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PEOPLE@HES-SO - Verzeichnis der Mitarbeitenden und Kompetenzen
PEOPLE@HES-SO - Verzeichnis der Mitarbeitenden und Kompetenzen

PEOPLE@HES-SO
Verzeichnis der Mitarbeitenden und Kompetenzen

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Zizka Laura

Zizka Laura

Hauptkompetenzen

Higher Education

Workplace communications

Crisis communications

Academic Writing

Hospitality management

Corporate Social Responsibility

Sustainability literacy

  • Kontakt

  • Lehre

  • Forschung

  • Publikationen

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Hauptvertrag

EHL Hospitality Business School
Route de Berne 301, 1000 Lausanne 25, Switzerland, CH
EHL
BSc HES-SO in Hôtellerie et professions de l'accueil - EHL Hospitality Business School
  • Communication
  • Crisis communications
  • Strategic communications
  • Academic writing

Abgeschlossen

What drives potential tourists` intention to come to Switzerland?
AGP

Rolle: Mitarbeiter

Requérant(e)s: VD - EHL - EHL, Chen Meng-Mei, VD - EHL - EHL

Financement: HES-SO Rectorat

Description du projet : Destination image is one of the most researched topics. Numerous researchers have confirmed that both cognitive image and affective image contribute to overall destination image and consequently the intention to visit. Furthermore, affective image is more influential than cognitive image. Yet, three issues found commonly in previous research justify the need to conduct additional study. Most research did not differentiate visitors and potential visitors, even though visitors tend to improve their destination image. Most research did not use pictorial contents, but texts. Hence, how pictorial contents evoke affective image and intention to visit still needs to be investigated. The dimensions used to measure affective image were validated and reliable, but new dimensions could be introduced to better understand the affective image. Increasing numbers of DMOs are competing for the attention of potential travellers, and must optimize its resources to achieve its mission - evoke the affective feeling and increase the intention to visit. For these reasons, this project aims to understand what pictorial content will stimulate the desired affective feelings towards a destination.

Forschungsteam innerhalb von HES-SO: Zizka Laura , Chen Meng-Mei

Partenaires académiques: VD - EHL - EHL; Chen Meng-Mei, VD - EHL - EHL

Durée du projet: 01.01.2019 - 30.06.2020

Montant global du projet: 99'000 CHF

Statut: Abgeschlossen

2024

Teaching and learning in business schools post-pandemic :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
a digital future

Laura Zizka, Gaby Probst

Journal of International Education in Business,  2024, 17, 3, 542-555

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Purpose : In 2018, a group of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Switzerland started discussing the future of education. With the COVID-19 pandemic, many of their initial ideas and solutions were tested in the unpredictable, emergency online setting. This study aims to use student and faculty member perceptions to outline the future of higher education. Design/methodology/approach : This research is based on eight surveys from students and faculty members at one Swiss HEI in business studies. While many previous studies focus on one group or one moment in time, this study examines the future of business education from both perspectives and traces the responses throughout the pandemic. Findings : Teaching and learning strategies and perceptions evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, despite the potential, many HEIs simply reverted to normal instead of adapting to the “new normal”. Conversely, some HEIs have continued using the same exercises and tools that were used in the emergency remote pandemic-mode, without adapting or reflecting on the current learning environment. Based on the findings, both students and faculty members have increased their interest and proficiency in using digital tools although the students remained more open toward the opportunities of digital teaching and learning. Originality/value : Based on the results, this study offers a model for the future of education that HEIs could implement when moving forward, whether on campus or online.

Higher education pre- to post-COVID-19 :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
student and faculty perceptions

Gaby Probst, Laura Zizka

Quality assurance in education,  32, 3, 445-459

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Purpose – Higher education institutions (HEIs) seek innovative approaches to attract students. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many HEIs have considered diversification through digitalization. From the initial urgency to implement technology at the start of the pandemic to a gradual acceptance over time, HEIs witnessed a shift in perceptions. This paper aims to explore the evolution of the use of technology in HEI classrooms from pre- to post-Covid-19 as seen through the eyes of students and faculty members. Design/methodology/approach – Seven surveys were conducted from March 2020 to January 2023 with faculty members and students at one business HEI in Switzerland. This longitudinal study analyzed the perceptions of faculty and students regarding technology in the ever-changing HEI environments. These results have been used to make practical recommendations for future HEI classroom settings. Findings – The findings reveal that the social aspect must be considered when implementing technology into HEIs. Faculty members and students need appropriate training and adequate resources to engage with the technology in and outside the classroom. The results suggest that one result of the pandemic was a greater acceptance of blended learning practices in traditional business education. Originality/value – The pandemic has left long-lasting effects on teaching and learning. While many HEIs revert to traditional ways, the authors suggest the need to embrace technology that encourages engagement and authentic teaching and learning. HEIs must listen to their faculty members and students, to create more innovative learning environments.

From extra to Extraordinary :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
an academic and practical exploration of Extraordinary (E) Pro Environmental Behavior (PEB) in the hotel industry

Laura Zizka, Álvaro Dias, Jo Ann Ho, Shaniel Bernard Simpson, Manisha Singal

International Journal of Hospitality Management,  119, article 103704

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Over the past decades, organizations have become increasingly involved with environmental concerns to mitigate the negative consequences of their actions on the community. The hospitality industry, and especially hotels, aware of its effects, has taken steps to increase positive environmental behavior, attitudes, and initiatives, to lessen the harm to the greater community in which they are located. Encouraging employees in their pro-environmental behavior (PEB) within the organization is a long-standing initiative and well-cited in the literature. In this paper, we posit the need to extend the literature to an “extraordinary” (E) version of PEB i.e. extraordinary pro-environmental behavior via employee engagement. Our study examines traditional PEB through a systematic literature review deriving from eleven top-ranked journals for 79 articles, identifying key concepts through Leximancer. In addition, two workshops with international hospitality professionals were held to complement findings from the literature. Our contribution lies in developing a model that academics and hotel stakeholders can use to move beyond PEB to our proposition of E-PEB as well as address the practitioner-academia gap by comparing what the literature posits with the reality of the hotel industry.

2023

Airlines and corporate sustainability initiatives :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
unrecognised value

Dixie Button, Laura Zizka, Patti Clark

Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing,  2023, 11, 3, 272-286

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

In this research the authors sought to better understand the formal and informal (social media) communication channels utilised by 28 airlines worldwide. The primary motivations focused on how the airlines communicate sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to stakeholders, and the resulting impact, if any, on corporate reputation. To better align the stakeholder segments of the airlines, the airlines were segmented into two categories: full-service carriers (FSCs) and low-cost (no frills) carriers (LCCs). Data analyses from 28 airlines worldwide were conducted to determine whether FSCs or LCCs gain higher engagement in their formal and informal communication of CSR/ sustainability initiatives. Although the results were mixed, the study finds that, regardless of type of airline category, the communication of CSR/sustainability efforts enhances stakeholder engagement and improves corporate reputation regardless of type of communication channel. These findings, which transcend the aviation sector, highlight the importance of using both formal and informal channels to communicate inter alia customer service initiatives. Highlights include the application of CSR/ sustainability social media communication practices to a selected group of international airlines and how such practices correlate with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, in the airline context. Finally, based on the research results, the paper presents recommendations to improve the communication of CSR/sustainability goals and hence corporate reputation.

Egyptian crises and destination brand image :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
the resurrection of the mummy

Joumana Baalbaki, Laura Zizka

Current issues in tourism,  27, 6, pp. 887-905

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Previous research has shown that a country’s perceived image during and after the crisis affects tourism, yet the impact of communications on the holistic destination brand image in a sustained crisis remains limited. Based on a case study of Egypt of the Arab spring and the Covid-19 pandemic, this study investigates the effectiveness of strategies to alter one destination’s image. Due to the recurring recoveries in Egyptian tourism, we believe that strengthening the resilience of the destination brand image during a prolonged crisis can offer valuable insights to practitioners and academics. The researchers conducted a media content analysis and a sentiment analysis of 3662 online and social media publications to gauge the alignment between Egypt’s projected and perceived destination brand image. While the tourism literature has primarily focused on crisis communication and strategies to alter a negative destination brand image, few studies have examined strategies that focus on building an enduring, resilient destination brand. This study offers a normative and exploratory model of Adaptable Destination Strategies during crises (ADS). The ADS model contributes to existing literature and destination management organizations by suggesting an integrated strategy toolkit for extended destination brand image governance grounded in diversification, collaboration, communication, and consistency.

“Sanitary measures, social distancing, safety” :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
the evolution of Swiss hoteliers’ Covid-19 communication through three snapshots

Laura Zizka, Meng-Mei Chen

Tourism and hospitality research,  Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 463-478

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Since the first reports of the Covid-19 virus in December 2019, the tourism industry has struggled to find solutions to this unprecedented crisis. During crises, organizational learning can develop crisis management and communication skills while enhancing organizational resilience in coping with crises. This research examines whether organizational learning for communicating during crises occurred in the Swiss hotel industry in the past 2 years. By tracking and visualizing the messages communicated by Swiss hotels on their websites, this study analyzes the communication strategies employed by hoteliers over the past 20 months through thematic analysis, co-occurrence analysis, and Situational Crisis Communication (SCCT) strategies. The results of this study identified the evolution of communication strategies over time. Specifically, ingratiation, corrective action, transferring, victimization, and justification are the five key strategies. This study also visualizes the crisis responses in concept maps in three snapshots (June 2020, June 2021, and February 2022). The concepts and colors of the visualization provide a different perspective on the evolution of crisis communication over the past 2 years. This study contributes to academia and practitioners by demonstrating the evolution of crisis communication messages through both the granular analysis of SCCT strategies and the bird’s-eye view of themes and concepts.

2022

Welcome to my home :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
Muslim residents’ perceptions of Western tourists

Peter Varga, Marie-Astrid Rouger, Lohyd Terrier, Laura Zizka, Petar Zivkovic

Tourism : an international interdisciplinary journal,  2022, vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 571-584

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Religion influences people and their perceptions. This paper examines Muslim hosts' perception of Western mass tourism using the tourist island of Gili Trawangan in Indonesia. The study's primary purpose is to show how the beliefs and practices of the Islamic religion of the local community influence the perception of the impacts of tourism. A quantitative method was employed among locals. The results show a certain tolerance and acceptance of Western tourism by the local Muslim community, characterized as having a strong religious belief and a practice level that varies from one individual to another.

L'enseignement et l'apprentissage digital au supérieur :
Professioneller Artikel ArODES
l'histoire de quatre semestres exceptionnels

Gaby Probst, Laura Zizka

Revue économique et sociale,  Numéro 1, pp. 49-63

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Avec l’arrivée du Covid-19, les institutions d’enseignement supérieur ont été confrontées à la nécessité de devoir recourir à des cours en ligne. Cet article examine les perceptions du personnel d’enseignement et des étudiant-e-s des HES à la lumière de ces circonstances vraiment exceptionnelles.

