Compared to previous decades, the one-size-fits-all model is not perceived as the best way to learn anymore.

With an increase in opportunities, the new generation also exhibits more and more expectations.

Not only do they want more autonomy in the educational system, but also in the workplace. According to a report by Linkedin on the jobs of tomorrow (2019), 40% of millennials say flexibility to work from anywhere is a priority when evaluating job opportunities.

A GENERATION OF CONTEMPORARY NOMADS

Due to globalization and the transient geographical nature of most millennials’ careers, the Third Culture Kids, also known as Global Citizens, are a growing social phenomenon.

The term Third Culture Kids (TCK), coined by the American sociologist Ruth Hill Useem in the 1950s, refers to a child who has spent a significant part of their formative years outside his or her parents’ culture.

People who fit that bill tend to mix and merge their birth culture with their adopted culture, creating one of their own: a third culture.

Third Culture Kids are citizens of the world. Indeed, the notion of a home is attached to an emotional place and a wider sense of belonging.

This unique lifestyle grows them into Adult Third Culture Kids (ATCK) who are great cross-cultural communicators, highly educated, flexible with unusual or new situations, and good at languages.

According to a number of studies, the skills and abilities of Adult Third Culture Kids make them very attractive to employers. In the hospitality industry, being comfortable with cultural diversity and capable of easily adapting and relating to a range of different people are essential as employees in this industry are required to anticipate and adapt to all customer cultures and needs with an open-mind and non-judgmental approach.

At Glion, we have an international community able to attract and understand this generation while also giving those who want to expand their horizon access to the world. A community of students and Alumni can be found across a large range of sectors around the world to provide a forum to form new friendships and business relationships with people of similar background.

The author is Managing Director, Glion Institute of Higher Education.