Experiential Learning Methods in Culinary Course Can Bridge the Gap: Student Perceptions on How Hands-On Curriculum Prepares Them for Industry

ABSTRACT This exploratory study investigates students’ understanding of how they believed hands-on activities prepared them for the hospitality industry. While competitive hospitality businesses around the globe seek out new employees to take on the many leadership challenges, hospitality schools make parallel efforts to prepare their students to take on these responsibilities after graduation. Although traditional classroom techniques have a place in the hospitality classroom, experiential learning methods have emerged as a powerful way of better preparing students for the unique environment they will face when employed. The inseparable employee-to-guest nature of the hospitality industry creates idiomatic scenarios, which can often be stressful for a new employee. The context for this study is the University of South Florida’s College of Hospitality & Tourism Leadership (CHTL). Using qualitative explorative methods, students were interviewed and synthesized themes were identified. The main findings indicate students were enthusiastic when describing their hands-on activities with professionals and shared how the experiential learning curriculum was more engaging then traditional methods. Students provided narratives that claimed the dynamic activities made learned material more memorable and relevant to the real industry. Furthermore, students felt the challenging group work caused them to develop diverse insights for problem solving.