Learning during (or despite) COVID-19 :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
business students’ perceptions of online learning

Laura Zizka, Gaby Probst

Quality assurance in education,  2023, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 60-73

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Purpose : In March 2020, higher education institutions (HEIs) were obliged to complete the semester online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the semesters that followed, HEIs reopened and closed again because of new waves of the pandemic. While flexibility was lauded, previous literature cited student problems such as lack of motivation and social contact. This study aims to explore students' perceptions of learning during four exceptional semesters. Design/methodology/approach : Five surveys were conducted via the program LimeSurvey during the online courses at one business school in Switzerland: April 2020, June 2020, December 2020, June 2021 and December 2021. The participation varied between 56% (April and June 2020), 52% (December 2020), 47.5% (June 2021) and 42.4% (December 2021). Findings : The results of this longitudinal study were analyzed to examine the consequences of “forced” online learning. The analysis reveals that although the students appreciate the usefulness of the learning experience, their motivation decreased. The historic crisis has underlined sudden technological changes in the learning programs that have had multiple (adverse) effects on students' learning. Originality/value : Based on the results, this study concludes that students have mixed perceptions regarding the learning environments (traditional, hybrid or blended) moving forward. Whatever the choice, HEIs must carefully plan the most effective teaching/learning environment to ensure that students remain engaged. This study reveals the links and interconnections in this complex online setting called “learning” based on four semesters of urgent remote learning and one semester of hybrid face-to-face courses.

L’enseignement et l’apprentissage digital au supérieur
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
L'histoire de quatre semestres exceptionnels

Probst Gaby, Zizka Laura

Revue économique et social, 2022 , vol.  80, no  80/2022, pp.  49-62

Link zur Publikation

Bridging the Gap: From Instruction to Co-construction in Higher Education
Buchkapitel

Probst Gaby, Zizka Laura

Dans Baldegger, R. J., Tarabishy, E. A., Audretsch, D. B., Kariv, D. & Passerini, K.,  The Future of Business Schools: Purpose, Action, and Impact. 2022,  Cheltenham : Edward Elgar Publishing

Link zur Publikation

2021

Applying trauma-informed pedagogy to faculty development in times of crisis and uncertainty
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES

Rachel Plews, Laura Zizka

Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung,  2021, Bd. 16, Nr. 3, S. 139-147

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

This workshop report describes the facilitation of and insights resulting from two sessions on applying the principles of a trauma-informed approach to working in educational development during times of uncertainty which took place at the 2021 Swiss Faculty Development Conference in Spring 2021. The goal was to bring an awareness to how pandemic-induced trauma is affecting both educators and students, and how educational developers can encourage inclusive teaching by embedding these principles into their own programming. Our recommendations expand on the existing work related to classroom practices by offering tips on how to model a trauma-informed approach through the lens of the seven principles from the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) when working with faculty members.

Strategic responses by European airlines to the Covid-19 pandemic :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
a soft landing or a turbulent ride ?

Stephanie Scheiwiller, Laura Zizka

Journal of air transport management,  2021, vol. 95, article no 102103, pp. 1-10

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically affected the aviation industry. This paper investigates how 20 European airlines communicated their crisis messages during the pandemic by employing Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) to airline responses. This qualitative study consisting of a systematic review and content analysis, examined 7237 messages from social media channels and press releases posted between December 1, 2019, and May 25, 2020, when the crisis unfolded worldwide. The results indicate that the airlines primarily emphasized instructing and adjusting crisis communication strategies. Further, Twitter replaced Facebook as the primary communication channel. This study provides insights on how airlines can and should communicate crisis-related messages amidst a severe pandemic. The study concludes with the implications of these findings and recommendations for airline stakeholders moving forward.

Waste not, want not :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
managerial attitudes towards mitigating food waste in the Swiss-German restaurant industry

Aurelia Stirnimann, Laura Zizka

Journal of foodservice business research,  To be published

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

This paper examines managerial perceptions of challenges for further food waste reduction within the restaurant industry. Although research gauged underlying drivers for food waste, the attitudes of foodservice managers toward practices and the corresponding operational barriers have received scant academic attention. This qualitative study thematically analyzed data from 14 managers and head chefs in Swiss-German restaurants through semi-structured interviews and compared responses against the model of the food waste hierarchy. For businesses, the paper highlights the importance of increased preventive practices and education of staff and customers. However, multiple inhibiting and enabling factors lie outside the organizations’ control, depending on macro and societal contexts. Governmental interventions and facilitating waste collection are necessary, whereas the feasibility of food redistribution is perceived as limited. The study revealed great potential to implement additional practices through increased collaborations with various stakeholders and overall societal sensitization to change consumer behavior and facilitate responsible business practices.

Explaining viewer affect with imagery diagnosis model
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES

Meng-Mei Chen, Laura Zizka, Florent Girardin, Effie Zhang

Tourism Management Perspectives,  2021, vol. 38, article 100814, pp. 1-14

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Understanding the emotions of the photo audience or Viewer Affect is essential because marketers want to elicit specific responses with photos. Nevertheless, the relationship between Viewer Affect and tourists' behavioral intentions is still unclear. This research investigated Viewer Affect with association strengths and association valences of destination photos and statements and developed the Imagery Diagnosis Model as a new approach to synthesize findings. The Imagery Diagnosis Model recommends leveraging Treasures, developing Hidden Gems, ignoring Traps, and proceeding cautiously with Roadblocks. Furthermore, this research used the Destination Content Model to test the impact of Viewer Affect on travelers' behavioral intentions. Our findings suggest that Destination Affect positively influences willingness to visit, recommend, and pay. Destination marketers evoke Destination Affect with text or photos but use text to change Destination Image. This research collected 796 online responses from four countries and used the structural equation modeling to confirm the Destination Content Model.

Teaching during COVID-19 :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
faculty members’ perceptions during and after an “exceptional” semester

Laura Zizka, Gaby Probst

Journal of international education in business,  2022, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 202-220

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe in March 2020, higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide were confronted with creating online courses to complete the semester. While emphasizing positive elements such as flexibility and innovative solutions, the literature focused on numerous faculty problems such as online fatigue, emotional well-being and stress. This paper aims to explore faculty perceptions of teaching during the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sustainability in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
authentic engagement through a community-based approach

Laura Zizka, Doreen M. McGunagle, Parri J. Clark

Journal of Cleaner Production,  2021, vol. 279, article 123715, pp. 1-15

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Higher education Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs currently offer the theoretical knowledge and industry-related competences that seek to prepare STEM graduates to be leaders to meet 21st century demands. In this research, the authors examined the top 20 STEM Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the United States with a goal of establishing any obvious nexus between school reputation, sustainability approaches, and community inclusion. The underlying premise rested in the assumption that schools with the highest STEM program reputation are also the leaders in sustainability initiatives and projects in the respective academic and geographical communities. The findings revealed that on-campus efforts mainly focused on environmental actions, while community engagement projects emphasized the social or economic principles of sustainability. Consequently, the lack of synthesis of projects or initiatives that linked all three tenets of sustainability was the identified gap between what students are learning theoretically in the classroom and the subsequent application in the real world. By making these critical connections, STEM HEIs will produce change agents with a more intrinsic perspective on sustainability rather than one that is gained in a piecemeal manner after they enter their respective professions. By utilizing the tenets of the transformative learning theory, the results from this exploratory study will be employed to create a future model for not only teaching sustainability in STEM programs but, by coupling theory with actions, the results will foster engagement that ensures sustainable development is not an objective but an ingrained mindset that is practiced in daily actions.

Sustainability in top hospitality/leisure management programs :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
teaching for a sustainable future?

Laura Zizka

Journal of hospitality tourism education,  To be published

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Higher education (HE) programs in hospitality/leisure management studies offer the theoretical knowledge which should prepare graduates to be effective thought leaders for a changing global workplace. Previous research examined HE institutions’ role in preparing students for their professional careers by applying innovative and sustainable solutions to everyday problems. This study examines the top 50 international hospitality/leisure management programs of 2017 through a content analysis of their sustainability curriculum, mission/vision statement, and projects to establish a link between school reputation, sustainability courses and practices, and authentic student engagement. The premise is that top ranked hospitality/leisure management programs will be leaders in sustainability courses and practices. The results demonstrate that the majority of top ranked programs currently offer between zero and five sustainability courses in their undergraduate hospitality/leisure management programs. Hospitality/leisure management programs worldwide need to reconsider their undergraduate programs to prepare positive social change agents for the 21st century workplace.

2020

KITRO :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
technology solutions to reduce food waste in Asia-Pacific hospitality and restaurants

Carlos Martin-Rios, Laura Zizka, Peter Varga, Susana Pasamar

Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research,  2020, vol. 25, no. 10, pp. 1128-1135

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

This teaching case addresses sustainable hospitality in Asia-Pacific, specifically practices to reduce food waste. Hospitality and foodservice firms often require a third party to manage the introduction of sustainable practices. KITRO is a Swiss start-up developing waste management systems. In this notional case, KITRO plans to enter the Asia-Pacific market to expand their business. The teaching case offers opportunities to address the growing importance of sustainability and the steps towards introducing sustainable practices in Asia. The KITRO case can be used in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the subjects of sustainability, innovation, strategy, sustainable entrepreneurship or hospitality operations management.

To go or not to go, that is the question :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
using social influence to reduce hot beverage cup waste

Lohyd Terrier, Peter Varga, Alice Scaroni, Laura Zizka

Journal of food service business research,  2020, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 350-357

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

While most consumers today feel concerned by environmental issues, the consumption of hot beverage in disposable cups remains very important. In this study, we use influence strategies related to social norms to reduce these behaviors and get consumers to consume their hot beverage in reusable cups. 14373 orders were analyzed and demonstrate that normative messages can be effective to change consumer behavior toward a more responsible choices.

Employability skills for 21st-century STEM students :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
the employers' perspective

Doreen McGunagle, Laura Zizka

Higher education, skills and work-based learning,  2020, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 591-606

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

One of the goals of educational institutions is to prepare their graduates to be workplace-ready. The purpose of this paper is to identify the employability skills lacking in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) industry from employers' perspectives to assist STEM educational institutions in creating more relevant programs inclusive of employability skills.

Teaching sustainability in higher education institutions :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
assessing hospitality students’ sustainability literacy

Laura Zizka, Peter Varga

Journal of hospitality tourism education,  2021, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 242-257

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Currently, higher education (HE) institutions include sustainability concepts into their programs. Previous literature examined the opportunities and challenges of integrating sustainability at an institutional, curricular, and instrumental level. We administered the Sulitest (sustainability literacy test) and a survey to first semester students at one international hospitality management school in Switzerland. While our students scored slightly higher than the Swiss average, the lowest scores recorded derived from the category knowledge – role to play, individual & systemic change. The survey demonstrated students’ high interest and strong support of sustainability in their academic and professional careers. Over 67% of respondents rated sustainability for their professional lives as extremely important. HE institutions have the opportunity to teach sustainability concepts that resonate with students. While research promotes embedding sustainability in all courses, our results show that students’ sustainability knowledge can improve in one intensive course. Further studies must be conducted to confirm retention and engagement.

