Another way to consider Innovation in Higher Education

The year 2020 will be remembered. Covid19 has forced many institutions (almost all) to rethink their teaching methods and their communication tools. However, I am not here to talk to you about Zoom, Microsoft Teams, gamification or online simulation. I think innovation isn't just about increasing technology in education. Innovation is above all a mindset. 

So, I'm here to share with you some of our non-technological innovations at Hotel Institute Montreux (HIM):

• Innovation in Course content
• Innovation in Research
• Innovation in Measuring
• Innovation in Curriculum development

Innovation in Course content

Our students love HIM because they have the opportunity during the second year of their bachelor to choose a specialisation. We are convinced that hospitality is not limited to hotels and restaurants: wherever there is a client, there is hospitality. In October, we launched our new specialisation: Management for the Senior Living. This specialisation was welcomed with enthusiasm by the students.

By 2060, almost a third of Europeans will be over 65. On average, our seniors live longer, in better health and with greater purchasing power than previous generations of retirees. Baby boomers travel, play sports, have hobbies. They are active and looking for tailor-made solutions. Our students learn to better understand seniors, to create dedicated services and facilities, to support them positively and dynamically in this third life. Our students have discovered that they have a lot more in common with the over 65s than they thought and after just three months they are teeming with innovative ideas and projects.

Innovation in Research

HIM is above all a vocational school, we do not have a research center. This does not prevent us from analysing, comparing, and trying to understand. Our approach is innovative because our students participate in our Generation Z research project. They are both the subject of study and the researchers. To know more about our Z.Lab experimental study: https://www.zlab-by-him.com/

Innovation in Measuring impact

Of course, like any school, our teachers give grades to our students. However, our biggest victory is not that they get A's everywhere but the evolution of each student, the development of their knowledge, their emotional intelligence, their creativity, their critical thinking, their agility and obviously the fact that they are customer-oriented in all the actions they undertake. What is happening is in fact the development of their hospitality quotient and it is now another way for us to evaluate them and especially to measure their progress.

Innovation in Curriculum Development

Like many hotel schools, our students start their education with an Introduction to Hospitality course. This year, part of their final grade is linked to an interview project with HIM alumni. Thanks to the active collaboration of our former students, occupying managerial positions in hotels around the world, our students were able from the start to understand concretely what a career in the international hotel industry means. Obviously, they developed their network, they were able to concretely link information seen in class with the real world, all using LinkedIn as a means of communication. Thanks to this innovation, this so-called traditional course has become a highlight of the first trimester at HIM. To know more follow on Instagram Michael Heinrich or #hospitalitystories