Prof. (Dr.

) Vinay Rana
Dean- School of Hospitality Management
IMS Unison University,
Dehradun

HOSPITALITY EDUCATION-ADAPTING TO CHANGES

The crisis
The Covid-19 crisis has not only crippled the hotel and travel industry but also the
hospitality education and training sector in a big way. There has been no disruption for the
last 50 years in the field of healthcare and education hence not much changes have
happened in these two important sectors. The sudden, forced immersion of learners into
virtual learning during this period of Covid-19 has proved that the education industry is
disrupted. Historically, education sector has moved slowly and had problems adapting
themselves to changes, but the current disruptive period with Covid-19 is acting as a catalyst
and trigger for change in our educational model wherein the crisis has been a turning point
for better hospitality educational models in the future.
The Ripple effect
The widespread impact by Covid 19 pandemic with the Hotel Management Institutes pan
India, had been that, barring a few very few institutes and universities, most have not been
able to complete the examinations due to the lockdown as they have not been able to do so
through on line medium. The final year students in hospitality degree program had been at
the receiving end of the brunt as they have not been able to complete their examinations,
along-with, no certainty of revival of full-fledged hotel operations, the hotel management
institutes and the students are in state of ambiguity on the campus recruitments and the job
offer from the leading hotel groups which currently lies jeopardized.
New challenges in hospitality education due to pandemic
The new set challenges to hotel management institutes is to conduct the theory and
practical classes by maintaining the physical distancing norm in the available infrastructure.
The norms for social distancing will add a new set of challenge to conduct academic activity
in available infrastructure. The conduct of theory and practical classes for a batch in one go
will be near impossible task that will be taxing on the resources of the education institutes.
A brainstorming for the solution by hospitality educators is required.
Hotel management institutes that are being run on self-financing or autonomous schemes
will be worst affected due to drastic drop in admissions. This will push them at the brink of
survival. The international placements have historically been the greatest attraction for the
hospitality industry aspirant, which may remain closed due to global recession in the travel
and hospitality industry. This may reflect on the admissions to the institutes in certain
geographies of the country.

Gearing up for challenge – possible strategies

The education sector is on fire-fighting mode in the country. The world is currently adapting
at a lightning speed that requires curious, flexible and proactive approach. However, based
on these surreal circumstances of a global pandemic, a shift to online platform will provide
the education momentum. Nothing will ever replace the magic of learning in a real
classroom. Many experts think the change is both necessary and urgent because the current
system in education including hospitality education in India, is still anchored in the last
century mind-set and is failing to address the needs of the digital age.
Open-source digital learning solutions and Learning Management Software should be
adopted in hospitality education to conduct teaching online. Learning Management Systems
like Google Classroom, Blackboard, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, can play an important role
in on line academic delivery. Other ICT options of online video-based micro-courses, e-
books, simulations, models, graphics, animations, quizzes, games, and e-notes are advised
to make learning more accessible and engaging. The institutes and universities should probe
possibilities for conducting proctored online examination through third party national level
vendors.
Understanding that hospitality education curriculum have high degree of practical
components, a blended model for online education will be most appropriate. Blended
learning is an approach to education that combines online educational materials and
opportunities for interaction online along with traditional place-based classroom methods.
Online learning model involves -Synchronous and Asynchronous learning. Synchronous is a
real time interaction between a student and a teacher through a computer or a chat box
and follows a schedule or a calendar like time table to get everyone together at the same
time. Asynchronous online teaching is a self-study mode and at the pace of student it could
be conducted through recorded audio video content, email, message board or threaded
discussions. The above mix of teaching- learning needs to be the part of new hospitality
education that has become need out of necessity.
The theory portion of the syllabus needs to be conducted online so that classes for larges
batches can easily conducted without using the physical classroom resources and will be in
compliance with the physical distancing norms.
The physical resource of various labs at hospitality institute will be utilized to conduct
practical training in small batches in compliance with physical distancing norms. A time table
scheduling will break up into two sessions, first session focussed upon concluding theory of
combined large batches through online mode in a set time period then followed by
conducting practical session physically at the institute’s laboratories of small batches.
Adopting this blended on line education model may in fact may be the best solution for the
present times. Unprecedented times will call for unprecedented solutions till we tide over
with present and Post Covid 19 pandemic crisis and situation returns to normal.
Future success models will be based on a well-balanced and identified portfolio of physical
and online components. These blended models can and will reap the benefits of both
formats of education.
Required changes in syllabi contents
Post covid 19 pandemic, and till the industry resume the normal, the impact caused by
pandemic will provide insights on following modifications to be made in the course
curriculum or syllabi:

 Concept of Contactless hospitality operations in Front Office and F& B operations

 Cleaning Science to have additional units on sanitized cleaning, bio static spray
cleaning and UV cleaning
 The guidelines by FHRAI-FSSAI and WHO related to hospitality operations of all
departments to be integrated in the syllabi
 Disaster Management to be part of all Undergraduate Syllabus as prescribed by UGC
to include- Pandemic Management.
 At least 20 percent of credit scheme to be delivered online so as to keep the level of
preparedness for future among students and faculty to meet similar challenges.
 The new hospitality managerial competencies for future would be Adaptive Capacity,
Agility in Decision Making and Creativity & Innovation. These should find place in the
syllabi of managerial courses being taught.
The final year students in hospitality degree program whose job offer from the leading hotel
groups are ambiguous and jeopardized should focus on utilizing this time in pursuing post
graduate program or skill enhancement certificates and diplomas so that they utilize this
time to add qualification and skills enabling them to be better prepared when industry
bounces back. Reflecting on history of challenges, it is speculated that industry will bounce
back after this temporary disruption, in a big way.
Success of hospitality professionals depends on understanding that, difference between
success and failure depends on how we deal with challenges and difficulties. To quote
Charles Darwin “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent
that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”
PROFILE OF ARTICLE AUTHOR
Prof.(Dr.) Vinay Rana
Dean- School of Hospitality Management
IMS Unison University,
Dehradun

Dr.Vinay Rana is the Professor & Dean at School of Hospitality Management with IMS Unison
University, Dehradun .He has vast experience in Hospitality Industry, Academics, and Research,
spanning over twenty six years. He is a well-respected trainer in hospitality education and has
established and developed various professional hospitality institutes in Northern India. He started
his career in the capacity of the chef, and worked in various prestigious hotel properties, both, in
India & overseas. As an established academician he has published and presented more than 25
research papers in various National and International research journals and conferences.

Dr. Rana has been a frequent Keynote speaker at various prestigious International Conferences. He
has authored/ co-authored/ edited seven books on hospitality subjects and contributed Chapters to
three hospitality and tourism books.

Indian Hospitality Congress has conferred “Aspiring Researcher Welcome Award’’ to Dr. Vinay Rana
for the year 2015-16. In the year 2016, he received the “Educator of the year Award 2016” by
International Society for Hospitality Education and he is also the recipient of “Global Hospitality
Leadership Award 2018” and “Academic and Research Excellence Award 2019,” felicitated at
International Conferences.

As a passionate hospitality academician, he had been mentor and trainer for his students and has
ensured highest quality arrangements in teaching, learning and student support system that has
ensured students being transformed from potential to professionals.