Hospitality faculty member perceptions of the role of faculty development for their teaching
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES

Rachel C. Plews, Laura Zizka

Journal of hospitality and tourism education,  2020, vol. 32, no 1, pp. 55-61

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

This research note aims to explore hospitality faculty member perceptions on the purpose of faculty development while bringing increased awareness to the overall significance of educational development to the hospitality education discipline. The study examines the three dimensions of faculty development – faculty development, instructional development, and organizational development, in the context of data collected from a survey of hospitality management faculty members at one international hospitality management school in Switzerland. Analysis of the initial findings indicates that these faculty members view faculty development in the more traditional sense as a resource for supporting their teaching activities opposed to a strategic change agent within the institution. Areas for future research include expansion of the study to multiple institutions, the consideration of the needs of industry-centric and traditional academic faculty members, and shifting perspectives of stakeholders within the three dimensions of faculty development.

STEM and sustainability :
Buchkapitel ArODES
creating aviation professional change agents

Patti Clark, Laura Zizka, Doreen McGunagle

Dans Hodge, Steven, Kearns, Susanne K., Mavin, Timothy J., Engaging the next generation of aviation professionals  (Pp. 36-48). 2020,  London : Routledge

Link zur Publikation

2019

Ethical concern for Dumbo :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
elephant tourism in Thailand

Soraya Worwag, Peter Varga, Laura Zizka

Journal of travel, tourism and recreation,  2019, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 17-27

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

There is a growing interest in the treatment of animals used in the tourism industry, yet the academic literature on the animal welfare consideration exhibited by tourists is limited. This exploratory study seeks to identify if demographic differences amongst tourists engaging in animal-based tourism influence the importance they attribute to the ethical treatment of those animals. The case study is based on elephant tourism in Thailand. A statistical analysis of 136 completed questionnaires demonstrates a statistically significant difference in animal welfare concerns between Asian and Western tourists, but no significant differences for gender, age, educational background, or research prior to travel. The findings suggest a need for further research on animal-based tourism to examine the link between tourist responsibility and animal welfare. Managerial implications emanate conclude the paper.

2018

Sustainability in STEM higher education :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
making social change together

Laura Zizka, Doreen M. McGunagle, Patti J. Clark

Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice,  2018, vol. 18, no. 7, pp. 121-132

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

This paper examines the sustainability literacy of one pilot group of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) students in one U.S. HE institution. Currently, the absence of understanding how sustainability goals and challenges are related is missing from many HE programs. Students took the sustainability literacy test (SULITEST) and showed mixed results in regards to their sustainability literacy. These initial results indicate that sustainability tenets are well ingrained by the students, but not the application of sustainability to their lives. The results presented here provide a first indication of the gaps in sustainability education for STEM students in higher education.

Hospitality students’ perceptions of ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES

Laura Zizka

The international journal of learning in higher education,  2018, vol. 24, no 4, pp. 1-12

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

The purpose of this article is to examine how higher education (HE) students perceive ethics, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and sustainability in relation to their academic programs and future careers. This quantitative study is based on a survey of more than 200 first-year students at an international hospitality school in Switzerland. The questions measure student levels of interest in three topics: ethics, CSR, and sustainability. The study also measures the perceived importance of these three topics to an eventual career in the hospitality industry. This article addresses the effectiveness of teaching ethics, CSR, and sustainability in producing positive change agents for future employment. While assumptions have been made about student awareness of ethics, CSR, and sustainability, this study shows a gap between awareness and action in HE regarding these issues. Based on student responses, there is a clear need and expectation that courses on ethics, CSR, and sustainability will be taught at some point during their academic program to better prepare them for the workplace.

Meeting real world demands of the global economy :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
an employer's perspective

Doreen M. McGunagle, Laura Zizka

Journal of aviation/aerospace education and research,  2018, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 59-76

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

Educational programs prepare students theoretically for the workplace, but many programs are still lacking in the real-world skills that the workplace requires. This is especially evident in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education where today’s graduates hold a fundamental role in advancing science, medicine, sustainability, national security, and the economy, yet the programs to prepare them are falling short of employer expectations. At present, there is a lack of information on the necessary skills for workplace success that is specific to Airline, Aerospace, Defense (A&D) and related Industries’ STEM graduates. This paper attempts to fill this gap by offering a model of the skills required of STEM graduates for successful integration into the A&D and related Industries’ workplace. The purpose of the case study is to explore the employer’s perspective on the job skills that influence the success of STEM college graduates. The case study method was used that involved a purposeful sample strategy of hiring individuals for STEM based positions within the A&D and related Industries. The initial interviews support the job performance skills that have been identified in our research. The highest sought after skills are problem solving, team player, ability to gather data, and adaptability. The lowest sought after skill is negotiation. Two additional skills recommended by the interviewees will be added to future studies – time management and active listening skills. The conclusions reached emphasize the importance of real life applications during STEM classes and programs to better prepare future STEM employees for the workplace.

2017

Student perceptions of ethics, CSR, and sustainability (ECSRS) in hospitality management education
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES

Laura Zizka

Journal of teaching in travel tourism,  2017, vol. 17, no 4, pp. 254-268

Link zur Publikation

Zusammenfassung:

This study examines how hospitality students perceive ethics, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and sustainability (ECSRS) with regard to their current academic program and future career. Previous literature has shown an evolution in higher education institutions to implement ECSRS topics into their curriculum. This quantitative study measured 202 first-year students’ levels of interest, perceived importance, and potential implementation of ECSRS in a hospitality management program. Based on student responses, there is a high expectation that courses on ECSRS will be taught during their academic program to better prepare them for their future ambitions and the future of the planet.

Corporate reputation rankings 2016 :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
and the winner is?

Laura Zizka

Advances in economics and business,  2017, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 137-154

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From campfire to classroom :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
an application of talking circles and storytelling in hospitality management education

Laura Zizka

Journal of hospitality tourism education,  2017, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 44-50

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Zusammenfassung:

Native American Indians have used Talking Circles and storytelling as the foundation of oral tradition for thousands of years. In this research note, I describe how Talking Circles were used to encourage safe communication to produce a community based on sharing and empathy. Storytelling helps people solve problems, explain concepts, and marry past experience with future decisions. This research note examines one practical application of Talking Circles and storytelling in a hospitality management communications course as well as how this practice could be used in other hospitality courses at the same institution through traditional or digital communication channels. Although Talking Circles and storytelling are ancient communication rituals, they are being implemented today through digital means such as online courses, social media, and the Internet. Digital technology may encourage new forms of Talking Circles and storytelling that could be used to create collaborative communication platforms for positive social change.

The (mis)use of social media to communicate CSR in hospitality :
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES
increasing stakeholders’ (dis)engagement through social media

Laura Zizka

Journal of hospitality and tourism technology,  2017, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 73-86

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Zusammenfassung:

Purpose This paper aims to discuss how the hospitality industry is communicating corporate social responsibility (CSR) to its stakeholders, the premise being CSR communication through social media platforms will increase stakeholder engagement. Design/methodology/approach This paper is developed based on Schwartz and Carroll’s three-domain approach to CSR motivation, stakeholder theory and a synthesis of previous literature of CSR communication in the hospitality industry. Findings Successful communication through social media is based on two-way participative dialogue. Companies, especially the hospitality industry, have used social media to communicate information through social media in a one-way direction, that of giving information. One example is the communication of CSR actions and intentions as found on hospitality websites, intranets and social media platforms. While previous studies have shown a link between CSR communication through social media and corporate reputation, few studies have examined CSR communication through social media and its effects on specific stakeholder groups. Research limitations/implications Rather than assuming that CSR communication can be done successfully through a “one-size-fits-all” social media discourse, this paper suggests the need for specific messages and potentially different communication channels to increase engagement from each of the various stakeholders in the hospitality industry. Originality/value This is one of the first papers which tries to address how one communication channel, social media, can affect CSR communication and increase stakeholder engagement in the hospitality industry. This paper provides discussion on the usefulness of social media to communicate CSR messages and posits the need for future research projects on a macro and micro level.

2015

Reflecting on hospitality management education through a practice lens
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel ArODES

Marc Stierand, Laura Zizka

Journal of quality assurance in education,  2015, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 353-363

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Zusammenfassung:

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on hospitality management education from a “practice epistemology” and discuss how a connecting of savoir (theoretical knowledge or “knowing”), savoir-faire (knowing how to do tasks, i.e. task-related skills) and savoir-être (knowing how to be, i.e. behavior) can develop into practical knowledge. Design/methodology/approach – The purpose of the paper is achieved through novel reading of the literature on practical knowledge and formativeness applied to a higher education context. Findings – The paper suggests that it is only through the creation of context that a sensation of practicing for students can be provided, which ultimately may lead to practical knowledge. Context must be actively created through situations that invite participation to explore the logic of practice. Therefore, savoir should be treated as “organizing knowing” and savoir-faire and savoir-être as “practicing knowing” to do and to be, respectively. The terms savoir, savoir-faire and savoir-être were chosen for this paper, as they were the common reference terms used in hospitality (master-) apprenticeship systems in Europe. Originality/value – The value of the paper is a personal reflection on a practice epistemology for hospitality management education from the perspective of two academic faculty members who have been practitioners in the hospitality industry and who regularly teach hospitality executives.

2024

All clear :
Konferenz ArODES
Copilot and higher education

Laura Zizka

ICERI2024 Proceedings

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Zusammenfassung:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has long been touted as a panacea for producing knowledge. Fed with millions of texts and sources, the popularity of AI Generators (Gen AI) has skyrocketed as they seamlessly produce copious amounts of text in seconds. The user enters a prompt, and the output is practically simultaneous. AI tools have made their way into every corner of business including marketing and communications. The question revolves around the quality of the text that is generated. Should professionals use these Gen AI tools or avoid them like the plague? In the past ten years, Gen AI has become 'smarter,' using human feedback to improve with each new version. One such tool is Copilot, developed by Microsoft and an add-on to existing Microsoft 365 packages. Unlike its more popular Gen AI competitor, ChatGPT, Copilot is more effective at contextualizing content on a company level, i.e., business writing. Further, it is 'safer' than many Gen AI that share personal information in their responses to any user. Nonetheless, one area in which Gen AI has thrived is academia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were obliged to teach and learn remotely and engage with technology to do so. However, using technology for teaching and learning is different from using Gen AI, which offers new possibilities to create (for students and faculty members) and assess (for faculty) content. This study aims to test Copilot's capability to complete an academic writing task when given a specific prompt. The author has yet to see any study investigating Copilot's potential in academic writing tasks. This paper attempts to fill that gap. The project began with one prompt: Write a 500-word response to the following position: "This paper posits that robots cannot replace humans in the hospitality industry; thus, hoteliers should invest more in promoting the human touch." The response must include five academic journal articles used in-text and on a reference list in APA 7th edition format. This prompt was run 50 times in a row to test the veracity of the quality of the responses. Each response was saved in a file and the researcher took notes of observations of the output. To further these initial observations, the researcher ran all prompts through WordStat to identify common themes in the responses. At this stage, early findings show many similarities between the texts, suggesting that students in the same class and using the same prompt would potentially have issues with similarity checks or academic integrity. Further, the presentation is not in essay format; rather, the output looks like business documents that list (with bullet points) the main ideas. This is not the format that one would expect of an academic writing assignment. This could confirm that Copilot may be useful for the workplace, but, in its current state, is not effective in an educational setting. This project will help faculty better understand how Copilot could or could not be useful for pedagogical tasks. What should they be looking for? Are there specific phrases or patterns that could suggest the use of AI? The findings will also incite discussion and debate regarding the use of Gen AI in the classroom.

