Collaborative Learning in Hospitality Education: A Process-orientation Case Study

Collaborative learning groups are frequently used in hospitality undergraduate pedagogy to build the crucial industry competence of teamwork skills. Although research has investigated the effects of collaborative learning, it is sparse in examining its process. The process-orientation approach helps educators design and implement collaborative learning environments to mitigate the challenges associated with group work. This single embedded design case study focused on process-orientation to uncover the factors of a collaborative learning group: the individual learner (teamwork orientation), task (complexity, support, guidance, assessment), and team (size, roles, composition). Data were collected through student focus groups (n = 66), professor interviews (n = 12), and student surveys (n = 410). The findings provide insights into stakeholder experiences and offer strategies that professors can implement to enhance learning in the collaborative environment.