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Niagara College
School of Hospitality Tourism and Sport
Level of Course:
Undergraduate and Graduate
Instructor:
Jennifer Hall
Course Subject:
Tourism
Number of community participants:
18 - 50
"Yellowdig has helped me to better connect with my students and understand what knowledge they are coming into the course with, and what they are hoping to learn."
In my courses we learn about tourism in Canada and abroad with a focus on cultural assets and tourism
products. We also discuss new trends and developments in our industry.
In my Destinations course, one of our course objectives is to explore tourism in Canada from the
perspective of a tourist. Yellowdig has helped us to achieve this while staying physically distant. In this
course, we went on a virtual tour of the Niagara Falls Museum, which is a museum focused on local history
and the history of tourism in our region. Using Yellowdig my students created questions that they were
hoping to have answered during our tour. Then during the tour, the students asked their questions, and
shared what they had learned in Yellowdig. This platform helped to bring this experience to life and to
reinforce what we were learning and discovering as a class.
By The Numbers
30
Posts
50
Comments
200
Shares
Results
Throughout the pandemic I have been teaching students in many different countries. Often my students are in different time zones from myself and this can make it difficult to connect with students in real time. Now that I have started using YD, I often turn on my computer in the morning to see that my students have been engaged in discussions around our course materials while I have been sleeping.
A Yellowdig post from a student in Professor Hall's course post about Niagara History Museum.
"Yellowdig allows me to get to know my students on a more personal level without the rigidity of traditional discussion boards. One of my favorite things about Yellowdig is that participation in not binary. In a traditional assignment or discussion board, students feel that they must always have the “right” answer. In Yellowdig I can see that my students feel comfortable asking questions, sharing an idea or theory, or sharing their professional experiences as they relate to the course." About Yellowdig, Professor Hall shares that "It has been incredible to teach tourism in such a dynamic destination."
Here at Yellowdig, we are thrilled to learn what Jennifer shared above. In a time when modern student engagement means that students must connect virtually, the way Jennifer structured her course to encourage this interaction is spot on. In an industry that typically relies on in-person learning to create those memorable lessons, this tourism course pivoted to amplify social learning - and it was a success! This emphasis on social learning in an improvement that will definitely stick around even after students can visit museums in person.
The Yellowdig community participation is something remarkable for me. Not only allows us to stay all
connected in these difficult times of isolation, but we all share interesting points of views considering the
diverse cultures and places we are all from. We get to know all each other more with each interaction.
~
Anonymous Student in the Tourism Management and Business Development diploma program
About the Instructor
Jennifer Hall
BPhEd, BEd, M.A.D.S.
Professor, Tourism Destinations
Jennifer is a former Outdoor Educator, travel counsellor and trip leader who has now transitioned to teaching at Niagara College. She teaches in the school of Hospitality, Tourism and Sport. She teaches primarily into the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program and the Tourism Management and Business development program with most of her courses having a focus on tourism.
About the Institution
Niagara College
A Canadian college located in the Niagara Region, Niagara College boasts more than 130 innovative programs and is Canada’s leader in applied, experiential learning.