Digital edge in learning and teaching :
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the evolution of higher education in eight snapshots

Gaby Probst, Laura Zizka

Proceedings of the 16th Annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies

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Zusammenfassung:

In 2018, a group of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Switzerland started discussing the future of education, asking about the needs and expectations of students. Unbeknownst to all, with the COVID- 19 pandemic, many of their initial ideas and solutions were tested in the exceptional emergency online setting, weeks that became semesters. This research traces the evolution in higher education and is based on the results of eight surveys, i.e., snapshots, derived from business students and faculty members at one Business HEI in Switzerland in three timeframes - before, during, and after the pandemic. What learning preferences were expressed by students and faculty before the pandemic, and what changed with their experience of the entirely online courses during the pandemic? In this paper, we complete our analysis with a project of Blended Learning after the return to traditional presence courses, in which we can show the use of technology in hybrid teaching and the learning experience linked to the mix of in-person and online courses. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, HEIs had been slow to embrace new technology, which potentially put into question the time-worn teaching methods with faculty members who struggled when facing change to online teaching. While the technology for HEIs has existed for decades, its use has often been relatively superficial due to a dominant mindset of traditional, campus-based pedagogy among students and faculty. The COVID-19 pandemic then was the impetus for change. However, many issues arose, challenges such as technology issues, lack of infrastructure, accessibility of online resources, deficiencies in digital competencies, difficulties in delivering pure online courses, inequality of treatment (depending, for example, on hard- and software expenses), mental or physical health issues such as increased workload, insufficient work-life balance, stress and exhaustion, job ambiguity, and morale. On the other hand, lower student engagement or ineffective communication due to the missing social clues of online communication, lack of socialization, problems with online assessments, and an overarching scepticism of the suitability of some courses being taught online persisted during the pandemic. Nonetheless, as the pandemic continued and HEI stakeholders became more comfortable online, faculty members and students appreciated the advantages of less commuting, more flexibility, and autonomy. Both students and faculty members have increased their interest in using digital tools and resources in teaching and learning and expressed more positive views toward hybrid and blended options. In this study, we compare the perceptions students and faculty members had regarding the future of higher education and explain how these perceptions have shifted throughout and after the pandemic with the implementation of a project of Blended Learning. Reflecting on the outcome of all the adaptations necessary during the pandemic is needed more than ever to improve business education by adopting new learning technologies and styles to create or promote more digital comfort in learning and teaching and give them a digital edge toward success. Based on the results, we offer a model for post-COVID-19 education that HEIs could implement when moving forward, whether on campus or online.

Teaching non-teachers to teach :
Konferenz ArODES
a gift to higher education institutions (hei)

Laura Zizka

Proceedings of the 16th annual international conference on education and new learning technologies

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Zusammenfassung:

Over the past few decades, higher education institutions (HEIs) have sought new ways to make their courses more rewarding for their students and more relevant for the industries in which they aim to work. In the past, students went to school, chose an area of specialization, and found a job in that area of expertise. They learned the subject-specific skills and any other skills necessary on the job. More recently, however, there has been a shift to learning beyond book smarts by interacting with, even solving, real-world problems. Student polyvalence has replaced the hard skills, many of which can be learned in the workplace. Thus, research on employability skills for the 21st century has abounded, with academics making recommendations on how HEI courses and curricula could be adapted to reflect the real-world issues that young graduates will face. Some of these suggestions include co-creating a curriculum with external stakeholders, increasing work placements or work experience, developing projects between industry and HEI, or inviting external experts into the classroom to speak about the reality of their job. Of the recommendations made by academia for making courses more relevant, many HEIs have opted for the latter, i.e., inviting industry experts to speak in their courses. In some cases, this has been an informal talk during class time; in other cases, it is a panel where numerous professionals speak on a given and known topic. HEI faculty may occasionally ask external experts to judge student work or participate in final presentations. In our HEI, external experts are solicited to mandate and assist in business projects students work on to complete their studies. Generally, these roles have been met with much enthusiasm but (at times) much less professionalism. The experts certainly know their role in business, but further aid is needed to translate their business acumen into effective dissemination of knowledge in the classroom. For example, experienced experts may tell stories that, while interesting, do not link to the course's learning objectives. Certain experts may have spoken brilliantly in a conference setting only to go jelly in front of HEI students. Faculty have watched (painfully and helplessly) as students disengaged with the less confident speakers. These observations and a genuine belief that we could help them to improve led to the creation of an innovative program that aims to train non-teachers and provide them with the basic teaching skills to become effective disseminators of knowledge. This program is part of our Graduate Institute for Teacher and Executive Development (GIFTED) whose main role is to help industry experts to become competent educators. After all, the goal is to bridge the gap between HEIs and the workplace and this could be the first step in doing so. We will discuss our philosophy and the rationalization for our choices. We began by searching for comparable programs and, to our surprise, found none that offer what we are providing. In this paper, the initial steps of the program creation will be presented up to the first cohort's starting point.

Teaching and learning practices in higher education institutions :
Konferenz ArODES
where has the theory gone

Gaby Probst, Laura Zizka

Education and new developments

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Zusammenfassung:

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are responsible for imparting knowledge to the next generation of change-makers. While knowledge can be gleaned almost instantaneously from the Internet or an AI alternative, many students continue to choose HEIs to solidify and confirm their acquisition of specific skills and competencies. In the recent years, many HEIs have adapted their teaching and learning practices to embrace or at least accept technology in the classroom. With the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, more technology was hastily implemented and came without directions or, more appropriately, without pedagogical theory. While theories for using technology exist, the focus was on getting courses running rather than matching the theory or tool to the context. As HEIs have returned to campus, there is time for reflection on the choices that were made and the practices that should continue moving forward. This study focuses on the importance of linking theory to instructional practices in HEIs. We expand on teaching theories, learning theories, practical theories, dynamic theories, and even transformational theories. Our study is based on the development of a metro map of teaching and learning, that we created using the data of 4 surveys held at a Business School in Fribourg, Switzerland during the pandemic. This metro map was then used in a scholarly discussion at the SFDN conference (Swiss Faculty Development Network) in 2023, where we got first feedback of 12 faculty-members of HEI’s. This survey will be reconducted with all users of faculty training of the HES-SO (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland). Until now, we found that many traditional theories can be named and may be implemented but need to be better aligned with actual practice. In the rush called emergency remote learning, faculty members were more interested in tools to use and tasks to do online; theory took a backseat to the daily needs of animating online classes. Back on campus, we continue using tools and creating tasks that lack the theoretical underpinnings. In this paper, we attempt to convince faculty members of the importance of theory for their teaching, student learning, and inclusion of technology moving forward. We offer an interactive map of theories where faculty members of all disciplines and schools can find their route toward lifelong teaching and learning. We can create the classrooms of the future with a foundation of theory, walls of traditional knowledge, and ever-expansive ceilings of possibilities.

Real or virtual ? Ensuring autonomous learning in blended higher education classrooms
Konferenz ArODES

Laura Zizka, Gaby Probst, Natalie Sarrasin

INTED2024 Proceedings

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Zusammenfassung:

The term ‘blended learning’ has been used as an overarching umbrella term to refer to any combination of face-to-face and technology-oriented teaching. The institution or faculty decide on the mix or the ‘blend’ of modalities and activities to help students engage with the content. The issue, however, does not lie in the term blended which is self-explanatory, but in the learning, as pointed out in countless studies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty and students found new ways to teach and learn online, involving technology on an unprecedented scale. The HEIs are now able to blend traditional lessons with technology tools and focus on (more) self-study. Simply introducing technology into the classrooms does not ensure engagement or guarantee learning. While previous studies have touted the benefits of blended learning over traditional lectures as adding flexibility and autonomy, other studies have insisted that traditional teaching with face-to-face exchanges cannot be replaced. For example, more flexibility assumes that students are self-efficient and self-disciplined to continue learning independently without a faculty’s intervention. More significant independent learning depends on students’ willingness to participate in active learning tasks using traditional and modern tools. In both cases, the role of the student and faculty member changes, sometimes significantly, with many challenges ahead. If the future of education lies in blended learning, then we will need to understand this topic more deeply. Thus, this paper will address the following question: How can HEIs ensure authentic autonomous learning in blended classrooms? We will attempt to identify a means for faculty to find the right ‘blend’ for their teaching topics. To examine this question, five business schools in Switzerland were mandated for a 2-year project entitled “Development of essential digital skills in the form of blended learning for the BSc Business Economics.” The goal of the project is to develop a pilot blended-learning course, delivered during the first semester of studies, for all new students in the Business Economics program of the five business schools. This paper shares the results of one part of that study, i.e., an online student survey to gauge how they benefit from the blended learning format and what they perceive as the advantages/disadvantages of this method to encourage independent learning. The purpose is to use student comments to create effective blended learning environments in business management education. The originality of this study resides in our ability to analyze a large number of students from five different Swiss business schools with different percentages of courses online or onsite and provide rich insights into the student’s preferences for blended learning in business management studies. We intend to create a model from these results that could be adapted to other courses and programs.

