Collaborative learning in Higher Education: an experience in a foreign language in the field of Tourism

Abstract

Considering the future of the Tourism industry and the need to adapt the skills of higher education students to the reality they will face in the professional world, the traditional teaching paradigm needs to progressively include methodologies and strategies of active and participative learning, in order to foster student autonomy and responsibility in their own learning process. 

This paper presents a pedagogical experience developed with undergraduate students in the field of Tourism, in an English language course, where an active and collaborative learning methodology was developed, centered on students and with the teacher assuming the role of facilitator of the learning process.

The results show that students perceive this experience as one that promotes their autonomy and collaborative work, in the context of a learning process that is more flexible than usual, but also reveals weaknesses shown by students, who were often very unsure and felt the constant need for feedback from the teacher.