Study Guide

Objectives (course unit)

Student
- is able to demonstrate the synergy between tourism, hospitality, well-being and sustainability
- is able to evaluate new service opportunities in global and regional context
- is able to add value in a cross-sectoral, multicultural team and global problem solving
- is able to apply possibilities of circular economy in development of sustainable service business
- is able to explain the value of research, development and innovation projects in enhancement of sustainability challenges

Content (course unit)

WHAT viewpoints a multi-cultural approach and diversity can bring to analysis of well-being and sustainability?
WHY sustainability challenges and problems should be tackled with cross-expertise teamwork?
WHY well-being and sustainability call for a holistic understanding (of the phenomena)?
HOW circular economy thinking&doing can be apply in sustainable services and events?

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2) (course unit)

The student is able to identify and define key concepts of tourism, hospitality, well-being and sustainable development.
The student is aware of alternative methods and tools but is unable to reason one’s choices from the perspective of applying circular economy in service business.
The student can explain the economic and well-being related outcome and impact of one’s own action.
The student can work in a project in collaboration with different actors from different fields and apply one’s own expertise in teamwork.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4) (course unit)

The student can identify and explain causal relationships of tourism, hospitality, well-being and sustainability related phenomena and key concepts.
The student can select suitable and appropriate methods and argument one’s choices to promote circular economy in service management and/or business.
The student can describe and assess well-being and economical impact of one’s own actions within a multicultural team. The student is able to bring one’s professional skills into play for the team’s joint resources.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5) (course unit)

The student can holistically discuss the synergy between tourism, hospitality, well-being and sustainability.
The student consistently works towards alternative operational models and sustainable solutions to promote circular economy in service business and/or management.
The student can anticipate the impact of one’s action.
The student is able to work in a multicultural team.
The student shows skills in combining and harmonising viewpoints and encouraging others to share information and participate in teamwork.

Location and time

The course runs the entire Spring semester, both the third and the fourth periods. Time tables and places (tba) can be found at https://lukkarit.tamk.fi/. Our weekly rhythm is based on Monday mornings 9-11.30 and Tuesday mornings 9-11.30. At some point, on some weeks, Tuesdays may be used for team work without teacher-driven sessions. However, we begin on the 8th of January at 9:00, and at least in January both Mondays and Tuesdays we spend together, and team work is coached and facilitated by the teachers during the sessions.

Exam schedules

No exam.

Assessment methods and criteria

Evaluation is based on individual work and teamwork, and will be completed with numeric evaluation. We use teachers' evaluation, self- and peer reflection, and commissioner's evaluation. Assessment is based on the process and end result of the team process. Also, there will be some individual assignments that play a role in the overall grading.
The evaluation will lean on three angles of assessment: knowing (information search, theoretical understanding etc.) - doing (applying theory, use of development methods etc.) - being (self-leadership, participation in teamwork, reflection etc.).

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

The study unit in principle builds on a multi-disciplinary, cross-sectoral process where hospitality management students and social services students work together in teams around a topical service development project.
Pedagogically, different learning methods and techniques will be used ranging from teacher-driven inspirational lectures to interactive exercises, dialogue, and excursion visits to team work and individual work.

Learning materials

Articles and other material in Moodle; material tipped by the coaches; material searched and acquired by students. The pre-assignment includes a cavalcade of articles etc. related to the topic at hand.

Student workload

10 credits equals 267 h of student's work. The workload is tackled as individual and team work, and via joint learning sessions at the campus. On a weekly basis, as this covers about a third of the Spring semester's objectives (10/30 ECTS), students should prepare to work around the study unit topics, project and assignments for about 1-2 work days per week. On a weekly basis, in the time table there are 2 x 2,5 hours in the period 3, and 2,5 hours + 3,5 hours in the period 4. As the study unit lasts about 16 weeks, that is, 15 weeks without the so called project week (Spring break on week 9), this means 35 hours + 56 hours = 91 hours. So, joint sessions cover less than half of the study unit's workload. This calls for individual and team work along with good time management and commitment.

Content scheduling

Possibilities of service innovation in global sustainability and well-being as a topic deals with sustainability, circular economy, well-being, and cross-sectoral ways of working. Students get to learn about eco-social wellbeing, education and civilization. Also, new ways of organizing for and provision of services as public-private partnership, and partnerships between sectors (incl. the 3rd sector and the 4th sector, civil society activism) will be discussed.
Service development work will also draw from gamification, storification and storytelling, and experientialism - how to enhance services towards experience economy, transformation economy, and the new relationship between individualism and sense of community.

The students will learn to combine the assets of people with different backgrounds, and skills, and add value in cross-sectoral, multicultural team-based problem solving. Diversity and multi-culturalism are discussed from a synergetic angle to deal with wicked problems related to sustainability. Also, opportunities surrounding circular economy are introduced and studied.

Completion alternatives

No alternative ways of completion. Recognition of prior learning.

Practical training and working life cooperation

The study unit is built around a commissioned project that deals with service development, wellbeing, and sustainability, and there will be a real-life working life partner involved.

International connections

The content and topics have a global angle, there may be international students (and/or customers, citizens, ...) on the course and in the teams, and / or we get to work with immigrants. We work in English.

Further information

More information will follow by the 8th of January, and on our opening session. For instance, the discussions with possible commissioners for the service development project, and the cooperation with social services education are going on at the moment.