2023

Employability and STEM higher education :
Konferenz ArODES
are graduate students going soft

Doreen M. McGunagle, Laura Zizka

Proceedings of the 2023 Conference of the British Academy of Management (BAM)

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Zusammenfassung:

Introduction : One of the goals of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is to prepare their graduates to be workplace ready. Previous studies have established connections between work-ready graduates and sustained economic growth (Clarke, 2018). In periods of economic growth, employers can seek employees with well-developed transferable skills in areas beyond the discipline (Huang, Fisher, Ding, and Guo, 2021). However, there is no single set of skills that employers want from graduates (Maxwell and Armellini, 2018). Nonetheless, in periods of economic uncertainty and unpredictable labor markets, employers may adopt different measures or criteria for recruitment (Clarke, 2018), and potential employees may seek work elsewhere. The Covid-19 pandemic epitomizes the most significant moment of uncertainty the global economy has ever witnessed. With the ever-changing sanitary conditions and new waves of Covid-19, there is a lack of information on the necessary skills for workplace success or the future of the workplace (in general). This paper aims to bridge the gap between the skills that are (still) taught in graduate programs and the skills graduates genuinely need in the post-Covid workplace. Purpose : Since early 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected all industries worldwide. Airplanes were grounded, travel was halted, and many professionals were furloughed or simply out of work. Some of these professionals converted to other industries during this time or retrained for new opportunities. They were not prepared to routine to their ‘old’ jobs or ‘traditional ways of working. The previous dilemma of retaining talent has been overshadowed by the need to attract talented graduates to work in specific industries. Thus, the purpose of this ongoing research project is three-fold: 1. to identify the employability skills necessary to flourish in a post-Covid-19 workplace, particularly in STEM disciplines, 2. to attempt to fill the gap between STEM graduate student perspectives and employers’ perspectives, and 3. to make a stronger link between STEM HEIs and the real world. In this developmental paper, we will focus on an initial reflection on the first objective, i.e., identifying the skills needed to be successful in the 21st-century workplace. Contribution : Previous studies have addressed employability skills needed to be successful in the workplace. While earlier studies cited skills such as being a team player, self-motivation, communication, problem-solving, being proactive (McGunagle, 2016; McGunagle and Zizka, 2018), entrepreneurship, and self-management (Ng, Chan, Wut, Lo, and Szeto, 2021), this study aims to confirm if these skills are still the most relevant or determine the new skills that are more important in a post-Covid-19 economy. The findings from this study will be used to create a roadmap to help STEM attract talented employees again. The objective of this developmental paper is to narrow the gap between the skills graduate students acquire in STEM programs and the skills that employers seek. This study will contribute to the existing literature on talent management by co-creating an employability skills roadmap. Although this study is focused on STEM HEIs, it will interest all educational institutions regardless of level or discipline. Employability- The Focus on Soft Skills According to a report by Deloitte (2017), almost 2/3 of employment opportunities in 2030 will require soft skills because they have the potential to increase revenue and customer satisfaction (leading to further profits and retention). However, in the same report, ¼ of employers reported having difficulty filling entry-level vacancies because applicants lack soft skills. Thus, finding candidates with hard skills or skills that could be taught on the job is less complicated than finding candidates with softer ‘people’ skills that enhance a company’s reputation and success in employability. Figure 1 demonstrates how these soft skills can contribute to business success.

Embracing technology to enhance teaching and learning :
Konferenz ArODES
a love/hate relationship in higher education institutions

Laura Zizka, Gaby Probst

Proceedings of the 15th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EduLearn)

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Zusammenfassung:

In early 2020, educational institutions of all levels were obliged to move online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Each level of education faced specific challenges, and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were no exception. Although many HEIs already offered online programs or courses or were creating an online or blended learning strategy, the pandemic forced their hands. They had to move online immediately and with little to no reflection. Even the most seasoned online experts were faced with the uncertainty of revamping non-online courses into distance courses overnight helping faculty that had little to no expertise in this new way of teaching. Both faculty members and students began an online journey they will never forget. In previous studies we conducted with the faculty members and students of this same Swiss HEI, we defined the positive and negative aspects of technology. For the positive aspects, participants described their experience as dynamic, engaging, motivating, and creating (different) opportunities for teaching and learning. For the negative aspects, they named isolation, loneliness, lack of knowledge, and tech problems as well as digital fatigue. However, each semester led to more confidence in choosing the most effective technological tool for teaching and learning. Both students and faculty members became more comfortable in their online presence and improved their readiness or efficacy with technology. This paper examines the relationship faculty members from one business school HEI in Switzerland have had with technology over the past five semesters through six surveys. Each semester, we witnessed what we believe to be an authentic shift toward technology. Although faculty members are now ‘safely’ back on campus, we have observed more pedagogical choices that include technology. Even the most tech-averse found utility in using some, albeit parsimonious use, of technology in their classrooms to enhance their teaching and student learning. In this paper, we investigate what elements sustain this positive attitude or impede the needed change. However, faculty members are divided on how they believe HEI should incorporate technology into future curricula and programs for the future. We will attempt to analyze the evolution of technology in one HEI’s programs and courses to establish a pathway toward success that other business HEIs could follow asking what can help students, faculty and the institutions to integrate technology and what support do they need? Our purpose is to explore how technology can be used to improve teaching and learning in HEIs, by identifying which elements decide on its success or failure. We posit that technology, while not a panacea in itself, can and should be used to enhance our teaching and increase student learning and we can clearly show at which moment stakeholders have to be taken onboard and how. Teaching is an inclusive activity, involving the institution, members of faculty, the students and the greater community in which it is situated. Each of them has their role to play and need to be convinced whenever their traditional role is being changed – technology can bolster this change and contribute to the success of the teaching and learning within the HEI’s. With our explanation of the paradoxical love-hate relationship between technology and education, we will present an HEI technology model that shows our vision of the future of teaching and learning in post-Covid HEIs.

Blend the learning :
Konferenz ArODES
blending technology and tradition for business students in higher education

Laura Zizka, Gaby Probst

Proceedings of the 17th international technology, education and development conference

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Zusammenfassung:

In the traditional higher educational environment, students were largely passive receptors of information from the faculty members. For decades, efforts have been made to introduce more active learning options; nonetheless, many higher education institutions (HEIs) have continued in a predominantly traditional sense. When the Covid-19 pandemic came to Switzerland in March 2020, and Swiss HEIs locked down, new emergency remote teaching procedures and new learning methods were implemented. As the pandemic continued, HEIs experimented with various modes of online and onsite options. By February 2022, most Swiss HEIs were allowed to return to campus, yet many HEIs continued offering an online option for those who tested positive for Covid-19. With the second onsite semester beginning, HEIs are examining the possibility of including some aspect of online learning into their traditional curriculum. One of the options that have been implemented is blended learning. Blended learning is defined as a mix of face-to-face and digital or online options. However, according to the literature, this definition defines the blending, not the actual learning. For many faculty members, it is a conundrum defining what and how to blend. Currently, there is scant literature on the pedagogical aspect of blended learning to assist faculty members in making their choices; after all, it is not the technology that drives the pedagogy nor the sheer introduction of technology that makes a course ‘blended .’In this study, we intend to bridge this gap by investigating the phenomenon of blended learning as a holistic approach in higher education. We began with the initial question: How effectively have higher education institutions (HEIs) blended traditional learning and technology? The purpose was to gauge what innovative approaches should be kept and what should be dismissed. The results are based on six surveys conducted during and after the Covid-19 pandemic with business students at one business HEI in Switzerland. The results identify the challenges and opportunities of adding more technology into traditional higher education business studies. Some of the challenges include inequalities in access to digital tools and resources or the lack of knowledge of using digital tools. Opportunities include a shift toward an educational environment with greater flexibility and efficiency. Blended learning also encourages learner-centered methods allowing for communication, collaboration, and interaction, which have been missing so much during the different waves of the pandemic, some with pure online teaching. It puts the faculty members and students at an equal level for co-creating the learning experience, promoting engagement, and offering authentic learning and teaching opportunities. We posit that this type of co-creation should be called blending learning with technology (BLT). We aspire to define how the blending can be done with concrete recommendations and a model of BLT. We hope to contribute to the blended learning literature by addressing BLT through a holistic approach. Our results can be applied to other HEIs that focus on business studies.

2022

An examination of the influence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) index on firm value in the transportation industry :
Konferenz ArODES
a study of US, UK, and Asia organizations

Laura Zizka, Doreen McGunagle, Ron Mau, Sergio Alvarez, Patti Clark

Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference of the British Academy of Management (BAM), 2022

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Zusammenfassung:

In the past decade, the subject of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has evolved to be more strongly associated with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors. Both CSR and ESG consider a company’s efforts ‘to do well by doing good’ from different perspectives, i.e., ideal, and qualitative for CSR and concrete and quantitative for ESG. This developmental paper outlines our project on the transportation industry in three distinct areas, e.g., The Americas, Asia/Pacific, and Europe. We have chosen the transportation industry as it is often criticized for the lack of CSR or ESG measures. Upon completion of our study, we intend to propose a sustainable transport model that respects ESG criteria.

Affective (and effective) teaching and learning in higher education :
Konferenz ArODES
getting social again

Laura Zizka, Gaby Probst

World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology : international journal of educational and pedagogical sciences

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Zusammenfassung:

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have given their courses. From emergency remote where all students and faculty were immediately confined to home teaching and learning, the continuing evolving sanitary situation obliged HEIs to adopt other methods of teaching and learning from blended courses that included both synchronous and asynchronous courses and activities to HyFlex models where some students were on campus while others followed the course simultaneously online. Each semester brought new challenges for HEIs and, subsequently, additional emotional reactions. This paper investigates the affective side of teaching and learning in various online modalities and its toll on students and faculty members over the past three semesters. The findings confirm that students and faculty who have more self-efficacy, flexibility, and resilience reported positive emotions and embraced the opportunities that these past semesters have offered. While HEIs have begun a new semester in an attempt to return to ‘normal’ face-to-face courses, this paper posits that there are lessons to be learned from these past three semesters. The opportunities that arose from the challenge of the pandemic should be considered when moving forward by focusing on a greater emphasis on the affective aspect of teaching and learning in HEIs worldwide.

I am not a robot :
Konferenz ArODES
learning with technology

Laura Zizka, Gaby Probst

Proceedings of the 14th Annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EduLearn), 2022

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Zusammenfassung:

The Covid-19 pandemic affected all industries, including Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). HEIs worldwide were obliged to create emergency remote learning options for their students. In March 2020, many HEI faculty members sought ways to introduce and effectively implement digital tools they had little (or no) experience using prior to the pandemic, such as teaching via Teams or Zoom, creating PowerPoints with voiceovers, or administering online quizzes or tests. While there was nothing novel about using technology in HEIs, the rapid implementation of technology led to uncertainty and, in some cases, added stress. This was, potentially, ‘felt’ by the students in that first exceptional and unprecedented shift to learning online. Previous research has clearly differentiated emergency remote from ‘authentic’ online courses and programs, yet both include technology to assist student learning. The literature affirms that the ‘learner-to-instructor’ relationship has been the most significant to encourage student success. Nonetheless, we will investigate how technology can support active and engaging learning. Further, we propose a learning triangle between learner, technology, and content for a better understanding of student engagement and, subsequently, their learning. This paper examines the relationship students from one business school HEI in Switzerland have had with technology over the past four semesters through five surveys. We have found no study that analyzed student responses at so many intervals; thus, we attempt to offer a more holistic view of student perceptions. HEI students followed various blended or hybrid learning modes in these four semesters, including asynchronous, synchronous, or mixed courses. We found that students differed in their perceptions of self-efficacy and ease of use with technology. Simply, it depended on their preexisting online learning readiness. For motivated and confident students, the shift to more autonomous learning methods was less problematic and, in some cases, a preferred option. However, the challenges of spending hours online alone demotivated other students and made them wish to return to ‘normal’ onsite education. Thus, it is no surprise that students are divided on how they believe HEI should incorporate technology into future curricula and programs after almost two years. As many HEIs return to face-to-face learning onsite, there is room to consider both opportunities (i.e., greater flexibility and acquiring technical skills useful for the workplace) and challenges (i.e., hours in front of screen and a greater exposure to distractions) which will ease their decision-making of keeping certain technologies when moving forward. To complement the survey results, HEI stakeholders in Switzerland and abroad participated in our workshop on engaging students through technology at the annual Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) conference in Feb. 2022. We will share their insights on using technology to increase student engagement. We encourage HEI decision-makers to embrace the opportunities that technology affords when ‘going digital’, but caution: Using tools does not constitute learning. Pedagogy drives learning; technology merely assists in this goal. So, we aim to investigate how technology can be used to improve the human touch that has been missing so much. We posit that technology can enhance teaching, when it is used to engage students in active learning strategies. Our students are not robots.

Communicating to tourists during and post-Covid-19 :
Konferenz ArODES
what do they want (need) to hear?

Laura Zizka, Meng-Mei Chen, Effie Zhang, Amandine Favre

Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2022 : Proceedings of the ENTER 2022 eTourism Conference, January 11-14, 2022

Link zur Konferenz

Zusammenfassung:

Swiss tourism relies heavily on international clientele to book rooms and purchase goods and services. However, from March to June 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, travel and subsequent bookings slowed and, in some cases, stopped altogether. Based predominantly on Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), this paper investigates Swiss hotels’ messages on their official Facebook pages and the SCCT strategies they employed during this crisis. The findings from 48 independent four- and five-star hotels show that the Victimage strategy was the most often employed when communicating about the COVID-19 pandemic in general. Further, most hotels published positive messages during this period (68%) and strongly emphasized their roles as victims at this time. Only 5% of the messages posted were negative messages. Hotels ‘blamed’ the government and the sanitary measures for their closing or reduced services. The findings presented here contribute to the literature by offering a pattern of crisis responses from Swiss hotels in the early period of the pandemic. These results are currently being updated with the messages communicated in the 12 months since the beginning of this study. The findings of this crisis communication during an early stage of the pandemic will be used to make concrete recommendations for the strategies that should be implemented in the future if the COVID-19 crisis continues or when faced with other crises.

Affective (and effective) teaching and learning in higher education :
Konferenz ArODES
getting social again

Laura Zizka, Gaby Probst

World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Educational and Pedagogical Sciences

Link zur Konferenz

Zusammenfassung:

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have given their courses. From emergency remote where all students and faculty were immediately confined to home teaching and learning, the continuing evolving sanitary situation obliged HEIs to adopt other methods of teaching and learning from blended courses that included both synchronous and asynchronous courses and activities to HyFlex models where some students were on campus while others followed the course simultaneously online. Each semester brought new challenges for HEIs and, subsequently, additional emotional reactions. This paper investigates the affective side of teaching and learning in various online modalities and its toll on students and faculty members over the past three semesters. The findings confirm that students and faculty who have more self-efficacy, flexibility, and resilience reported positive emotions and embraced the opportunities that these past semesters have offered. While HEIs have begun a new semester in an attempt to return to ‘normal’ face-to-face courses, this paper posits that there are lessons to be learned from these past three semesters. The opportunities that arose from the challenge of the pandemic should be considered when moving forward by focusing on a greater emphasis on the affective aspect of teaching and learning in HEIs worldwide.

Affective (And Effective) Teaching and Learning: Higher Education Gets Social Again
Konferenz

Probst Gaby, Zizka Laura

International Conference on Quality in Higher Education, 14.01.2022 - 15.01.2022, Zürich, Switzerland

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2021

Traditional to online over night :
Konferenz ArODES
hospitality student satisfaction during the first Covid-19 semester

Laura Zizka, Inès Blal, Reza Etemad-Sajadi, Martha Sandoval Alvarado

ICERI2021 Proceedings : 14th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation

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Zusammenfassung:

Student satisfaction has been the focus of research projects gauging how students evaluate the higher education institution (HEI) on a program and course level. In traditional courses, student satisfaction revolves around the teacher, pedagogical style, and academic resources available. For fully online courses, students typically rate the experience based on four relationships: Learner-faculty, learner-learner, learner-content, and learner-technology. However, the spring semester of 2020 was neither traditional nor fully online; rather, it entailed an immediate and brutal shift from one learning mode to another. With Covid-19, faculty worldwide attempted to maintain the execution of their educational mission for their students and themselves. This paper investigates the factors impacting students’ satisfaction with their remote learning experience throughout the ‘forced’ confinement period in one HEI. Although initially communicated as a temporary closure in March 2020, this HEI Switzerland was obliged by the Swiss government to remain closed throughout the rest of the academic semester (i.e., 11 weeks). Unlike other Swiss HEIs that took weeks to move online, this HEI shifted to remote teaching over the weekend. In this unique setting, there was no break in the learning cycle for the students. Based on the literature, a 19-question survey conducted in June 2020 examined the relationships students have in three educational settings, i.e., learner-technology, learner-faculty, and learner-content, to the amount, accuracy, frequency, relevance, and timeliness of the messages communicated to students for these three categories. A total of 2254 Bachelor students from this Swiss HEI received this survey. The results from this study are critical to management and faculty as schools are currently preparing for the September intake in the midst of still uncertain covid-related times. This paper concludes with recommendations for creating future innovative ‘planned’ digitized courses programs that increase student satisfaction.

Lessons learned :
Konferenz ArODES
student perceptions of higher education in uncertain times

Laura Zizka, Gaby Probst

ICERI2021 Proceedings : 14th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation

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Zusammenfassung:

When Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) switched to emergency remote learning in March 2020, no one could have predicted that the situation would remain unstable for the subsequent semesters. In fact, many HEIs worldwide were obliged to incorporate hybrid or distant forms of education in the 2020-2021 school year. Over the past three semesters, one HEI in Switzerland created and conducted a targeted survey to gauge student responses to this exceptional learning mode. With an average survey response rate of 53.1% over the four surveys, what was found can be encompassed by one broad theme – self-efficacy. Students need self-efficacy to motivate themselves, to use learning technology in a goal-oriented way, effectively follow their courses and successfully complete them. Through student comments, the encompassing theme of self-efficacy was divided into three essential areas: Motivation, Course Content, and Technology. Grounded in the literature and supported by our results, motivation is examined through emotion, time management, community building, and self-discipline. Course Content includes interaction, objectives and tasks, methods, and feedback. Technology is addressed through accessibility, knowledge, usability, and support. Previous literature has focused on the opportunities (i.e., more flexibility, autonomy, and active learning) and challenges (i.e., less interaction, lack of support, and technology issues) that remote learning has entailed. While many students have struggled in this new learning environment, others have thrived. For this reason, we focused our analysis on student perceptions of their learning and the control they had over how and when they would learn over the past three semesters. Further, we aimed to assess if their comfortability with and acceptance of remote learning has shifted over time. According to our findings, student perceptions of remote learning (hybrid followed by completely remote) showed steady progression in the first semester. The overall impression of remote learning rose from 53.8% in April to 67.8% in the June 2020 survey for ‘quite good’ and higher yet dipped to 62.8% in the December survey and to 54.5% in June 2021. This decline could be related to the ‘Corona fatigue’ or the impression that the situation is not improving and never-ending. At the end of the spring semester 2021, students were asked to name the emotions they were feeling with remote learning in an open question. Words like demotivated, disappointed, tired, frustrated, and – most important – the missing social contact frequently appear in the student comments. Their words resulted in a 74.5% negative sentiment analysis. This paper analyses both the survey results and the student comments to provide a holistic image of student perceptions of learning in a remote environment as it evolved over the past three semesters. While the improving health situation and the COVID-19 vaccine have provided encouraging signs of a return to ‘normal’ education, the questions remain: What is normal? What will formal education look like moving forward? How can students be better equipped to cope with the uncertainty of these exceptional times? What support do they need? How can schools help students keeping their motivation? As the uncertainty reigns for the coming school year, HEIs need to create training programs and workshops to prepare students for the ‘new’ core skill they need to succeed, self-efficacy.

Lessons Learned: Student Perceptions of Higher Education In Uncertain Times
Konferenz

Probst Gaby, Zizka Laura

International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation Online Conference, 08.11.2021 - 09.11.2021, Online

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Sustainability reporting on Dublin airport :
Konferenz ArODES
a case study

Laura Zizka, Doreen M. McGunagle, Patti J. Clark

Proceedings of the BAM2021 Conference

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Zusammenfassung:

The purpose of the study is to examine the quantity and quality of Sustainability Reporting (SR) by Dublin Airport in a case study on Dublin Airport in Ireland. It uses content analysis to examine the use of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the UN’s SDG categories. The study considers stakeholder theory in sustainability reporting studies. The study finds a pattern of disclosures in all three areas of sustainability – economic, environmental and social.

Education 2030 :
Konferenz ArODES
creating courses and initiatives that align sustainable development goals (SDGS) with higher education

Laura Zizka, Peter Varga

Proceedings of the 13th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EDULEARN21)

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Zusammenfassung:

The UNESCO report entitled “Education 2030” posits the need to address the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at all stages of education. The SDGs aim to respect four underlying principles; being universal, oriented toward sustainability, leave no one behind, and ongoing participation of all stakeholders towards the 17 goals. Although higher education institutions (HEIs) have played a significant role in imparting sustainable knowledge of the three pillars (environmental, social, and economic), understanding students’ sustainable knowledge is essential for HEI educators to adapt and develop their programs accordingly. Previous researchers have examined the implementation of sustainability in education, both on and off-campus. However, scant research has studied what sustainability concepts are being taught or how they are directly linked to the SDGs put forth by the UN. One solution posited in earlier research projects could be to create a bridge between content and discipline-specific educational programs and the SDGs that most affect their industry or sector. For example, the United Nation’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) identified SDGs 8 (Decent Work Conditions), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 14 (Life below Water) as the most relevant for the hospitality/tourism sector. The International Tourism Partnership (ITP) selected SDG 8 as well for the hospitality/tourism industry but added SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and 13 (Climate Action). To examine pre-existing knowledge of sustainability concepts and SDGs and create new courses, programs, and initiatives, researchers at one international hospitality management program in Switzerland have gathered data over five years using the Sustainability Literacy test (SULITEST). The SULITEST an open online training and assessment tool designed to assess sustainability literacy. The test offers the possibility to analyze student responses by theme or by SDG. For this study, an analysis of the results from the past five years revealed the gaps in sustainability knowledge about the SDGs within our student body. These gaps, mainly linked to the hospitality/tourism industry, have been used to create new sustainability courses and initiatives that align with specific SDGs to ensure that their education mirrors the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The purpose of this study is to assist all HE institutions, regardless of level or domain, to develop a more effective framework for aligning SDGs with their specific programs and strategy based on their resources and relevance to the overall program objectives. As HE institutions are responsible for preparing the next generation of change agents who make sustainable decisions for the future, the curriculum and program objectives need to be assessed and, potentially, reworked to ensure that students learn and embrace sustainability initiatives and actions. This paper concludes with specific recommendations for all HEI stakeholders to create authentic engagement with sustainability practices that will continue upon graduation.

Predicting the future of higher education pre-COVID-19 :
Konferenz ArODES
applying best practices during COVID-19

Laura Zizka, Gaby Probst

INTED2021 Proceedings

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Zusammenfassung:

In 2017, the project group called ‘Teaching methods of the future’ was formed with ten members from four Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Fribourg, Switzerland. These HEIs are diverse, applied universities, focusing on health, social work, engineering, and business, respectively. The group’s objectives were to: 1) Identify future teaching methods, 2) gather evidence from students and faculty, 3) support the members of the schools in their effort to change their teaching methods toward interactive, interdisciplinary, ethical and efficient learning experiences 4) draft innovative pedagogical projects for implementing digital programs in the future and honouring the best with a teaching award. The purpose was to gauge the preparedness and potential for launching online HEI programs by 2025. In this context, a survey of 2,485 students was launched at the end of 2018. The survey included questions on student perceived self-efficacy to learn (i.e., students’ study strategies and practices), the students’ learning environment (i.e., their places of study in order to be able to adapt, for example, the infrastructure, courses or course materials), and student perceptions toward technology (i.e., specific tools proposed by the HEIs for the specific programs). The initial results from the 663 completed surveys showed that, for self-efficacy to learn, students seek resources beyond the ‘expected’ course work to improve their learning experience such as extra readings on topics not covered in the course (53%), recommended readings by the faculty (49%), Internet research (47%), and asking the faculty for further information (53%). In response to the question on their preferred environment, students pre-COVID-19 expressed the need for more study spaces with large tables, extended opening hours for libraries and labs, and a place to relax between courses. Their most significant concern was the amount of paper waste for course materials and assignments; in fact, 59% preferred receiving course documents online. Regarding technology pre-COVID-19, the students found the platform, Moodle, ‘very useful’ (53%, particularly for downloading course documents (35%) and uploading assignments (20%). While the majority of HEI students used technology such as smartphones and tablets to find supplementary information (59%), more than 10% used these same devices to do other tasks during, but unrelated to, the course. When HEIs in Switzerland switched to emergency remote teaching in March 2020, the project group’s initial findings were imperative to create effective learning environments that embraced technology and relied upon students’ self-efficacy in the learning process. The COVID-19 pandemic became a catalyst for embracing change to traditional education and moving forward well ahead of schedule. This paper shows how four HEIs in Switzerland immediately applied the project’s findings before the project itself was complete. Further, this paper provides guidelines for HEIs to move beyond traditional education based on preconceived notions of how individuals learn in prescribed places and using existing methods (curriculum, resources, technology) to the changing role and identity of the teacher, learner and contexts and collaboration in the online setting where new learning opportunities have emerged during COVID-19 and will continue in the future. The future has come quicker than imagined; HEIs must evolve to offer exceptional education in exceptional times.

Hear no virus, see no virus, speak no virus :
Konferenz ArODES
Swiss hotels’ online communication regarding Coronavirus

Laura Zizka, Meng-Mei Chen, Effie Zhang, Amandine Favre

Proceedings of the ENTER 2021 eTourism Conference : Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2021

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Zusammenfassung:

Tourism is a lucrative business, and Swiss hotels rely heavily on international clientele to book their rooms. The Coronavirus pandemic has halted travel and hotel stays from March to June 2020. Based on Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), this paper investigates the messages Swiss hotels have posted on their official websites and Facebook pages to reassure guests that it is safe to book rooms in Switzerland again. The findings from 73 independent 4 and 5-star hotels show that most hotels did not publish messages regarding the Coronavirus or the measures they have taken; instead, the hotels posted positive messages about reopening their rooms and services. Official hotel websites emphasized deals and offers while the Facebook pages concentrated on enthusiastic ‘welcome back’ messages. The findings presented here contribute to the literature by offering the first results of a larger project on communication during the de-confinement stage of a pandemic.

Destination imagery diagnosis model :
Konferenz ArODES
the case of Switzerland

Meng-Mei Chen, Laura Zizka, Effie Zhang, Justine Gentinetta

Proceedings of the ENTER 2021 eTourism Conference : Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2021

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Zusammenfassung:

This research investigates destination imagery of Switzerland as a travel destination. This research first conducted survey and content analysis to identify 23 unique statements reflecting travel in Switzerland. Through an online survey, this research collected 399 responses from French and Italian respondents. Based on the comparisons of association strength and association valence of every statement to the aggregated association strength and association valence, this research developed the Destination Imagery Diagnosis model. The results show that, overall, French and Italian respondents have strong and positive associations to statements related to Switzerland’s nature and opportunities for outdoor activities. Furthermore, respondents rated “Healthy lifestyle” and “Welcoming and friendly” positively but the associations to Switzerland were weaker. This research also identified marketing opportunities specifically for French and Italian respondents. The Destination Imagery Diagnosis Model serves as a new tool to compare destination imageries between markets or keep track of changes of destination imagery.

2020

Responsible STEM graduates :
Konferenz ArODES
developing the awareness-reflection-engagement (ARE) model for sustainability

Laura Zizka, Doreen M. McGunagle, Patti J. Clark

Proceedings of the BAM2020 Conference In The Cloud

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Zusammenfassung:

Reflection has been effectively used in higher education to encourage students to seek beyond the descriptive and simple response to critical, deep thinking and, effectively, make better choices. More recently, reflection and reflective practices have been introduced as a means of engaging students to make more sustainable choices. Based on Dewey and Schön’s foundation of reflection as linked to specific actions which apprentices or workers undertake in their daily tasks, i.e. reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action, this paper attempts to show that reflection on sustainability can instigate changes in behavior and attitude. The paper concludes with how reflection can and should be implemented as a solid, formative pedagogical tool at all levels of education to ground sustainability in reality and create authentic change agents for the future workplace.

Education 2030 :
Konferenz ArODES
aligning sustainable development goals (SDGS) to and for a higher education

Laura Zizka, Peter Varga

EDULEARN20 Proceedings : proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies

Link zur Konferenz

Zusammenfassung:

The UNESCO report entitled “Education 2030” posits the need to address the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at all stages of education. Higher Education (HE) institutions have begun implementing sustainability actions and initiatives on an individual (i.e., students or staff as change agents), instrumental (i.e., through courses and programs), and institutional (i.e., as part of strategy or mission/vision) level. While the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic) should be addressed, there are often discrepancies as to what concepts should be taught and in which way. One solution could be to create a bridge between content and discipline-specific educational programs and the SDGs that most affect their industry or sector. Although previous researchers have examined the implementation of sustainability in education, both on and off-campus, scant research has studied what sustainability concepts are being taught or how they are directly linked to the SDGs put forth by the UN. Regarding one area of study, tourism, the United Nation’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) believe that tourism should make concerted and strategic efforts to contribute to all SDGs positively. Nonetheless, the UNWTO identified SDGs 8 (Decent Work Conditions), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 14 (Life below Water) as the most relevant for the tourism sector. At the same time, the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) selected SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 8 (above), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and 13 (Climate Action). To examine pre-existing knowledge of sustainability concepts and SDGs, first semester students in one international hospitality management program in Switzerland completed the Sustainability Literacy test (SULITEST). The SULITEST an open online training and assessment tool designed to assess and improve sustainability literacy. The test offers the possibility to analyze student responses by theme or by SDG. For this study, the SDG results were analyzed to reveal the gaps in sustainability knowledge about the SDGs. These gaps will be used to create a framework to align specific SDGs to the hospitality management curriculum to ensure that their education mirrors the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. While focusing on hospitality management education, the purpose of this study is much broader. The purpose is to assist all HE institutions regardless of level or domain to develop a more effective framework for aligning SDGs with their specific programs and strategy based on their resources and relevance to the overall program objectives. By adopting a holistic approach to the 2030 Sustainability Agenda through research, education, operations/governance, and external leadership, considering all stakeholders in the sustainability goals, HE institutions can create authentic engagement with sustainability practices which will be continued upon graduation.

Significant lifelong learning :
Konferenz ArODES
a framework for preparing future-ready graduates in the age of uncertainty

Laura Zizka, Rachel C. Plews

Proceedings of the ICED 2020

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Zusammenfassung:

Student learning has predominantly been debated based on the cognitive knowledge and skills acquired. More recently, scholars have examined the concept of a deeper, more holistic learning, i.e., significant learning where learning stimulates further learning to, subsequently, create lifelong learners. This conceptual paper aims to examine how significant learning has been discussed in the past to create a framework for the future-ready graduate which educational developers can use to reimagine student learning outcomes aligned to critical interactions of the learning experience. The proposed framework is referred to as Significant Lifelong Learning and can be applied to traditional or any variation of online learning environments.

2019

The airport industry and community engagement :
Konferenz ArODES
building an airport social responsiblity (ASR) model together

Laura Zizka, Doreen M. McGunagle, Patti J. Clark

Proceedings of the BAM 2019 Conference

Link zur Konferenz

Zusammenfassung:

In today's global economy, the airport industry has achieved uneven results in reporting a balance of growth to preserving environment, enhancing social equity, and providing economic benefits for its stakeholders. Is the absence of reporting consistency a matter of initiative, knowledge, resources or a combination of factors? This exploratory case study reviewed the current sustainability efforts and reporting of 12 randomly selected United States commercial service airports to address what economic, environmental, and social sustainability initiatives were published, what tangible effects the efforts had on stakeholder engagement, and identified the best practices that could be implemented within the industry. Data was collected via press releases, airport and govemmental websites as well as social media accounts and analyzed through content analysis. The results suggested that while some airports provided an abundance of sustainability related information, other airports did not provide any evidence of sustainability efforts. While the obvious finding is that all of the airports could improve consistency in sustainability reporting, the more troubling relationship is a lack of any connection or commonalities in initiatives, reporting, or transparency. Our findings support the need to create an Airport Social Responsibility (ASR) model that leads to authentic stakeholder engagement.

Reflection for all learners :
Konferenz ArODES
putting reflection (back) on the radar

Laura Zizka

Proceedings of the BAM 2019 Conference

Link zur Konferenz

Zusammenfassung:

Reflection has been effectively used in higher education to encourage students to seek beyond the descriptive and simple response to critical, deep thinking and, effectively, make better choices. Y et, over time, reflection has been categorized as elitist, asocial, disruptive, and unreal. Based on Dewey and Sch6n's foundation ofreflection as linked to specific actions which apprentices or workers undertake in their daily tasks, i.e. reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action, this paper attempts to dispel common misconceptions related to reflection to show that reflection can and should be encouraged in all higher education regardless of the discipline or type of study. An initial attempt at a Reflection Radar based on reflection that is democratic, collective, constructive, and authentic has been provided to help educational institutions at all levels to visualize the effectiveness and depth of reflection within their existing programs. The paper concludes with how reflection can and should be implemented as a solid, formative pedagogical tool at all levels of education, including vocational apprenticeships aimed at preparing hospitality apprenticeships for the industry.

Sustainability in higher education :
Konferenz ArODES
aligning sustainable development goals (SDGS) with curriculum/campus/community

Laura Zizka

Proceedings of the 11th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EDULEARN19)

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Zusammenfassung:

Since the United Nations declared 2004-2015 as the Decade for Sustainable Education and introduced the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), the United States has passed the Higher Education Sustainability Act (HESA) and created the University for a Sustainable Future, an international initiative which focuses on sustainability literacy. Higher Education (HE) institutions have introduced sustainability concepts into the curriculum through stand-alone courses, embedding sustainability, or offering minors/degree programs/certificates on sustainability. These courses appear as part of the school strategy to better prepare change agents who care about the world and their impact on it. While the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic) should be addressed, previous literature has shown that many HE institutions predominantly highlight their community engagement projects on their websites as ‘proof’ that they embrace sustainability, and most students are only able to cite environmental actions as examples of sustainability initiatives. Researchers have examined how and when sustainability is implemented on and off campus, but scant research has studied what sustainability concepts are being taught. There is little evidence that the sustainability concepts being taught are directly linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) put forth by the UN. The purpose of this study is not to develop a one-size-fits-all framework for all HE institutions to follow; rather, the purpose is to assist all HE institutions regardless of level or domain to develop a more effective framework for aligning SDGs with their specific programs and strategy based on their resources and relevance to the overall program objectives. To examine the link between sustainability literacy and the effectiveness of HE courses that teach sustainability concepts, the methodology is two-fold: Firstly, through the use of the Sustainability Literacy test (SULITEST), the existing knowledge of first semester students in one international hospitality management program in Switzerland was gauged to establish how much students know about specific sustainability topics and SDGs prior to entering their HE program. Secondly, the gaps that were identified in student knowledge will be used to create a framework to align specific SDGs to the curriculum to ensure that their education mirrors the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The best practices for linking SDGs to education from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific regions will guide the creation of a framework that can be adjusted to each HE institutions’ needs. To prepare today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders, HE institutions must find more effective means of teaching sustainability principles and concepts that resonate with students and create authentic engagement with sustainability practices which will be continued upon graduation.

Reflective learning :
Konferenz ArODES
developing critical reflective thinking in STEM MBA students

Doreen M. McGunagle, Laura Zizka, Alpesh Makwana

Proceedings of the Global Conference on Education and Research: Volume 3

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Sustainability practices in top hospitality/leisure management programs :
Konferenz ArODES
preparing engaged change agents

Laura Zizka

Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Tourism Research ICTR 2019

Link zur Konferenz

Zusammenfassung:

Higher education (HE) programs in hospitality/leisure management studies offer the theoretical knowledge and industry-related competencies which should prepare graduates to be effective thought leaders and potential positive social change agents in the global workplace. Since the UN’s introduction of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in 2016, many HE institutions have made efforts to include sustainability within the curriculum and as part of the overall strategy. This is particularly true of top ranked schools. When attending a top ranked school, HE students expect to learn about the pertinent topics which will affect their future career path and sustainability is one of these topics. Previous research has examined HE institutions’ role in preparing students for their professional careers by applying theoretical knowledge to daily challenges and inculcating innovative and sustainable solutions to everyday problems. These solutions consider all three pillars of sustainability- environmental, economic, and social- and involve both internal and external stakeholders, including the local community. This study examines the top 50 international hospitality/leisure management programs of 2017 through a content analysis of their sustainability curriculum, practices, and projects to establish a link between school reputation, sustainability courses and practices, and authentic student engagement. The premise is that top ranked hospitality/leisure management programs will be the forerunners in sustainability courses and practices which other HE institutions could follow. The results will demonstrate how these HE institutions have closed the gap between sustainability intention and authentic engagement. Based on the best practices of these top ranked schools, the results will be used to create a model for incorporating sustainability into all hospitality/leisure management programs worldwide to prepare positive social change agents who are ready to face the global challenges of the 21st century workplace.

Sustainability in Swiss higher education institutions :
Konferenz ArODES
integrating sustainability into courses, programs, and disciplines for authentic student engagement

Laura Zizka, Peter Varga

Proceedings of the SFDN Conference 2019 How research on learning contributes to university teaching practice

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Zusammenfassung:

Following the United Nations’ proclamation of a ‘Decade of Education for Sustainable Development’ (2004-2015), many Higher Education (HE) institutions worldwide began including sustainability principles and concepts into their programs and curriculum. While these initiatives were noble, they produced mitigated results as many HE institutions struggled with the integration and logistics of preparing students to be future change agents with authentic engagement toward sustainability. Previous literature has examined the opportunities and challenges of integrating of sustainability concepts at an institutional, curricular, and instrumental level in HE institutions. Further, it examined how sustainability could be implemented such as one course, one program, or one degree, embedding sustainability into all courses, sustainability electives, or integrated and interdisciplinary learning experiences. We administered the Sulitest (sustainability literacy test) with first semester students at one international hospitality management school in Switzerland. Students completed a pre and post-test in Sustainable Hospitality Culture course. From our results, we found that our students scored slightly higher than the Swiss average and, in some areas, better than the global average as well. Nonetheless, the relatively low global averages indicate a lack of sustainability knowledge still existing in 2018. The low global averages suggest a continuing need to improve sustainability knowledge in HE institutions. HE institutions must find more effective means of teaching sustainability principles and concepts that resonate with students and create authentic engagement with sustainability practices which will be continued upon graduation.From previous research, the solution seems simple, embed sustainability in all courses and programs, regardless of the discipline. Nonetheless, in this study, we found that students’ sustainability knowledge can improve in one intensive course. While ourinitial results are positive, further studies would need to be conducted to confirm long lasting behavioral changes. Thus, the question remains: How should sustainability concepts be effectively integrated into Swiss HE institutions? We posit a need for a tool like the Sulitest to be used by all Swiss HE institutions to gauge students’ existing knowledge about sustainability and establish the gaps in their knowledge to integrate relevant, specific sustainability concepts into existing programs to make authentic positive social change. This paper addresses the following topics: the integration of transferable skills into university courses and study programmes, and the integration of cross-disciplinary competences into teaching.

2018

Sustainability in STEM higher education :
Konferenz ArODES
it takes an institution to make social change

Laura Zizka, Doreen M. McGunagle, Clark Patti

Proceedings of the BAM 2018 Conference

Link zur Konferenz

Zusammenfassung:

This developmental paper aims to demonstrate how Higher Education (HE) courses affect student knowledge of sustainability concepts. Sustainability is a system of systems and requires a higher level of understanding beyond concepts and principles. HE institutions must move beyond book definitions and theories to demonstrate to students the significance of sustainability in their everyday lives. Currently, the absence of understanding how sustainability goals and challenges are related is missing from many HE programs. These first results derive from one pilot group of 19 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) students in an Honors course in one U.S. HE institution. Students took the pre and post sustainability literacy test (SULITEST) to gauge which sustainability concept scores if any, improved over the semester. The gaps showed that students improved their sustainability literacy in 15 of the tested areas, performed worse in 6 areas, and remained the same in one area. Interpretation of these initial results indicates that the tenets of sustainability are well ingrained by the students, but not the application of sustainability to the students’ lives in the present or for the future. While the results were based on one group in one school, the study is ongoing as other classes and schools are currently taking the SULITEST. The results presented in this paper provide a first indication of the gaps in sustainability education for STEM students in HE and the ongoing research project should help to confirm these results and strengthen our model for filling the gaps in STEM education.

2017

Sustainability :
Konferenz ArODES
exploring gaps in higher education

Laura Zizka, Doreen M. McGunagle

Proceedings of the British Academy of Mnagement Conference (BAM) 2017

Link zur Konferenz

Zusammenfassung:

This developmental paper aims to demonstrate how higher education (HE) plays an important role in developing their student’s awareness of sustainability challenges and their economic, social, and environmental responsibilities. At present, HE institutions vary in the extent of sustainability courses, programs, and degrees. Further, HE institutions present sustainability topics in single or multidisciplinary courses, optional or mandatory courses, and inside/outside the classroom. Student knowledge of sustainability varies, yet their engagement towards sustainability is crucial to their future. It does not suffice to learn sustainability concepts; rather, students must understand the relevance to their future career. Through the sustainability literacy test, we aim to fill this gap by conducting an international study within two HE institutions to analyze how much students know about sustainability and how this knowledge affects their future actions.

Studying reflecting on becoming :
Konferenz ArODES
some philosophical reference points

Viktor Dörfler, Marc Benjamin Stierand, Laura Zizka

Proceedings of the British Academy of Mnagement Conference (BAM) 2017

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Zusammenfassung:

We developed a systemic process framework for reflecting on becoming that we currently employ to study graduate students’ reflecting on becoming. We describe the process of reflecting on becoming as a systemic process of continuous self-making and discuss some philosophical reference points by building on process philosophy. We conclude that, in order to achieve understanding in a study following process philosophy, researchers need to liberate themselves from the predominantly normative and positivist approaches and embrace the notion of research indirection so as to immerse themselves in the phenomena unfolding around them, attending to their sensual as well as mental experiences.

Meeting real world demands of the global economy :
Konferenz ArODES
an employer’s perspective

Laura Zizka, Doreen M. McGunagle

Proceedings of The 2017 International Academic Conference on Business

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Zusammenfassung:

Educational programs prepare students theoretically for the workplace, but many programs are still lacking in the real-world skills that the workplace requires. This is especially evident in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education where today’s graduates hold a fundamental role in advancing science, medicine, sustainability, national security, and the economy, yet the programs to prepare them are falling short of employer expectations. At present, there is a lack of information on the necessary skills for workplace success that is specific to Airline, Aerospace, Defense (A&D) and related Industries’ STEM graduates. This paper attempts to fill this gap by offering a model of the skills required of STEM graduates for successful integration into the A&D and related Industries’ workplace. The purpose of the case study is to explore the employer’s perspective on the job skills that influence the success of STEM college graduates. The case study method was used that involved a purposeful sample strategy of hiring individuals for STEM based positions within the A&D and related Industries. The initial interviews support the job performance skills that have been identified in our research. The highest sought after skills are problem solving, team player, ability to gather data, and adaptability. The lowest sought after skill is negotiation. Two additional skills recommended by the interviewees will be added to future studies – time management, active listening skills. The conclusions reached emphasize the importance of real life applications during STEM classes and programs to better prepare future STEM employees for the workplace.

2015

The impact of corporate social responsibility communication on corporate reputation
Konferenz ArODES

Doreen M. McGunagle, Laura Zizka

Proceedings of 17th Eurasia Business and Economics Society (EBES) conference

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Zusammenfassung:

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming increasingly more important for firms in today' s global marketplace. Thus effective communication of a company's CSR initiatives is vital toward enhancing a company's reputation and in tum, its sales revenues. With this consideration, the corporate reputations of firms in the Aerospace and Defense (A & D) industry worldwide, in conjunction with their use of social media were examined. An objective of the research was to validate a link between the use of social media to communicate CSR activities and a firm's reputation ranking. Methodology for the study involved the use of a qualitative content analysis of the online and social media presence of the top 20 A & D companies from the Deloitte Toche Tohmatso Limited (DTTL) 2014 Global A & D sector financial performance study. Data from six indicators of CSR: environment, community relations, diversity, employee relations, human rights, and client comments was obtained and examined. According to the findings, firms utilizing social media as a communication channel should expect improved reputation ratings. All top 20 A & D companies publish at least four CSR indicators on their social media platforms. Results indicate that reputation rating rose when five CSR indicators were reported, however, the addition of a sixth indicator did not increase a firm's rating. The conclusion reached is that while CSR content via social media can lead to higher reputation ratings, companies do need to carefully choose the ideal number of CSR indicators, as well as which indicators, to position themselves. Development of a social media strategy to communicate CSR activities would thus benefit firms.

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